2024 wrap-up

Well, it's that time of year again - Christmas. And it's been a good year for me music-wise, so let's take a look at all the new albums I picked up, gigs, blog updates etc. for 2024! By far the biggest and most important thing to happen to me this year is undoubtedly my engagement to my fiancée. So coincidentally this has been one of the most important years of my life!

NEW RELEASES (worst to best):

Absolutely nothing I've bought that's been released this year has been flat-out poor, but my least favourite is probably Blue Oyster Cult's Ghost Stories. The weird thing about this one is that it's actually made up of old and unreleased tracks recorded between 1978 and 2016. The bulk of the songs are old-school, but the production has been tarted up in the studio to enhance the sound. So the album definitely sounds good, it's a shame then that the songs themselves are a mixed bag. There's a couple of covers here (The Animals' 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' and MC5's 'Kick Out the Jams') I don't care much for, and many of the original tracks feel like they never previously released for a reason. Some are rather good (I love 'Soul Jive'), and none are totally offensive to my ears or anything like that, it's just not a particularly memorable album and the mish-mash of songs from different eras makes the record feel disjointed and directionless. It's a shame, because 2020's comeback The Symbol Remains was outstandingly strong and my favourite album from that year. With Ghost Stories however, I've only listened to it a handful of times and rarely feel the urge to revisit it.

Next, Nails' Every Bridge Burning. It's a very good album - and if you enjoyed anything else this band has put out, I don't really see how you couldn't not like this one too. Nails are possibly one of the laziest bands in history when it comes to actually releasing music; they have 4 albums in total, the first being Unsilent Death from 2010. Sounds fine, until you realise that all 4 of these records totals to just 69 minutes of music in total!! So no, the band don't stray away from their usual habits; Every Bridge Burning is just 17 minutes long too. The good news is that, like all their other albums, this one certainly stacks up to the rest. Yeah their albums are short, but they're all good. And to be honest, does anyone really need to sit through an hour of face-ripping, grinding powerviolence such as this?! Yep, this album is every bit as raging as the rest of their catalogue. You do get the occasional groove-based riff and slow-tempo here and there, but it only adds to the enjoyment of the music. I haven't listened to this one much, but it sounds exactly like Nails to me - so it's good!

My next pick would have to be Bruce Dickinson's latest solo effort, The Mandrake Project. This album has some very high points, with a few tracks such as the crushing 'Afterglow of Ragnarok', and others like 'Many Doors to Hell', 'Rain on the Graves' and 'Mistress of Mercy' that rival some of the best songs Iron Maiden have recorded in the past 20 years. The inclusion of 'Eternity Has Failed', the original rendition of Maiden's 'If Eternity Should Fail' is a bit of an odd one, but still very enjoyable. I find the album loses steam a little towards the end with songs like 'Shadow of the Gods' and 'Sonata (Immortal Beloved)', but for the most part I think The Mandrake Project is an impressive effort from a legendary singer. Weirdly I'd never picked up any of Bruce's solo album before this one, so I may have to change that.

And the next choice for me is Saxon with Hell, Fire and Damnation. By default I knew this would be a good 'un. I mean, since 1997's Unleash the Beast Saxon have been one of, if not the most consistently strong heavy metal bands in the biz. Hell, Fire and Damnation is yet another awesome album in their massive catalogue; it doesn't do anything new or innovative, but Saxon have a very specific formula to their metal. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Standout cuts for me are the title track, 'Madam Guillotine' and '1066', but the entire album is rock-solid from start to finish. Like everything they've released in the past 25+ years, the record is jam-packed full of meat n' potatoes old-school riffage (no breakdowns, no djent bullshit, just pure metal), historical lyrical matter, Andy Sneap's production is fire and Biff Byford is still killin' it as a singer now in his '70s!! I'm still not sure if I like this one more than 2022's Carpe Diem, but it's certainly one more album in what it is a killer discography. It's also the first album to feature Diamond Head guitarist and legend Brian Tatler, following Paul Quinn's retirement. They couldn't have found a better replacement.

At number 3 is Magnum's Here Comes the Rain. The brains of Magnum, Tony Clarkin tragically and unexpectedly passed away in January just days before this album dropped, so I can only assume this will be their swansong. But what a swansong it is - hell, what a discography they have. Here Comes the Rain doesn't do anything differently to what they've done since their reformation in the early 2000s (except maybe the horns on the fantastic 'The Seventh Darkness'), no, but it then it doesn't need to either. 'Run Into the Shadows' is just majestic, 'Blue Tango' is a fun rocker, 'The Day He Lied' is an excellent ballad while 'After the Silence' is uplifting. I stand by the fact Magnum have never released a poor album. And this one is superb, yet again.

What I thought would be my top choice for the year has actually ended up in second place, and that's Judas Priest's Invincible Shield. They had a tough task in following up with something as worthy as 2018's Firepower - that was an incredibly strong record. But guess what, they did manage to better it with Invincible Shield! At least in my opinion anyway. Songs like 'Panic Attack', 'The Serpent and the King', 'As God Is My Witness' and the epic title track are absolutely blazing, molten metal 'bangers that rival the intensity of their 1990 masterpiece that is Painkiller! Rob Halford's vocals are still unbelievably impressive, especially now that he's in his early '70s. You'd never guess it. There's a small number of lesser tracks here, sure, but the entire album is still ridiculously enjoyable from start to finish. It perfectly continues the bands legacy as the metal pioneers they are. 

And taking the top spot is Deep Purple's =1. I wouldn't necessarily say I was sceptical about new guitarist Simon McBride; I saw the band live in 2022 with him and was very impressed with what he was doing on stage with Purple. But I really had no clue how a new studio album with him would stack up next to all the excellent records they'd made with Steve Morse prior. Reality is that they've somehow managed to record one of the greatest albums of the second-half of their career. The Morse albums had their own distinctive sound, especially when Bob Ezrin began producing them in 2013, starting with the superb Now What?!. With McBride stepping in, =1 is the most rockin', fun Purple album in years! Bob Ezrin is still producing thankfully, but the sound on this record is a bit more in tune with the Purple of old. Songs like 'Lazy Sod', 'Portable Door', 'Now You're Talkin'', 'Sharp Shooter' and 'Show Me' are full of heavy grooves and Ian Gillan displays more energy on this album with his vocals than he has done in years. And this is coming from a fan that loves the majority of the Steve Morse stuff! Other tracks like 'A Bit On the Side', 'Old-Fangled Thing' and 'Bleeding Obvious' are all destined to become classics in due time, surely?! Judas Priest were winning until this dropped in July. Seriously, if you're one of those Ritchie Blackmore purists and refuse to listen to anything that came after his departure in the '90s, you're missing out. I'm still regularly spinning =1, I cannot get enough of it. If this ends up being their final album, then kudos to them.

CONCERTS:

So the first gig I attended this year was Filter back in March at the 02 Academy in Birmingham. My mate asked if I wanted to join him, otherwise I wouldn't have gone. Considering the only song I'd ever heard by Filter prior was 'Take a Picture', I had a good night - so I'm glad I did go. I'd known of them and that song since my teens, and I think I had intended to pick up one of their albums after this gig, but for whatever reason I still haven't! Still, the show took place on one of the smaller upstairs stages at the 02, which actually made it better in my opinion. It was pretty packed, but it made the atmosphere all the more fun. The band played in really dark lighting and delivered their brand of grungy, industrial rock to the crowd. Richard Patrick said he had a cold from what I remember, but he seemed super happy to be there and it didn't affect his vocals. Support was a UK band I'd never heard of, Belmondo. They sounded a little '90s alternative rock/grunge to me, but they were pretty decent all things considered.

Next gig I saw was Judas Priest just a few days later at the NEC in Birmingham. They were promoting the awesome new record, Invincible Shield, and in support of them were 2 more of my favourite bands - Saxon and Uriah Heep. So, quite a lineup then. Uriah Heep's set was brief but fun, with a nice mixture of oldies and new tracks from 2023's excellent Chaos & Colour. Saxon were even better, playing for an hour. Again, plenty of oldies (Biff even asked the audience if we'd prefer them to play 'Crusader' or 'Dallas 1PM'... 'Dallas 1PM' got the vote) as well stuff from the latest album, Hell, Fire & Damnation. Pyro usage on stage too, which was cool. Maybe not the absolute best performance I've seen from them (I've seen them live a few times), but an awesome way to set the scene. Meanwhile Judas Priest killed it. The new songs from Invincible Shield are sure to be classics in a few years time. My only real complaint would be the fairly predictable setlist beyond the new songs. The only real surprise was 'Sword of Damocles' from Redeemer of Souls and possibly 'Rapid Fire' from British Steel. Not that there's anything wrong with hearing 'You've Got Another Thing Comin'', 'Painkiller', 'Breaking the Law' etc., it's just that I've seen Priest a number of times and found they would often throw in several deep cuts into their setlists (unlike Iron Maiden). I've seen them play absolute 'bangers before like 'Freewheel Burning', 'Dissident Aggressor', 'Exciter', 'A Touch of Evil', 'Invader', 'Hell Patrol', 'Rocka Rocka' etc.  before. Still, the performance itself was as good as any other time I've seen them and the setlist thing is more of a personal issue. Rob Halford still sounded brilliant and Ritchie Faulkner has cemented himself into the legacy of the band.

