Post by GL on Dec 31, 2010 15:33:28 GMT -5
Traditional Heavy Metal-This might be a somewhat surprising set of ranking but frankly, this was the most disappointing effort of the previous year. There wasn’t a whole lot that stood out for me at all, and that’s a little shocking since two years ago I figured 2010 would give us a lot of quality material to counteract a decent but not overwhelming year. Hopefully, this is just an aberration and not the norm, and seeing as how there’s a lot of big acts in the studio as we speak working on new material, I have a feeling this year will be somewhat better overall.
10. Züül-Out of Time
Another one of the traditionalists that apparently haven’t gotten the message that Metal has changed since they were kids, these guys are one of the better early-80s inspired acts. Filled with retro riffs, white-hot soloing, fantastic drumming and perhaps one of the better vocalists in the style, you’d think you found an undiscovered gem from 1981, yet they don't come across as merely mimicking well-worn styles but have a personality of their own that just happens to have been formed through years of digesting old-school Heavy Metal. While it is true that the influences heard are fairly obvious and that the members certainly share an affinity for early Iron Maiden song construction, which is what knocks this down somewhat, the fact that every single song is superb in arrangement, performed expertly, and is incredibly memorable counts and makes them one to watch in the future.
9. Teräsbetoni-Maailma Tarvitsee Sankareita
Quite possibly the best example ever of a band fitting a stereotype to a Tee, these Finnish warriors are pretty much Manowar without the class and all of the cheese, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Filled to the brim with their brand of a metal-brotherhood-above-all-else, they fit right in with the warriors and barbarians that come off as prime candidate for the entire genre being written off as cheese-filled epics and left alone, yet the fact that they manage to actually make some decent material that’s obviously inspired by Manowar allows them an identity. From the passionate vocals, gang-shout backing chants, gloriously triumphant guitar riffs and a sound taken from the leaders makes this a surprisingly fun album when it’s all stripped away and the bare bones are examined.
8. Nevermore-The Obsidian Conspiracy
Finally learning how to incorporate their brand of Dark Power/Thrash into a manageable/accessible state, the immediacy and impact of these are just as good as their older, more progressively-layered works. Filled with epic riffs, intricate solos, impassioned vocals and a thunderous, dynamic rhythm section, it’s all the best of the past combined in shorter bursts, and while that is normally a great approach, the accessibility offered here doesn’t mesh with the sound attempted, the end result a band slightly changing to attract a more profitable crowd. This is still a powerful album, but the change into trying to corner a larger audience by trading away what worked so well in the past is a curious attempt and makes for a higher placement than usual.
7. Rage-Strings to a Web
Having firmly left the Thrash behind them, these German veterans are just as important as they were during the initial Teutonic Thrash invasion thirty years ago when they were up there with Kreator, Destruction and Sodom. Now doing riff-heavy Melody-infused Heavy Metal with a slower, more plodding pace hasn’t made them any weaker in attack, and this one hits with all the usual Rage marks, of fiery riffing, thunderous drumming and the unique vocals atop it all, and with their newfound penchant for progressively-flavored multi-track orchestra suites, it feels like Rage through and through. While familiarity with the orchestral parts is starting to wear thin, especially when those other tracks are so much fun and leaving them best-suited to their own individual elements, that’s not to take away from this rousing effort.
6. Crystal Viper-Legends
Those who say Traditional Heavy Metal is a male-only sect needs to check this out immediately, as this female-fronted group are just as adept at playing the style as the guys are. With soaring, operative vocals atop memorable guitar riffing that learned their Iron Maiden twin-leads expertly, a knack for knowing when to put the melodies front-and-center and when to thrash out with abandon makes it a winner, and when topped it off with a fantastic, open-ended production that allows all the songs a sense of individuality and room to roam free, its yet another feather in this rapidly-improving act.
5. Holy Grail-Crisis in Utopia
For those of you still whipped up over the fact that the state of Metal evolved past where it was in 1981, meet your new favorite band. Taking a classic Heavy-Metal approach with NWOBHM shades in riff-delivery and vocal lines, and modernized it all with a stouter delivery and production, the end result is neither one of retro mimicry nor inaccessible, soul-robbing 21st Century faux metal, but a stand-out set of modern with an old-school approach. Chockfull of twin-guitar leads, fiery soloing, and catchy melodies, mid-range, uniquely tuneful vocals and stellar production, this band is the brightest hope right now in Retro Heavy Metal and is pleasing enough for the old-timers while still being inspiring for the newbies out there.
