Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche EP (1982)

Compared to the tragic oil spills of creativity the senile Seattle rockers have suffered in more recent times, the eponymous Queensrÿche EP seems like a distant, safe harbor from the storm of years that have rusted and peeled back the once great outfit's hull. A solemn reminder that there was a point at which this quintet had been so far ahead of the pack that they helped write its textbook, and a glimpse at what 'might have been' if the band had not decided, through flawed leadership, to rebuke most of its roots in the 90s and beyond to chase its own tail around in a wasteland of progressive rock and 'modernized' ideas that felt just as trite or dated when they arrived as any conceived perception the band might have feared at the prospect of sustained ass kicking on the metallic circuit...

But come 1982, we didn't have a hell of a lot of bands here in the States quite so advanced as this one, and I'm oft surprised just how much of this formative Queensrÿche survived even through their smash hit albums like Operation: Mindcrime and Empire (note the semblance in the vocals of "The Lady Wore Black" and the band's relentless, redundant radio juggernaut "Silent Lucidity", for example). Iron Maiden and other groups hovering around the birth of the NWOBHM might have predated this by a few years, and you can certainly hear a similarity in the strong fits of melody, riff structures and general airiness of the guitars and vocals, yet I can only think of a handful of American bands, like Riot, who were putting out precursive power metal at this level of polish and charm, and there's simply no downplaying on how influential this group was. Certainly groups like Fates Warning, Lizzy Borden and Liege Lord were paying attention in their youths, as was just about everyone else tuned to hard rock/metal radio in the 80s, which is why they were able to build such a resounding foundation of success that echoed well beyond the stagnation of their second decade.

Personally, the Queensrÿche EP has not possessed the staying power of the three full-lengths that followed it, but like so many other recordings of its period, there's a particular timelessness which seems as fresh and evocative as when I heard it as a Huffy-owning neighborhood whelp. "Queen of the Reich" might not have the stickiest riff-set of all time, but I really admired its driving sense of style that mirrored what Maiden were writing across the Atlantic from about 1982-86. The muscular, harried bass-lines of Eddie Jackson were competitive with Steve Harris; the rhythm guitars, while somewhat muddy in contrast to the vocals, were rife with inspiration, whether they were splayed out in open, atmospheric chords, faster picked verses or the screaming, bulky melodies persistent through a number of the tracks such as "Nightrider" and "Blinded". In addition, Rockenfield's drums felt aggressive and angry to the point where they darkened the mood of most of these songs; even though the guy's never been the most technical skin smasher of his generation, he had a means of placing a great deal of kinetic force into simpler beats, and thus memories of the guy freaking out in his various drum cages are hardly exaggerated.

But what most would have found the most distinctive in the Queensrÿche sound were the wailing vocals of Geoff Tate, one of the most prominent testicular harpies in all 80s metal alongside names like Dickinson, Halford, Dio, Dirkschneider, Osbourne, Arch. While the guy's also capable in a lower, brooding range to which he adds a lot of (sometimes forced) emotion, he definitely stuck to a higher pitch through most of the tunes in this period, and he was quite on point. I always loved how the guy's voice would trail off with this wavering sustenance after delivering a harmonious spike, and it shares the stratosphere of the album quite well alongside the ripping, rugged leads in "Queen of the Reich". The caveat is, as with a lot of works in this time period, they often feel a bit loud and disparate against the instruments, something that in retrospect is easy to understand but, at the time, felt a fraction showy and grating here, though not enough to curb one's appreciation for the music.

While the songs here aren't the first I'd crank during a workout Rÿche-athon alongside "Empire", "Speak" or "Eyes of a Stranger", they're admittedly very consistent, each with functional riffing dynamics and outbursts of melody. Even the power ballad, "The Lady Wore Black" doesn't drag its heels too far behind, its gleaming clean guitars erupting into power chords and gently thundering, simple fills, and the first real example of Tate exploring much of his range within one track. The 1988 bonus track, "Prophecy", which had been written later than this material, sounds a lot more polished due to its bigger budget, and so it tends to stand out from the original EP content, stylistically more in line with Rage for Order (when it was recorded), but despite that it's a solid song no matter where you feel like experiencing it.

