Reviewed:
- Heading for Tomorrow (1990)
- Sigh No More (1991)
- Insanity and Genius (1993)
- Land of the Free (1995)
- No World Order! (2001)
- Land of the Free II (2007)
- To the Metal! (2010)
HEADING FOR TOMORROW 1990 (Cooking Vinyl)
- Standouts: 'Lust for Life', 'Heaven Can Wait', 'Space Eater', 'Money', 'Hold Your Ground'
After leaving Helloween in 1988, guitarist Kai Hansen formed Gamma Ray with vocalist Ralf Scheepers (I'm pretty sure Kai is back with Helloween these days, while Ralf would go on to form Primal Fear later on in the '90s). Even though Helloween are pretty much the leaders of the whole German power metal scene, for one reason or another, I never got fully invested in their catalogue. I have a few of their albums, sure, and I got into both Gamma Ray and Helloween when I was in college. But I think on the whole I've spent far more time with Gamma Ray than I have Helloween, and I couldn't really give any specific reason as to why this is! And on this 1990 debut album, Gamma Ray show plenty of promise. Songs like 'Lust for Life' and 'Heaven Can Wait' are classic 'Ray - they're anthemic, upbeat and full of positivity. Comparable to Helloween of course, since Kai hadn't long left that band, but this is totally understandable and a good thing at the end of the day. And Ralf Scheepers' high-pitched, Rob Halford-esque singing combined with the gang-chant backing vocals perfectly match the soaring energy of these tracks. I really like the speed metal burner that is 'Money' - this is ridiculously happy, polished speed metal, not raw, ugly speed metal like Venom! And 'Space Eater' is a fun mid-tempo stomper with a singalong chorus. Nice! I also like 'Hold Your Ground' - this is a solid power metal number that blends a bit of speed with plenty of melody while the cover of Uriah Heep's 'Look at Yourself' works surprisingly well with Gamma Ray's formula. Many of the original organ melodies are played on guitar instead here. The original is still better of course, but this cover ain't too shabby either.
Not everything on this CD is perfect however. I've never been much of a fan of the weird ballad/prog hybrid that is 'The Silence'. The playing and instrumentation on it is impressive, but the messy structure of the song makes it kind of a chore to sit through if I'm not in the right mood. 'Free Time' - the only number on here penned by Scheepers - isn't great either. It's kind of a generic, repetitive hard rock track. I wouldn't even call it metal, and it just feels out of place on this disc. And I hate to say it, but I'm not keen on the 14 minute title track either. I enjoy the bulk of the riffs as well as Ralf's vocals on it, but there's far too much pointless lead guitar noodling going on in places and it rubs me the wrong way. I think it could've been a great song had it been cut down to 7 or 8 minutes. As it stands though, the song 'Heading for Tomorrow' feels needlessly long.
Heading for Tomorrow is a solid start for Gamma Ray overall, but some of the fat could've been trimmed in places. A handful of the songs are great and already have that classic soaring power metal sound nailed, but they hadn't nailed the art of longer epics yet. The production is just okay too. Not enough bass on my old CD, but there's a 2015 remaster out there that sounds far better. I listened to it on Spotify and I think the low-end has been amplified and it really makes the songs sound fuller. Not one of the best power metal debuts of all time by any means, but a good album nonetheless!
Adam's rating: 7.5/10
SIGH NO MORE 1991 (Cooking Vinyl)
- Standouts: 'As Time Goes By', 'Start Running', 'Dream Healer'
Review scores on the internet seem to be all over the place for this one, but at least I think we're all in agreement that the album cover is absolutely fucking terrible! I'd guess the weird mix of reviews online is down to some of the surprising songwriting choices on this album. It's difficult to even label Sigh No More as heavy metal, let alone power metal at times here. For instance, opener 'Changes' doesn't exactly kick things off to a blazing start, and the riffs don't pick up in speed until the last minute. The bulk of it is a mid-tempo rocker that reminds me more of UFO than it does Gamma Ray (minus Ralf Scheepers' vocals of course). But hey, I kind of dig it. It's an odd way to open the album, sure, but it's a good song for what it is. 'Rich and Famous' is an annoyingly catchy number with it's simplistic chorus, but again, I sort of like it. '(We Won't) Stop the War' is another bass-driven mid-tempo hard rock song . I don't care much for 'Father and Son', not because it's a rock ballad with lots of acoustic guitars, but because it reminds me of Guns n' Roses!! Outside of Appetite for Destruction, I don't care much for Gn'R sadly - and I certainly don't want Gamma Ray to sound like them! And then you've got a seriously generic rocker in 'Countdown' - listenable, but forgettable. 'The Spirit' has a nice chorus and is not a bad way to close the album I suppose. It's one of those 'not quite a ballad, but close' kind of tracks!
The best songs this disc has to offer are 'Dream Healer', 'As Time Goes By' and 'Start Running'. These are all undoubtedly highlights for the simple fact they sound more like typical Gamma Ray - but the bulk of this CD certainly doesn't! Gamma Ray's hard rock album then?! Well yeah, sort of! It does do some things better, or at least as good as Heading for Tomorrow. Ralf Scheepers sings these tracks really well, Kai Hansen's guitar solos are mostly great and the production and mixing sounds a little more balanced to my ears. It's just a shame that none of the best tracks on here come close to the best tracks from the predecessor. All in all, a disappointingly lukewarm effort - and kind of a strange one too given the hard rock influences. Not bad, just not that good! Underwhelming is the word.
Adam's rating: 6.2/10
INSANITY AND GENIUS 1993 (Noise)
- Standouts: 'Tribute to the Past, 'No Return', 'Last Before the Storm', 'Future Madhouse', 'Insanity and Genius', '18 Years', 'Heal Me'
The 3rd and final album with Ralf Scheepers, who would go on to form Primal Fear in 1997. Kai Hansen himself would take over lead vocal duties on all following Gamma Ray releases just like he did on Helloween's debut, Walls of Jericho, back in 1985. So Insanity and Genius still qualifies as 'early Gamma Ray' to me! And in my opinion, it's probably the strongest album of the first 3. I think most fans likely consider a lot of their albums from Land of the Free onward to be amongst their best, but the first couple of tracks on Insanity and Genius ('Tribute to the Past' and 'No Return') sound a lot like the prime Gamma Ray era that followed. High energy, soaring power metal to the max! As is 'Last Before the Storm', another standout. 'Future Madhouse' is a stupidly fun slab of high-adrenaline Germanic speed metal! I also like the crunchy, tasty riffage of the heavy title track, and '18 Years' is actually a really solid atmospheric ballad. Guitarist/keyboardist Dirk Schlachter sings lead vocals on 'Your Tørn is Over', and he's much more limited and gruff than Ralf... but he kind of suits the more straightforward heavy metal style of this track, so I'm cool with it! 'Heal Me' feels like an epic semi-ballad with lots of progressive songwriting and instrumentation thrown in for good measure. Kai Hansen also sings on it, making it almost feel like a taster for the forthcoming Land of the Free.
Frankly, I enjoy most of what this disc has to offer. Some of the songs are undoubtedly flawed, but there's still something to like about nearly all of them. 'The Cave Principle' is a little overblown and repetitive overall, but it does have has some big and beefy riffs, and the slower tempo and anthemic style does at least make it somewhat memorable. The chorus to the self-titled track 'Gamma Ray' is a little silly ("Gamma ray gamma ray gamma gamma gamma ray money and our failing!!" etc., etc.), but overall it's still kind of a fun ditty. Turns out it's actually a cover of a 1972 Birth Control song, a Krautrock/prog band - I had genuinely no idea this was the case until this I started writing this review!! Just sounds like early Gamma Ray to me! 'Ya learn something new every day I guess. And then there's 'Brothers', which is something of a harmless hard rock anthem. Not the greatest way to close this album, but sort of fun at least, and also similar to what we heard on Sigh No More.
As I said earlier, this one's my favourite of the Ralf Scheepers era. I find the whole album to be a little tighter and more well-rounded than Heading for Tomorrow and certainly Sigh No More. I still think Gamma Ray would go on to record better albums than this one, but for what it's worth I think Insanity and Genius is a totally solid slice of '90s power metal. The songs are full of high-energy riffs, cool melodies and big choruses. I suppose it was kind of a shame that Scheepers left not long after, but we would have never got Primal Fear (another band I really like) had he stuck around. And anyway, it's not like Gamma Ray lost their way after Ralf's departure! Anyhow, not one of my favourite power metal albums ever, but still one I like a lot.
Adam's rating: 8/10
LAND OF THE FREE 1995 (Noise)
- Standouts: Every last track!
I think we'll all agree that this is a true power metal marvel! Ralf Scheepers is gone - kinda sad I guess - but Kai takes his place on vocals and more importantly really ups his game in the songwriting department! Land of the Free's songs and, well, overall sonic texture just feels much more finely crafted than any of the last 3 albums. The instrumentation has improved across the board, and the higher attention to detail is obvious. Instead of leaving the best track 'til last, the band stick the album's masterpiece epic 'Rebellion in Dreamland' right at the very start! This has to be one of the finest power metal songs of all time, no?! It's nearly 9 minutes in length, yet every segment of it has been finetuned so well and is enjoyable to the point where you wonder where the hell those 8 minutes and 44 seconds went once it's over! Aye, it's a proggy, dynamic and regal epic - the vocal arrangements are massive, the solos are terrific and the atmosphere is mystical. And it's not even particularly fast!
