#NWOBHM style

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

....THREE'S COMPANY -- FOUR'S A PARTY.

PIC INFO: Mega spotlight on Algy Ward✝ (THE DAMNED) Chris Stein & Debbie Harry (BLONDIE), & Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD) at a party held by BLONDIE in London, UK, c. December 1979. 📸: Watal Asanuma.

Source: https://www.picuki.com/media/3412792057014700379.

[horrid-phantasm]

Janick Gers wearing Ex o Fit by Reebok

[heavymetal-maniac]

[lil-tachyon]

I'm sooooo obsessed with your style! who are some of your inspirations?

I've gotten this question a few times and I try not to repeat myself, so if you want to see some of my previous answers, here's a link.

Some people/things that are influencing me right now, in no particular order:

@ollyneanderthal is my current favorite creature designer. Conveys so much with the minimum amount of detail + their silhouettes are always so distinctive:

@olliemnjones is my current favorite painter. Incredible blend of detailed rendering with highly exaggerated character proportions and compositions:

Sheilah Beckett is an illustrator who I somehow only discovered this year but who is fast becoming one of my primary influences:

Been really into band logos and rock/punk/metal iconography lately. Here are some favorites:

(Also, can't believe I didn't realize The Cars had such a sick logo until recently. Looks like it belongs to an early thrash / NWOBHM band)

In general I've been really enamored of a lot of 20th century art from socialist / Eastern Bloc countries, especially poster designs. Was never exposed to any of this growing up (I'm from the US of A) so it's all new to me. Too broad a topic to discuss in detail (actually if anybody could give me book recommendations on socialist art, I'd really appreciate it) but here are some random favorites I've saved:

In particular I'd like to highlight the work of René Mederos:

Hope you enjoy! And thanks for the question!

[daddy-rito]

ASS Squad Band Headcanons

Kent got Sam into music and playing guitar.  Kent teaching him guitar makes up Sam’s fondest memories of him, and even though Kent’s PTSD means he can’t always see the band live, he’s still proud of Sam

All of them can sing/do vocals!  As far as what their singing voices generally sound like:

Abby: Morgan Lander (Kittie)

Sam: Joey Belladonna (Anthrax)

Seb: Chester Bennington (Linkin Park)/Matthew Tuck (Bullet For My Valentine)

It was Sam’s idea to start the band, and while they all have a shared general interest in metal, the subgenres they each like are wildly different:

Sam mostly sticks to classic metal with some NWOBHM and thrash thrown in.  Maiden, Priest, Diamond Head, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Anthrax encompass most of what he listens to.  Like I mentioned, Kent introduced most of this to him as a kid, and he never found much of a reason to venture outside of it because he enjoyed it so much

Considering the fact that he plays keyboard and is a freelance programmer, Seb sticks with metalcore and anything with juicy harmonies and some complexity.  Megadeth, Bullet For My Valentine, Dragonforce, and Avenged Sevenfold are in his normal rotation.  He also dabbles into some more progressive stuff like Dream Theater and Death (post-Symbolic) but it doesn’t show up in his playing style as much because of how it clashes with the rest of the band

Abby almost exclusively listens to alt metal and early black metal.  Korn, Kittie, Deftones, Venom, Mercyful Fate, Bathory, and the like.  She especially took a liking to Kittie, with them being an all-female band and living proof that it was okay to have the interests she has in spite of everyone around her telling her otherwise—a copy of Spit was one of the first things she bought with her own money, and she never regretted it.  She’d probably also dabble in anything horror-related like Rob Zombie and Misfits, but not to nearly as much of a degree as the other bands

The band didn’t have much of a rhythm section for a while, and Seb had to also learn how to play bass and drums; he’s usually on bass, and if a song calls for keyboards, he plays both Geddy Lee-style!  His drumming worked for what the band normally played, but it doesn’t compare to Abby’s drumming

Speaking of Abby’s drumming, if she wasn’t playing games or hanging out with Sam and Seb at the saloon, she was getting her drum chops up—she learned blast beats just to piss off her dad, and Sam and Seb cannot figure out how she has so much stamina 

Sam’s guitar is a Jackson Soloist, and his playing style is a mix of Dave Mustaine, Randy Rhoads, Tony Iommi, and Glenn Tipton

Their stage presences: Abby: Straight up feral. There isn't really any other way to put it Sam: Looks like he's having way too much fun. Bouncing around the stage and headbanging like there's no tomorrow Seb: A little more reserved, but you'll still see a little bit of a headbang from him

What they'd be if they were a song: Abby: Deftones - Be Quiet and Drive Sam: Megadeth - Rattlehead Seb: Bullet For My Valentine - Tears Don't Fall ... these are all the hcs that i have for the ass trio band for now. sorry for the wall of musical jargon, i tried to explain things as best as i could though lol

[explosionshark]

what is NWOAHM? (I have been slowly trying to get more into metal but I don't really know how sorry)

Absolutely no reason to apologize. I love talking about metal, I'm excited whenever anyone is interested enough to ask about it. New fans can't be expected to know everything and it's usually more fun getting something explained to you by another fan vs reading a wiki article or something.

