Some more musical information about me, my collection, tastes, favourites etc.
Favourite band of all time?
Deep Purple, closely followed by Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.
Other favourites?
In no particular order - Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, Rainbow, Van Halen, Metallica, Jimi Hendrix, Anthrax, Motorhead, Saxon, AC/DC, Metal Church, Suicidal Tendencies, Blue Oyster Cult, Annihilator, Slayer, Emperor, Biohazard, Faith No More, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, UFO, Magnum, Venom.
First album I ever owned?
Blur - The Best Of. Still have it. Technically Blur was the first band I really liked.
First album that really started my collection?
AC/DC - High Voltage (1976 international version).
First album I ever bought?
AC/DC - Back in Black.
First album that really 'converted me', so to speak?
Black Sabbath - Paranoid is the main one I credit to my obsession with rock n' roll.
Are there any other particularly important albums to me?
- The first Greatest Hits album by Queen. I do have a CD copy of my own, but I remember listening to my mum's cassette of this a lot when I was really young. The rock n' roll seeds were already sown before I was 10 years old, even if I didn't actively start buying albums until I was about 12 or 13.
- Blur - Parklife, because I loved 'Girls and Boys', 'Bank Holiday', 'London Loves' and the title track as a little kid.
- Led Zeppelin IV, because I thought 'Black Dog' was the coolest song ever when I was 14.
- Deep Purple In Rock, because I thought Purple were just 'the guys that wrote 'Black Night' and 'Smoke On the Water' (which are still classic tunes of course). But I didn't know they were musical geniuses until I heard In Rock in it's entirety.
- Judas Priest - Painkiller, because I remember getting British Steel when I was 13 and even though I liked it, it didn't make me rush out and buy any other Priest records. When I picked up Painkiller aged 15 however, I was instantly blown away and immediately bought the rest of their discography.
- Metallica's Ride the Lightning and Megadeth's Greatest Hits: Back to the Start. Yeah I know, one of these is a compilation, but both these albums combined introduced me to thrash metal, another genre I was obsessed with as a teen.
- Faith No More's Angel Dust. They obviously had mainstream success, but there's a lot of weird shit on this album that is completely un-radio friendly. And it's great. It made me more open to experimental rock genres.
- Cannibal Corpse - Kill. Death metal isn't one of my top genres, but it definitely was in my late-teens. And it's thanks to this, the first death metal album I ever bought. I will say that extreme metal concerts are still some of the most fun to attend.
- Biohazard - Urban Discipline. It's not one of my favourite albums of all time, even if I do love it. But the way they bridged hardcore and metal made me listen to more hardcore music, and eventually got me into punk rock.
First vinyl LP I ever bought?
Don't remember exactly, but I want to say it was either a used copy of Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind or Judas Priest's Sin After Sin.
Do I own any cassettes?
Literally just 3. Black Sabbath's Headless Cross. Also Magnum's The Monster Roars because it came with my deluxe box set thingamajig and also Judas Priest's Invincible Shield, because it came with my CD pre-order.
Why are CDs my favourite format?
Honestly, they're not necessarily my favourite. I love vinyl too, but I can buy far more CDs for the cost of one vinyl LP. I don't really 'prefer' the sound of vinyl either, unless it's an early analogue pressing. A lot of new LP's are still digital masters anyway. Also, if I'd started with vinyl, my collection would be much smaller than it is today. I feel that having a good stereo makes a bigger impact on the overall listening quality than the format of the record. As for cassettes, I don't collect them because I've never liked the packaging. I'm not keen on those little plastic cases the tapes come in; the album artwork doesn't fit properly and if I'm not mistaken, for a very, very long time, no one was buying cassettes, meaning there's tons of stuff not available in that format. And then there's digital streaming - yes, I do have a premium Spotify account. I use it all the time to listen to stuff I don't physically own, to make playlists and simply when I'm not home.
Where do I buy my albums?