4. Iron Maiden-The Final Frontier
A rather controversial placement, as it’s Iron Maiden after all and they really should be, if not right around, the Year-End top, not even in the middle of the pack where they’ve never really been. As the album is filled with the usual elements that make for an outstanding Maiden album, the noodling bass-lines, virtuoso guitar-work from all three parties, moments of grandeur in the compositions and Bruce still showing off and putting singers young enough to be his grandson how to sing on a metal album which have been found in abundance on all of their albums, the sad fact remains that there’s way too much of the same repetitive arrangements all throughout the later half, filled with the same overblown epics done numerous times over in better variations. This is still typical Maiden, though, so it has moments where it’s phenomenal, but this current fascination with the epic merely for the sake of doing so is getting tiring.
3. Sabaton-Coat of Arms
Quite possibly the greatest-kept secret in Heavy Metal, these Swedes have been on an incredible roll as of late, and this might be their best of them all. The husky, melodic Accept-like vocals, the insanely catchy keyboard melodies, mid-tempo pacing and all-around fantastic performances are put in a fantastic package that allows for fun on repeat listens as well as winning over a lot on first-listen. Managing to incorporate a slower chug with frenetic up-tempo, nearly Thrash-like songs filled to the brim with melodies and memorable riffs as well makes them one of the more impressive acts no one knows, and they’ve come through with a fantastic album that is better than the ones they’ve done before.
And for those who really care, the fact that they’re lyrics are a history lesson allows for a fantastic counter-argument that all metalheads are either potheads obsessed with drinking or disemboweling people to serve up to Satan later on.
2. Charred Walls of the Damned-Charred Walls of the Damned
Richard Christy, Jason Suecof, Steve DiGiorgio and Tim Owens; there’s no way that can suck, but to have that make such a fantastic album like this was a pleasant surprise. Thunderous drumming, perfectly-timed blast-beats, throbbing bass-work and frenetic guitar riffs all propelled forward like a bulldozer would’ve made this a fantastic effort before the God-like vocals screeched and shouted over the top of it all, mixing perfectly for that melodic/vicious mixture, and the whole act has an air of quality that perfectly belies their origins. If they can keep this up, they’ll be one of the biggest acts in the genre.
1. Accept-Blood of Nations
A potential candidate for Album of the Year, this comeback has been fun to watch. As long as you judge this based solely on the music within and not on the missing member, this here is one of sturdiest, solidly infectious albums on the year. Sounding like the fifteen year gap between albums never happened, they take that German chug, add in some melody and add in some good old-fashioned Heavy Metal thunder. Heavy, fast and perfectly capable of showing the power they’ve been know for, this is just a fantastic album from start-to-finish and keeps its own identity all the way through. It’s perfectly acceptable as for what they used to do, and really it’s hard-pressed not to know it’s the same band, it’s just the history that’s the only clue as to the change, and that has nothing to do with the music.
10. Züül-Out of Time
Another one of the traditionalists that apparently haven’t gotten the message that Metal has changed since they were kids, these guys are one of the better early-80s inspired acts. Filled with retro riffs, white-hot soloing, fantastic drumming and perhaps one of the better vocalists in the style, you’d think you found an undiscovered gem from 1981, yet they don't come across as merely mimicking well-worn styles but have a personality of their own that just happens to have been formed through years of digesting old-school Heavy Metal. While it is true that the influences heard are fairly obvious and that the members certainly share an affinity for early Iron Maiden song construction, which is what knocks this down somewhat, the fact that every single song is superb in arrangement, performed expertly, and is incredibly memorable counts and makes them one to watch in the future.
9. Teräsbetoni-Maailma Tarvitsee Sankareita
Quite possibly the best example ever of a band fitting a stereotype to a Tee, these Finnish warriors are pretty much Manowar without the class and all of the cheese, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Filled to the brim with their brand of a metal-brotherhood-above-all-else, they fit right in with the warriors and barbarians that come off as prime candidate for the entire genre being written off as cheese-filled epics and left alone, yet the fact that they manage to actually make some decent material that’s obviously inspired by Manowar allows them an identity. From the passionate vocals, gang-shout backing chants, gloriously triumphant guitar riffs and a sound taken from the leaders makes this a surprisingly fun album when it’s all stripped away and the bare bones are examined.
8. Nevermore-The Obsidian Conspiracy
Finally learning how to incorporate their brand of Dark Power/Thrash into a manageable/accessible state, the immediacy and impact of these are just as good as their older, more progressively-layered works. Filled with epic riffs, intricate solos, impassioned vocals and a thunderous, dynamic rhythm section, it’s all the best of the past combined in shorter bursts, and while that is normally a great approach, the accessibility offered here doesn’t mesh with the sound attempted, the end result a band slightly changing to attract a more profitable crowd. This is still a powerful album, but the change into trying to corner a larger audience by trading away what worked so well in the past is a curious attempt and makes for a higher placement than usual.