NWOAHM stands for New Wave of American Heavy metal. I'll talk more about that in a sec but here's a quick and dirty breakdown of related terms for context.

Starting in the 60s and 70s we have the first wave of British Heavy Metal which includes bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin. After that, we had the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) with bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. The US equivalent of the first wave would be hair bands in the 80s like Motley Crue, Poison, Guns n Roses. You get the idea.

Basically, broad terms to refer to the periods when metal bands were most culturally relevant. If not fully mainstream, then at least popular enough to have significant accessible subcultures. People don't usually refer to "first wave" bands as such, they usually just say '70s metal' or whatever. Out of all these terms NWOBHM is the most widely referenced - it's common as shorthand to describe any band playing music in that style (newer bands playing NWOBHM-style music are also often described as 'trad metal')

NWOAHM refers to a wave of American metal bands mostly from the late 90s to mid 00s that saw a lot of popular success. Stylistically, it largely describes bands influenced by a mix of European melodic death metal as well as American hardcore. A lot of metalcore bands of the era can be considered part of the NWOAHM like Unearth, Killswitch Engage and God Forbid, but bands like Lamb of God, Devildriver and Machine Head also qualify.

The music industry that underpinned this scene was very different from our current industry. Big, nationwide touring festivals (Mayhem for metal, Taste of Chaos for emo/post-hardcore, Warped for pop punk a bit of everything else to boot) drove a lot of sales and engagement. This was also an era where MTV and similar music channels still had major relevance. If you turned on MTV on a Friday night you'd get an entire block of extreme metal music videos in any house in America with cable access. This went a long way to exposing people to new music, especially young metal heads with limited funds. Remember, at this time there was no real streaming model yet and most music was sold via physical format like CDs.

The article I linked (which, despite the inflammatory headline, is actually pretty fair imo) describes some of the differences between the NWOAHM scene and today's scene.

Certainly the NWOAHM scene was rife with problems and I don't want to give in too much to nostalgia, but there's something kind of sad to me about the way that there's almost no mainstream-ish entry point to a robust, extreme metal scene like there used to be. I have nothing against pop inspired metal on its own, but I do wish there was still an environment that allowed new fans to experience a wider variety of styles.

[angbands-last-hero]

This is a bit of a silly idea, but I decided to combine two of my favorite things, lotro and metal XD I made character playlists, and recently started creating metal centric playlists for some of my OC's (not all of them, I couldn't fathom making one for Fannir or Gallorith. One just gives Madonna while the other Simon & Garfunkel)

Here is one of my favorite OC's, Ilost and his playlist! I'll probably add and change things up to it, but he's 100% an old school sort of dude. I feel like 70s metal and NWOBHM (with some other stuffed mixed in as well ^^ ) really suit his style not only because I enjoy that shit a lot but because he's also OLD AS FUCK! Alongside Ellathos, he is one of my first agers and has been alive for longer than he's ever wished. He has quite the troubled past, which he's still running from. His current distraction, a strange ellon named Daerhovan ;) Ahem!

[sendmyresignation]

what do you consider to be the best metal albums of all time? or your favs!

this ask has terrorized me all morning. thank you, and i mean this from the bottom of my heart, for sending it to me so i can talk about metal.

I am going to separate this into best, as in the classics i think hold up the best/are the most complete, and then my favorites (obv there is overlap but i'll ignore it).

Top 5 "Best" Metal Albums- the records you find on retrospectives and blog lists:

Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath. Not only a historic achievement of an album (the definitive point in which metal, for sure, existed) but also, i truly belive the best Sabbath record. The opening track itself is good enough everything else could be joke covers of the beach boys and I'd still put it here (they're also very good though. GOD. the wizard slaps)

Master of Puppets- Metallica. I know. I know. It's just solid all the way through, not a bad track, incredible opener and fantastic instrumental, everyone's said it all.