So, the rest of the songs aren't as great as 'Rebellion in Dreamland' then, but no matter - they're basically all still prime Gamma Ray. Putting the best song first just shows how confident the band were in the rest of the record. And so they should be - 'Man on a Mission' and it's small outro 'Fairytale' are peak speedy power metal Gamma Ray, and why is that little keyboard jingle in the background to the mid-paced 'All of the Damned' so goddamn catchy?! You know the one I mean! It's little things like that which make all the difference. 'Gods of Deliverance' - this is another stellar speed metal-influenced slab of Teutonic power metal, while 'Farewell' is a surprisingly pretty, almost Queen-like piano-driven ballad with guest vocals from Blind Guardian's Hansi Kursch. There's also some great guitar soloing going on with this one, lots of emotion. It's followed-up by an appropriately upbeat, Helloween-y type of happy metaller, 'Salvation's Calling'. Again, great stuff. And I love the way the title track kind of blends the speed metal side of the band with the melodic, soaring epic side so effortlessly. 'Time to Break Free' is one of the heaviest tracks on here but still manages to fit in the levels of melody you'd expect from Gamma Ray. Lastly, 'Afterlife'
I can't really find a whole lot wrong with Land of the Free. Even the production holds up perfectly well to this day. I don't find myself listening to many of these tracks individually within a playlist (except for maybe 'Rebellion in Dreamland'), but that's not a bad thing. I'm a fan of Ralf Scheepers, so it's pretty impressive that him leaving really didn't have much of an effect on Gamma Ray. Turns out they didn't rely on him to bring the epic vocals since Kai is more than capable of that... moreover, the music as a whole is a huge leap in quality over Insanity and Genius! So all I can really do is compare Land of the Free to some of my other favourite power metal records, and it certainly ranks among the best of 'em. Maybe not one of my absolute all-time favourite metal albums (top 20 or 30), but a real winner for sure. If you're new to power metal or even on the fence with the genre in general, this is certainly one of those prime albums that I think could potentially win you over.
Adam's rating: 9.2/10
NO WORLD ORDER! 2001 (Sanctuary)
- Standouts: 'Dethrone Tyranny', 'The Heart of the Unicorn', 'Heaven or Hell', 'New World Order', 'Damn the Machine', 'Solid', 'Follow Me', 'Eagle', 'Lake of Tears'
Just like their classic Land of the Free, 2001's No World Order! delivers exactly what I want to hear from Gamma Ray - high-energy, soaring, melodic German power metal! Call it a concept album if you want - it doesn't follow a specific story, but pretty much all the songs revolve around conspiracy, illuminati, unsolved mysteries and the like. Total corkers like the blistering opener 'Dethrone Tyranny', and the fist-pumping 'The Heart of the Unicorn' exemplify what this band do best. 'Heaven or Hell' is catchy and anthemic, and while the superb 'New World Order' and punchy 'Damn the Machine' don't do anything especially fancy, they give me strong Judas Priest/Accept metallic vibes, mixed with Gamma Ray's sense of melody. That can only be a good thing! Pure metal, 'nuff said. Speaking of the Priest, the riffage and structure of speed metal number 'Solid' reminds me a lot of 'Rapid Fire'... this has to be intentional, surely! 'Solid' is... solid! The last few tracks keep me on my toes - there's some really nice bass work to be found in 'Follow Me', 'Eagle' is full of killer Iron Maiden-esque guitar harmonies and 'Lake of Tears' is a fine ballad that serves as the album's climax.
I don't own every single Gamma Ray album, but No World Order! is easily my favourite behind Land of the Free out of the one's I do have in my collection. I'd argue that Kai Hansen's vocals on this particular album are among his best performances. Sure, he still has that nasally tone, but some of the highs he hits on this CD are mighty impressive. The guitar solos are swish, the riffs are varied and fresh and the production is clean yet organic. And there's no filler to speak of either - I like some tracks better than others ('Fire Below' for example lacks the oomph of the rest of this album, but is still decent enough), but this is certainly not an album with any obvious duffers on it. Not a whole lot else to say about this one. A classy slice of true power metal!
Adam's rating: 9/10
LAND OF THE FREE II 2007 (SPV)
- Standouts: 'Into the Storm', 'From the Ashes', 'To Mother Earth', 'Rain', 'Leaving Hell', 'When the World', 'Insurrection'
I'm fully aware that this sequel to Land of the Free is generally not regarded as one of Gamma Ray's best... but it is just that - a sequel to an absolute classic! I couldn't not buy it! To be honest, I paid a little more than I would've liked for this disc. It seems to be out of print and hard to find here in the UK. So I bought a copy from an Irish seller on Discogs, and mine is apparently a 'Limited First Edition' copy. As far as I can tell, the only thing that makes it limited edition is the fact it literally says so above the band logo (did I ever mention how cool the Gamma Ray logo from Land of the Free onward is? Well, it is!) and that it comes in a digipak case. There aren't any bonus tracks other goodies to be found. Worst limited edition ever!
The album itself is really good though. Even if it's rare to see it near the top of peoples' ranking lists, this is still a strong Gamma Ray album that ticks most of the boxes for me. I can't really fault either 'Into the Storm' or 'From the Ashes' - both of these tracks get the album off to a strong start indeed, and deliver Kai Hansen's usual brand of high-octane melodic power metal. 'To Mother Earth' is a fine speed metal-infused power number too with some scorching lead guitar work... maybe Kai's vocals are strained a little, but the music is great. 'Rain' comes with a spectacular, epic chorus, 'Leaving Hell' packs a bit more punch and there's guitar parts in 'When the World' that remind me a little of Iron Maiden in their heyday. I feel like 'Real World' should suck with all it's cheesy synthy melodies, but goddamn it, it's catchy! And the more straightforward 'Hear Me Calling' sounds like something from Heading for Tomorrow. The 11 and a half minute 'Insurrection' is the album's finale... still not as epic as 'Rebellion in Dreamland', but it's still a damn fine epic with all the dynamic transitions, progressive songwriting and memorable arrangements you could want!
I'm not opposed to 'album sequels', generally speaking. Part 2 of Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys is just as strong as it's first half, Queen's A Day at the Races is a classic companion to A Night at the Opera and Metallica's Reload is... erm... a somewhat competent follow-up to Load! Am I right folks?! Anyway, Land of the Free II may not live up to the same levels of greatness as the original, but it's still a damn solid Gamma Ray album. The songwriting, playing, melodies and riff-work throughout this CD are all more than acceptable in my books. I won't call it a classic, but none of these tracks are skippable either ('Opportunity' is the most faceless of the lot to me for some reason, but still far from bad). To be honest, the weakest aspect of this record for me would have to be Kai's vocals. He's still good, but I do feel like his singing was starting to dip a little at this point in time. His highs just don't sound as 'clean' to me anymore... I'm not saying he sounds weak, more like he's 70% of the singer he was on past albums. Still decent, just a little tired-sounding. A bit like Bruce Dickinson on No Prayer for the Dying. Also, the album is probably a little longer than it needs to be. If they'd cut a song or 2 from the tracklisting, I wouldn't be surprised if the album still carried the same momentum.
In conclusion, still a very respectable attempt at following up to a genuinely seminal album of the power metal genre.
Adam's rating: 8.2/10
TO THE METAL! 2010 (Ear Music)
- Standouts: 'Empathy', 'All You Need to Know', 'Time to Live', 'Rise', 'Shine Forever', 'Chasing Shadows', 'No Need to Cry'
I may have some slight bias towards this album. It's not one of Gamma Ray's highest-rated albums on the internet (although it's still considered to be 'good' by most from the looks of things), but I'm personally very fond of it because I bought it as a new release when it first came out way back in 2010. I was in my second and final year of college, and I honestly think it was one of the first power metal CDs I ever picked up. I was already massively into thrash and death metal at that point - I hadn't deliberately avoided power metal, I was just too busy indulging extreme metal at the time (I think the only power metal band I was into was Iced Earth then) and hadn't made room for much else. So I'm not entirely sure what made me pick up Gamma Ray's To the Metal! when I saw it in my local HMV in 2010. But I did! Still, I can't fully credit To the Metal! for my fondness of power metal; it certainly did make me pick up albums from bands like Helloween, Rage, Blind Guardian, even Sabaton etc. soon after, but it wasn't until my 30s (!!) that power metal became one of my favourite metal subgenres!
Great record though. The first 3 tracks are golden - 'Empathy' is just a total old-school metaller, the massively speedy and melodic 'All You Need to Know' has made my gym playlists year after year (and the guest vocals from Helloween's Michael Kiske is great), while 'Time to Live' has a massively catchy groove-based riff and a singalong chorus to die for. The title track is a big arena metal anthem that sounds like it takes inspiration from classic Saxon or Accept. The intro to 'Rise' sounds alarmingly like Iron Maiden's 'Mother of Mercy' (also from 2010 - The Final Frontier album)! But when this one picks up, it's more of the same fast melodic power metal you've come to expect from Gamma Ray. The guitar soloing in 'Mother Angel' is just spectacular, while 'Shine Forever' combines Judas Priest-style speed metal/vocals with a soaring, uplifting chorus that Kai Hansen does so well. The adrenaline still surges with the fiery 'Chasing Shadows', and 'No Need to Cry' is a solid ballad to conclude the album with. The second half of this track even has acoustic guitars.
I think this is a pretty consistent effort from start to finish, but for some reason I find 'Deadlands' to not be as exciting as most of the other tracks. It still has lots of energy however. And there's no epic-length tracks to speak of here, which is a little disappointing I guess. Not that the album needed a lengthy number to be great, it's just something I felt was worth noting. Also, like Land of the Free II, Kai Hansen's vocals are definitely weaker here than they were on albums like No World Order!. Still good, and certainly not distracting, but I do think the Kai of the '90s/early 2000s is an ever-so-slightly more powerful beast than he is here. Hey-ho.
To the Metal! is another winner for me. Like I said in the beginning of this review, I probably enjoy it a little bit more than the average fan, but even so, I'd be amazed if I didn't score this disc a high-ranging 7/10 or low-ranging 8/10 if I'd bought it yesterday. It's another fine effort from the Gamma Ray lads. I've got the deluxe version which comes with a bonus DVD which documents the making of the album. I've had my copy for 16 years now and I still haven't watched it!
Adam's rating: 8.4/10
Thursday, 22 January 2026
GAMMA RAY
#/media/File:Gr_snm.jpg){kind=link}
Friday, 9 January 2026
RUNNING WILD
Reviewed:
- Gates to Purgatory (1984)
- Under Jolly Roger (1987)
- Port Royal (1988)
- Death or Glory (1989)
- Blazon Stone (1991)
- The First Years of Piracy (1991, compilation)
- Pile of Skulls (1992)
- Black Hand Inn (1994)
GATES TO PURGATORY 1984 (BMG)
- Standouts: 'Soldiers of Hell', 'Diabolic Force', 'Adrian S.O.S.', 'Genghis Khan', 'Prisoner of Our Time'
I got into Running Wild primarily through their third album, Under Jolly Roger - when they shifted more into a power metal sound with some pirate themes. But like so many other German bands, Running Wild originally ran with the whole Satanic speed metal theme that Venom pretty much pioneered! This explains why their first couple of releases are so much different to the rest of the catalogue then. This 1984 debut, Gates to Purgatory, is very much a raw, grimy speed metal affair. Running Wild's story reminds me a little of Sodom's first couple of releases (In the Sign of Evil and Obsessed by Cruelty) - those were both raw and Satanic slabs of speed metal, but the band would quickly change their image and sound on all following albums. Grave Digger started off as a more conventional speed metal band too, before becoming the power metal machine they're really known for now. Must be a German thing!