I've certainly had a few acquaintances who cite this as the greatest hour of Queensrÿche, and while this is not a sentiment I share in any way (there are certain individual songs on Operation: Mindcrime, for example, that have had more impact on me than the sum of all this material), I can recognize and share in its raw appeal. Ultimately, it might only feel as if it were a few years ahead of its time, since this style seemed to peak here in the States from about 1984-1989, but the lyrics and songwriting were quite solid, and when you consider that it was more or less a demo the band had written as 'The Mob', before Geoff Tate had even joined full time, it was already far more than a humble beginning. Had only the band itself returned to this more often in their personal listening habits through the years, we might not have experienced some of the post-Promised Land abortions that clutter the landscape of their discography.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (she will find her way)

http://www.queensryche.com/

Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance (1982)

Screaming for Vengeance represented a return to the level of ambition that Judas Priest had seemingly sidetracked for the previous albums British Steel and Point of Entry, but at the same time it also retains those records' flair for production and accessibility. Featuring the first of Doug Johnson's iconic cover trilogy (the stylish, metallic raptor who many bands like Primal Fear would later tweak and adopt as their mascot), this was a smashing success largely due to its major single "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", which experienced so much penetration into Western culture that you'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't know it that wasn't deaf. But Screaming was and remains quite pleasing in its entirety, the best of Priest's recordings in the 80s, and while it's a few inches shy of perfection, even the worst songs in the roster are a match for nearly anything on Point of Entry.

One of the things that first struck me about the album is its lyrical awareness and even forward thinking nature, which the band had sort of dropped out of with a lot of songs on the few albums leading up to it. Not to say that the lyrics are as complex as some of the 70s material, or that every song here is necessarily deep in intent, but I rather appreciated the relevance of "Electric Eye" and its observations on...well, modern observation. Or corruption ("Bloodstone"). Granted, there are a number of sassy sex songs here like "Fever", "Devil's Child" and so forth, and your typical 'hit the road' feel goodness ("Riding on the Wind") and 'don't fuck with me' anthem ("You've Got Another Thing Comin'"), yet even these seem well handled. Unlike Point of Entry, Screaming for Vengeance seems far more structured and plotted out rather than just spontaneously created in some exotic studio locale to fit a particular theme. But it doesn't hurt that so many of the individual songs are bastions of strong writing and hooks that likely won't escape your memory...ever.

It also doesn't hurt that "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is either tied with or surpassing "Breaking the Law" as the band's singular, most recognizable song. And at twice the length! The simple chugging in the verses is flush with Halford's diatribe of revenge and rebellion, and the (predictable) chorus is simply a timeless miracle that will probably sound as fresh and poignant in 2082 as it did in 1982. The lead, while not the best in their canon, also seemed a step up from most on the previous two albums, all tying in with the notion that Priest had once again attained some forward momentum here. Remarkably, the rest of the songs on the album are not nearly so popular. The dire melodies that instigate the brief intro "The Helion" are pervasive, and "Electric Eye" has some of the most unforgettable guitars in it since "Breaking the Law" and an ace chorus, but even this was not the hugest hit when the album first arrived. Other notables include "Bloodstone" with its airy screaming in both the verses and chorus, and a pretty sweet intro-lick reminiscent of something Eddie Van Halen might have pulled on one of his group's earlier records. Or "Riding on the Wind" with Dave Holland's opening battery and some cutting highway hard rock that makes it feel like a Point of Entry outtake (only a lot catchier thanks to that harpy chorus).

Priest also shows a softer side at points, but not for very long. Cleaner guitar tones introduce "(Take These) Chains" and "Fever", but it's not long before the chords erupt. Both highly underrated songs, but then, so is everything on this album that isn't named "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". The only tune I'm not a huge fanatic for is "Pain and Pleasure", which implements more or less a swaggering bluesy groove riff in the Zeppelin vein, yet even here the chorus is admittedly pretty good. In total, there is no imbalance to Screaming for Vengeance as there was with its predecessors. I never felt that I was experiencing a glut of creativity or phoned in filler; all the songs are very unified due to the production and pacing, but distinct from one another.

It helps that Rob is really on fire throughout the 39 minutes of the album, relying heavily on the screamed lines that he'd reined in for a few of the recent albums. I don't know about you, but while I appreciate the guy's adventurous nature and willingness to experiment and broaden his range to include its depths, I like it best when he's screeching over the iron-clad mesh of the guitars like acid raining from the sky, and we get plenty of that here. The guitar tone is boxy and effective, the leads spurious but entertaining, certainly some of the most acrobatic they'd yet delivered but still mindful of a good dual melody (as in the title track). The bass once again doesn't do much but follow the guitar, yet you can hear a few of his fills, and this was also the most muscular execution yet from Dave Holland, the powerful pounding undercurrent that the band would further exemplify as they blasted into the late 80s with Ram It Down, and of course the inevitable Painkiller.