In June I saw Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer at the Utilita Arena, again in Birmingham. I wasn't overly impressed with Weezer; they're a band with songs I dig, but I wouldn't call myself a fan by any stretch of the imagination. Even so, their performance was pretty unremarkable and Rivers Cuomo didn't seem terribly excited to be there in all honesty. They were just 'okay' then. Smashing Pumpkins were better; Billy Corgan fronted a lengthy 2 hour set and the setlist they performed was great. The Atum triple album had a long list of ups and downs, but they only really played the better songs from the album. Most of the usual classics from the '90s such as 'Tonight, Tonight', '1979', 'Ava Adore', 'Today' etc. were as enjoyable as ever. This performance didn't top the first time I saw them in 2018 at Wembley Arena for me, but I left the concert feeling satisfied with what I'd seen, and this is all that matters. 

Then in July I went to the Foo Fighters gig at Villa Park stadium (in Birmingham yet again). This was the first time I'd ever seen them, plus the first time I've ever attended a concert at Villa Park. I'm only a very casual Foo Fighters listener, but was hugely impressed with the 3 hour set they played. I think Dave Grohl is an excellent frontman and knows exactly how to work and entertain the crowd, and while I find a handful of their songs to be overplayed in general, in live perspective they work incredibly well. Tons of energy, tons of fun! Support wasn't great however. Hot Milk was wayyy too emo for me. Meanwhile, Courtney Barnett's brand of garage rock sounded pretty good to me, but her monotone vocals got on my nerves after a couple of songs. 2 strange and unfitting opening support acts for what was an excellent headlining set otherwise.

The best concert for me this year had to be Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium in London. There was no support, but the Boss always plays a 3 hour set anyway, and the time flew by! The concert was so good that it might possibly the be the best gig I've ever seen! In terms of pure showmanship and crowd interaction etc., Bruce and the whole E Street gang were just sublime from start to finish. There's songs and eras of his that I like more than others, naturally, but I had a huge smile on my face for the entire duration of the show. It really was special. Plus, Pierce Brosnan walked past me during the set!

In August I attended Bloodstock Open Air for my summer heavy metal fix, like I always do. It was a pretty good year as usual. The weather turned out to be decent and mostly dry, and there was lots of drinking and fun banter. Although none of my favourite bands were present this year, there were still plenty of acts there that I own albums from and do still enjoy. Favourite performances this year for me were Forbidden, Rotting Christ, Clutch, Green Lung, Deicide and Enslaved.

Last month I saw my absolute favourite band of all time, Deep Purple for the second time at the NEC. It was a treat to be able to see them and one of my other all-time favourites, Judas Priest in the same year! I think Purple's performance was on par with when I saw them in 2022. But it was nice to have plenty of new songs from =1 in the setlist, because like I said earlier in the post, that's my 2024 album of the year. Hell, I'd have been happy for them to have played =1 in full! Don Airey's keyboard wizardry was the highlight of the show for me, with Simon McBride's virtuoso guitar playing coming in close second. And given how old Ian Gillan is now, I thought he still delivered a rock-solid vocal performance. I'm pretty sure he said they'll only retire when the quality of their concerts begins to slip, and that sure isn't the case yet. Support was Reef; bit of an odd choice and certainly not as cool as having Blue Oyster Cult like we did in 2022, but still a band I've always somewhat liked. They were entertaining enough either way.

Just a few days ago I attended my last concert this year - Cats in Space at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton. They're a new-ish band formed in 2015, but made up of veteran musicians. I got into them thanks to YouTube channel Sea of Tranquility. They're a band that gets a lot of exposure on that channel, and are often highly praised in that neck of the woods for good reason. I bought the band's 2022 album, Kickstart the Sun this year and really dug it, so when I saw they were playing the relatively-local Steel Mill in December I decided to get a ticket. They didn't disappoint. Their music is a fine blend of hard rock and power pop, with a distinctly '70s classic rock feel. They kind of sound like a blend of early Queen, ELO and Boston - hooks to die for, big riffs, great use of keyboards and amazing melodies. If they'd existed in the '70s, they'd have been massive. They're certainly a band that deserves to be playing to bigger crowds, but because concert tickets are so damn pricey nowadays, I'm kind of glad I only had to pay 20 quid to see them! Support was keyboard-driven comedy rock act Willie Dowling. He kind of reminded me of Warren Zevon - wasn't terribly impressed but he was entertaining while he lasted.

THE BLOG AND MY COLLECTION:

It's been a productive year in terms of this blog and expanding my collection. I managed to get hold of all the major releases from UFO, Magnum and Venom - 3 discographies I've wanted to review in full and own the complete physical catalogue for many years. There's live albums I'm missing from all these of course, but I like to own all the studio albums at the minimum. Anyhow, there's been unfinished pages here on all these bands for many years, so it's nice to finally have all these albums reviewed in detail. Plus, from a collectors' point of view, having a complete discography on my shelves always looks awesome.

I think of these 3 bands, Magnum have the most consistent catalogue. Simply put, it's a huge discography and there's no such thing as a bad Magnum album. They're all 7/10s and higher for me personally. They're also one of those rare legacy bands for me that I think put out a lot of their best material towards the end of their recording career. I find myself listening to albums like Here Comes the Rain, The Serpent Rings, Escape from the Shadow Garden and Lost On the Road to Eternity more often than I do anything they put out in the '80s. Sadly, with Tony Clarkin's passing back in January, I doubt we'll get any more studio albums from them (Tony being the songwriter), but Bob Catley is still touring as Magnum right now.

I think UFO have more 'seminal'/influential albums overall, even if Magnum have more great ones for me overall. I mean, Strangers in the Night is by far one of the greatest live albums of all time, and Obsession is pretty untouchable. It feels great to have all their major albums in my collection now.

Meanwhile Venom pretty much invented extreme metal as we know it. But they're one of those bands whereby a lot of people love the first 3 and seem to forget about the rest. Truth is their discography is full of forgotten gems such as Prime Evil, Temples of Ice and Resurrection. Plus, there's some strong latter-career albums like From the Very Depths and Fallen Angels that I'd missed out on 'til this year. I'll also give Venom Inc. huge credit because I've seen them live 3 times and both albums they've made are rock-solid. I had to pay more than I would've liked for Temples of Ice and The Waste Lands - these are hard to find and pretty pricey everywhere it seems, but it's cool to have them at last.

I also just recently finished re-writing my Iron Maiden page. This was something I'd been meaning to do for a long time - I first put this page up way back in 2017 when I first started this blog, but those original reviews are long gone. I deleted them all when I did my first re-write of the page in 2020 because I hate reading anything here pre-COVID. It was all crap. And in all fairness, most of my 2020 update was shite too, not in terms of the writing itself, but in terms of my own opinions and arguments. I mean, I can't believe I only gave Seventh Son of a Seventh Son an 8/10!! Not than an 8/10 is bad, but SSoaSS is a legit classic and easily worthy a 9. I've always loved that record since my teens, but for whatever reason I was in some sort of cynical, argumentative mindset when I did that 2020 re-write.

I was also hoping that my opinion of 21st century Maiden would be less critical in 2024. I slagged off a lot of their newer albums in 2020. To be honest, I've never been a true 'fan' of Iron Maiden from 2000 onward - and I still think albums like A Matter of Life and Death and The Final Frontier are full of problems now. But after listening to Dance of Death and in particular, the superb Book of Souls from 2015, I can at least confirm that some of these latter Maiden records have gone up in my books considerably. Anyhow, it was fun revisiting the entire catalogue. I kept all the 2020 reviews up as a comparison, save for the live album reviews because they were just awful. I did re-review the live albums however, and can honestly say I had a blast with all those too.

I didn't count the Black Sabbath boxset Anno Domini 1989-1995 in my new releases list because it's comprised solely of the old Tony Martin era Sabbath material that's been out of print for so long. But in reality this is my number 1 release out of everything this year. But like I said, this is just a box of old albums, albums I've loved for years and years now. Sabbath fans have been teased this boxset for a very long time, so it's nice to finally have it in my hands!! Headless Cross is my absolute favourite album in the set, and I've always been a massive Cross Purposes fan too. But 1990's Tyr is the biggest grower for me - I want to re-review it, because it's easily an 8/10 for me now. I estimate that I bought my older CD copy of Tyr back in 2011, but I think I've listened to it more in 2024 than I ever have. It's just a tremendous album - Tony Martin's vocals are amazing, Tony Iommi's riffs are as monolithic as ever and Cozy Powell was just a powerhouse of a drummer. Amazing line-up, incredibly underrated era for Sabbath. The biggest curiosity from the boxset however, was the new 2024 remix of 1995's Forbidden. Now, Forbidden was probably always the most unpopular album in Sabbath catalogue - it suffered from the famously botched production. I've liked the album for a number of years. Well, I liked the songs anyway, but even I had to agree Ernie C's original production was weak. Iommi has done wonders with the 2024 remix however. The songs sound amazing now! So much heavier, so much richer!