Back to Gates to Purgatory, well, I like this album. But then again I'm a sucker for rough underground '80s speed metal! I find the band's power metal stuff to be largely superior and unique by comparison, but on the whole this is a fun debut. Had it been released a couple of years later, maybe it wouldn't have given the band as much momentum? Let's be honest, Satanic/evil themes and the whole leather n' spikes image within the metal underground was already commonplace in 1984. But I think 1984 was still just about early enough to make Running Wild standout alongside their contemporaries, despite a number of bands doing similar things. I'm glad they changed their style later on, sure, but I definitely can't write-off Gates to Purgatory as 'inferior' to the rest of their material. 'Cos it's not!
Although this disc sounds like it was recorded in a giant tin can, I find the songs to be a little more musical than what Venom, Sodom or Slayer (in their early days at least) were doing. Occasionally you might even hear a little of their trademark power metal sound shine through - I can hear this within some of the guitar riffs and leads in 'Soldiers of Hell', even if they weren't there yet. Possibly even the galloping 'Genghis Khan' and 'Diabolic Force' as well. Rolf Kasparek (aka Rock n' Rolf) sings in English, but his thick German accent is noticeable here. He sings with a little more throat and gargle than he would later, sounding more like Venom's Cronos, but if you've heard anything else by Running Wild then you can still tell it's the same man singing. Of course, some of the tracks are pretty similar to Venom musically - the first couple of tracks, 'Victim of States Power' and 'Black Demon' remind me of that style. Others have a little more uniqueness about them - 'Adrian S.O.S.' for example, is fast as fuck, and the low budget production makes it sound sloppier than it really is. But there's some definite melody within the guitars that Venom or early Bathory don't have. Again, small characteristics that give Running Wild their own identity. The last track, 'Prisoner of Our Time' has an almost anthemic quality about it.
Had this been the first Running Wild album I'd ever heard, I'd likely have scored it a little higher. Sadly, Gates to Purgatory often gets overlooked by yours truly despite the fact I actually like these songs quite a lot. I don't have a problem with lo-fi, cheap production - it's kind of expected with a lot of metal after all. But I'm not a fan of this particular album's production - there's a noticeable lack of bass/low end, and also a weird crackle to the guitars/drums that's difficult to describe. It doesn't ruin the album for me of course, but I don't think it does the songs justice either. The playing on this album is far from amateurish - there's plenty of solid lead guitar work and riffage that would've benefited from a beefier sound. Ahh well! Either way, a solid start for Running Wild. Some people actually prefer the sound and image they were going for during the early days over the power/pirate style they'd adopt soon after. I'm not one of those people. But other than the production I do like this disc quite a lot. I have the 2017 BMG reissue, but it was originally released on Noise.
Adam's rating: 7.7/10
UNDER JOLLY ROGER 1987 (BMG)
- Standouts: 'Under Jolly Roger', 'Beggar's Night', 'Diamonds of the Black Chest', 'Raise Your Fist', 'Land of Ice', 'Merciless Game'
Now we're talkin'! This was the first Running Wild album I ever heard, and I'm ashamed to admit I got into this band way later than I should have. I didn't listen to them until I reached my 30s! Even though I'd heard of Running Wild decades ago, they passed me by for such a long time - and it's a shame because I think I would've loved them in my teens. Yet another case of too much music, too little time! Anyway, by the time Under Jolly Roger was released, the band have moved away from the typical Satanic imagery and speed metal sound, and shifted into an often pirate-themed image and tone, with an emphasis on power metal within the music. The thing about Running Wild though, is that they still managed to incorporate speed metal into the new power metal sound - because power metal wasn't always about overbearing keyboards! Not to rag on Sabaton or Powerwolf, but classic power metal sounds nothing like either of those bands. Ironically, this particular album is maybe just as heavy metal as it is power metal - but it's definitely getting there.
Maybe the whole pirate thing is a gimmick, but it feels so much more natural here than it does compared to a band like Alestorm or Red Rum. There's no accordions for starters! And it also must be said that not every song here entirely pirate-themed. Still, as soon as the opening title track kicks in after the cannon blasts, I can't help but crank this album up to the max! The riffs are heavy metal, yet they sound piratey and I have absolutely no fucking idea how to explain why this is!! They just do! True, Rolf does kind of sing in the stereotypical pirate accent here, and I guess even uttering the words "jolly" and "Roger" together automatically makes me think of swashbuckling men with eye patches, peg-legs and hooks for hands... but it works oh-so well! I love this tune! 'Beggar's Night' and 'Merciless Game' are both killer tunes too, classic Running Wild. They have those massive, gallopy riffs and tremelo-type guitar licks have become signature of the band from this album onward. 'Diamonds of the Black Chest' might be more mid-tempo, but it kicks arse. And it's chorus is simple and surprisingly sing-along-y! Same goes for 'Raise Your Fist' - the chorus is catchy and anthemic, and overall just a memorable cut in general. Meanwhile 'Land of Ice' is slow and lumbering, with a doomy introduction - but it still sounds like prime Running Wild, and doesn't sound out of place here in any way.
This album only consists of 8 songs - none of them come close to being filler, even if 'War in the Gutter' and 'Raw Ride' are my least favourites. The former still serves a nice speed/power metal number within the tracklisting, while the latter is a biker anthem with a fist-pumping attitude. And I suppose I could complain about Under Jolly Roger's short 35 minute length, but I really don't mind a short album if the music is quality from start to finish. Many of their later albums would get longer, but this one is like a nice little icebreaker for their new sound, style and direction! I think the best was yet to come; like I was saying, the album breaks you into the new style of the band quite softly (not that the music is literally soft). So the songs aren't massively ambitious or anything like that, they're just really good. And the leap in production from Gates to Purgatory to this is night and day. Under Jolly Roger sounds 1000x better to my ears in every single way. Overall a pretty darn great record. A stupidly fun slice of Germanic heavy/power/speed metal - and those pirate themes were actually unique back in the '80s! It's not perfect, but it's a classic.
I bought the 2017 BMG Deluxe Expanded Edition maybe 3 years ago, and it comes with a second disc of re-recordings and alternative versions of the songs from 1991, 1992 and 2003. It's a fun little addition to the original album, but I don't think any of the songs are definitive versions. It's a great reissue either way.
Adam's rating: 8.5/10
PORT ROYAL 1988 (Noise)
- Standouts: 'Port Royal', 'Raging Fire', 'Into the Arena', 'Uaschitschun', 'Final Gates', 'Conquistadores', 'Blown to Kingdom Come', 'Warchild', 'Calico Jack'
A stellar sequel to their transition album, Under Jolly Roger. On Port Royal, practically every aspect of the band has gotten better - the musicianship, playing and instrumentation has been taken a step further, and the songs grander and more anthemic. As with the last album, the pirate image doesn't feel like a gimmick when it comes to Running Wild - the music is very much heavy/power metal in the traditional sense, but it just so happens that the band have a carefully-crafted pirate image/theme to go alongside the songs. Songs like the opening title track and 'Into the Arena' almost feel epic - the riffs are like a mixture of classic Iron Maiden and that irresistible Euro power metal-style riffage. Combined with the gang-chant chorus vocals, this is what quality heavy metal is all about. 'Raging Fire' uses the same ingredients but adds even more melody overall. Even the mid-tempo 'Uaschitschun' is hugely memorable - it has a touch of '80s Judas Priest about it, and feels like perfect music to drive to! Running Wild really do have a sound and image of their own, yet they still find a way to add touches of classic heavy metal bands into their brand (and I mean this in the best sense possible); I get hints of Saxon in the gargantuan 'Blown to Kingdom Come'. 'Warchild' is speed metal nirvana, and even if 'Mutiny' is my least favourite track on this CD, I never feel the urge to skip it. The 8 minute 'Calico Jack' is packed full of excellent lead guitar work, and despite it's longer length, slots in well next to everything else on here and doesn't feel out of place at all.
Choosing a favourite track on this one is really difficult, but right now I'll pick 'Conquistadores'. This song is absolutely awesome - the riffing is tight, the chorus and backing vocals are insanely catchy and there's even a hint of groove to what is a textbook example of classic Euro power metal. Even the instrumental 'Final Gates' is a great one - it's driven by some spectacular bass playing and it's position right in the middle of the album makes the pacing of the record so good. The production is obviously dated, and there's a tone of echoey reverb that follows the songs around everywhere they go. But in all fairness, I don't have a problem with this. It seems to add a layer of atmosphere to the album that I actually appreciate. I don't think thrash albums should be produced this way, but for anthemic heavy/power metal, it certainly does the job. I suppose the biggest criticism I can think of is maybe Rolf's vocals? He's not exactly a powerhouse vocalist like Rob Halford or Ronnie James Dio, and given how epic the music can be, I sometimes wonder what Running Wild would sound like with a more theatrical singer. Don't think I'm bashing Rolf - I like the guy's vocals, and on Port Royal he even sounds a tad stronger than he did on Under Jolly Roger. This is just a "what if?" kind of criticism, if that makes any sense.
This really is a superb slab of pure Germanic metal from the late '80s. It was always gonna be an easy 9/10... a 9/10 it is then! It's not actually my favourite Running Wild album, and when I look at other albums I've scored in the 9 - 9.4/10ish range, there's definitely other albums I like more than this one where I've slapped a 9.1 or 9.2 rating on them. Either way, Port Royal is absolutely a classic of it's subgenre. I haven't lived with this one very long in the grand scheme of things. With more time it'll likely rank up another notch.
Adam's rating: 9/10
DEATH OR GLORY 1989 (Noise)
- Standouts: Everything!