South of Heaven- Slayer. Again, undeniable. The Slayer record with the most literal heft and, well the closest thing to maturity the asshats of Slayer can achieve. The speed and ferocity of Reigh In Blood is still very good but over in a blink of an eye, while Heaven gives you more to be pummeled by. different kinds of anger.

Don't Break the Oath- Mercyful Fate. One of those true, blue perfect records, while also being beautifully cheesy. Like if a campy 80s movie about naked sacrifices to Satan was... really good with gorgeous cinematography. edges out Melissa by the narrowest margins (production is more suited for their style, giving the guitars an edge and putting the vocals front and center)

Live After Death- Iron Maiden. I love Maiden so much but their albums always have one or two duds. even if they didn't, though, live after death would probably smoke them anyway- it's that good. getting to hear phantom of the opera in dickenson's voice... i like di'anno but that song deserved Theatre

I love all of these records, many of them are what got me into metal so if you are looking for a high-qualiy place to start...

But I'll put my favorites under a read more lmao

These I would consider my top ten favorite albums at this given moment:

Stained Class- Judas Priest (the best priest. to me. i got my pentagram stomach tat on her 45th anniversary <3)

Thundersteel- Riot (rock city might edge this one out but that records barely metal at all. THIS is the pinnacle if power metal- in the old school uspm speedy way. incredible vocals, ripping speed, and its good from start to end)

Rock Goddess- Rock Goddess (something about this record....standard nwobhm fair but there's a surprising variety in the songs emotional center- it's all love and sex but it encapsulates a lot more humanity than most- different kinds of passion, heartbreak, desperation. and it ROCKS)

Operation: Mindcrime- Queensryche (greatest of all time. thee concept album. nothing else to say)

Black Metal- Venom (venom, if you catch me on the right day, is probably my favorite band. i love first wave black metal- it sounds like shit, it's lost all the edge in the intervening years, and yet. and fucking yet. they threw together something special.)

Behind the Realms of Madness- Sacrilege (crusty thrashy goodness. i love everything sacrilege has done, including their doomier late career, but the energy on this is wild. beat out detente on this list so if you like them, youll like sacrilege)

Feel the Fire- Overkill (overkill, by the band overkill, is the best thrash song of all time. well. maybe not but it's fucking undeniable. this overkill has the best energy of any of their albums, even if the others are more well-known)

Darkness Decends- Dark Angel (metal that sounds like shit eats punk that sounds like shit for breakfast)

The Blueprints for Madness- Deceased... (one of my favorite old school death metal records, mostly for the strange grind touches. it could be shorter but damn.)

All Creatures Great and Eaten- Nuclear Death (stands toe-to-toe with mindcrime at the top of my list. strange and depraved in the best possible way. lori bravo is the best to ever do it)

Dommedagsnatt- Thorr's Hammer (im just so enamored with this one- def the record here I've spent the most time on. death/doom done so right)

Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar- Yaotl Mictlan (the black metal/folk thing usually sucks bc the people making it are white pagan nazis and shit. but, globally, there's been some very cool indigenous bands who have incorporated precolonial music traditions in their black metal as a result. yaotl mictlan, a band with prehispanic themes and instrumentation, is prob my favorite of these bands, easily.)

Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!- Vile Creature (idk why this made me cry but any doom/sludge capable of that deserves a spot on my favorites)

Some new bands that could grow onto this list: Smoulder, Messa, Blood Star, SONJA, Negative Plane, Dilly Dally (rip to the queens), and Melissa!

Anyway! Hopefully this ask gives you, anon, (or anyone for that matter) something new to enjoy :))

[herrlindemann]

Metal Hammer N°8 - 1997

This time there's peer scolding from two bands who don't like each other that much: Rammstein, the gentlemen of the dark tones, and J.B.O, who see the world through rose-colored glasses. The reason for the quarrel between the two most successful new German rock bands is, of all things, Nicole's lame ballad of dismay, 'Ein Bißchen Frieden' (note: the band used the music from ‘Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen?’ for their song without Rammstein permission).

Note: Hannes was interviewed at another time than Till and Richard for the article.

Kreator - ‘Leave this work behind’

Hannes: Is that Kreator? This proves my thesis that 80's Metal is coming back. The opening riff reminded me a lot of the NWOBHM phase. I think that's good, but I don't like the use of the samples, it seems somehow artificial. I'm a little bored with the type of singing, but Mille was one of the first to introduce it. That's why he's allowed to.

Richard: Poor you, what you listen to... That stuff is completely over.

Till: That's all justified, it's just not my thing. Not at all. But now to claim that it sucks or something, I find that presumptuous. I just don't like this music.