Another element that I so love about Screaming for Vengeance is that, while it's immortal in quality, the album is very easily dated to the 80s and influential on so many greats to follow from Europe and the states. The zephyr-like reverb on the instruments, the huge if simple guitar hooks built to fill an arena, this was all a blueprint for hundreds of speed, power and even hard rock acts through the decade, and I really loved this sense of grand production, something we seem to miss in this modern age of excess tracking and digitized over-polish. Not that Screaming for Vengeance isn't 'clean' or mainstream enough sounding to satisfy even the most ardent pop audience, but there's just this sense of glory through the album that I don't get out of Rhapsody or Dragonforce, despite all their advancements in speed and technicality. This is not the best of Priest, but it's very far up the scale, hot enough to burst the mercury from its thermometer.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10] (the world is a manacled place)

http://www.judaspriest.com/

Heavy Load - Death or Glory (1982)

When you've got a Viking warrior and a fucking polar bear throwing down on your album cover, then you'd damned well better be ready to throw down the gauntlet yourselves and get into the fight. While I can't claim that Death or Glory is a much heavier evolution of this Swedish band's sound than the Metal Conquest EP, it brings back a lot of the dramatic dynamics that defined their 1978 debut album and fuses them into some of the band's best songwriting. In fact, if I had to choose a single Heavy Load record to recommend that best represented their sound, this would be my first selection, a strong balance of pure 80s thunder and epic arrangements that might have competed in the same arena as Battle Hymns or Metal on Metal, if not for the limited accessibility the Swedes suffered from having to release the music themselves. Even today this is quite a rarity, and one is almost as likely to find the Japanese licensed copies as an original vinyl.

Death or Glory actually dials down a fraction of the single minded masculinity of the Metal Conquest EP in terms of its sheer sound, and as a result the guitar tones here have more of a fragility to them which really helps sell the blustering leads and the dual melodies (as you hear through a track like "Might for Right"). In general, though, the musicianship here is simply a more interesting experience than anything the band had brought out to date. The vocals shift back to a bit of the crazier charisma found on Full Speed at High Level, only with a lot more restraint and refinement which manages never to seem as sloppy or disjointed. The drums and bass on this record still sound great today, and for the first time in Heavy Load's careers, the leads really soar through cuts like "Might for Right", "Bleeding Streets" or the flashier segments in the bridge "Still There is Time", which have this raw classical formality to them which explodes into a sequence in which the noodling winds down into this pure, exotic chugging and flexing.

The Swedes retained a bit of their theatrical edge with the use of melodic, layered backing vocals and song structures that play out almost like tributes to the Sagas. In particular, "Daybreak Ecstasy" is a notable piece for its 9 minutes of escalation, from wintry acoustics and choirs to Styrbjörn's brief war drum thumping into some of the most glorious, imagination carving dual melodies on any Heavy Load release. This thing is simply PACKED with excellent riffing and pacing, and the vocals really howl out across the wintry background created through the reverb and atmosphere of the guitars. Hot damn, when they hit that tremolo riff around the 3:00 mark you just wanna find your own ursus maritimus and spill its savage blood across the snows. The track "Trespasser" is another unsung classic here, with more of those choppy, mean melodic guitar chugs that would have been huge if they were on Kill 'Em All (though the chorus here is admittedly a fraction too loud), and a few psychotic effects that give it almost this Hawkwind meets Diamond Head sci-fi feel that jives well with the apocalyptic lyrics.

Seriously, if Heavy Load had released an album full of tracks like that, with a little more control to the vocal lines, they likely would have blown up across Europe. But then, the variation present on Death or Glory is far from a weakness, and at least 6-7 of its songs rank among the best of their entire canon. Even the lyrics here are in general quite thoughtful, if not complex (like how they manage to create a jubilant transcendence out of what is essentially a metal groupie tribute in "Heavy Metal Angels"). The production of the record isn't perfect, with the voices clearly too voluminous in spots, but the tight rhythm section and the airy atmosphere of the guitars still sounds fresh to my ears 30 years later. I might be a little biased in its favor, as this was the first Heavy Load record I was ever exposed to (several years after it came out), but all of its many facets combine into what is very much mandatory for fans of this era. It was no Restless and Wild or Screaming for Vengeance in terms of 'hit potential', but holds up favorably along the output of acts the world over like Anvil, Loudness and Riot.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10] (can't stand for less)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heavy-Load/209514325984

Anvil - Metal on Metal (1982)

Anvil might have had a pretty good start with Hard 'n' Heavy, but it was the sophomore Metal on Metal that would usher in a new wave of attention towards the Canadians and very nearly hand them a hall pass to the level of notoriety bursting like fireworks around a select handful of other North American metal luminaries in the same era. Yeah, we all know how it turned out in the end, but no one can deny that this time, the band came strapped with more than just the good intentions and raw testosterone of their heavily hard rock influenced debut. This time they brought a 100% genuine anthem with them that would remain their best known song for all the decades to come. In fact, there are people out there who likely know Anvil ONLY for the track "Metal on Metal", as if the rest of their storied saga could be swept under the rug.