Overall consensus online seems to be that 1989's Death or Glory or is Running Wild at their absolute peak. Yeah, that's fair enough. I don't own their entire catalogue, but I'm inclined to agree with this consensus. The first and most immediate thing I picked up on is the strength of this album's production. It still sounds like a product of it's time, and there's plenty of reverb going on here in similar fashion to Port Royal, but everything feels even grander and more epic this time. And I thought Port Royal sounded great too, but this is better! And I like a bit of '80s reverb in the right setting - which this is. Rolf seems to have found a nice balance of melody and grit with his vocals on this record too - he certainly improved with each album at this point. Obviously the songs rule too. They totally kick ass! As soon as opener 'Riding the Storm' and it's rip-roaring follow-up 'Renegade' blare from 'yer speakers, you know Running Wild are about to serve up a special dish of Germanic speed/power metal brilliance. 'Marooned' is nothing more than a full-on speed/power metal song - but it's sooo fucking good that I could easily use it as a prime example of what Euro power metal is all about. A lot of people don't take power metal all that seriously these days because of the popularity of keyboard-drenched gimmicky bands like Sabaton or Gloryhammer - but for a very long time, the genre sounded nothing like anything those sort of bands do nowadays. Anyway, the mid-paced stuff on Death or Glory like 'Bad to the Bone', 'Evilution' and 'Running Blood' standout big time here as well. The riffs are ginormous and leave such a big anthemic presence that it only makes the music that little bit more exciting. Even the melodic instrumental, 'Highland Glory (The Eternal Fight)', is pretty special. It feels like a showcase of the band's talents on their instruments, particularly Jens Becker's amazing bass work. Becker would go on to join Grave Digger and play on a shit ton of their albums. Erm yeah, check out my Grave Digger reviews if you haven't already!
There isn't any filler to speak of here, and the last few tracks round off the album really nicely. 'Tortuga Bay' is one of the shorter tracks here, and certainly doesn't ware out it's welcome. Same can be said for the strong swashbuckling feels of the title track! Again though, the piratey nature of the band never feels like a gimmick. I suppose it's kind of predictable that the final track, 'Battle of Waterloo', is a lengthy epic. But history lessons and long, epic heavy metal songs go hand in hand! It wouldn't have worked any other way, and as it happens, 'Battle of Waterloo' is one of the best songs the album has to offer in my opinion.
The last 2 albums are undeniably classics. But Death or Glory is one of the all-time greats of the power/speed/heavy metal field. Seeing as I haven't really lived with it for most of my musically-obsessed life, I don't know if I can call it one of MY absolute favourite metal albums of all time. Give it a few more years however, and I wouldn't be surprised if I've promoted it several more ranks.
Adam's rating: 9.3/10
BLAZON STONE 1991 (Noise)
- Standouts: Everything on here is fantastic aside from maybe 'Rolling Wheels', which I still like anyway.
This is maybe my favourite Running Wild album out of the one's I actually own. Practically every aspect of this CD is fabulous - from the blazing riffs, epic vocal arrangements and memorable hooks. Hell, even the production is great. A lot of true metal albums from the early '90s still had remnants of '80s reverb about them - Blazon Stone does as well, but combined with some absolutely killer guitar tones, it makes for one classy sounding album minus the burden of sounding over-produced. The level of polish is just right, and reminds me a little of Judas Priest's masterpiece from the same period, Painkiller, in this respect (one of my favourite albums of all time in terms of production... along with the rest of that album in general!).
And of course, the songs are brilliant. The first 3 songs - the title track, 'Lone Wolf' and 'Slavery' - sure do set the bar high. All 3 of them are speedy riff-fests (but not stupidly fast either), as they should be. We're talking METAL RIFFS IN STANDARD TUNING here, as classic power metal should be!! Riffs are the main focus for me with a lot of bands; they're probably the number 1 reason why I became a metalhead. And Running Wild absolutely deliver the goods. But there's some great vocal arrangements on these songs as well; 'Slavery' has such a simple chorus hook, but it's done in a way that made me remember the track forever even on my first listen when I actually bought this album. And then there's 'Little Big Horn', which again has it all. Fast-but-not-really-fast riffs, a simple vocal hook within the chorus, a blazing guitar solo and a nice balance of muscle and melody. 'White Masque' is notable for being the most catchy track here. It's mid-tempo, yet there's so much going on in it's riffs, and the band somehow found a way to add a layer of groove to them despite being about as far removed from groove metal as possible! The last few tracks, 'Straight to Hell', 'Bloody Red Rose' and 'Heads or Tails' are stupendous, and leave me wanting more. Kind of glad 'Heads or Tails' ends things on a more anthemic note.
Predictably then, complaints are very minor overall. 'Rolling Wheels' is my least favourite track on here, not because of it's slower tempo, it just doesn't feel as enthusiastic as everything else. But even the weakest song on this album is still a good'un at the end of the day. And 'Fire & Ice''s intro riff sounds a little similar to 'Lone Wolf', but everything else about this track is as good as anything else on here. The pirate themes are still technically present too (but not on every track of course, 'Little Big Horn' comes to mind), but it's really quite incredible how common a theme it is within this band, yet isn't a gimmick! You could call Running Wild 'pirate metal' if you really wanted to, but they're not a joke. Yet listen to Alestorm, and you can't take those guys seriously because of the pirate themes. I get that Alestorm don't exist to be taken seriously, I just find it impressive that Running Wild can take a theme often full of comedy stereotypes and not sound ridiculous! My copy of Blazon Stone also has a couple of bonus cuts - 'Billy the Kid' and a cover of Thin Lizzy's 'Genocide'. 'Billy the Kid' is more of the same (can't argue with that) while the cover is an interesting one that works surprisingly well in Running Wild's favour. 'Genocide' is an underrated track from the Lizzy catalogue - anything from their album Chinatown is in my opinion - so it's nice to see Running Wild do a deep cut instead of yet another cover of 'Jailbreak' or 'Don't Believe a Word'!
This is awesome - one of my favourite classic power metal albums alongside Blind Guardian's Imaginations from the Other Side, Grave Digger's Excalibur, Liege Lord's Master Control and (if we're counting it) Metal Church's Blessing in Disguise. Sure it doesn't always hit the mark, but all in all Blazon Stone gets the chef's kiss from me.
Adam's rating: 9.2/10
THE FIRST YEARS OF PIRACY 1991 (Noise)
- Standouts: Any of the tracks that were originally from Gates to Purgatory or Branded and Exiled.
A compilation of 10 re-recorded songs that were originally from the first 3 albums (Gates to Purgatory, Branded and Exiled and Under Jolly Roger). Yep, it's one of those albums! The good news is that the mixing and audio quality is now much closer to albums like Blazon Stone than the raw, demo-like Gates to Purgatory, meaning that even tracks like 'Soldiers of Hell' and 'Prisoner of Our Time' sound closer to their pirate-inspired albums - well, at least in terms of production anyway. I totally understand them re-recording anything from those first 2 albums; even though the rough speed metal is all part of the charm of albums like Gates to Purgatory, an added coat of paint can at least transform those songs into something fresh. I just don't get why they felt the need to re-record anything from Under Jolly Roger. The original album sounds good to me, and it was only 4 years old in 1991 when The First Years of Piracy was released! Naturally then, I don't ever feel the urge to hear the new versions of 'Under Jolly Roger', 'Raw Ride', 'Raise Your Fist' or 'Diamonds of the Black Chest' found here - I tend to just stick the Under Jolly Roger album on instead! Still, to say these new versions in particular sound poor or inferior is a blatant lie. There's nothing really wrong with them, I'm just used to their OG counterparts.
An enjoyable disc for sure, but I think it's only really essential listening for hardcore fans. I only own a few Running Wild CDs thus far (I'm working on adding more!); the reason why this one made it's way into my collection is because I stumbled upon it in the wild at my local record shop. I can confirm that Running Wild CDs and vinyl in UK-based record stores are not a common sight, so I had to grab it!
Adam's rating: 7/10
PILE OF SKULLS 1992 (BMG)
- Standouts: 'Whirlwind', 'Sinister Eyes', 'Black Wings of Death', 'Fistful of Dynamite' ,'Pile of Skulls', 'White Buffalo', 'Jennings' Revenge', 'Treasure Island'
This album sounds like a continuation of Blazon Stone with potentially more emphasis on speed metal? I dunno! It just fits so comfortably within the band's stellar run of albums from the late '80s through the '90s! More top-tier Germanic, riffy heavy metal with Rock n' Rolf's rough gravelly vocals and backing gang chants. Opening tracks like 'Whirlwind' and 'Sinister Eyes' are just monumental slabs of pure speed/power metal that absolutely highlight why Running Wild are up there with the best of 'em. 'Black Wings of Death' isn't actually an epic (it lasts just over 5 minutes), but this mid-paced number is driven by a superb guitar melody that once again gives me that piratey aura! And then there's numbers like the title track and 'Fistful of Dynamite' - 2 words, "kick arse"!! Awesome heavy speed metal riffage, Tipton/Downing-style Judas Priest soloing and a pulse-raising tempo make these 2 of my favourites from the album. There's more Priest worship to be found on the thunderous 'White Buffalo', and the lyrics of 'Jennings' Revenge' focus on the of 18th century pirate Henry Jennings. The album ends on the 11 minute conclusion, 'Treasure Island'. Naturally, it's inspired lyrically by the book of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson. And boy is it a good one - a true lesson in guitar riff alchemy. Endlessly great riffs that mesh and flow together so effortlessly, it just makes those 11 minutes fly by so quickly!
What's not to like? Well, 'Roaring Thunder' is maybe the weakest song on here - the drums remind me a lot of Saxon's 'Denim and Leather' and in general this song lacks the energy or creativity of the rest of the album. But it's still a solid enough, mid-tempo anthemy cut. In terms of mixing, there's a bit more low-end in the production this time around, which is good in some ways. But I also find the guitars have a teensy bit less bite than the tones on Blazon Stone. If anything, I'd say Pile of Skulls is maybe a tad closer to Port Royal sonically. Honestly, picking a favourite Running Wild album from this period is like choosing which one of my legs I prefer... there's no correct choice because they're all bloody good! I personally like Blazon Stone and Death or Glory that little bit more, but Pile of Skulls is about as good as Port Royal for me. Still prime Running Wild. Anyone that claims to like metal should be seeking out all of these records, period.