Anyway, I wrote a detailed blog post about Anno Domini back in June, just days after it dropped. So if you want the juicy details, go read that. In short, I'm a Sabbath fanatic. I love the Tony Martin era just as much as any other era, and I'm glad these brilliant albums are available to buy and stream again. The boxset is amazing, but if you missed out don't worry. They're available to buy separately too. I bought the CD boxset, but I also just got my hands on a vinyl copy of the 2024 Headless Cross remaster. So cool. Also related is the fact I stumbled upon a copy of the 1999 Classic Rock Tyr CD reissue in the wild this year. I paid £7 for it at Dagfields Antiques Centre in Nantwich. Gotta have that! So now I own 3 different CD copies of Tyr!!

2025 PLANS:

Right now I don't have any concerts planned for 2025, other than my usual Bloodstock festival. I got engaged this year and I'm saving for a wedding. That doesn't mean I won't be going to any gigs, but I have priorities and I'm trying to avoid going to any of the pricier arena/stadium-sized concerts. I do regret not buying Iron Maiden tickets for next year. After updating my page, I'd love to see them again. Last time I saw them live was way back in 2014, but it's all absurd resale prices now and I refuse to pay. Ticket prices are already far too expensive as it is. Of course, I still suck it up and pay 'em, but resale tickets are just insane!! I swear to god I paid about £45 to see Maiden in 2011. 13 years on and they've tripled!! 

I will no doubt be buying CDs however. Luckily being a music fan doesn't have to be expensive in every respect. I'm hoping to finish the Blind Guardian and Uriah Heep studio discographies next year. I bought a bunch of Blind Guardian albums this year, and I think getting hold of the rest of the ones I don't have already seems doable at a fair price. So I plan to do a page on them when I've gotten them all. Uriah Heep not so much. There's albums like Outsider (2014) and Into the Wild (2011) that for some reason haven't had much (if any) reissues and are crazy expensive to buy. Like I said, I want to have the whole collection, and I'm gonna try to work on getting hold of more Heep albums next year. But whether or not I can get them all at somewhat reasonable prices I don't know.

Calling out Loudersound and their Metallica album ranking

I get a kick out of doing these posts. Today I'm looking at Loudersound's ranking of Metallica's studio discography.

Original article: https://www.loudersound.com/features/metallicas-albums-ranked-worst-to-best

11. ST. ANGER (2003)
What they say:

"Is it predictable that St. Anger is rock bottom of another list like this? Yup. Is it still justified? Sadly, still yup. Metallica's most hated album is far from the complete write-off many would have you believe; 'Frantic' and the title track still go hard, songs like 'Invisible Kid' and cult fan fave 'Dirty Window' could have been world class with more work and the countrified re-dub of 'All Within My Hands' the band have experimented with in recent years shows there's a decent little song hiding under there. Of course, none of that can cover for compositions that feel messy and disjointed and one of the most infamously disastrous production jobs in metal history. Artistically, St. Anger is an interesting chapter in Metallica's career at least: a raw, ugly cry from a band on the edge. Musically? This just ain't it, no matter how you try to paint it."

What I say:

I agree with a lot of this entry. St. Anger is definitely the worst Metallica album if we're not counting the Lou Reed collaboration project, Lulu (which we're not). But I'm kind of glad the authors, (Merlin Alderslade and Rich Hobson), also mentioned the fact it's not as terrible as the average metalhead claims it to be. It's one of those records that seems to make more sense to me as time passes by. It'll always be bottom-of-the-barrel Metallica, sure, but there's still some positives to be taken away from this record. Like the authors say, many of these tracks do indeed "go hard" because St. Anger is undoubtedly a legitimately heavy album. There's many riffs scattered throughout songs like 'Frantic', 'My World', ' Some Kind of Monster', 'Dirty Window' etc. that will totally kick your ass, and I actually like James' angrier-than-usual approach to his vocals on the record. I also stated in my own review that I admire the fact the band even dared to record an album like this at that stage of their career; they had massive mainstream appeal and success throughout the '90s, then they release this heavy, grimy, garage metal kind of record with zero radio-friendly tracks whatsoever. It's a product of the state the band were in at the time of course, but still - there was no way the biggest critics were ever gonna be completely on board with it.

That said, even if I do like St. Anger more than the average listener, there's aspects of it that do suck. It has a reputation for a reason. I can deal with a lot of the production's different angles, but Lars' drum snare sound will always be terrible. It sounds like he's clanging pots and pans on every song! Also, I get that the boys were going for a stripped-back garage band kind of sound here, but a lot of these tracks are far too long for their own good. Expect a lot of repetition, and for the first time ever, there's almost no guitar melodies/solos to speak of!! Did Kirk Hammett have anything to do with the recording of the album?! The lyrics can be cringey in an edgy teenager kind of way, and even if I can tolerate the album myself, it's hard to win the haters over and get them on my side... because I can't really argue with anyone for not liking St. Anger!

10. RELOAD (1997)

What they say:

"When Reload hits the mark, it does so in style. 'Fuel' might be basic as hell, but it remains a wonderfully simply, full-throttle burst of heavy metal adrenaline; 'The Memory Remains' packs not just one but two of Metallica's most earwormy moments (both its iconic chorus and Marianne Faithfull's "Da da da daaa da, da daaaa" refrain); 'The Unforgiven II' is a more than worthy sequel to its predecessor and an outstanding power ballad in its own right. That all said, Metallica's confidence in their leftover material at this time was just a tad too optimistic, because Load's sequel is packing way too much filler. James Hetfield's wonderful lyrical streak was at least still in full flow, but even he wasn't enough to save Reload from feeling largely unnecessary."

What I say:

I agree with the placement within the ranking, I just don't agree with some of the details. I was never a 'Memory Remains' fan, as I find it cheesy and Marianne Faithfull's contribution just sounds old and cranky to me. And honestly, I don't care for 'The Unforgiven II' either - it's one of my least favourite tracks on the album. I'll back him up and say that 'Fuel' is great for the same reasons though, and kinda timeless. 

While there is filler here, I don't think there's as much filler as the authors' claims. And while I do think Load is the superior album, I reckon the band had every right to be confident enough to release Reload as the standalone record it is. It's a good album. Not great, but good. How can you not talk about the outstandingly atmospheric acoustic ballad 'Low Man's Lyric'?! Or how about the fun up-tempo rocker 'Prince Charming'? Oh, and 'Devil's Dance' is cool too, with lots of groove. I guess I'm a little confused as to whether or not Loudersound actually genuinely like this album or not. I re-reviewed it a couple of years back and gave it a solid 7/10. That still sounds about right to me.

9. DEATH MAGNETIC (2008)

What they say:

"Critics were delighted with Metallica's return to more traditional heavy metal fare (and solos!) when Death Magnetic arrived five years after the spectacular misfire of St. Anger. In the cold light of day, it's undoubtedly superior to its predecessor, featuring some full-on metal bangers ('That Was Just Your Life', 'Cyanide') and two genuinely great power ballads in 'The Day That Never Comes' and the severely underrated 'The Unforgiven III'. Unfortunately, Death Magnetic as a whole is held back by two pressing issues. Firstly, while a clear improvement on St. Anger, the production is really poor, Lars' drums still sounding like they were recorded using kitchen utensils. Secondly, and not for the first or last time, many of the songs just go too long. 'The End of the Line', 'All Nightmare Long' and 'The Judas Kiss' are all solid tracks pulled down by meandering riff repetition, while forgettable instrumental 'Suicide & Redemption' feels particularly self-indulgent at a whopping ten minutes. Decent, but far from a classic."

What I say:

Ahh, now I have more disagreements to make here! While I'll take 'The Unforgiven III' over 'II', it isn't talked about because nobody asked for it in the first place. Also, how can you say that the songs on Death Magnetic are too long yet say nothing about St. Anger's repetition and overblown song lengths?! I find DM's songwriting is usually on-point and the lengthy tracks are justified because they're really good. I definitely disagree with the statement about 'The End of the Line', 'All Nightmare Long' and 'The Judas Kiss' being "pulled down by meandering riff repetition". Maybe to the average pop fan they're long and meandering, but there's a lot going on musically in all these tracks, and Hetfield's riffing is arguably the most creative since ...And Justice for All.

That said, I do agree with the botched production mention. I honestly feel that hiring that overpaid clown of a producer Rick Rubin in the 21st century is entirely pointless. He did Slayer good in the '80s, sure, but I just don't think his compressed sonic style does rock and metal justice anymore. I can't speak for all the stuff he does within other genres, but he should stay the hell away from heavy metal these days. Death Magnetic sounds flat - still far better than St. Anger, but the album would be a bona fide Metallica classic had it been produced differently. Still, I think this is a great record and aside from 'Unforgiven III' and 'Suicide & Redemption', is the band's best set of songs since the Black Album.