And it wouldn't be hard to plead their case, because this is one of those timeless monsters that simply won't escape your memory once it's pounded itself in there. Personally I loved the clever use of their namesake in this and other album/title track selections, but beyond that you've got this unique, dark and swaggering brute which features the appropriate metal clanging gimmick that you'd expect from the title. Immediately we're introduced to a darker, heavier Anvil with far more muscular guitar tone, and Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, while still utilizing the same range as the first album, seems as if his balls have dropped, or he smoked a few packs before churning this out in the studio. Huskier, manlier, and bolder, the near growls in the bridge stand out as a welcome warning that you are about to get your skull caved in by the weight of it all. Doesn't hurt that the lead burns like molten steel, the backing shouts are well developed and the damned central guitar riff is one of those so simple and effective that many other bands were probably slapping themselves in the forehead that they didn't come up with it.

But that's not the only great track here, and a number of its neighbors possess a rather startling depth that I don't remember experiencing on much of the debut. The year before, the Canadians had written the first good metallic tribute to a Stones' tune I'd yet heard, and here they unleash the first to a Toho monster in "Mothra", and a good one. Solid, mid-paced Judas Priest riffing helps spin the saga of the fictional Japanese beast while spurious leads help glide it into a finely structured chorus and a killer breakdown riff which yet again seems like a precursor to thrash. Lips is all fucking over this song, and the robotized vocals at the finale are another nice touch. Another legendary Anvil cut is the instrumental "March of the Crabs", also pretty effective as it allows Reiner's pummeling abilities to rise to the fore behind the rise and fall of the melodies, and fuck, the very EXISTENCE of this piece on the album just goes to show that these guys were getting serious...

Alas, not all of the writing here lives up to this same, impressive standard. We've got another Dave Allison fronted track called "Stop Me" which by this point feels like another band entirely, and a girl anthem called "Scenery" in which one of the riffs is a bit close to "Crazy Train" for my comfort (though the song is not entirely without merit). Others, like "Tag Team" in which Lips channels a bit of Gene Simmons' rugged vocal appeal is not all that special, or the driving if bland "Tease Me, Please Me" and "Jackhammer" just can't compare to a song like "Metal on Metal", and perhaps that's the reason the album wouldn't have the staying power the band needed to ride their momentum to the top. Don't get me wrong, there are a few other delicious tunes here like "Heat Sink" and "666" to strengthen the back end of the record, but it doesn't have that pure track by track appeal that contributed to the success of an album like Kill 'Em All or Number of the Beast.

Metal on Metal deserves a lot of credit, though, for the clear evolutionary path it represented for its progenitors. Louder, brasher, and far happier, the woodshed studio tones of the debut were dropped here in favor of a more industrial strength workspace, and this is felt in the thunder of the guitars and the raw weight of the guitar tone. Even the bass of Ian Dickson sounds more metal on this effort, thunking away with abandon even when he hasn't got an interesting line to engage. This transformed Anvil from a rather average sounding, fun hard rock/metal entity into something to be respected and perhaps even feared, as the celebrity roundup on their documentary film will attest.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (to hell with tomorrow)

http://www.anvilmetal.com/

Mercy - Swedish Metal EP (1982)

Mercy was one of a number of early Swedish metal acts around the dawn of the 80s, but the band wouldn't develop much of a sound or following until they adopted 'Messiah' Marcolin as their front man for the eponymous 1984 debut. Yes, the same Messiah who would later go on to wax operatic over doom titans Candlemass. Before Mercy, there really wasn't all that much to tell of the band. They had a stock trad metal sensibility influenced by Judas Priest, Saxon, KISS, and a whole slew of 70s hard rock acts, which was not uncommon for its time, and the Swedish Metal EP was the only 'official' release as a three-piece, released on vinyl and straight into obscurity.

Right away, I'll say that the problem herein is not so much the music as it is the vocals. Both the drummer and guitarist contribute, and one has a higher pitch than the other, but both sound as equally vapid and unmemorable, with sort of an 'everyman' aesthetic that quickly fades in and out of the mix, flubbing up notes all too easy to ignore against the burning, blues inflections of "Don't Stop Heavy Guitar" or "Stranger from the Dark". Seriously, if you want to hear a song ruined by phoned in vox, check out "Stranger...", which is the last, and sounds like a bit of Def Leppard, Grim Reaper, Angel Witch or Saxon Another issue I took is, with the most bland delivery on the entire EP. These guys had no business on that microphone, so no wonder they pulled in Marcolin (an excellent choice). Another issue I took is that they seem to tear out leads when they're not necessary in tunes like "Heavy Sound", adding a bit too much brightness to what might otherwise seem a steadily rocking gait.