Mötley Crüe - ‘Brandon’

Hannes: I have no idea who that is. Sounds like a mix between Savatage and Extreme. The strings are very nice, but the song gets lost at times. Not bad, but not really great either. Motley Crue? Oh God! This text is too cheesy for me, this is America.

Richard: Tommy Lee sings there? The one with Pamela! He wrote that song for his son? Really? Songs for children are good. I accept it. Writing a song for a child — that's nice. So why haven't we done this yet? Almost half, but that's coming.

Till (thoughtfully): A beautiful song.

Hammerfall - ‘Hammerfall’

Hannes: That's a German band, isn't it? Anyway, this music started with Helloween. I only like music like this if it's really great. For example Conception. This sounds too much like Running Wild. I like it less. In terms of craftsmanship, you can't complain, professionally.

Richard: Real Metal. (shrugs) Do me the head voice! Manöver or Iron Maiden?

Till: Megadeth or something.

Richard: Such styles of music are so through. I can't do anything with guitars in the traditional sense.

Till: The time is really over.

Emperor - ‘The loss and curse of reverence’

Hannes: Is someone singing? This is utter madness! Stupid Borgir meets Strapping Young Lad or what? Unfortunately the sound is pathetic. I couldn't hear it while driving, it would drive me insane. But this is very interesting, totally wacky. Has Mussorgsky motifs, not very pretty but very interesting.

Richard: But you played some band on tape. (laughs) Emperor? There's some really good stuff out there. I really like Meshuggah.

Till: (hangs his head next to the player): He sings all the time!

Richard: Yes, yes, he sings.

Till: It’s very brutal. Not my thing at all, but definitely very interesting. I really thought it was some kind of noise, but not singing. Weirdly mixed.

Richard: Nice sound collage.

Armageddon Dildos - ‘Open up your eyes’

Hannes: I think that's really good, I would buy it. Is that the Krupps? Armageddon dildos? What a cool band name! Never heard of it, but I like it.

Richard: Krupps? Sings like Jürgen Engler. In any case, you can tell that they made an effort to combine modern songwriting with conventional guitars. Pretty interesting in that respect.

Till: It always bothers me when you're immediately reminded of another band when it comes to things like that. At first I thought it was a Depeche Mode knockoff because of the choirs and sounds. And suddenly there is a Krupps song. I do not know.

Richard: In any case, they make an effort.

Paradise Lost - ‘One Second’

Hannes: I can't hear such sampling strings, worn out and pretty cheap. Harmonies that have already been made thousands of times. Judas Priest recorded that fifteen years ago. Bores me. Who is this? Paradise Lost? This is PL? Rewind again. This is just unreal. Then they are now dead to me. I think they want to get rich. I'm really shocked.

Richard: Sounds like Depeche Mode. A German band? An American? An English one? Yes? Then I don't know them. Paradise Lost. Hm, I once saw them in concert and thought they were so shitty. I left. One of the few concerts where I didn't stay until the end. Was really bad. So posable. Although I don't think this is bad at all. They have changed for the better.

Till: I actually don't like Paradise Lost at all. But I like this song very much. It pretty much suits my taste in music. I tend to listen to darker things, gothic and such.

Richthofen - ‘Ich Mach’ dich tot’

Hannes: Cool sound. directional, right? Full in your face, you could maybe even get something out of it in terms of production technology. I don't want to appear stuffy, but the message in the song is probably not the one that should be conveyed to the young listener. I don't want to offend, but it's kind of like a Rammstein clone.

Till: Richthofen is the name of the band? Aha. And the song is called 'I'll kill you'? Hm. It's like, 'I'm-really-bad-bad'. I really can't say more about it.

Richard: There are quite a few bands going in that direction right now, aren't there?

Rammstein - ‘Du hast’

Hannes: That's Rammstein. In my opinion, this song sounds a lot like Laibach. Business-wise they are probably making the right move, namely becoming more harmless, poppier and more commercial. This will definitely be successful. I think it's a good thing that they've dispensed with this exaggerated Teutonic pathos. I like it, but Herzeleid was even better.

J.B.O - ‘Ein bißchen frieden’

Till: Ah, J.B.O!

Richard: It's okay when musicians copy other bands, but musically I find this really shitty. They can't even keep their spirits up. I don't find it funny at all. Actually, it's outrageous. You should have respect for certain things.

Till: I don't think it's that bad. What really sucks is that they went so hard behind our backs.

Richard: Didn't even put the copyright on the record.