8. HARDWIRED... TO SELF-DESTRUCT (2016)

What they say:

"Hardwired... to Self-Destruct was both a refreshing reminder of Metallica's ability to pen top-tier metal hits and frustrating further evidence of the problems that come with their now trademark lack of self-restraint. The first half of the record in particular is filled with killer material, from the groovy, Load-ish power of 'Now That We're Dead' and epic, anthemic closing moments of 'Halo on Fire'. The second half, however, is a big letdown, the likes of 'Confusion', 'Am I Savage?', 'ManUNkind' and 'Murder One' largely plodding and toothless (a particular shame given the latter's status as a tribute to the legendary Lemmy Kilmister). Luckily, 'Spit Out the Bone' turns up right at the end to finish things on a big high. What a rager."

What I say:

Their double album, and the authors are 100% correct when they state the first half is far stronger than the second. Of the 12 tracks across both halves, the first 6 are all superb. They range from short and sweet ('Hardwired'), proggy and melodic ('Atlas Rise!', one of my all-time favourite 'Tallica tunes), plus catchy and groovy ('Dream No More'). And the production is a definite improvement over Rubin's shoddy workmanship with Death Magnetic. Shame then, that the cracks do show on the second disc. Agreed that 'Spit Out the Bone' is a total cracker, but 'ManUNkind' is in my opinion, one of the better tracks on the album - so I can't agree with that part of the article. It's not that disc 2 is a letdown, it's just overshadowed by the tremendous first half of the record. Musically, the whole record is relatively similar to that of Death Magnetic, but I think the former is more refined overall and as a result, the better album of the 2.

7. 72 SEASONS (2023)

What they say:

"For the third time in a row, Metallica put out an album that was solid as hell and packing plenty of great moments, but a bit bogged down by a lack of incisive editing and at least a couple of tracks that just didn't quite measure up. What can't be in any doubt, however, is that 72 Seasons is the best-sounding Metallica album in over 25 years, the likes of its rollocking title track, the triumphant 'Lux AEterna' and majestic album closer 'Inamorata' sounding truly stadium-sized under the bedded-in fingers of Greg Fidelman. Papa Het's voice also has no right sounding this good this far into his career, the band's talismanic frontman bellowing like a vengeful mountain god during the pounding 'If Darkness Had a Son'. A couple of minutes snipped off here and there and a little more ambition on the musical side of things and this could have been special. As it is, 72 Seasons is still pretty damn decent."

What I say:

Yes, this is definitely the best Metallica album of the more recent ones. And yes, 72 Seasons contains Hetfield's best vocal performance in years. He also mentions that a few minutes could have been shaved off the final product - yeah, he's probably right in some ways. The authors are giving this record plenty of praise then, but I think I hold it in higher regard. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the production (it's superb), but honestly I think it sounds pretty damn similar to Hardwired overall - and that's just fine with me. I find it surprising that he didn't mention Hardwired's rock-solid production now that I think about it. Whatever! The songs are really strong from start to finish - some are awesome, like 'Too Far Gone?', 'Lux AEterna', 'Crown of Barbed Wire' and the aforementioned proggy centrepiece, 'Inamorata'. Just a fantastic record from modern times. Metallica get far too much shit by default from devoted metal dudes, but I'm unashamedly a massive fan, and have been since I was at school. 72 Seasons pleased the fanboy in me greatly when it dropped, and I still play most of these tracks regularly more than a year on.

6. LOAD (1996)

What they say:

"Throwing caution to the wind following the absurd success of The Black Album and confirming that their thrash metal days were well and truly behind them (at least for now), Load saw Metallica dip their toes into everything from grunge to alt-rock to country. The result is a deeply fascinating record that unquestionably features some of the Four Horsemen's most boldy realised leaps of faith; both the emotional 'Bleeding Me' and album-closing epic 'The Outlaw Torn' remain deservedly thought of as two of the most compelling compositions of the band's entire career. There are missteps for sure, and it's a little too long overall, but for many, Load remains the point where Metallica were still truly blazing their own trail and letting ambition guide their creative impulses. It also features some of Hetfield's most impactful lyrics, his introspective self-dissection reaching a new level of insight and raw vulnerability."

What I say:

Personally I think they've placed Load a little too high on their list, but I don't really care. I'm still a fan. It's just nice to see this massively underrated album get the praise it deserves for once!! This album is absolutely 100% nothing like anything the band wrote and recorded back in the '80s - hell, it's not even that comparable to the Black Album if we're being honest. They sure aren't putting the 'Metal' in 'Metallica' on Load!! No, this is a diverse album full of tracks that shift genres (the claims of 'grunge', 'alt-rock' and 'country' are honestly true) and don't try to sound like anything the band had recorded previously. By all means call them sellouts; at this point they didn't even look like the same band that recorded Master of Puppets some 10 years prior! But the fact of the matter is, there's a lot of interesting, creative songs here that stand the test of time.

Favourite tracks for me include up-tempo rocker 'Ain't My Bitch', the heavy blues romp that is '2 X 4', the moody and unsettling 'The House Jack Built', foreboding single 'Until it Sleeps' and the atmospheric epic 'The Outlaw Torn'. Yes, the album is different - and it doesn't always hit the mark. But Metallica sound mature and accomplished on Load, and also unashamed - they pulled it off, and a result the album's a good 'un. Unlike Megadeth when they followed in similar fashion with 1999's Risk!

5. KILL 'EM ALL (1983)

What they say:

"Metallica would become far more layered and sophisticated in their songwriting as the 80s wore on, but even four-plus decades later, there's still something so primal and satisfying about Kill 'Em All's snotty, 'fuck you' attitude and relentless, proto-thrash assault. Smashing together Messrs Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton and Hammett's love of punk rock fury and NWOBHM might with the subtlety of a brick to the groin (with some not inconsiderable help from a certain Mr. Mustaine), the quartet kickstarted a movement and produced one of heavy metal's all-time great debut albums in the process. It's easy to overlook just how stacked with classic 'Tallica cuts Kill 'Em All is, too: 'Hit the Lights', 'The Four Horsemen, 'Motorbreath', 'Whiplash', 'Seek & Destroy'... plenty of bands could release all that, call it a day and consider their career a job well done. Incredibly, Metallica were only just getting started."

What I say:

Yeah, Kill 'Em All is certainly deserving of "one of the all-time great heavy metal debuts" status. Metallica really did kick things off with a monumental bang here - all the songs are classics, and extra special shoutout to Cliff Burton's amazing bass solo track, '(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth'. Many of these songs are still played regularly by the band live, and for good reason. Putting it at number 5 doesn't bug me, but calling it "proto-thrash" does. Proto-thrash is older stuff like Motorhead's 'Overkill', Judas Priest's 'Exciter', even Black Sabbath's 'Symptom of the Universe' etc.,  Kill 'Em All most definitely is thrash through-and-through. The whole genre began with albums such as this, Slayer's Show No Mercy, Anthrax's Fistful of Metal - and I'd also argue Venom with Black Metal way back in 1982. Either way, Metallica were already fully-fledged thrash metal by the time they recorded this debut. It sits a tad higher than the number 5 slot for me.

4. ... AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988)

What they say:

"Depending on who you ask, ...Justice is for all intents and purposes the last of Metallica's 'thrash' records, but sees the band turning their backs on the short, sharp shock stylings they had embraced with their debut in favour of the more epic fare that had become their bread-and-butter. The loss of bassist Cliff Burton can be felt keenly, not least in the controversial decision to completely flatten the mix of newcomer Jason Newsted's contributions, but also in the subtle shifts away from more classical-leaning compositions that Burton had contributed to the band's sound.

In its place is an almost prog-like approach to song structure, Metallica effectively crafting their own metallic symphonies with even the more straight-ahead fare of 'Blackened', '...And Justice for All' and 'The Frayed Ends of Sanity' having multiple movements and segments. Fans might still clamour for Justice for Jason, but ...AJFA shows just how hard Metallica were fighting to reinvent themselves and push their artistry to new levels, towering ballad 'One' awarding them a level of MTV-friendly success that few of their contemporaries have ever been able to match, certainly never surpass."

What I say:

This one is number 2 for me personally, but the authors' description of ...And Justice for All is pretty much spot-on. Yes, the hazing of Jason Newsted means there's almost zero bass tones to speak of. That's an issue that cannot be overlooked. Thing is though, the songs are so damn good that I almost immediately forget about the bass-less sounds every time I listen to the album. In fact, AJFA's songs might just be their best ever, even if the album's not my number 1. The thrashers 'Blackened' and 'Dyers Eve' are among their greatest, 'One' is the best ballad they ever recorded, the title track and 'The Frayed Ends of Sanity' are progressive metal masterpieces while 'Harvester of Sorrow' is a big lumbering chugger and 'Eye of the Beholder' is hugely underrated. It's like they took all the lessons they learned from the first 3 records and used that information to create what is their most immaculately-crafted work of all time. Absolute classic... but yeah, the botched production is the only thing holding it back. Still, I can live with it.

3. THE BLACK ALBUM (1991)

What they say:

"Responding to the overly-ornate compositions of their previous album, Metallica ground their sound into its essential dust on The Black Album, producing one of the best-selling records of all-time in the process. The band didn't lose their thrash entirely - 'Through the Never' and 'Holier Than Thou' have the same bulldozer-through-a-China-shop power that Master of Puppets used so excellently, while the likes of 'Sad But True', 'Enter Sandman' and 'Whether I May Roam' deliver an enormity and instantly gratifying sound that better suited the arenas they were now playing.