One shouldn't dwell for long on this, of course, since both Mercy (1984) and Witchburner (1985) are such strong examples of a heavy/doom hybrid that still sound great today, and Mercy have certainly earned their place in the rogues' gallery of their country's formative metal scene. But Swedish Metal was off to a rocky start, and there's just not much of a compelling reason to check this EP out aside from outright curiosity, as you could snag any of a hundred or so records from the British or German scenes which blew this to smithereens, or make better use of your time with their Swedish contemporaries Heavy Load, Axe Witch, Overdrive and so forth.

Verdict: Indifference [5/10]

Breslau - Volksmusik (1982)

If I were to hazard a guess, I would assume that the majority of the (admittedly small) cache of metal fans out there actually exposed to the career of Jutta Weinhold would know her through her two Zed Yago albums. They were the most highly exposed, on a decent label, and thus present on the shelves of many a record chain in the 80s. But Weinhold has had a long career, performing in a number of acts and genres before even developing her interest in metal music. She performed in some blues and progressive rock projects, and she even once toured with psychedelic masters Amon Düül! As it turns out, Zed Yago was not her first metal band, but instead the ill-fated and short-lived Breslau.

Breslau was one of the earliest German metal bands to actually use German lyrics, and since they were not averse to the use of WWII imagery in their cover and lyrics, they were almost immediately branded as some pro-Nazi act by the same sort of delusional, politically correct witch hunt hysteria we still experience 30 years later whenever the subject is broached outside of some super hero or movie action star kicking Nazi asses. If you imagine it's bad here in America, just think how bad it is in Deutschland! The accusations were, of course, not true, but it's a hard stereotype for a band to outlive, and these poor musicians probably did not want to put up with such drama. Thus Volksmusik would be the sole offering we were going to get here...as Jutta left the project shortly after, and the record label ended it.

Fortunately, it would be an enduring one, as Breslau wrote in the solid tradition of a Judas Priest, Girlschool, Motorhead, Deep Purple, Rainbow and Black Sabbath! Pure, old school heavy metal here, with a slight but notable punk pep to it. This younger Jutta was all the rage, with a glaring energy in her native language that would not often translate on her later work with Zed Yago or Velvet Viper. The riffs are your garden variety, driving rock based in blues and rock & roll, and nothing you couldn't figure out on a fretboard in minutes, but all the same, there is a genuine pulse pounding feel to Volksmusik which doesn't sound a day older even when its' almost three decades older!

The title track makes an immediate break for it, with thundering bass and a burning lead, a brittle and vicious edge to Weinhold's vocals, but it's not one of the catchiest tracks here. "Exzess" is quite wonderful, like a mix of AC/DC and The Runaways, which you can bang your fist to while you light a joint in the off-hand. "Kampfmaschine" is a riot, with some simple punk guitars flowing over the bass, and a great chorus with male backup. "Auf der Galeere" is slow and extremely powerful, and "Spinne" makes for some good, laid back cruising rock and roll. Other great tracks include "Ohne Gesetz" and the speedway ready "Held Im Traum", but really, the whole album is consistent from front to back.

Volksmusik holds a place in my heart for its sincere tones, though its been far displaced by time and a limited public memory. The language barrier is the most obvious, but it's possible some blowhards might pass on the record simply because of its undeserved controversial stature. You may find a slew of instant hit material here, and in fact the record might not shine so brightly as the myriad of stars that exposed themselves in the metal cosmos through the 70s and early 80s. It's a damned shame they were cut so short of their prime, because despite the serious lyrics, this was party metal that should immediately evoke nostalgia in all but the most jaded of 80s hard rock worshipers, whether you speak German or not!

Verdict: Win [8/10]

Shiva - Firedance (1982)

Every now and then you make a connection with some early piece of aural obscurity, something you've long toiled over but never quite molted with. Suddenly, the realization of genius becomes so clear, as if it were staring at you through a mirror all along. Firedance is one of situations. Far ahead of its time, and almost unheard of by anyone outside the diminishing circle of NWOBHM collectors and old metal explorers. One can only marvel that Shiva were not a raging success. After all, they struck at a time when the waters were right for progressive rock and metal, with bands like Rush and Yes topping the charts and British metal and hard rock exploding into the next big thing.