Till: Now it's the work of the lawyers.

[baryshnikov]

hi cal pal. this is like a week late but: i already know you love slayer, so what song(s) on your 2023 wrapped would you think they would cover better than the og artist?

(i sure hope thats jimin or this is gonna be embarassing)

that is jimin!! excellent question, very thoughtfully asked. this is sort of tough since i listen to a lot of music that i think is heavier than slayer would dare to go these days. however, i would pay a pretty penny to hear their take on the following:

-“The Faded Line”, What I’ve Become”, “Contractor” - Lamb of God. These are all really really thrashy songs that I think would fit well in their style, and I think Tom’s vocals would sound really kickass covering these tracks as well.

-“Let’s Go” - Ministry. Another straightforward banger that I think Tom’s vocal style would soar over. This style of tune wouldn’t be 100% out of place on a record like Repentless lyrics & groove-wise.

-“Kill Yourself” - Burn the Priest. Funny

-“The Trooper” - Iron Maiden. Slayer were supposed to do a New Wave of British Heavy Metal cover album in the 90s, but abandoned it. Apparently they got their start doing NWOBHM covers, which is so different from where they ended up that I’d kill to know what Slayer’s take on an Iron Maiden tune sounds like. Incomprehensible.

an excellent question once again. thank you very much for the ask and all praise to the night mother!

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

LADIES OF THE '80s -- '80s LADIES OF THE TWIN GUITAR ATTACK.

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on two classic players of the '80s -- Kim McCauliffe & the late, great Kelly Johnson (1958-2007) -- co-founders/twin guitarists of English heavy metal/hard rock band, GIRLSCHOOL, c. early '80s/1982 (reportedly). 📸: Fryderyk Gabowicz.

Rock in Peace, Bernadette Jean "Kelly" Johnson, another legend lost -- HAIL!!

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/3367281026898436179 & Reddit.

[jwowwsboobs]

im not super caught up w artry lore give me the cliffnotez

artery is a FICTIONAL (sadly) all-female southern californian thrash band from the early to mid-80s that i made up and am now obsessed w...under the cut i have a summary of their history but some "incidents" that r not mentioned but r classics to know. there r more ofc but these r my 5 favorites

slayer incident (kerry king was invited to a practice cuz ronnie wanted to fuck him. he stole one of jacks songs. jack tried to kill him but was pulled off b4 she did. jack talked shit abt slayer until her death)

ronnie's 20th birthday party (her parents got her a pink mustang ('83 not '68 which is (one of) her dream cars). jack made fun of her. she ran jack over with it. jack did not die)

laundromat pizza incident (on tour for total annihilation. went into a laundromat to do laundry, ordered a pizza. jack was drunk n high off her ass, put the pizza in the washer with the clothes. it was very gross but so funny. only time jack like. actually cried not from laughing) 

the pussy cast (max broke her arm at the end of their '83 tour, jack and gale drew vaginas and boobs all over it. ronnie still has it somewhere)

pig guts incident (august '82. jack wanted to have a photoshoot with blood. darcy's uncle knew a guy who owned a pig farm. they drove to his farm n picked up like 2 barrels (200 liters) of pig blood n took it back to their house. started w jack making everyone dip their hands in the blood. darcy took pictures but jack thought it would be funny to throw some at her, turning it into a fight. there was no winner, only a loser (ronnie, who got so grossed out she threw up.) there r like 3 pictures from that shoot cuz the blood like. got into the camera n fucked up the negatives <\3)

Inspired by the emerging NWOBHM and the rapid growth of punk and hardcore in southern California, Maxine “Max” Kennedy (guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Young (drums) formed Artery in early 1981. The pair met at school when Young noticed Kennedy wearing a tee shirt for the British heavy metal/punk band Motorhead and bonded over their appreciation for Black Sabbath, Angel Witch, and the aforementioned Motorhead. Schoolmate Gale Barker was recruited into the band two weeks later, after the pair saw a performance with Barker’s then-band, “Bitch” where Barker played a bass solo and destroyed a drum kit, amplifier, and, as legend has it, an extra-large pizza supplied by Kennedy and Young after the show. 

During the summer of ‘81, Artery had great difficulty finding a lead guitarist, mostly playing and practicing as a trio. Barker met Jacqueline “Jack” Walsh in a record store and Walsh’s aggressive, confrontational playing style melded perfectly with Kennedy, Barker, and Young’s. She was brought on board immediately and Artery’s lineup was finalized.