Adam's rating: 9/10
BLACK HAND INN 1994 (Noise)
- Standouts: 'The Curse', 'Black Hand Inn', 'Mr. Deadhead', 'Soulless', 'The Privateer', 'Fight the Fire of Hate', 'The Phantom of Black Hand Inn', 'Freewind Rider', 'Powder & Iron', 'Dragonmen'
Ahoy there mateys! Running Wild returned in 1994 with yet another absolute 'banger of a pirate-themed album, Black Hand Inn. They're not doing much differently here - Rock 'n' Rolf still sounds like Rock 'n' Rolf, the galloping guitar riffs and drum work are as strong as ever and the songs are plentiful. It also sports my favourite album artwork of theirs, and I'd love to have it on vinyl - but my CD will have to do for now! Priorities!
Anyway, Black Hand Inn kicks off with a spoken-word, mood-setting intro called 'The Curse', before the rollicking title track kicks in with all it's glory. It's a speedy power metal riff-fest as you'd expect, as is the superb 'Mr. Deadhead'. 'Soulless' and 'Dragonmen' are ballsy as hell and come with more of those simple yet anthemic gang-chant choruses. 'The Privateer' and 'Fight the Fire of Hate' are wisely placed next to each other within the tracklisting to keep me hooked; the former is yet another Germanic slab of speed metal perfection whilst the latter is a fist-pumping heavy metal stonker. My favourite track on this disc though, has to be 'The Phantom of Black Hand Hill'. It is a simply outstanding, epic masterpiece of power metal, and should be used as a benchmark for how the genre should sound! The riffing structure of 'Freewind Rider' reminds me ever-so-slightly of Judas Priest's 'The Sentinel', so it has to be great right?! In fact, it reminds me so much of Priest in this respect that I actually typed 'FreeWHEEL Rider' by mistake first! And then you've got 'Powder & Iron', which continues the band's signature pirate-inspired speed metal in similar fashion to 'The Privateer'.
'Genesis (The Making and the Fall of Man)' is the album's 15 minute finale, and while it may not be my personal favourite here, it's definitely an impressive feat. The pacing of this track gives it a storytelling feel, and I don't think there's anything wrong with 'Genesis' for what it is. At no point do I ever tire of it, but I don't love it either. I'm just glad the band don't take the piss with these kinds of epics... unlike Iron Maiden with their later albums from 2000 to present! 'Genesis' is the only one of it's kind on this CD, and that's all the album needed.
Black Hand Inn's production is easily the best yet when you compare it to everything that came before. And I really liked the way albums like Port Royal and Blazon Stone sounded. Black Hand Inn though, still has such a natural sound, with instruments that are clearly audible, guitar tones that sound like they've come from actual amplifiers and not computers, and in general I have nothing to whinge about in this department. Or the album as a whole really. My biggest gripe is the fact my least favourite track just happens to be the epic ('Genesis'), i.e. the song we're all supposed to be really blown away by. For that reason it's hard for me to rank this above an album like Blazon Stone, which is that little bit more consistent in my opinion. But really, this is just nit-picking pessimism from yours truly - and I still think this is better than Pile of Skulls (which is still a fantastic album). Black Hand Inn is classic power metal!
Adam's rating: 9.1/10
Friday, 2 January 2026
Blast from the past albums #7: ANVIL - This Is Thirteen (2007, VH1 Classic Records) & Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008, Universal)
In this series of posts I'll discuss an album I picked up as a teenager or my early 20s and haven't listened to in a very long time.
The band were formed in Toronto by high school friends Steve 'Lips' Kudlow (vocals/guitar) and Robb Reiner (drums), and the film follows them both closely throughout the running time. Although then-bassist Glenn Five and then-guitarist Ivan Hurd do feature, Lips and Reiner are key to Anvil, hence why they are the main focus of the movie. And I really feel for 'em both. Lips is the man! He's the kind of guy I'd love to go for a pint with down the pub. Robb is maybe a little more laid back and subdued, but is like Lips' brother. The film was shot around 2005/2006 (at least I think), Lips has just turned 50 and Anvil are stuck in a rut. Despite the fact they never disappeared, continued to make albums and play gigs, both Lips and Robb have day jobs because Anvil doesn't make them enough money to solely live by. Lips works in children's school catering and Robb in construction. But both guys still have the same passion for music that they always had. It's kind of crazy; the film begins with shots of their 1984 show at Japan's Super Rock festival, playing alongside superstar acts like Whitesnake, Scorpions and Bon Jovi in front of a massive crowd. Guys like Slash, Lemmy, Lars Ulrich, Tom Araya and Scott Ian all speak highly and fondly of them and their influence on heavy metal... and then the film cuts to Lips working his normal day job. The music industry is tough - it doesn't matter how good you are, high-scale success doesn't always last forever. Lemmy says it best - it's all about being in the right time and the right place.
Throughout the film, the band embark on a European tour - and even though it begins rather well for them at the Sweden Rock festival, the tour starts to collapse as it progresses. Some of the things that happen to the band along the way are comparable to This Is Spinal Tap. Some of the incidents include when they get lost in Prague and turn up late for their gig - there's not a great deal of people in attendance and the owner refuses to pay the band. They're booked to play a 10,000 seat arena in Transylvania and are promised at least 5000 ticket sales, but only 174 people turn up. They play another gig in a German bar (I think it was Germany anyway) and there's maybe only 4 or 5 people watching. They run into all kinds of public transport issues and end up sleeping in a train station. They come back home to Canada penniless after the tour. It makes for entertaining viewing, but it's heart-breaking to watch all the same.
When they return home, they manage to get in contact with legendary UK metal producer Chris 'CT' Tsangarides (RIP), who produced their classic albums Metal on Metal (1982) and Forged in Fire (1983). Lips says that their albums hadn't sounded their best since CT was involved. Even though CT is interested in working with the band again, they don't have the funds to record with him - so Lips works part-time in telemarketing, but doesn't make a sale. His sister gives him the money in the end and the band head over to England to record what would become the album This Is Thirteen (which I'll get to later I promise!). Lips and Robb get into all kinds of fights during the recording, but the album does eventually get made. Predictably though, they can't find a major label interested in releasing the album for them, so they release it themselves.
Despite all the mishaps and depressing shit that goes on throughout the movie, it's is still full of positivity and plenty of genuinely funny moments. Even though Anvil didn't give Lips and Robb the major success they'd envisioned, to say they failed really is not fair. You get insight into their families and personal lives - both are married with children, both have mortgages and have provided for their families who love them. And all the while they still made music and toured since Anvil was first formed, even if it never became their full-time job like they'd initially hoped. I'd call that a success. To still be able to do the thing you love at all is awesome enough in my books. Lips is such a cool guy too - even though he's clearly disappointed in the lack of money he makes from Anvil, he still treasures the loyal Anvil fanbase that never left. And Robb is a highly talented man - Lars Ulrich says he was a benchmark drummer in terms of technicality back in the early '80s, and as a hobby he's also an avid painter. The European tour was even responsible for guitarist Ivan Hurd's marriage; shortly after the tour is over he marries Tiziana Arrigoni, who managed the band and booked the gigs. And at the end of the documentary, they get a surprise booking to play a large indoor festival in Japan. They worry about the size of the crowd initially, being the first band on stage that day, but are met with a huge and enthusiastic crowd of crazy Japanese metalheads.
The film was also a major success to the point where it boosted Anvil's popularity and opened new doors for them once again. My only real complaint is the fact it's only 81 minutes long - I think this is fine for someone who just wants to watch a good documentary and is not necessarily interested in metal music (the film is a great watch no matter what music you're into), but I personally would have welcomed some extra footage! Since the documentary was released, the band have toured with AC/DC, Saxon, Alice Cooper, Metallica etc. as well as embarked on many successful tours and have continued to record more albums since This Is Thirteen. I seriously doubt Anvil is a part-time gig for them anymore! I got to see them at Bloodstock festival in 2012, they had a reasonably high slot on the mainstage. It's the only time I've seen them, but I'd love to see them again. It just hasn't happened yet for one reason or another.
The documentary is a great watch then. I hadn't watched it for a very long time, and I felt like I could sympathise with Lips and Robb a lot more now as a man in my 30s than I could as a 17 year old. I get that it must be disheartening to put so much time and energy into something and not get the widespread popularity you feel you deserve, but I really think it'd be wrong to call Lips and Robb a failure before the documentary was released. Like I said, both raised families and never gave up on music even if it wasn't their primary of source of income for such a long time. I've seen people slag off Anvil on sites like Reddit - people that claim their lack of financial/global success was down to lack of talent. I personally feel like this is just a dumb take. Anvil to me sounded like a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band that happened to hail from Canada. And a good one at that. Lars Ulrich essentially says that Robb Reiner was considered by many other drummers to be the dogs bollocks, and their music to me is comparable to bands like Raven and Tank. As a fan of the NWOBHM movement, that is a genuine compliment. I think many other things like management, record companies and labels... even image and trends etc. all factor into a band's level of success - not necessarily the quality of the music. I don't think it's controversial to argue that metal isn't supposed to be commercial.
Oh, and This Is Thirteen is a great album! I told you I'd get to it eventually! Like I said, it was released independently in 2007, but after the success of the film it was re-released on a larger scale in 2009 by VH1 Classic Records. I have 2 copies - my DVD comes with the album as a bonus, but I bought a separate copy at some point too because I wanted it on my CD shelves! Anyhow, since I had never heard of Anvil until the film came out, This Is Thirteen just happens to be the first Anvil album I ever listened to. After watching the film again, the album has been on rotation for me over the past couple of weeks. I forgot how much I liked it.
The band aren't reinventing the wheel here - you're getting Anvil's brand of old-school heavy metal of course, but the songs can vary between mid-tempo classic metal, speed metal and even punk-infused metal bangers. Songs like 'Feed the Greed', 'Flying Blind' and 'American Refugee' are fairly simplistic and almost punky, and slot between heavy metal mongers like the title track, 'Bombs Away', 'Axe to Grind' and 'Burning Bridges' really nicely. The title track in particular is built around massive, gargantuan riffage - almost doom-like in the traditional sense, and I love it. Every song - 13 of them, just like the title - is a no-nonsense slab of metallic goodness, hearkening back to the classic traditional metal scene of the '80s. As I said earlier, I've always found Anvil's music to be comparable to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement of the late '70s/early '80s. They just happen to be from Canada! And even though the songs are heavy, many of the little grooves and hooks within them are catchy and memorable throughout the CD. And while Lips' vocals fall into the more gruff/gnarly field of singing than melodic/operatic, they're honest. I can't imagine someone with a voice like Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson singing over these tracks. Overall, this album is the sound of a band that knows their craft.