Here, there and everywhere. Online I mostly use eBay, Discogs and Amazon. But obviously I love to visit record stores and fairs too, because it's fun to go in not knowing what you'll leave with. As a UK resident, I find eBay is pretty good for the majority of my purchases, but occasionally I'll get a better deal on Discogs. I think Discogs is incredible; every single release version of any album is on there, but I find in terms of actually buying stuff (at least in terms of CDs), there's not a great deal of UK sellers meaning shipping prices from abroad can be absurd. Worse than eBay for some reason. But I've managed to have some good deals from there in the past, from UK sellers.
What are some of my favourite albums?
The Band - self-titled second album, Black Sabbath - the self-titled debut and Master of Reality, Deep Purple - In Rock and Machine Head, Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?, Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny, Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV, Neil Young - Ragged Glory, Rainbow - Rising, The Stooges - Raw Power. These are all 10/10s for me.
What are some of my favourite live albums?
Some predictable choices here, but Deep Purple's Made in Japan is number one, and UFO's Strangers in the Night is fucking awesome. Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous and Judas Priest's Unleashed in the East - just amazing. They're classics for a reason. Also Neil Young's Weld is killer, Saxon's The Eagle Has Landed is a lot of fun plus Motorhead No Sleep 'til Hammersmith is great.
What are some of my favourite compilations?
I try to avoid picking up compilations these days unless they have unreleased/exclusive material on them No Remorse is a great Motorhead platter. Pisces Iscariot by Smashing Pumpkins is cool too.
What are some of my favourite songs?
Too many to list!!
Favourite genres (well, sub-genres)?
Absolute favourites would be classic/traditional heavy metal (maybe New Wave of British Heavy Metal as well) and '70s hard rock.
Least favourite genres?
I'm not going slag any of these genres off because that'd be silly (and I'm not qualified to make any arguments against them), but I'm really not down with any kind of EDM/electro/drum n' bass/trance-type stuff. I get that none of these genres are similar if you're into this sort of music, but I'm very much a band-oriented kind of music fan. That means musical instruments please. Electro stuff is not my scene at all - I went to a big DnB rave once in Bristol in 2014 and it was my idea of hell. I looked like a fucking misfit and I was out of my comfort zone.
There's not been a single rap/hip-hop/grime song from the past 15 or so years I've heard that I've actually liked (and there's plenty of older rap that I do like). You can't even escape it, because it's super popular among younger people. I'm not saying it's all terrible, but I have zero interest or intentions of actually getting into any of this stuff. I'm sure there's many current-day rappers out there who are great, but I won't be listening to them and I don't care if I'm missing out. But like I said, I won't actively criticise it because that would be dumb.
Genres that have grown on me most as I've gotten older?
I've always liked the classic power metal style, and had Helloween, Gamma Ray, Rage, Metal Church etc. albums in my collection since my teens. But weirdly as I've gotten into my late 20s and early 30s, it's become one of my more favoured metal subgenres. I've added plenty of albums from bands like Primal Fear, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, Hammerfall, Freedom Call etc.. Not entirely sure where this new found love for the genre has come from, it's just sorta happened as time has gone on! I will say that some of the more 'modern' bands like Sabaton, Powerwolf, Beast in Black and whatnot aren't really the brand of power metal I can get into.
Genres I seem to care less about as I've gotten older?
First one that springs to mind is death metal. I still love all my old death metal albums from bands like Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary and whoever else - some absolute 'bangers that will never fall out of favour with me. I just don't seem to buy as many death metal albums these days compared to about a decade or more ago. I might still add albums from death metal bands I already love to my collection, but I kind of feel satisfied with what I've already got on the whole - if that makes any sense.
The second one is hardcore. Again, I'm a hardcore fan, but only of a specific style. I dig the old-school shit like Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Biohazard, Bad Brains etc., but a lot of the newer stuff that's popular right now such as Knocked Loose, Turnstile, Malevolence, Code Orange and the like ain't my thing. Meh.
Favourite singers?
In no particular order - Phil Lynott, Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Bob Catley, Rob Halford, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Martin, Biff Byford.
Favourite guitarists?
In no particular order - Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen, Tony Iommi, Jeff Waters, Steve Morse, Glenn Tipton, Michael Schenker.