Their demo “Dig Yr Grave” (recorded December 1981) took the underground scene by storm and in the following months, a follow-up ("Spitfire," recorded June 1982) was written and released. 

They were picked up by Metal Blade to record an EP in the summer of ‘82. During these recording sessions, Artery actually had so much material prepared that they elected to abandon the EP and record an LP. “No Mercy... No Peace” was released on February 11th, 1983 to great enthusiasm and acclaim in the underground metal community. Artery set off on a modest (but successful!) American tour in the spring and summer of 1983, and upon returning to California, recorded their 2nd LP, “Total Annihilation,” released January, 1984. More touring and another round of recording followed, and their 3rd LP, “Death,” was released in May 1985. This would be Artery’s last official release, as Walsh passed away on November 3rd, 1985, during the 2nd American leg of the supporting tour.   

The band broke up soon after. Young went on to found Armageddon Inc., a label specializing in the extreme metal emerging in the late 80s; Barker became a visual artist and played in various California-based punk bands. Kennedy disappeared from public life entirely and has not been seen or heard from in 30 years. Whether she is alive or not is subject to much speculation. Kennedy is not mentioned in any interviews given by Barker or Young after Artery’s dissolution. 

[bubblesandgutz]

Every Record I Own - Day 782: Judas Priest Sin After Sin

I've struggled with Judas Priest.

But I'm also stubborn. Or maybe I'm just all too aware that I can go from not liking an artist to loving them if I can just find an in-road. Sometimes you can pick up on some little attribute in an artist's sound that says "you might not be feeling this now, but try coming back to it a little later." Whatever the reason, I keep trying to have my moment with Judas Priest despite it falling into an era and style of heavy metal that I'm generally ambivalent towards.

As I've mentioned before, I don't particularly care for NWOBHM stuff. I came into metal at a time when thrash and hair metal reigned. The thrash bands were far more ferocious than their predecessors while the hair metal stuff leaned even further into ear-worms and pop melodies. Bands like Judas Priest sounded tame and or tuneless in comparison. It didn't help that every punk band that decided to crossover in the '80s sounded like they were trying to mimic Judas Priest.

Why do I keep trying? Because on some level, there's an itch I'm trying to scratch and it seems like Judas Priest is the band to hit it. I wanna hear a kick-ass rock band with some solid riffs that still has the old analog vibe of the '70s while having a little more teeth than the average classic rock band of the era. Bonus points: cool band name (and a Bob Dylan reference), killer album art, and Rob Halford being a fellow homo.

Well, folks... I'm here to report that I have officially fallen for Sin After Sin. Album opener "Sinner" is the track that initially got me hooked. Solid songwriting, meaty riffs, epic ascending climax at the end of the song, old school guitar tones... it's exactly what I was looking for, even if it took several attempts with the album before I fell for its charms. And the rest of the album rules too. The cover of Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust" takes the melodic strength of the original and adds a galloping pulse. "Starbreaker" was stuck in my head for a solid week while on tour in August. "Let Us Prey / Call for the Priest" is a triumphant jam. "Raw Deal" is a solid rocker with some nice gay subtext. All in all, it still sounds like a scrappy young band from a working class town, but it also sounds like a band that knows exactly what they're aiming for and aren't afraid to be ambitious.

Apologies to my husband, bandmates, crew mates, friends, and neighbors who have put up with me blasting this record all summer. And I apologize in advance when I start deep-diving Sad Wings of Destiny and Stained Class (as soon as I find nice vinyl copies).

[mysteriis-moon666]

SATAN - Songs in Crimson

Originaire de Newcastle, en Angleterre, l’emblématique band Satan a en « 44 ans de chaos prolongé avec une pause déjeuner de 20 ans » pour un come-back en 2011, ‘’satanisez’’ un septième album studio incendiaire de heavy metAl, intitulé « Songs in Crimson » via Metal Blade.

Les influences vont de King Crimson à Mercyful Fate, le style de Satan est spécifique à la NWOBHM pour la créativité sonique, lyrisme et le non-conformisme. Le guitariste Russ Tippins qualifie l’opus de « concis. Il va plus droit au but et y arrive plus rapidement. L'une des raisons derrière le titre Songs in Crimson est que ce disque est très axé sur les « chansons ». Il y a plus de punch cette fois-ci. Chaque refrain parle de lui-même. »