Shiva possessed both of these characteristics. One might even imagine them the perfect coupling of Rush and the American band Riot, with superb songwriting skills that put the majority of their NWOBHM peers to complete shame. But perhaps this band was just too smart for the period in which it arrived, and tragically resigned to the status of a non-entity, while bands like Judas Priest, Def Leppard and Iron Maiden would soar past them. The tragedy is that they probably gave up too soon. A few more albums like Firedance and it would have been nearly impossible for anyone to ignore them, and with progressive metal labels springing up in the 90s like Inside Out, they would have undoubtedly found a reliable home. But all we have to remember them by are a few demos, a compilation of unreleased material, and this one near masterpiece of a debut album.

Shiva was a power trio by definition, and by that I mean each of the members possessed enormous talent at his given instrument. Chris Logan was a skilled drummer, but never over indulgent here, and Andy Skuse has a beautiful, popping bass tone that never rolls over to play dead for the guitar. Speaking of the six-strings, the true center of the band must be John Hall, who performed both the vocals and guitars, and has quite a good run with each. His tones were sweet, clear and smooth, characteristic of many peers but not so sharp or piercing as a Kevin Heybourne (from fellow NWOBHM power trio Angel Witch). No, he reminds me quite a lot of Geddy Lee from the 70s Rush recordings, and his selection of notes is always teeming with life, perfectly married to the cycle of classic metal riffing and bluesy leads that lie beneath. The result is an album, Firedance, which would appeal far beyond the core metal fan of the day, to the lover of blues, progressive rock and perhaps even folk rock. Fly By Night meets Fire Down Under? Sign me up.

Shiva never forget that they're a metal band first and foremost, and tracks like "How Can I?" and the amazing "Wild Machine" display a strength in creative, accessible riffing that moves beyond some mere mutation of Judas Priest, Sabbath and Deep Purple. Not the sinister groove that hangs at the end of the verse of "Wild Machine", before a robotic voice heralds a most glorious 'silent chorus' riff. "Borderline" shows a little more of a roadster spin, as if it were Shiva's take on something like "Living After Midnight". The vocals are superb, and they'd be alluring enough without the excellent guitars. But you are gifted with both. "Stranger Lands" journeys further into the realm of progressive rock, with a carousel of Skuse's wonderful lines. "Angel of Mons" is drifting and desperate, and "User" burns with the heat of molten, classic metal. The band's namesake "Shiva" is another impressive offering, with a crazy synthesizer break near the finale that immediately lifts the imagination above some creative percussion.

The band accomplishes all of this without the inflated, excess song structures that many prog rockers were often guilty of. This is no Tales from Topographical Oceans, it's constantly aware of its status as a hard, driving rock record, but one of a positive life affirmation more than morose infatuation. It's not so mystic as to become psychedelic, but its sure to deliver the goods that a Rush fan demands from anything that band carved out in their initial decade of output. Well worth tracking down if you fancy other prog/NWOBHM crossover acts like Saracen or Budgie, and though it nears 30 years in age, its highly enduring.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://www.shivauk.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html

Nightwing - Black Summer (1982)

Nightwing are an obscure treasure of the NWOBHM movement who are still active after 30 years, finally releasing a new full length in 2008. Black Summer is their sophomore effort and quite a stunner for its day, easily surpassing the band's debut Something in the Air. What I truly love about this album is the use of proggy 70s synthesizers to create a larger than life atmosphere to the usual blues rock riffs.

"Overnight Sensation" is a raging opener, the keyboards really set up the blue collar pace of the band and the vocals create a similarity to Saxon, with a thick, emotional voice that spins tales of rocking out and kicking ass. This song makes me wants to hit my pipe, kiss my woman full on the lips and head downtown for a night of pinball at the arcade, where I could possibly score some hallucinogens. There are a few keyboard-driven, radio butt rock tracks on the album like "Bird Has Flown", but even these exude their charm. "Long Hard Road" is an epic that makes Survivor and Foreigner sound uninspirational by comparison, the synth lines rule. But if it's more of the band's harder edge you desire, you should be satisfied by "Carry On", "Evil Woman" and "Searching". There is not a track on Black Summer I wouldn't drink or make out to. You should all be ashamed of yourselves that this band isn't remembered today!