Even with that, the band also found a whole universe of depth and artistry with huge ballads like 'The Unforgiven' and 'Nothing Else Matters', the latter even setting the stage for the band's orchestral S&M thanks to some sublime arrangements by Michael Kamen. Naysayers might point to The Black Album as the point where Metallica stopped being Our Band, but therein lies the rub: Metallica were always to ambitious, too commercial and just too damn big to be satisfied with being the biggest fish in a small pond."

What I say:

Hmm. A lot to take in here. The 1991 self-titled (or Black Album, whatever floats your boat) is by no means one of my favourites, but it does have a handful of songs that I do consider to be among their greatest. The sound has been drastically streamlined now, but the melodies and structures can sometimes equal perfection on this album. 'Whether I May Roam' for example, is outstanding. It's far catchier and more simplistic than what they were doing on AJFA, but James' vocal arrangements are amazing, the riffs are heavy and it also contains my favourite Kirk Hammett guitar solo of all time. Other tracks like 'Enter Sandman', 'Holier Than Thou', 'Through the Never' and 'Sad But True' are perfect metal songs for people who don't necessarily listen to metal all that often. No wonder this album sold by the bucketload. Oh, and Bob Rock's production is perfect. HOWEVER, this album's popularity is also a bit of an issue for me. As someone who regularly attends metal and rock concerts, festivals, even likes to check out rock-themed bars and pubs etc., you just can't escape a lot of these songs either. As good as they are, I really don't need to hear 'Enter Sandman' for the billionth time in my life now. I'm bored of it. Also, the ballads 'The Unforgiven' and 'Nothing Else Matters' are good ones for sure, but again, they've been played to death and I almost always skip them now.

The whole "Naysayers might point to The Black Album as the point where Metallica stopped being Our Band" thing is probably true for a lot of old-school fans who were there from the beginning. This doesn't affect me; I'm too young to have been around in the '80s as a metalhead, and I loved Metallica just as much as their earlier stuff when I first started getting into the band as a teenager. But I can understand why some of the earliest fans might feel that way. I will argue that despite Metallica's high points, there's a filler track or 2 on here as well ('Of Wolf and Man', 'The God That Failed'). So really, this is a classic album with moments of songwriting genius... again, they technically did sellout, but many of these songs are just factually brilliant whichever way you look at them. BUT, for personal reasons, it's inescapable popularity does grind on me somewhat, and the album still has some lesser tracks. I do think it's kind of overrated, but then I just listen to 'Whether I May Roam' and then remember why!

2. RIDE THE LIGHTNING (1984)

What they say:

"There's still a youthful rawness to ...Lightning that captures the sparks flying between a youthful Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton and Hammett, the band already extricating themselves from their peers by sheer dint of having the finest songs and most ambitious compositions around. The album's title-track is effectively a dry-run for the epic grandeur the band would ride so thoroughly on follow-up Master of Puppets, while For Whom the Bell Tolls and Creeping Death awarded Metallica their first genuine arena-sized anthems. There are also moments of respite and reflection; 'Fade to Black''s anti-suicide ballad might have ruffled feathers with the full-speed-or-nothin' brigade, but the song's beautiful composition, reflective lyrics and undeniable breakout headbangable moments showed that they had plenty to say and weren't afraid to take chances on themselves."

What I say:

It's my own number 1, but really it's hard to argue with anyone else's top pick if they chose any of the first 4 albums. Ride the Lightning has more sentimental value to me over any other Metallica album, because it was the first one I really sank my teeth into and enjoyed. It's one of the album's I credit with in shaping my own musical journey and tastes, and you won't hear a bad word about it from me. I love all the songs (even 'Escape'!). And I agree with the description from the article; Metallica were already ambitious in their songwriting way back in 1984, as 'Fade to Black' and instrumental 'The Call of Ktulu' demonstrate. But it didn't make them any less metal, it just made them smarter than the majority of their competition. 

1. MASTER OF PUPPETS (1986)

What they say:
"If you drilled down into the atomic structure of heavy metal, the genre's evolution and its watershed moments, you'd probably find Master of Puppets embedded at the core. Black Sabbath might have kickstarted the genre almost 16 years earlier, but Metallica codified metal with their third studio album in ways that are evident in the sheer mind-bending number of bands who have professed an undying love for the album over the subsequent decades.

Thrash gone cinematic, Master... refined and reinforced everything Metallica had done with their second album but bigger, better, harder and yes, more metal. From the delirious rampage of 'Battery' to the tooth-gnashing militaristic blows of 'Disposable Heroes' and careening violence of 'Damage Inc.' to the iconic title-track, Metallica never again sounded as all-conquering as they would on Master of Puppets, slower efforts like 'The Thing That Should Not Be' introducting a sludgy dynamism that showed the band's toolkit was varied.

Again wetting their beaks with ballad 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)', Metallica were carrying themselves away from being anybody's back-up to instead be absolute champions in their own right. A tour with Ozzy Osbourne helped cement them as metal's Hot New Things and even the tragedy of the crash that took bassist Cliff Burton couldn't slow the unstoppable machine the band had set into motion by writing an album so undeniably massive and untouchable that it basically created a division between themselves and just about every other metal hopeful at that point. A serious contender for the greatest metal album of all time, it's no overstatement that the spirit of Master echoes in everything from Machine Head's The Blackening to Gojira's Magma and just about any other grandiose, epic metal effort put to tape. You can all rest easy: the Master is here."

What I say:

The predictable critics' number 1 pick for any Metallica list, and often the top choice for any generic mainstream critics' ranking for the greatest metal albums of all time. An undeniably important album in the shaping of metal, but it's also not really that different from what they were doing on Ride the Lightning 2 years prior. I think if I'd started with Master instead of RtL, then it could well be my own favourite, but as it stands, it's not. Both are absolute classics, but like the self-titled, there's songs on here that are still played to death to this very day, particularly the title track which I'm sick to death of, and ballad 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)' kind of irritates me nowadays. But they're not bad songs in any sense of the word (they're amazing), it's just a personal issue that stems from being a metalhead for more than 2 thirds of my life. So yeah, not gonna argue with Loudersound's placement, but it's number 3 for me. 

The only thing that annoyed me here was the authors' shoutout to Machine Head's The Blackening. If ever there was an overrated album with journalists, it's the fucking Blackening from critics' favourite little metal band in the world, Machine Head!! The same band that also produced the utter turkey that is Supercharger!! I will never understand their obsession for that fucking band.

Overall this was a fairly predictable list with no real surprises or any serious disagreements from me - even if my own ranking is quite a lot different. Metallica is nowhere near a top 3 for me personally, but it was such a huge record for the band I can still see why it ranked so high in this article. And it was nice to see the respect for Load. The only real disagreement for me was seeing Hardwired above Death Magnetic - naaaahh! I can't really justify that choice! Hardwired is a fine album, but it's definitely patchier than it's predecessor. Maybe the critics' choices are always fairly similar, but there's a lot of great albums in this discography that I often see fans' own favourite picks differ a lot from one another. Anyway, this is my own list:

11. St. Anger (2003)

10. Reload (1997)

9. Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)

8. Load (1996)

7. Death Magnetic (2008)

6. Metallica (1991)

5. 72 Seasons (2023)

4. Kill 'Em All (1983)

3. Master of Puppets (1986)

2. ...And Justice for All (1988)

1. Ride the Lightning (1984)

The pros and cons of concerts!

Just a fun post discussing many of the different aspects of attending concerts!!

Ticket prices:

The first and most obvious thing I can moan about regarding concerts these days are the damn prices of tickets. I paid £81 to see Judas Priest with Saxon and Uriah Heep at the NEC (Resorts World) in Birmingham in March this year. In February of 2009, I swear to god I paid less than £40 to see Priest with Megadeth and Testament at the very same venue!! That means the prices have more than doubled in 15 years!! I'm not saying I feel ripped off paying the £81; it was a great show, and I enjoyed the hell out of it from start to finish... it's just one of those inflation issues that gradually builds over time, and I don't realise just how expensive concerts can be until I look at what I used to pay when I first started attending them. I guess a band/artist has to make a living in some way, especially if people aren't buying albums these days (despite the fact CDs and vinyls are arguably more popular in 2024 than they were a few years ago). 

On the plus side, I don't feel like I pay that much more these days for music festival tickets than I did back in the day. I think Bloodstock is something like £30 more these days than it was back in 2010, when I attended for the first ever time - and many of the bands they book these days are more popular with the masses and would have been too 'big' to have appeared on old lineups anyway. Considering how many bands you can technically see at a festival, I've always thought they were pretty good value tickets for the most part. I can't speak for festivals like Reading, Glastonbury etc., but the one's I go to don't feel much more expensive these days at least. That whole 'service fee' bullshit from vendors like Ticketmaster or Ticket Factory does piss me off though!