Vous avez dit que vous aimez les tempêtes soniques. Alors pénétrez l’antre de ce disque, peut-être qu’il s’avèrera que vous n’aimez qu’un peu de pluie, car c’est un ouragan qui vous attend. Leur musique est garnie d’un panier de mures ensanglantées. « L’objectif est de consolider davantage le style que nous avons établi, la voie que nous suivons depuis la réunion », explique le groupe. « Une partie de ce style réside dans le fait que chaque sortie doit avoir quelque chose qui la distingue de ses prédécesseurs. » dixit Russ Tippins (Guitares), et de poursuivre : « Nous ne jouons pas vraiment dans des tonalités majeures ou mineures conventionnelles. Il y a toujours une note dans un riff ou une ligne solo qui semble en quelque sorte « fausse » ou inattendue. Ces boules courbes sont planifiées, et l'idée est que plus nous le ferons, plus nous serons définis par cela. Je suppose que c'est une sorte de mode, mais nous n'avons même pas de nom pour cela ! »

Leur heavy metal possède des boucles prog sans faire trop de compromis et une hargne punk dans une écriture plus spontanée pour ce « Songs in Crimson ». La production nostalgique des 80’s est brute. « Sacramental Rites » met en avant l’architecture de Satan avec un titre comme « Countdown To Extinction » de Megadeth. Les lignes vocales (de graves aux aigus) de Brian Ross sont excellentes (70 ans le Monsieur, tous comme les arcs mélodiques de premier ordre. « Martyrdom » est plus rapide que la plupart des autres titres, mais tous sont épiques et accrocheurs. « Turn The Tide » contient 82% d’amphétamines heavy metal, et “Captives” folâtre dans la musak de Queensrÿche.

Le pouls violent et fébrile de chaque titre pulse dans un temple dans lequel les cloches de la perversion résonnent haut et fort leur révolte. Aussi vif qu’un rasoir double lame, le groupe découpe avec minutie, tranche dans le vif du sujet, tronçonne avec ardeur, dissèque chaque titre pour en faire apparaitre le nectar. Satan rapporte ce temps singulier vécu pour une musique passionnelle, fun, puissante et forte où le superflu n'était pas encore devenu le nécessaire. Déjà un pur Classique !

Satan sera en concert au Festival Pyrenean Warriors le 14/09/2024.

[explosionshark]

hi! what would u say are starter metal bands/albums/songs for people who have never listened to metal? i'm interested in exploring new genres but i know NOTHING about metal and you seem to know quite a lot!

See I love trying to answer this question but it's honestly a little tricky! The thing that makes metal so great imo is the fact that there's a billion subgenres. But that's also what makes it hard to find the right recommendation for someone off the top of your head! I might send you a metalcore song that does nothing for you, but if I had gone with like. Stoner metal or something you'd have found your niche.

That said I recently made a playlist for a friend asking me the same question. I tried to throw in an array of different styles. Check it out if you have Spotify! Feel free to skip when a song isn't working - there might be something you like more further on

Aside from that, click below for a couple of recommendations for stuff I find to be more accessible/appealing to a broad audience

Sleep Token - here's an alt metal band that's really blowing up right now! They're about to release their third LP. I'd suggest checking out a few of the singles they've already put out for it. This band has been great for attracting new folks to metal: they play with a lot of different genres and while they certainly have heavy moments, I feel like their pop-friendly approach makes them a good band to on board people to the genre.

Invent Animate - this is a metalcore band that also just put out an early contender for Album of the Year imo. There's a mix of harsh and clean vocals, a very atmospheric sound throughout, and a good mix of technically impressive instrumentation and strong hooks. If you like this sound I'd suggest checking out other bands like Spiritbox and Bad Omens.

Lacuna Coil - hey, do you like Evanescence? Do you like beautiful women with incredible singing voices? This band might be for you. I'd recommend their 2002 record Comalies to start, or you can check out their most recent album as well. If you like this sound, you might be interested in checking out bands like Epica or Ad Infinitum next!

Iron Maiden/Judas Priest - interested in a more classic sound? Maiden and Priest were two titans of an era called NWOBHM (the New Wave of British Heavy Metal) - characterized by fast, aggressive music and clean vocals that tend to be on the higher end. I'd highly recommend Number of the Beast for Maiden or Screaming for Vengeance if you want to get into Priest. If you're looking for contemporary bands playing with a similar sound, I'd suggest Sumerlands or Sonja, who both had excellent records last year.

Nu Metal/Alt Metal - sometimes it can be tricky to talk about these genres because people get very passionate and nitpicky about the terms. But generally speaking if you like the sounds that dominated the metal/hard rock charts around the turn of the century you might like the following bands: Kittie, Slipknot, Tallah, Nova Twins

Post-hardcore/metalcore - more into that MCR-ish emo sound? Try Static Dress or If I Die First! Not super heavy, but still with an edge. These are young bands who are again playing in a very 00s space.