Highlights: Overnight Sensation, Long Hard Road, Black Summer, Evil Woman

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/nightwinguk

Autothrall's Best Metal Albums of 1982

The Top 20 Metal Albums of 1982

01. Venom (UK) - Black Metal
02. Iron Maiden (UK) - The Number of the Beast
03. Judas Priest (UK) - Screaming with Vengeance
04. Uriah Heep (UK) - Abominog
05. KISS (USA) - Creatures of the Night
06. Accept (Germany) - Restless and Wild
07. Scorpions (Germany) - Blackout
08. Shiva (UK) - Firedance
09. Motörhead (UK) - Iron Fist
10. Manowar (USA) - Battle Hymns
11. Girlschool (UK) - Screaming Blue Murder
12. Heavy Load (Sweden) - Death or Glory
13. Nightwing (UK) - Black Summer
14. Raven (UK) - Wiped Out
15. Anvil (Canada) - Metal on Metal
16. Witchfinder General (UK) - Death Penalty
17. Riot (USA) - Restless Breed
18. Tank (UK) - Filth Hounds of Hades
19. Demon (UK) - The Unexpected Guest
20. Twisted Sister (US) - Under the Blade

Venom dominates for the second year straight, though when I was a kid I had only been exposed to a few of their songs. I wasn't able to explore their records until later in middle school, and had to keep them in hiding due to the covers. Who was it that said "parents just don't understand?" Oh yeah, the Fresh Prince. Anyway, as expected the vast majority of the records here are all from the NWOBHM. Some cheesy American fun like Manowar and KISS started to show up, and Anvil was on track to make some headway for Canadian metal, but 60% of the list is strictly British. An odd choices here in the progressive band Shiva, but what an excellent record. I originally had Discharge on the list, but no matter how influential they were on thrash metal I think ultimately that's more of a punk album.

UPDATED FOR 2020

Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)

A year prior, Paul Di'anno had become a footnote in the annals of one of heavy metal's legendary bands. But who was this new guy? Oh sure, he fronted obscure NWOBHM beefcakes Samson, but would he stand and deliver for the rapidly escalating Iron Maiden?

Over the past 27 years, it's safe to say this question has been answered. Bruce Dickinson came, saw and conquered, as early as his full-length debut with Maiden upon which he already has the chops of a seasoned veteran. The rest of the album wasn't too shabby either, as an increased quality of melody and songcraft permeates The Number of the Beast. The s/t debut and certainly Killers had their fair share of memorable tunes, but this is just about perfect, with the possible exception of "Invaders", a somewhat dull track that unfortunately opens the album.

So we'll skip that and move along to the solid steel bliss that is the remainder of this timeless exercise in 'eavy metal. "Children of the Damned" is nigh invincible, proof Dickinson was comfortable over more than triplets and power chords. A flowing, catchy acoustic track which lapses perfectly into a gleaming chorus, with a dual lead rocking bridge. "The Prisoner" makes great use of a sample from its namesake espionage TV show, and then Clive Burr kicks up a storm of rockin' beats, while the song also features some great Harris grooves and licks.

Not a prisoner I'm a free man
And my blood is my own now
Don't care where the past was
I know where I'm going ... out

My sentiments exactly! Following this we get the pseudo-sequel to "Charlotte the Harlot", that being "22 Acacia Avenue" with its montage of shifting beats and groove beneath some of Dickinson's most venomous lines on the album. Next up is the title track, one of Maiden's most infamous compositions and in all likelihood the best on this particular album. As much as we'd all like this to be about the devil (including cover artist Derek Riggs), it supposedly isn't. I like to think it's based on the Heinlein novel of the same name (certainly a source Maiden has used for inspiration elsewhere), but aside from the name, it's really not. "Run to the Hills", yet another of their live staples, follows with its elegy to the American Indian. It's rarely left their set in close to three decades. "Gangland" is a balls out rocker comparable to the style you'd hear in other early NWOBHM like Motorhead and Saxon, though hammered with those classic melodies only Maiden was adept at. "Hallowed by Thy Name" is the epic closure to the original album, a lengthy and moodier piece which foreshadowed others to come.

What more to be said for an album which is worshiped by millions of human beings, many of whom consider it their very best. I dare to disagree with such a sentiment, as I found "Invaders" a bit weak and the album not nearly as catchy as the next three. The Number of the Beast is surely the beginning of the band's strongest stretch of material (ending with Somewhere in Time), and nearly every track is an outright classic. With evocative and meaningful lyrics and subject matter, class act riffing and overall amazing musicianship for 1982, they were now the band to beat. Oh, sure, it'd happen in a year or so...but there simply were no other bands of this period as well rounded as Maiden when it came to creating interesting metal music which has survived in the minds of so many until this very day...

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10] (yes I fucking did)

http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Venom - Black Metal (1982)

Throughout the 40-ish years of the genre's existence, there have been metal albums which reek of promise and potential, brilliant musicianship and complex compositional qualities, lyrics of social, political, personal or sacrilegious significance.

Black Metal is not one of those albums.