Merchandise:

When it comes to buying merch, most of my own experiences have been pretty positive overall. I think the prices are only crazy depending on how popular the artist is, and the size/scale of the venue. There's only been a few gigs I've been to where I found the merch to be selling for outright rip-off prices. When I saw the Rolling Stones in 2018 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, I swear to god the tour shirts were selling for £50 or some other absurd price!! Hoodies were something like £70/£80!! I had gone into that gig with the intention of buying a tour shirt, but I just couldn't justify those ridiculous prices... and yet there I was 3 months ago at the Judas Priest gig at the NEC willingly paying ludicrous prices for tour shirts!! I'm a massive hypocrite in this instance - the tour shirts were £40 each and I bought one. They were definitely a rip-off - I mean, I love the shirt, but in terms of the actual quality, it's no better than any other tour shirt I've ever bought. I have a few Priest tour shirts from over the years, and they've never charged this much in the past. The fact they're one of my absolute favourite bands meant I had to have one though. I saw Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer at the Utilita Arena a couple of months back and didn't even bother looking at the merch... I just knew they'd be absurdly pricey. It always seems to be the more popular artists that charge the most. Go online however, and their merch is often sold at about 1/3 the price.

Like I said though, for the most part it's rare I've felt ripped-off whenever I bought merch from the majority of past gigs I've attended. Generally speaking, 90% of the tour shirts I own (and I own a fair few) have cost me £20-£25. I don't mind paying that. Some shirts I've bought from smaller/support bands have cost me £15 at times. I find that smaller/club venue gigs often have bands selling CDs/vinyl too. This is always cool, because sometimes I'd prefer to buy a CD than a shirt. And again, I see CDs being sold from anywhere between £7-£12. Not bad at all, and it's actually kinda humbling to physically give a band money in person.

Drinks:

I like a drink or 5 when I attend concerts, I can't deny that. Shame then, that the price of a pint just keeps on increasing as the years go by. KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton is just about the only venue that I semi-regularly attend concerts whereby the drinks prices aren't extortionate. They're still higher than you'd pay for in the average pub of course (unless you live in London), but this is to be expected from a venue. What sucks is the fact that an awful lot of gigs I end up going to are held at any of the 02 Academy/Institute branches of venues, where you'll now pay a minimum of £8 for a pint of subpar macro lager like Carlsberg or San Miguel, and if your lucky, a pint of Shipyard IPA. 8 fucking quid!!! I was at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham a couple of weeks back to see Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer, and was paying something like £9 for a pint of Madri, aka fake Spanish lager designed and brewed in the UK!!! Occasionally I end up driving to concerts. This tends to happen at gigs I attend by myself, because I don't mind teetotaling when I go solo. This saves me a lot of money.

I can refrain from drinking at gigs when not driving, but I unapologetically like to drink, especially with mates. Although it has happened here and there throughout the years, I very rarely end up getting properly rat-arsed, because I do at least want to remember the show. The best times I've had have been jumping on the train to Birmingham early and sinking a few pints in the pub before the gig, and possibly going for food in a restaurant too. It makes a full day of it, but obviously this type of plan isn't always possible due to work commitments etc..

Sound quality:

I think the sound quality of concerts is better now than it was when I first started going to gigs in the mid to late 2000's. I doubt there's been many technological advancements in that space of time! Or maybe my hearing was just much better in those days?! Either way I remember when I was in my teens I'd occasionally find that the bass and drums were too loud, while the vocals and guitars were sometimes buried in the mix... it's been a while since I've thought this way from any gig I've been to in recent years. I don't know if PA/mixing consoles just keep getting better but I'm guessing they haven't evolved that much over the past couple of decades?

That said, when things do sound bad, it really can affect the enjoyment of a performance. One of the most memorable experiences in terms of gig sound quality that I can remember was Scott Travis' drums at the Judas Priest concert at the NEC way back in 2009. It was so loud I could physically feel it go through my body!! And then there was Motorhead in 2010... I don't ever wear ear plugs to concerts (and I'm likely paying the price for it now), but that's the only gig I've ever attended where I felt like I needed them. They were stupidly loud! Meanwhile, the quietest performance I've ever stood through was Nine Inch Nails' set at Sonisphere 2009... so many mellow ballads I could speak at normal volume to my mate beside me!

Venue sizes:

For the most part, I prefer club-sized venues - ones that hold a few hundred people. Not because of sound quality or anything like that, no, it's mostly to do with how low-effort I can be. Like, I can show up whenever I want and get a decent standing spot 90% of the time. And because I like to drink at concerts, I can use the toilets whenever I feel like it and can almost always get my spot back, or somewhere close at the very least. Arena-sized venues are okay; if I need to use the toilets whilst a band is playing, it's normally not a big deal. And getting out of there is never a chore either; there's not enough people to affect any public transportation for the journey home, nor is there any mad rush of thousands of people all leaving at the same time.

It's stadiums that can be an issue! I saw both Foo Fighters and Bruce Springsteen this year, the former at Villa Park and the latter at Wembley Stadium. Both concerts were brilliant, but it'd been years since I'd last been to a stadium-sized gig. We had to turn up ridiculously early to get anywhere near the front, and for Foo Fighters I think I drank 2 pints of lager, meaning I had to use the toilets at one point! Naturally, this meant I had to wade through thousands of tightly-packed people to try and get back to my original spot (which was very close to the stage). As for Bruce, I didn't even bother drinking. Once we were actually allowed into the venue, I never left my spot until the performance was actually over. Luckily I could freely use the toilets whilst I was queuing outside because once I was in the stadium, I was stood in the same spot for over 5 hours!

Seating/standing:

I've always been more of a standing kind of guy in my years of gig-going. Obviously club-sized venues often don't offer seating, but for a lot of the larger gigs I've been to, I would still normally stand anyway. I've never had much issue with it, until I've gotten a little older! I think for any stadium concerts I attend in the future, I might just start buying seated tickets if I can. Like I said in the last paragraph, I hate wading through thousands of people if I need the toilet. With a seated ticket, this is irrelevant because you'll never lose your spot. When I saw the Rolling Stones in 2018, we had seated tickets - so naturally, I was sinking a lot of pints because it wasn't a big deal if I needed to piss anyway! I will say though, that seated tickets can suck depending on where you're sat. I'll definitely still stand if the only seated tickets available are a mile away from the stage, or about 1000 feet high up. I know that there's massive screens to the sides of the stage, but it's not the same as clearly being able to see what's happening on stage.

I've been to a few entirely-seated concerts in my time. Deep Purple at the Utilita Arena was entirely-seated, and I was sat on the ground area not too far back from the stage. Same goes for Judas Priest this year at the NEC. I'm not really for or against this set-up. I'm 6'1" tall, so I can usually see okay regardless. What was strange however, is that everyone in the ground area was seated for the entirety of Deep Purple, until the encore when everyone stood up. Yet for Judas Priest it was the exact same scenario only everybody stood up for the entire set. Makes you wonder why they even bothered putting seating in the ground area. It didn't bother me - in fact, it was quite nice to put my jacket and merch down on the seat behind me while I stood. But it still made me wonder why it was seated. I also saw Magnum in 2022 at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. This venue only offers seated shows. Again, everybody stood!

I'll be seeing Deep Purple again at the NEC in November. It's a fully-seated show again, but I bought tickets to the side of the stage this time. I find that people tend to stay seated in these areas, and the view is always decent because it's higher up than on the ground level. I'm taking my girlfriend too, and I figured it'd be nicer for her... we have very different music tastes, so she isn't as fussed about standing!

Moshing:

Obviously this category isn't relevant for a lot of gigs. I used to enjoy the mosh pit when I was younger at all the thrash/death metal shows I've been to. Depending on the crowd, it could be a lot of fun. Generally speaking, if you fell down, someone would be right there to put you back on your feet. Also, if someone was legitimately hurt, people do make sure they're moved out of the pit. Nothing's really changed in terms of moshing at metal concerts. If you don't do moshing, just stay away from the middle of the stage a few rows back, because that's where it normally happens. I think circle pits are okay, if a little silly. Mostly harmless however.

What I don't like - and I will never understand the point of it - is all that 'slam dancing' karate, crowd-killing bullshit. It's not something I see all that often at metal shows, but I do clearly remember seeing some absolute morons flailing their arms and doing Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks all over the place at Agnostic Front several years ago, and also at Ingested in 2022. What is the fucking point?! All it does is make less people want to mosh. Whatever.

I almost never mosh anymore in my 30s. I think the last time I was in a pit for the entirety of a show was when I saw Napalm Death in 2020. It's not because I hate it, I think it's just an age thing now and I can't be bothered these days. I prefer to just stand and watch the band in peace these days, and drink beer!

Phone usage:

People taking photos or filming on their phones isn't necessarily a pet peeve of mine; I mean, it rarely (if ever) affects my own enjoyment of a concert... I just don't understand people who spend more time filming the gig and watching it through their phone than actually watching the show and savouring the moment! At Judas Priest in March, the guy next to me must've spent 70% of the show recording the performance on his phone. He wasn't blocking my view or anything, but I could see him in the corner of my eye and I just don't understand peoples' thinking behind this. Do they really go back and watch the videos they made?! Is the sound quality actually good?! I wouldn't know, 'cos I usually just take a handful of pictures and then spend the rest of the gig watching the band play with my eyes, not my phone. Every single gig I've been to has had professional photographers present, so I tend to just look on the band's Facebook if I want to see the best pics.