Deftones - here's a band that I find pretty accessible! There's definitely a heaviness, but there's also a strong shoegaze influence that creates an opportunity for some really beautiful songs. This band has been active since the 90s, huge catalog of great albums. Start with White Pony. There are a lot of bands right now who are very influenced by Deftones - if you like this band check out Loathe or Moodring next

Stoner/Doom - we're talking about big fuzzy riffs here! Slow/mid-tempo songs usually with a longer song length than more punk-influenced subgenres. Try bands like Windhand, Faetooth, Red Fang, or King Woman

No Harsh Vocals Please - okay, like heavy sounds but don't like the screaming? Check out these bands: Katatonia, Evergrey, Unleash the Archers

There's so much more I could get into but I need to stop eventually. I hope you find something you like somewhere in these recommendations! If you do, feel free to come back to me with what worked for you and I can offer more suggestions along that line.

Happy listening 🤘

[metalmessage]

OLYMP Time travel straight into the early 1980s 

Action: OLYMP Title: Olymp Base: Augsburg • Germany Style: Classic Heavy/Speed Metal Genre: Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM FFO: Atlain, Stormwitch, Running Wild Type: Full-length Format: CD + Vinyl Label: Independent Release: Oct. 13, 2023 OLYMP are available for interviews via phone, Zoom, Skype & email PR: https://www.metalmessage.de/PR_OLYMP_en.php

Bulletpoints: 🔘 The debut album of the Bavarian Heavy Metallers 🔘 A lively and affectionate homage to the 80s 🔘 Powerful songs full of joy, dynamics and dedication https://www.youtube.com/embed/lTecD7OaE3U [ Official album trailer ]

OLYMP is not just a myth, but rather true teutonic CLASSIC HEAVY/SPEED METAL. Driving riffs in traditional 80´s style, will make your heads bang wild.

The whole is literally old school to the bone. The roaring bass and striking twin-leads will raise even the last sceptic to the peak of Olympus.

LINE-UP: Butschi • Guitar, Vocals Armin • Guitar André • Bass Dommi • Drums

Since the beginning of 2018, Butschi (guitars, vocals), André (bass), Armin (guitars) and Dommi (drums) have been working on original songs in their rehearsal room.

OLYMP emphasize their ambitions to reach the Olympus of the Metal gods by their longtime stage experience and the upcoming release of „Olymp“, their 2023 debut album.

TRACKS: 01. Hades 04:26 02. Death And Glory 04:40 03. Icarus 06:03 04. Hero 04:48 05. City Of Gods 05:02 06. Pandora 03:54 07. Fire And Fury 06:53 08. Metal Priest 03:02

total: 38:48 min. https://www.facebook.com/OlympMetal/

MEDIA FEEDBACK:

8 / 10 ➤ „… absolute pearl … key appeal: I just couldn’t resist the charm of the cover artwork … refreshingly different … somewhere between Angel Witch and Agent Steel the debut album of the Germans entertains non-stop … they actually always find their way into my ear … remarkably creative riffs and solos …“ (Hellfire)

7,5 / 10 ➤ „… OLYMP do their thing really well … know how to turn the Heavy/Speed Metal wheel, how to keep it turning … you can hear the passion of the guys in every minute, as well as the years of work that went into ‚Olymp‘ … powerful riffs, crisp drums and a shouter who performs vocally dirty and raw, as it was just cool and hip in the 80s … I have my fun with the sound and fans of the genre certainly also … extra praise for the very cult cover artwork!“ (Obliveon)

➤ „In the spirit of the 80s, this German Metal sensation creates a sonic universe that combines nostalgia and freshness in a stunning potpourri … epic! … masterpiece … impressive time travel … the driving riffs, the booming bass and the characteristic twin leads are all there … truly ‚old school to the bone‘ … a compact but powerful experience that will surely make hearts beat faster …“ (Metaller DE)

➤ „… this thing makes fun (and thirsty) from front to back with its hearty eighties mix of Omen, Maiden, Running Wild and Grave Digger …“ (Rock Hard DE)

➤ „… sounds so original and old school that it’s hard to believe they haven’t been around since the 80s … with such drive and lots of love and not least dedication and ability … almost a time machine straight back to the 80s …“ (Rancor Metalzine) etc.

[ Artwork: Giulia Schmidt-Kaiser ] [ Pic: Christian Wieser ]