7. Rage-Strings to a Web
Having firmly left the Thrash behind them, these German veterans are just as important as they were during the initial Teutonic Thrash invasion thirty years ago when they were up there with Kreator, Destruction and Sodom. Now doing riff-heavy Melody-infused Heavy Metal with a slower, more plodding pace hasn’t made them any weaker in attack, and this one hits with all the usual Rage marks, of fiery riffing, thunderous drumming and the unique vocals atop it all, and with their newfound penchant for progressively-flavored multi-track orchestra suites, it feels like Rage through and through. While familiarity with the orchestral parts is starting to wear thin, especially when those other tracks are so much fun and leaving them best-suited to their own individual elements, that’s not to take away from this rousing effort.
6. Crystal Viper-Legends
Those who say Traditional Heavy Metal is a male-only sect needs to check this out immediately, as this female-fronted group are just as adept at playing the style as the guys are. With soaring, operative vocals atop memorable guitar riffing that learned their Iron Maiden twin-leads expertly, a knack for knowing when to put the melodies front-and-center and when to thrash out with abandon makes it a winner, and when topped it off with a fantastic, open-ended production that allows all the songs a sense of individuality and room to roam free, its yet another feather in this rapidly-improving act.
5. Holy Grail-Crisis in Utopia
For those of you still whipped up over the fact that the state of Metal evolved past where it was in 1981, meet your new favorite band. Taking a classic Heavy-Metal approach with NWOBHM shades in riff-delivery and vocal lines, and modernized it all with a stouter delivery and production, the end result is neither one of retro mimicry nor inaccessible, soul-robbing 21st Century faux metal, but a stand-out set of modern with an old-school approach. Chockfull of twin-guitar leads, fiery soloing, and catchy melodies, mid-range, uniquely tuneful vocals and stellar production, this band is the brightest hope right now in Retro Heavy Metal and is pleasing enough for the old-timers while still being inspiring for the newbies out there.
4. Iron Maiden-The Final Frontier
A rather controversial placement, as it’s Iron Maiden after all and they really should be, if not right around, the Year-End top, not even in the middle of the pack where they’ve never really been. As the album is filled with the usual elements that make for an outstanding Maiden album, the noodling bass-lines, virtuoso guitar-work from all three parties, moments of grandeur in the compositions and Bruce still showing off and putting singers young enough to be his grandson how to sing on a metal album which have been found in abundance on all of their albums, the sad fact remains that there’s way too much of the same repetitive arrangements all throughout the later half, filled with the same overblown epics done numerous times over in better variations. This is still typical Maiden, though, so it has moments where it’s phenomenal, but this current fascination with the epic merely for the sake of doing so is getting tiring.
3. Sabaton-Coat of Arms
Quite possibly the greatest-kept secret in Heavy Metal, these Swedes have been on an incredible roll as of late, and this might be their best of them all. The husky, melodic Accept-like vocals, the insanely catchy keyboard melodies, mid-tempo pacing and all-around fantastic performances are put in a fantastic package that allows for fun on repeat listens as well as winning over a lot on first-listen. Managing to incorporate a slower chug with frenetic up-tempo, nearly Thrash-like songs filled to the brim with melodies and memorable riffs as well makes them one of the more impressive acts no one knows, and they’ve come through with a fantastic album that is better than the ones they’ve done before.
And for those who really care, the fact that they’re lyrics are a history lesson allows for a fantastic counter-argument that all metalheads are either potheads obsessed with drinking or disemboweling people to serve up to Satan later on.
2. Charred Walls of the Damned-Charred Walls of the Damned
Richard Christy, Jason Suecof, Steve DiGiorgio and Tim Owens; there’s no way that can suck, but to have that make such a fantastic album like this was a pleasant surprise. Thunderous drumming, perfectly-timed blast-beats, throbbing bass-work and frenetic guitar riffs all propelled forward like a bulldozer would’ve made this a fantastic effort before the God-like vocals screeched and shouted over the top of it all, mixing perfectly for that melodic/vicious mixture, and the whole act has an air of quality that perfectly belies their origins. If they can keep this up, they’ll be one of the biggest acts in the genre.
1. Accept-Blood of Nations
A potential candidate for Album of the Year, this comeback has been fun to watch. As long as you judge this based solely on the music within and not on the missing member, this here is one of sturdiest, solidly infectious albums on the year. Sounding like the fifteen year gap between albums never happened, they take that German chug, add in some melody and add in some good old-fashioned Heavy Metal thunder. Heavy, fast and perfectly capable of showing the power they’ve been know for, this is just a fantastic album from start-to-finish and keeps its own identity all the way through. It’s perfectly acceptable as for what they used to do, and really it’s hard-pressed not to know it’s the same band, it’s just the history that’s the only clue as to the change, and that has nothing to do with the music.