Like I said, it bugs me - but generally speaking, excessive phone usage at concerts normally doesn't directly impact my own experience. One of my mates saw Tool this year, and they famously have a 'no phones' policy at their concerts. Makes the band sound like little Hitlers, but honestly I'm kind of in favour of it. My mate said it was great. I just can't justify Tool's ticket prices!! Then again, maybe the zero tolerance on phones makes it all the more worth it?

Length of performances:

Depending on the artist, I find most headlining performances tend to last about an hour and a half, on average. This is fine by me. I've seen a handful of sets that lasted 3 or close to 3 hours long as well. This is also fine, if the band knows what they're doing. A lot of the more underground extreme metal concerts often have shorter headline sets, and I think this is partly due to the fact you normally get more support acts too. When I saw Nile all the way back in '09, I literally sat through 4 support bands prior!! Support acts themselves an last anywhere between 30 mins and an hour depending on where they are on the bill or how many other bands are playing. Yep, not a lot to say here. It's rare I've come home from a gig and felt dissatisfied with the band's time on stage - or bored for that matter.

Concert schedules:

As I've gotten older, this is an area I can really moan about!! Most venue doors open around 6 or 7pm, and because I don't live in a rock scene hotspot, I normally have to get the train to Birmingham or Wolverhampton for the vast majority of the concerts I go to. Since concerts tend to end around 11pm (ish), I normally don't get home until 12-1am because of the train journey home. I occasionally drive to concerts if I'm going alone, and sometimes I can get home before 12am if the gig in question was in Wolverhampton! But like I said, it's usually early hours in the morning by the time I can get back to my bed.

This never used to bother me. In my teens and 20s, I had way more energy. Now I'm a bit older, I really wish venue doors would open around 2pm, so I can be home by around 10pm at the latest!! It's a personal gripe; there's no way in hell venues will ever open several hours earlier. People have work (including me) and can't get to shows until later - but I wish weekend concerts would at least start earlier! There's been times when I've made a full day of it, by booking a hotel in the city and going out drinking in pubs and bars after the show has finished, but obviously this is dependent on who I'm with and how much money I've got. Ahh well, getting home late is just something I'll always have to deal with and accept!! It's not like I'm not used to it at this point in my years of concert-going.

When all is said and done, I don't think I'll ever get tired of going to gigs. Any of the annoyances are worth dealing with, because you just can't beat a live performance when the band/artist in question are on top form.

TURISAS

Reviewed:

- Battle Metal (2004)

- The Varangian Way (2007)

- Stand Up and Fight (2011)

- Turisas2013 (2013)

BATTLE METAL          2004          (Century Media)

- Standouts: 'As Torches Rise', 'Battle Metal', 'The Land of Hope and Glory', 'One More', 'Midnight Sunrise', 'Among Ancestors', 'Rex Rebi Rebellis'

I'm no folk metal connoisseur, but it is a style of metal that I've always somewhat enjoyed ever since I was first properly exposed to it way back in 2010 whilst attending my first ever Bloodstock Open Air festival. It's the kind of subgenre that I don't think I'll ever take 100% seriously, nor is it the kind of metal that would spawn masterpiece albums of the metal genre in general in my opinion. But it can be a lot of fun depending on the band, and Turisas are the only band in this style where I actually own all of their albums. I mean, they only ever made 4 and have now kind of disappeared into hiatus, but whatever!

So, Battle Metal is their 2004 debut and that album title pretty much tells you everything you need to know. This is record is basically the musical equivalent of an epic Viking battle - and if not Viking, then a medieval, Norman or Saxon-era battle of some sort. And if not based on reality, then think something along the lines of the battle of Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings!

Once the short instrumental opening 'Victoriae & Triumphi Dominus' is out of the way, the album has me intrigued from more-or-less start to finish. The music is heavy, but the way all the more traditional instrumentals such as accordions, violins and a whole host of percussion, as well as the keyboards and any electronic aids have been incorporated is what makes this record, well, a folk metal album. Yeah, there's metal riffs on every song, but unlike a lot of metal in general, they're almost never the focal point of the song structures. The riffs are there, but it's all these other instruments that provide the real melody to the songs and give them that 'epic' feel that is unique to this style of music. It's also largely those instruments and their melodies that help me to remember and differentiate each track, because these are the instruments that often provide the most memorable parts of the songs. That's not to say the guitars aren't any less important; without those big distorted metal riffs you'd just have the 'folk' part of 'folk metal'!!

I also really like the way the vocals have been handled. Turisas are a Finnish band, but vocalist Mathias Nygard sings in English and in a harsh growly style for the much of the album. I couldn't call them death metal vocals, nor could I call them black metal screams - but they're not clean either. They add to the intensity of the songs though, because this is Battle Metal after all! Even if you don't normally get on with growly vocals in more extreme metal, I don't think the one's should turn you off hearing Battle Metal for yourself. The music itself is nowhere near extreme enough to come close to death metal and whatnot. And on songs like the more mellow 'One More', Nygard does sing clean too. He's not a particularly great clean vocalist as such, but his modest style almost makes it seem as if someone from history is actually narrating these tunes, as corny as that seems.

Also important regarding the vocals is the large use of layered vocal harmonies and choir chants. Again, like all the folk instrument usage, these are essential in providing the epic feel of the music that the band were going for. And once again, these can often be the parts that will stick in your head afterwards, for example, a song like 'The Land of Hope and Glory' relies on it's big vocal arrangements. There's also occasional female operatic vocals in some of the songs, particularly 'Midnight Sunrise'. And again, they've been utilised really well overall, and are integral to the enjoyment of the music.

I do have some negativity towards Battle Metal though. This is not an album I can play any day or time of the week. It's very much an album-focused effort, as silly as that sounds. What I mean by that is, I almost never find myself putting any of the individual tracks here into a playlist and listen to them on their own. They just don't work like that for me, since I feel the music is too atmospheric and niche to make me want to pick out random songs individually. It's an album that I like to hear from start to finish, and even then I still have to be in the right mood for it. And that's not necessarily true of folk metal in general, because there's songs by bands like Finntroll or Ensiferum (and even later stuff from Turisas) that I can listen to in a mixed playlist. I won't say it's too long - the whole thing clocks in at just under an hour, which is fine I guess. But there has been occasions where I've started this album, got maybe 4 tracks in and then turned it off due to boredom.

The other gripe is the production. Well, it's not entirely a gripe, but I do have some issues. It's not that the album sounds bad sonically, it's just that tracks such as 'Rex Rebi Rebellis' have what I can assume are either keyboards/synths playing what are meant to be horns. They don't sound awful by any means, and I do get used to them... but it does mean the songs occasionally sound less organic than they should. They don't sound like real horns, that's all - and the real thing is always better. This sounds like a big deal, but at the end of the day it isn't for me. I still enjoy practically every aspect of the music, I just think there's room for improvement at times is all.

But like I said, if I am in the correct mood, I get really lost in this album and have a hell of a good time. I stuck this on in the gym the other day and my whole session was almost over before I knew it. I think this is a fine folk metal album that any fan of said genre should be checking out if they haven't already. Yeah it's nerdy, but then being nerdy is cool nowadays!

Adam's rating: 8.1/10

THE VARANGIAN WAY          2007          (Century Media)

- Standouts: 'To Holmgard and Beyond', 'A Portage to the Unknown', 'Fields of Gold', 'Five Hundred and One', 'The Dnieper Rapids', 'Miklagard Overture'

They got off to a good start with Battle Metal, a bit like a successful independent film with a cult following. With The Varangian Way, it now feels like the band have been escalated into a Hollywood blockbuster. Fear not however, because this doesn't necessarily mean they've 'sold out' or anything like that. No, it just means the album sounds far better production-wise, the music has gotten even more epic (somehow) and the whole record feels much more streamlined this time - in a good way.

Practically all core musical elements of Battle Metal remain here too, but they've now improved across the board. I think a lot of is down to the production, meaning all the folky instruments now sound much more genuine, the guitars are bigger (but not overbearing) and any of the choir vocal parts are even vaster and somehow more grandiose now. The songs are once again also full of all the clean and growled vocals you could ever want. Opening track 'To Holmgard and Beyond' might be the best folk metal track I've ever heard - it makes me wanna grow my hair and beard out, jump aboard a Viking longship and set sail for, erm... somewhere!! Speaking of Vikings, The Varangian Way is actually a concept album about a bunch of Scandinavians travelling through medieval Eastern Europe, or something. Yeah, I'm not all about the story when it comes to concept albums, but it's not really something that affects my rating of an album either. If the music's good, I'm happy. If it just happens to tell a story, then that's cool too I guess.