The songs are of course backed up by Chris Tsangarides excellent production work. It's not really surprising that Lips wanted to work with the guy so bad again in the film - the man is responsible for producing classics such as Judas Priest's Painkiller, Thin Lizzy's Thunder and Lightning, Black Sabbath's The Eternal Idol and Anvil's very own Metal On Metal. The guitar tones are thick and beefy, the bass is rumbling and rhythmic, and the drums are dynamic. The songs deserve this kind of treatment if you ask me. I still think I'd enjoy This Is Thirteen with a somewhat weaker, thinner sound - and I even like my metal to sound raw depending on the band and subgenre. But sometimes I just want an album to sound as professional as possible in this department.
The only song that's a bit 'meh' for me is 'Worry'. This one feels a little under-developed and lazy compared to the rest of the album with it's generic chorus. And I'm also struggling to score it any higher than an 8/10 - which is still very respectable anyway. There's not a lot wrong with This Is Thirteen - the songs don't blow me away, but they're mostly all really good. Had the production been a little weaker, it'd probably be a 7.5/10, so my 8/10 rating isn't entirely down to the songwriting itself... but if you're a big fan of traditional heavy metal, it's kind of hard not to love Anvil. The documentary just makes the music even more honest and full of heart and soul somehow. I have a few of their albums beyond this one, and re-watching the movie and listening to This Is Thirteen has really rekindled my own interest in them. Great stuff.
Adam's rating: 8/10 (This Is Thirteen)
9/10 (Anvil! The Story of Anvil)
Thursday, 1 January 2026
Blast from the past albums #6: MORBID ANGEL - Illud Divinum Insanus (2011, Season of Mist)
In this series of posts I'll discuss an album I picked up as a teenager or my early 20s and haven't listened to in a very long time.
That said, I have still listened to a few tracks from it here and there since 2011. There's a handful of really fucking awful tunes on here that were something of a meme among me and my friend. I've played turkeys like 'Too Extreme!', 'I Am Morbid', 'Destructos vs. the Earth/Attack' and 'Radikult' in the Bloodstock festival campsite as a joke over the years, yet there's actually some stuff on this album that's legimately good. Stuff that actually sounds like proper Morbid Angel - and that's why I don't hate this record. By default, I can't agree with the whole 'Illud is one of the worst metal albums of all time' sentiment because it has a handful of tracks on it that actually sound pretty good to my ears! But obviously I'm not just gonna gloss over the fact there is some embarrassing shite to be discovered within Illud. A lot of the general criticisms of this album are common for a reason. I mean, did anyone want to hear the death metal pioneers that are Morbid Angel dabble with industrial/techno beats?! What is is this, the mid '90s?! Had this album come out in the mid '90s, maybe it would've fared better? Who knows. Either way when going into Illud Divinum Insanus, don't expect Altars of Madness part II. Or Blessed Are the Sick part II. Or even Domination part II. You do get some stuff on here that sounds like typical MA to me, true, but the experimentation is certainly unavoidable on certain tracks.
I've already mentioned the absolute worst songs on this album; 'Too Extreme!' is a horrid opener, but with a title like that (complete with exclamation mark for extra silliness) you can already see that's something's not quite right before you've even listened to it. Absolutely ridiculous lyrics and vocals from David Vincent, who by the way made his comeback on this album, having not been present since 1995's Domination! Worse though, is the industrial beats that plague this song musically. What were they thinking? 'I Am Morbid' is a bizarre attempt at an anthem?! I won't call it arena rock because it's still far too heavy for that, but it's definitely as commercial-sounding as Morbid Angel could ever get! And guess what? It sucks. And the lyrics are cringe! Meanwhile 'Destructors vs. the Earth/Attack' is a mid-tempo mish-mash of groove/industrial metal elements, terrible lyrics (yet again) and plenty of facepalm moments. Just as baffling is indeed 'Radikult', which sounds like a song Rob Zombie wrote and handed to Morbid Angel because they were all out of ideas in the studio. Absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing, as is the final song on this record, 'Profundis - Mea Culpa'. This one could've maybe been okay if it weren't for all the electronic bullshit that's been smattered all over the guitars and drums. As it stands however, it's a joke of an album finale.
Like I said earlier, it's not all bad. For starters, 'Existo Vulgore', 'Blades for Baal' and 'Beauty Meets Beast' all sound like Morbid Angel to me, and decent Morbid Angel at that. Not peak MA of course, but solid. Heavy, technical, twisted, evil and, erm, Morbid Angel-like! David Vincent's voice is lacks the harshness of the stuff he sang on the earlier albums; he still growls and grunts as you'd expect, but the words are much more pronounced and audible now in my opinion. If the lyrics were better, I'd probably take zero issue with this! But hey, on the songs I do like (or at least find listenable), I don't have a problem with David's vocals. '10 More Dead' is okay too I suppose. Trey's guitar soloing on it superb. But the riffs reek of groove metal to me, more so than death metal. They're not bad riffs, they're just not very Trey Azagthoth-y either! 'Nevermore' is mostly tolerable as well. That "Whooahh!" part around the mid-section of the song is kind of annoying, but at least the music is certainly death metal. Tim Yeung's drumming throughout the entire album too, is stellar. Even on the tracks that suck! Super tight and precise blast beats and fills, and never dull. And even though the album has it's share of groove metal riffage that is not typical to Trey Azagthoth's signature style, the guitar work overall on this album is still good in my books. And hey, I'll even say the production is solid too! The instruments are crisp and clear to listen to, and the guitar tones are cool as well. It doesn't make the shitty songs any more listenable of course, but sonically I'm finding it kind of difficult to complain about the production here.
I think a lot of this album's pathetic reputation is down to the fact the bad tracks here really are, truly bad. But Illud Divinum Insanus is made up of 11 tracks of which 10 are actual songs (track 1 is just a short intro, so I don't count it). 3 of these songs are good, 2 are not bad. The remaining 5 are strange experiments gone haywire. So by default I feel like I kind of have to rate Illud lower than a 5/10... but the fact it still has 5 songs I either like or can tolerate probably means I still like this album way more than the average Morbid Angel fan. Yeah it's not good, and I don't think I'll be listening to it in full again anytime soon. But I've heard far worse metal albums in my career as a human being than this one. Megadeth's Risk springs to mind!
And I've just realised that I haven't said anything about when I actually got my hands on this record for the first time, given the context of these blog posts. Well, I got it in 2011 when I was 19 around the time it dropped in June, but not from day 1. I saw people review bombing it on Metal Archives and I bought it anyway. Why? Because of the 2 times I've seen Morbid Angel live, both performances were in 2011! I saw them at Bloodstock in August, and again at the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton in November! So I actually saw them on the Illud Divinum Insanus tour! I think the reason I bought the album despite all the negativity was purely because I knew they'd be playing songs from it when I saw them live. And they did - 'Existo Vulgore', 'I Am Morbid' and 'Nevermore' to be precise. I don't remember these songs going down badly with the crowd.
Adam's rating: 4.6/10
Friday, 26 December 2025
2025 wrap-up
'Tis the holiday season once again. Can't believe how quick it's come 'round! Here I am writing this year's wrap-up once again, so here's my 2025 musical life in review.
NEW ALBUMS (worst to best):
I bought a reasonable number of new releases this year. I'm not sure it's been as good as 2024 for me overall, but then again last year we had brand new studio albums from Judas Priest and Deep Purple - 2 of my absolute favourite bands. Either way I've still picked up some good shit this year, as you can see in the photo below.
My next choice is an underground one. It's Valediction by Welsh atmospheric/melodic black metal band Ofnus. I actually saw these guys play my home town last year (it's very rare we get any live underground extreme metal where I live), and me and my friend both really enjoyed them. Then they appeared on 2025's Bloodstock lineup, so I decided to head over to their Bandcamp and buy this new album of theirs. My plan was to listen to Valediction a bunch of times before seeing them at Bloodstock... and then when Bloodstock came, I only went and bloody missed them! They played early on the Friday morning, and the queue to the arena from the main campsite was huge. Damn. Still, the album's rather good. Epic, melodic black metal. Not black metal of the raw, abrasive kind - much more grandiose (kind of like Emperor in some ways). There's only 7 tracks here; all except 2 of them clock in at over 8 minutes long, so the album can be quite a demanding listen depending what sort of mood of I'm in, but that's kind of black metal in a nutshell. The vocals are a little generic - solid, passable, but similar to 99% of other black metal bands. The music however, is pretty damn solid overall.
Primal Fear's Domination is next. I don't have a particularly long history with this band - even though I was well aware of them way back in my teens, I didn't actually buy any of their albums until the last couple of years. That album in question was the self-titled debut, a record I kinda love actually. Even so, I still hadn't picked up anything else by them until 2025's Domination. Anyway, this was kind of an impulse buy, but one I've been enjoying quite a bit. The album has a shiny, anthemic power metal aura about it - I get that this band have been associated with power metal for quite sometime, but their debut always reminded me more of Painkiller-inspired speed metal. Domination isn't especially that. But it is a well-performed and recorded power metal album. The songs are highly melodic, hooky and full of anthemic vocals from main man Ralf Scheepers. The chorus to 'Heroes and Gods' always gets stuck in my head for days whenever I hear it! The guitar work in terms of both the riffs and leads are mostly old-school, but the modern production keeps the music sounding contemporary. My biggest complaint is the way Scheepers recorded his vocals - I can't figure out if he autotuned them in any way, but there's a strange distortion-like sound to them. I don't dislike his vocals at all, there's just something odd in the vocal production department going on somewhere. Still an enjoyable CD either way, just not one of my favourites of this year!