It shares none of those qualities. It simply exists to kick your ass and then do lines off that kicked ass while popping shots of whiskey, inhaling the most rancid cigarettes imaginable and sodomizing your old lady. Though the album is more cohesive from a production standpoint than Venom's legendary debut Welcome to Hell, it loses none of the grisly edge and raw meat riffing of its predecessor. Faux Satanic lyrics highlight tales of sexual blasphemy and necromantic ritual while disgustipated guitar riffs grind over the thundering of Abaddon. Cronos doesn't quite sing his lyrics...it's more than he kind of spits and growls them. Keep in mind, this was a period in which the overwhelming majority of early metal bands employed vocalists who sounded as if they were competing for testicular constriction. Some rotten bloke spewing his mid-ranged, almost conversational barks over a discharge of brutal and simple riffing was simply unheard of.

It all adds to the charm. "Black Metal" tips off the album with one of the band's most infectious speed metal riffs, gritty and catchy (the kind of riff that would inspire bands like Possessed, Razor, Slayer and Indestroy). It also features one of the band's infamous lyrics 'Lay down your soul to the gods rock `n' roll'. "To Hell and Back" is a mid-paced number notable for Cronos laying down the thick distorted bass, and Mantas's mind numbling, senseless shredding (also a huge influence on many thrash and death metal bands). "Buried Alive" opens with a hilarious sample of a last rite before slowly building some creepy mystique and busting out some gory 'eavy metal. "Raise the Dead" is just foul, Crono's vocals splattered across a kick ass yet traditional NWOBHM riff.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
If God won't have me, then the Devil must!

"Teacher's Pet" is like the X-rated version of Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher", done up Venom class. "Leave Me in Hell" burns with a molten hot metal lick, a doomed ride on the river Styx with Cronos as your ferryman. "Sacrifice" is another scorcher with its grim Satanic ritual lyrics and a killer bridge before the choral breakdown.

Hooded figures, clouded skies
fires burn within their eyes
pentagram with baphomet midnight strikes
goat of menders lifts his head
summons up the living dead
virgin flesh lies tied and bound
hail satanas

"Heaven's on Fire" has a balls out bluesy twist to its speedy fare, pumping bass and fuzzy distortion which amazingly defies age. Two more classics round out this set, the diabolic "Countess Bathory" and haunted house crowd pleaser "Don't Burn the Witch". Both fucking rule, in particular the verse riffing in the latter.

I've already mentioned that the album has a timeless vibe to it. Perhaps this is due to the fact it sounds like the band is playing it live from your basement while you sit above sipping tea and hiding behind your cross, all the while fantasizing about orgies in goats blood and sexual climax beneath the full moon. It isn't just the name of this album which inspired an entire sub-genre of the medium; it's the carnal and unswerving attitude of the band to deliver schlock rock in its most sinister scenario amidst some of the most outrageous riffs you were likely to hear in 1982. Venom did not give a fuck, and look where and wot it got them?

Infamy.

Verdict: Epic Win [10/10] (I'm leaving God behind)

http://www.venomslegions.com/

Tank - Filth Hounds of Hades (1982)

Tank were another of the promising NWOBHM bands to dwell at the filthier end of the spectrum; comparisons to Motörhead are obvious as far as the band's blues driven, barhouse (or pubhouse) swagger, with a slight difference in Algy Ward's vocals which are slightly higher pitched. Filth Hounds of Hades was their debut and best effort, they grew a little more commercial with later releases which didn't end up working in their favor.

The album begins with a chest beating chant, almost throwing you off before the chords of "Shellshock" kick into overdrive. Honestly, you would have half expected Lemmy to begin his tobacco eroded vocals at this point (Algy Ward was also a multi-tasking bassist/vocalist), the musical similarities are so strong. Still, they eke out a pretty catchy set of riffs with some burning leads. "Struck by Lightning" is gritty British metal with rapid fire blues riffing, and "Run Like Hell" is a total rocka rolla with thick and grooving bass. "Blood, Guts and Beer" opens with some catchy licks, again in speedy blues mode which really signifies the birth of this whole style. The remainder of the tracks are consistently good, but the standouts are the catchy "Heavy Artillery" and the true classic of the album "Turn Your Head Around" with a memorable chorus and some great leads. The song has been covered by Sodom and other bands yet the original still burns brightly.

The album has always sounded good and remains so, a well balanced mix capturing all the drive of the chords, steady beats and wailing solos. This is the blue blood steelworking style of heavy metal, for a night out at the pub or a soccer brawl. No frills and no gimmicks. If you fancy Motörhead, Saxon, or other such acts of its day, and you're not already familiar with it, Filth Hounds of Hades is a worthwhile 'classic' which you should enjoy for a few spins. It remains the crown jewel in the band's chronologically deteriorating discography.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (smiling through the tears)

http://www.tankfilthhounds.net/