I think this album is better in many ways than Battle Metal. It helps that the album is 43 minutes long rather just under an hour - it never gets particularly dull or tedious at any point throughout the listening experience, and the 8 songs that feature are more memorable overall because of it. The other thing that separates The Varangian Way from it's predecessor - well, for me at least - is the fact I can actually listen plenty of these tracks individually now. Not necessarily all of them, but many. As I said, I absolutely love 'To Holmgard and Beyond' - such a killer song!! And I also find myself replaying 'Fields of Gold' a lot too. There's something about the accordion melody in it that just plays over and over in my head, and the whole song is just about one of the most triumphant slices of metal I can think of. 'Five Hundred and One' is pretty special too. It has moments of beauty with both it's intro and outro, whilst the middle of the track gets me pumped!

Of course, The Varangian Way isn't perfect. I think 'Cursed Be Iron' focuses just a tad too much on spoken-word segments, so it isn't really what I'd consider to be 'easy listening' metal. It works when you listen to the album as a whole, but it's not one I ever revisit on it's own merit. I also think 'In the Court of Jarisleif' is maybe a little too folky, as weird as that sounds? Not necessarily in terms of the instruments themselves - there's plenty of metal guitar tones written all over it. No, the actual structure of the music is very, erm... traditionally inspired I guess? And again, it works when I want to listen to the album from start to finish. But when taken on it's own, it can be a bit of a chore to listen to. And once again, I don't think I can step into the 9/10 region when rating this thing. I still have to be in the right sort of mood to listen to this album in full, even if this one is a slightly easier to listen to than the debut. It's not like a Black Sabbath or Judas Priest record, which for me I can hear anytime anywhere and love it.

Yep, if you liked Battle Metal, you'd be foolish not to check this out. The music's even cheesier and more epic in all the best ways. But just to clarify, despite the fact I think this album is superior to Battle Metal, I still really enjoy that debut. I don't think The Varangian Way is leaps and bounds better than it's predecessor, I just think it's a definite improvement. So if for whatever reason you can only own 1 Turisas album, make sure it's The Varangian Way... otherwise don't skimp on Battle Metal! Both are great.

Adam's rating: 8.4/10

STAND UP AND FIGHT          2011          (Century Media)

- Standouts: 'Take the Day!', 'Stand Up and Fight', 'Hunting Pirates', 'The Great Escape', 'End of an Empire'

On their 3rd album, 2011's Stand Up and Fight, Turisas continues to sound like Turisas! However, in the same way that The Varangian Way was subtly different to Battle Metal, Stand Up and Fight is also subtly different to it's predecessor (well, maybe a little more than just 'subtly' this time). Not vastly different, but different enough for me to almost immediately realise which album any of these tracks are from without looking first. If anything, I'd say this album is a tad more accessible than the previous records. I still think they always had hooks in many of their songs, but this time they're more conventional and memorable. Hell, the first time I heard 'Take the Day!', I was surprised to hear that many of it's vocal and musical arrangements were comparable to that of '80s arena rock/AOR!! The instrumentation itself on a song like 'Take the Day!' is still unmistakeably that of the folk metal brand Turisas do so well, only this time it has a slight commercial sheen about it. And surprisingly enough, it works! The keyboard-heavy title track too, has some definite arena rock inspiration behind it, and has me singing along in next to no time.

This is a band that never focused entirely on harsh vocals; they always had clean vocals throughout many of their songs, but on Stand Up and Fight I feel like the harsher vocals have been toned down somewhat, and overall there's far more clean vocals on this album. And to be honest, given that the music itself is a little more accessible anyway, I don't take issue with this. The songs still largely retain the epic atmosphere of the previous albums despite the slightly different take on the music this time around. And to be honest, there's still plenty of material on here that doesn't really offer any real surprises to the listener, e.g. songs like 'The March of the Varangian Guard', 'Venetoi! -Prasinoi!', 'The Great Escape' and the lengthy 'End of an Empire'. There's also a fun song that reminds me of Alestorm (only slightly less silly) in 'Hunting Pirates' - ooh, I wonder what it is about this track that reminds me of Alestorm?!

I think this is once again another rock-solid effort from the band, yet I still think I prefer both Battle Metal and The Varangian Way over it. I think, at times, parts of the songs tread a little closer to power and/or symphonic metal more-so than they do folk metal. I guess this isn't necessarily a bad thing for everyone, but there's something slightly less mesmerising about the music this time around. If I listen to the first couple of records undistracted, they sort of manage to transport me to another world with their grandeur, whereas Stand Up and Fight only manages to do the same for me at times. The epicness is still there, but the... erm... majesticness isn't always?! I know what I mean, I just don't quite know how to word it!! Maybe it's also partly down to the storytelling, like I have a harder time picturing in my head the Varangian Guard that this album talks about more so than I do the lyrical matter of The Varangian Way?

Overall, this is an album that I think is very, very good - but not quite great. However, I wouldn't argue with someone if Stand Up and Fight is their favourite Turisas album either. I'd understand if it was - I'd even agree that 'Take the Day!' is among one of their best songs ever because despite it having more of a streamlined approach to the music, it's also one of their most well-rounded songs for it. And the songs are still full of all the orchestral instrumentation, accordions, keyboards etc., that you've come to expect from Turisas. I'd argue the production has gotten even better too. They just sometimes do things in a way that doesn't quite work as well for me personally as they did on Battle Metal and The Varangian Way! That said, I can still totally recommend Stand Up and Fight to anyone who enjoyed anything else by this band. I can also recommend NWOBHM band Quartz' 1980 album of the same name (which even has a similar album cover to Turisas'!)!!

Adam's rating: 7.9/10

TURISAS2013          2013          (Century Media)

- Standouts: 'For Your Own Good', 'Ten More Miles', 'Piece by Piece'

Going purely by the packaging, something feels off with Turisas2013. I don't like how the photo of Nygard on the cover is cut off above his mouth, and even the album title itself seems half-arsed and completely unlike Turisas somehow. The whole thing just screams 'lazy'. And then there's the reviews - although there are positive one's out there (check out Angry Metal Guy's review), many of them claim this album to be mediocre or just straight-up bad. Well, there's only one way to find out. Are Turisas still winning their epic battle on Turisas2013 or are they retreating with their tail between their legs?

Honestly, the first couple of tracks are fairly decent in my books. 'For Your Own Good' is, like a lot of their material, surprisingly catchy and the main melody sticks in my head. It still has most of the folky elements the band trademarked, but like the odd track from Stand Up and Fight, there's some arena rock/AOR influence in here. It isn't as good as a song like 'Stand Up and Fight', but still solid overall. 'Ten More Miles' however, sounds like classic Turisas. There's a melody in this track that reminds me of the kind of thing John Williams would compose in a Star Wars soundtrack, so the epicness is definitely there. It also makes heavy use of choir and clean vocals, and is probably one of the better tracks here. The highly symphonic 'Piece by Piece' sounds very Varangian Way-like to me as well, so I can't really complain about this one either. 'Greek Fire' is pretty damn good. The crushing riffs are awesome, and while it's lacking in the folk department, it's a cool song on it's own accord. 

I can't really decide whether or not I'm a fan of 'Into the Free'. I like it's fast tempo, but for the most part it just sounds like generic Euro power metal. And Nygard's clean vocals don't really do it justice either... if someone like Michael Kiske of Helloween sang on it, it could be awesome. But as it happens, I just find the vocals to be really mediocre on this track. The music's solid though. And what the fuck is up with 'Run, Bhang-Eater, Run!'?! Why does it seem to be influenced by jazz more than anything else? But more importantly, why does it have random female sex moans on it?! I'd like to give it some credit and say it has some sort of novelty, but in reality it's just a messy composition. 'No Good Story Ever Starts With Drinking Tea' is... kinda fun I guess? It's almost like a taster of if Turisas mixed folk with punk rock! A whole album like this could be cool, but by itself this song doesn't fit in with the rest of the album whatsoever. And while most of the core musical Turisas elements are definitely present throughout this record, many of the folk-based arrangements feel a little unambitious this time, and the music feels a bit less epic for it now. Just listen to 'The Days Passed' and then compare it to something like 'Fields of Gold' to see what I mean.

One definite downgrade here is the production. To me, every Turisas album improved sonically, until this thing dropped. There's just no balls this time around! The guitars might be distorted, but they kinda sound like they're being played through a beginner's amp purchased at Argos. And in general, everything just feels watered down and 'softened up' somehow. I think if you listened to this record without hearing the others first, you probably wouldn't be picking so many holes with the production. But the fact of the matter is that Turisas2013 is easily the worst-sounding Turisas album. To be honest, I can see where a lot of these mediocre reviews are coming from. Although Turisas2013 does have it's moments, the product as a whole feels rushed and incomplete. It's like they ran back into the studio with a bunch of leftover ideas from Stand Up and Fight, recorded them and made sure the album was on the shelves as soon as possible without actually taking the time to finetune the tracks. Maybe there is something to be said about this - there hasn't been another Turisas album since and since 2022, the band have either been on hiatus or they've just split completely. From what I can tell online, they haven't performed live since before COVID either.

So yeah - this was their swansong, and not a particularly good one at that. Granted, some of the songs are decent, but there's also a few dodgy ones making the album feel unfocused because of them. Coupled with the weird production, this is the one Turisas album that just isn't worth your time. I'll give it a 5/10, because I'd say there's enough stuff on here from to consider Turisas2013 average at best, but not much more. Shame.

Adam's rating: 5/10