German thrash metal mongers Destruction are next with Birth of Malice. I hadn't planned to purchase this album, but I saw Destruction with Testament and Obituary back in October, and Destruction were unexpectedly the band of the night for me. I've had both The Antichrist and All Hell Breaks Loose in my collection for years and years, but never really picked up anything else by them. Anyhow, they were simply awesome live, so I quickly ordered a copy of Birth of Malice afterward. It's a very strong thrash platter - not flashy in any way, it just tears arse from start to finish. I'm not opposed to a bit of melody, prog, or thought-provoking material in my thrash - but that's not what Destruction are all about. This is meat n' potatoes thrash metal, but the musicianship is still tip-top, the band are tight as hell and the songs are fast. Other than the somewhat unnecessary cover of Accept's 'Fast as a Shark', this album certainly provides me with a thrashin' fix whenever I need it
The past couple of years I've really taken to Grave Digger, and as usual, their latest album, Bone Collector, is a blast. Sometimes they lean more towards speed metal than power metal and vice versa with their albums. I find that Bone Collector leans more into their speed metal side, and does not follow any particular lyrical theme like so many of their other records do. Crunchy, riffy, old-school speed metal with Chris Boltendahl's gravelly vocals on top - that's what this is. Unlike so many other metal bands these days, Grave Digger never overproduce their music. Clean, polished production works just fine for some bands, but I like how Grave Digger's albums still sound organic and human. The same can be said for Bone Collector. This is no-nonsense HEAVY METAL! I'm not sure I like it as much as 2022's Symbol of Eternity (which I ironically scored lower than this, but I seem to like more as time goes on), but either way Grave Digger are one of the most consistent bands in the genre.
It sure is nice to have Biohazard back! Better still is the fact we got a new album from them this year - Divided We Fall, their first since 2012's Reborn in Defiance! I think I kinda wanted this to be my album of the year, mainly because it's been such a long time since we've had anything new from Biohazard. Them being on hiatus for several years didn't help things of course, but either way Divided We Fall is hardly disappointing even if it's not my number 1 this year. The album is full of rage and pure aggression from beginning to end - which is what you want - and slots in quite comfortably alongside their '90s metallic hardcore classics Urban Discipline and State of the World Address. I saw them live again in March this year, and can confirm they've still got it. Welcome back Biohazard!
Rage's A New World Rising was maybe the biggest surprise for me this year, at least in terms of how much I've been enjoying it. This is a band I've been listening to in small doses since college - in fact, I've had their album's Unity and Soundchaser in my collection for more than half my life now and even though I love 'em, in total I still only own 5 Rage albums! But anyway, I've been listening to A New World Rising non-stop since it dropped at the end of September - this is a high-class slab of speed/power metal. The musicianship and instrumentation is stellar, the production is crisp and the songs are full of blazing guitar solos and riffs, and a high number of catchy vocal hooks. The band sound like true heavy metal, yet don't sound dated. On the first couple of listens I was a little disappointed with Peavy Wagner's vocals - the man is 60 now, and he understandably isn't singing to the same standard as he was prior. Some guys still have it at that age, some guys struggle. But after a couple of listens I got used to him and the music is so strong here anyway that I can often look past the ageing vocals. Songs like 'Innovation', 'Next Generation', 'Against the Machine' and 'Paradigm Change' get stuck in my head for days!
I had never checked out any of Don Airey's solo material until his new album Pushed to the Edge was released this year. I really like this. With him on keyboards and Simon McBride on guitar (who had played with Don for a number of years before he joined Deep Purple), there's obviously some similarities to Deep Purple on this CD. But this only makes it all the stronger!! Aye, this is an excellent slice of keyboard/guitar-driven hard rock with great vocal performances from guys like Pete Agnew and Dan McCafferty of Nazareth to accompany Don's organ wizardry. Scorching opener 'Tell Me' is my song of the year! I read a review somewhere a few months back calling Pushed to the Edge "more Deep Purple than Deep Purple" (or something similar) - I don't fully agree with this. Like I said, the album has a Deep Purple aura about it, sure, but it still has a personality of it's own. Let's not forget just how many freaking bands and artists Don had worked with prior to even joining Deep Purple. Great stuff.
Taking the top spot is Glenn Hughes' latest solo record, Chosen. The man is 74 years old now, yet his vocal talent remains unspoilt. He still sounds phenomenal! But the music itself on this album is really strong too - catchy, classy, well-structured hard rock songs that are full of memorable hooks plus excellent production. I only had to listen to the album 2 or 3 times to remember each of the 10 tracks on here. Chosen has been on repeat for me since I received my pre-order in September! Don Airey's Pushed to the Edge nearly topped Chosen for me - that album is a little more deep instrumentally, whereas this is hookier overall. I like to think I care more about the music than anything else, but sometimes I'll unashamedly admit that catchiness wins me over! Whatever, I think any fan of classic rock should be checking this out.
The last album I've gotten hold of this year is Testament's Para Bellum. I haven't ranked this one yet because it was a Christmas present and I've hardly listened to it yet! In fact, it's playing right now as I type! I suppose I could've waited a week or so before posting this wrap-up to allow the album to settle more, but I've had this entire article saved as a draft for over a month now, and I wanted to get it done before the beginning of 2026! Anyway, about Para Bellum - well, it's Testament alright. Extremely polished, tight and technical, sometimes melodic. Chuck Billy is still as diverse as ever with his vocals, still doing the harsher/nearly-clean stuff and whilst occasionally dabbling with death growls. The songs are mostly thrash of course, but Testament sometimes tread into death/blackened metal-ish territory with these numbers, while 'Meant to Be' is effectively a ballad! The production is outstanding. But these are just first impressions - I'm digging what I've heard so far (I haven't heard a Testament record I didn't like, even some of the mid-90's ones), but I can't say that I already think it's better than The Formation of Damnation, which was my first taste of Testament way back in 2008 and still my favourite. But I wouldn't be surprised if this ranks pretty high in a few weeks time. I got a taste of 'Infanticide A.I.' and 'Shadow People' back in October from this album too, because I saw Testament live just 2 days before Para Bellum dropped (more about the gig later).
REISSUES & OTHERS:
I also picked up the Gillan boxset 1978-1982. It's a really great package from in my opinion the most underrated side band of the Deep Purple family tree. Everyone loves Rainbow and Whitesnake for good reason, but even though the Gillan band weren't around very long in the grand scheme of things, each of the 6 albums they recorded together is a classic in my opinion. Some of Ian Gillan's most fun, crazy performances can be found on albums like Future Shock and Mr. Universe. There was no other band like them. Anyhow, the boxset resurrects all 6 albums and puts them in a single 7-CD package. B-sides and other material has also been tacked on as bonus material. It literally contains everything you could possibly want from this band (bar unofficial bootleg live releases and whatnot anyway) and only costs 35 quid. £35!! It's not very often I buy, well, anything in this hobby these days and feel like I've gotten a bargain, but the Gillan boxset is an exception. I actually already owned a lot of these albums across CD and vinyl before, but I picked up the boxset anyway because I wanted Double Trouble and Glory Road on CD. So yeah, very happy with this one.
I also got the reissue of Magnum legend Bob Catley's 1999 solo album Legends. I hadn't planned on buying this, nor was I even aware Bob's solo discography was getting reissued this year, but I happened to stumble across this in my local record shop. So I picked it up of course. This is my first and so far only Bob Catley solo album - I love Magnum, but it's only been in recent years that I've really become a serious fan of that band. And I have to say, if the rest of Bob's solo catalogue sounds like Legends, well, I might just track down some more of his stuff! This is great! Dramatic, melodic rock. Unsurprisingly similar to Magnum, but with enough subtle differences to keep the music fresh and original.
Another nice surprise this year were the new Ear Music vinyl and CD reissues of Annihilator's '90s albums King of the Kill, Refresh the Demon and Remains. Obviously I didn't need to add the new CD reissues since I've already got old pressings in my collection, but it's really nice to have King and Refresh on vinyl now. So I totally justified picking up these 2, especially since I love both of these albums. The new reissues are nice too - they're both gatefold sleeves and come with new Jeff Waters interviews plus lyric sheets. Very cool. I didn't bother with the new Remains vinyl however - I don't know if I'm a big enough fan of that one to own 2 copies of it. My old CD will do. In addition to these is also the new More Noise Vol. 1 CD, a compilation of Annihilator rarities. Funnily enough I already had about half the tracks on this disc as some of the older CD reissues of albums came with them as bonus songs, but it's nice to have the unreleased studio track 'It's You', and I really dig the bass-driven demo of 'Weapon X'. Other than that however, this CD is really only worth it for die hard fans like me.
The last album I got hold of in this category was Saxon's new live album, Eagles Over Hellfest. It is a recording of their 2024 performance at Hellfest. From the looks of things, they were headlining the second main stage on the Saturday night. I saw them in March last year supporting Judas Priest, as well as this year in November. The setlist from this live album is pretty similar to what I witnessed last year too - the awesome Hell, Fire and Damnation album dropped in January 2024, so there's a couple of tracks from that record here too (the title track and 'Madam Guillotine'). But the bulk of the setlist here is made up of '80s classics - 'Motorcycle Man', 'Heavy Metal Thunder', 'Dallas 1 P.M.', 'Power and the Glory', 'Strong Arm of the Law'. Being a huge fan of the band, I suppose I would've liked to have seen a couple more songs from the past few records on here, but I never tire of any of the oldies either. So I'm cool with it. The band are still playing great here - Biff Byford's vocals are understandably getting little a worn at times, but I can still confirm that he's still a hell of a frontman. Die hard Saxon fans should indeed seek this one out. I hesitated at first because Eagles Over Hellfest is packaged as a 2 CD set, with the other disc being the entire Hell, Fire and Damnation album. Since it only came out in 2024, I wasn't sure if I wanted to purchase the same album again, little over a year later! So I listened to it a few times on Spotify instead. The nerd in me eventually caved in however, and asked for this package for Christmas! Saxon are one of those bands where I go out of my way to buy all their live releases as well as the studio stuff, so if this one was missing, it would've eventually bugged me. It now sits nicely in my ever-expanding Saxon collection.
CONCERTS:
I only attended 1 gig during the first half of the year, and it was Biohazard/Life of Agony in March at the 02 Institute in Birmingham. This was a nice treat - I saw Biohazard at the same venue back in 2012 (albeit on the stage downstairs), and then again at Bloodstock 2014. I had the opportunity to see them again at Bloodstock in 2022 or 23 (??), but they were on at 11pm Sunday night - I'm normally back home by then! Anyway, they played a setlist that only consisted of songs from their first 3 albums, i.e. the classics. Their new album, Divided We Fall, still hadn't been released in March, so they didn't play any new material from it. Either way, it didn't matter what they played - they were on fire. Pure aggression and heaps of energy for the entirety of the show. It was just nice to have 'em back. And it was nice to see Evan Seinfeld up there - the 2 times I saw them 10+ years ago, Scott Roberts had replaced Evan. I also enjoyed Life of Agony more than I thought I would. Not to the point where I rushed out and bought any of their albums, but their brand of hardcore fit the bill rather nicely, and the crowd responded well to them.
 |
| Biohazard @ 02 Institute, Birmingham 02/03/2025 |
 |
| Emperor @ Bloodstock Open Air 08/08/2025 |
 |
| Machine Head finale @ Bloodstock Open Air 09/08/2025 |
 |
| Destruction @ 02 Academy, Birmingham 08/10/2025 |
 |
| Glenn Hughes @ KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton 17/10/2025 |
About Saxon though - considering Biff has literally just battled cancer to the point where tour dates in Spain for April/May were postponed, he was the same old Biff I've come to know since I first saw the band at Sonisphere in 2009! I barely noticed any difference in his vocals/stage presence compared to when I saw them open for Judas Priest in March last year. This tour - Hell, Fire and Steel - saw Saxon play the Wheels of Steel album in it's entirety, but before they got around to doing that they played 8 songs - classics including 'Power and the Glory', 'Never Surrender' and 'Backs to the Wall', plus a couple of newer ones from 2024's Hell, Fire and Damnation. Awesome as always, and then of course we got Wheels of Steel. It was really cool to hear songs like 'Street Fighting Gang', 'Machine Gun' and 'Freeway Mad' that I can only assume haven't been performed live for years. I know that Wheels is one of their best-known records, but it still has it's deep cuts. Also, Diamond Head legend Brian Tatler is such a great replacement for Paul Quinn. The man has already moulded himself into the band. Yep, it was a fantastic gig. I couldn't really tell you which is my favourite Saxon performance of the times I've seen them, they've just been consistently strong every time.
 |
| Saxon @ KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton 14/11/2025 |
 |
| Candlemass @ KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton 06/12/2025 |
THE BLOG:
I managed to cram in a fair amount of content here this year. I reviewed entire discographies of Steppenwolf, Blind Guardian, Metal Church and Grave Digger for starters, and I updated my Machine Head page and completed that catalogue too. Steppenwolf's catalogue was kind of interesting to review, although I don't think they evolved as much musically as you'd think - especially considering they started recording music in the era of flower power and psychedelia, and then continued into the '70s. But there's some underrated classics like Steppenwolf 7 and For Ladies Only in this discography that people don't talk about very often.
Reviewing Blind Guardian was fun. For a very long time I only had Follow the Blind and Imaginations from the Other Side in my collection. It's fair to say I'm a huge fan of their albums from the 1988 debut up to 1998's Nightfall in Middle-Earth. This was a near-enough unbeatable 10-year run of albums in power metal. I do enjoy nearly everything else that came after as well, but they certainly branched out and experimented with their sound. There's definitely an era of Blind Guardian I favour over the other, but like I said, there's still some stuff from the latter years I really like too.
Metal Church are a band I've been a fan of for so long now, but it wasn't until this year that I actually bothered to obtain all their stuff. I had maybe half their discography in my collection prior. Either way, the first 3 records (Metal Church, The Dark and Blessing in Disguise) are simply some of my all-time favourite US metal albums of all time. Absolutely essential listening. Tons of great albums that came after too. Just an extremely reliable and consistent band regardless of the multiple vocalists they've had over the years.
And then there's Grave Digger, a band that have slowly but surely become one of my favourite Euro metal bands in the past couple of years. I appreciate consistency; while there are bands I love that try to do things differently with many of their records, some bands don't need to do this. Grave Digger are one of them. They're either delving into history with a power metal-focused concept record, or delivering straight-up Germanic heavy/speed metal with pretty much every release. So many good albums to choose from, and their 1994-2003 run is epic. I've lost count of the number of times I've listened to The Reaper, Heart of Darkness, Tunes of War, Knights of the Cross, Excalibur, The Grave Digger and Rheingold this year.
The most polarising discography I reviewed this year though, was easily Machine Head's. Until this year, I stopped buying their albums after 2014's Bloodstone & Diamonds. As stated in my review, I was kinda finished with this band for ages until I suddenly decided I wanted to revisit their catalogue and buy the 3 albums they've released since I stopped listening to them. I think part of this decision was because the band headlined the Saturday night at Bloodstock this year, and I hadn't seen them since 2012. Live they were great as always... this discography not so much - in my opinion of course. It's not all bad news. I still think Burn My Eyes and Unto the Locust are great. The Blackening may be one of the all-time most overrated metal albums in my eyes, but I think it's still good. 2022's Of Kingdom of Crown was a genuine surprise - I like that one a lot too. And I still think The More Things Change... has it's moments. But then there's The Burning Red - this one's only gotten worse over time for me, and I still consider Supercharger to be absolutely horrible. But even worse is 2018's Catharsis! I remember this coming out and getting a massively mixed reception. I avoided it until this year and yeah... I'm definitely in the category of people who hate this thing with a burning passion. It's absolutely baffling that Robb Flynn - who was already a man in his 50s when Catharsis was recorded - managed to churn out this complete turkey. 'Bastards' is easily the worst song I've had to endure this year - utterly juvenile, university student-levels of clueless political ranting over what is essentially nu metal instrumentation. Like I said in my review, I honestly don't care where Flynn stands politically, but fuckin' hell this album is just brainrot on every level.
One of the most fun blog posts I've done this year is my 'Deep Purple SOLO PROJECTS/ARTISTS' page. I've grouped albums from current and ex-Deep Purple members' albums that aren't Rainbow/Whitesnake. So anything by Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Don Airey, Roger Glover etc.. I have enough CDs and vinyl from all these guys that a separate page was worthy of them. Anyhow, I'll add any more of these reviews to the page as time goes on and I accumulate more of them in my collection.
2026 BLOG/MUSIC PLANS:
As for 2026 plans, well, it's gonna be the most important year of my life - because I'm getting married in October!! Music-wise however, I've been saying for a few years now that I plan to collect the entire Uriah Heep studio album discography! This has proven to be difficult though - I'm not made of money and there's a few albums in that catalogue that are a pain in the arse to obtain without spending an arm and a leg. 2011's Into the Wild for example, is incredibly difficult to find here in the UK. And on Discogs, right now there's 2 copies for sale in Brazil. One of them is used and costs £57.03 in total ($50 shipping 😡😡😡!! Foreign Discogs shipping prices often make zero sense to me), the other is £39.58... still way too expensive. So unless their catalogue gets a thorough reissuing sometime in the near future, I don't see myself finishing my Heep collection any time soon sadly.
After seeing Destruction this year live, they've really gone up in the ranks for me in terms of thrash bands. I've bought a handful of their albums since October, and maybe I'll think about trying to obtain their discography next year. It's seems a little more doable and affordable than Uriah Heep at least. We'll see. Erm, so I guess I don't really have many definite plans here for 2026 (just a few more articles so far which I've explained in the next paragraph)! This doesn't mean I'm slowing down, not at all. I don't work to a schedule is all. I'll just keep adding in reviews here and there, and write the odd article too I guess. Things always need updating too - there's still a lot of poorly-written crap on here from before COVID.
I've recently been writing a series of posts I've called 'Blast from the past albums'. These are rambles about CDs I bought and listened to a lot back in my teens (and possibly early 20s), but have barely touched as I've gotten older. I've done 5 of these posts so far and really enjoyed doing them - it gives me a chance to talk about individual albums from bands I have no plans to review entire discographies of, and also often provides a nostalgia trip too if I say so myself. I have a list of albums I want to talk about for more of these types of posts, so expect more throughout 2026!
For a very long time now I've been toying with the idea of starting a YouTube channel to run alongside the blog - I think it could be another fun little hobby project in the same way this website is for me. Like this blog, it would just be another way of documenting my hobby. I'm not interested in actually becoming a full-time YouTuber or anything like that, I just have a lot of stuff to show and things to say about my favourite music! This is not something I would've even considered doing in my early to mid 20s. I suppose I was quite camera shy back then... or just shy in general even. This is not really an issue for me in my 30s. I'm a different man nowadays.
The only concerts/festivals I have planned for 2026 right now are Bloodstock Open Air in August (as per usual) and Deep Purple in Birmingham for November. Bloodstock's 2026 lineup already looks better than this year for me. Saxon, Judas Priest, Biohazard, Sepultura, Body Count, Testament, Death Angel, Cryptopsy, Nevermore, Municipal Waste, Black Spiders, Lamb of God... plenty of great bands, even if I've already seen 95% of the one's I've just mentioned. That said, Saturday on the main stage looks particularly terrible for this metalhead. Metalcore band after metalcore band followed by Slaughter to Prevail headlining. Fucking Slaughter to Prevail headlining the mainstage!! They can't even sell out the 02 Academy in Birmingham for Christ's sake!! If you like metalcore/deathcore, then fine. Whatever. But Slaughter to Prevail can do one. I can't stand them! I get they're popular to a degree but this feels like a vanity booking courtesy of Bloodstock's own Vicky Hungerford, because they're supposedly one of her favourite bands. I'll be at the Sophie Lancaster stage that day I think. Or the campsite, drinking. Probably the latter.
And this will be my 3rd time seeing Deep Purple too. Ian Gillan reported recently that he's losing his eyesight, and will call it quits when performances become an embarrassment. Even around the time Now What?! was unleashed back in 2013, I'm sure I remember rumours of them splitting up or at least retiring from touring. But something tells me we really are coming to the end now. I know they're writing new material, so a new album is likely - but I really feel like next year's tour could be the last one now. The story has to end eventually. So I've gotten me and my fiancée tickets one again - they've been great the last couple of times I saw them, and I'd like to be there for what I think could very well be their final shows.
And that's it for my 2025 wrap-up. I won't be ditching metal/rock for EDM any time soon, so don't worry!!