Favourite bassists?
In no particular order - Geezer Butler, Roger Glover, Lemmy, Phil Lynott.
Favourite drummers?
In no particular order - John Bonham, Cozy Powell, Scott Travis, Charlie Benante, Nigel Glockler, Mikkey Dee.
Favourite keyboardists?
In no particular order - Jon Lord, Don Airey, Colin Towns, Ken Hensley, Rick Wakeman.
What are some bands/artists that I should (in theory) be a fan of, but aren't?
I hate to say it, but the Beatles. Couldn't really narrow it down to one thing specifically, and I get their importance on contemporary music... I just can't call myself a real fan! There's plenty of tracks of theirs that I do like, and I even enjoy the White Album (almost) from start to finish, but I'm a casual listener at best.
I never really got into Opeth. They kinda put me to sleep in all honesty. Nothing in their discography offends me at all, but when they were considered to be a progressive metal band, I found that the death metal elements clashed way too hard with all the mellow bits. I know that they've ditched the extreme styles and are basically a straight up prog rock band nowadays, but I never picked up any of their more recent albums. Weirdly though, I've seen them live a handful of times in the past 15 years or so and actually really enjoyed them every time. It's just their albums that don't do much for me.
I'm not really a Pink Floyd fan either. There's songs I like here and there, and I have maybe 3 of their albums in my collection. But I just never got into 'em. Not for me. I do like prog rock, Floyd just aren't up there for me personally, but I get why they're so revered.
Which band/artist do I think has the best overall discography?
That's a really good question. Even my absolute favourite bands (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest) have albums that in my opinion aren't all that great, even if they have a whole platter of masterpieces in their catalogue. I've never been fussed by The Book of Taliesyn, Slaves and Masters and The House of Blue Light in Purple's discography - I don't think any of them are bad, but they're not all that good. Sabbath has the 13 album, which I think is extremely mediocre. Meanwhile Priest has Turbo, an album I've never liked - plus Demolition and Nostradamus have their issues even I still sort of like them.
That's a really good question. Even my absolute favourite bands (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest) have albums that in my opinion aren't all that great, even if they have a whole platter of masterpieces in their catalogue. I've never been fussed by The Book of Taliesyn, Slaves and Masters and The House of Blue Light in Purple's discography - I don't think any of them are bad, but they're not all that good. Sabbath has the 13 album, which I think is extremely mediocre. Meanwhile Priest has Turbo, an album I've never liked - plus Demolition and Nostradamus have their issues even I still sort of like them.
I just finished reviewing the Magnum discography - every single studio album of theirs is at least a 7/10 (and there's something like 22 in total!), but I don't think they have any masterworks either. And then you have other insanely consistent discographies from bands like AC/DC and Motorhead... basically, I don't have an answer to this question!
Worst album in my collection?
Probably Def Leppard's X. Absolutely woeful, but that's because I don't want to hear a rock band doing boyband-esque pop. Megadeth's Risk is horrible.
First album I bought that I didn't like?
Guns n' Roses' The Spaghetti Incident has to be the one. I like it ever-so-slightly more these days, but I wouldn't say it's a good record.
First 'wild card' album I ever bought (i.e. an album I picked up with little prior knowledge of)?
Jethro Tull - Aqualung.
Album that took the longest time for me to appreciate?
Possibly Magnum's On A Storyteller's Night. Bought it when I was 18, didn't like it (apart from the incredible album cover, which is probably why I bought it in the first place), shelved it until I was 29. Listened to it again aged 29, loved it, saw Magnum live one month later.
Are there any albums that I initially liked, and have gotten worse over time for me?
Yeah. First one that comes to mind is Machine Head's The Blackening. I mean, I never loved this record even when it first came out in 2007 - but I did still like it a fair amount. Everyone raved about it, and I'm sure some publications were even calling it the 21st century's Master of Puppets or some such bullshit. In the last 10 or so years I think I've listened to this so-called 'masterpiece' maybe once, and that was for my review way back in 2017. In my opinion it's good. And that's it. I honestly think that Locust album they followed it up with was better.
Are there any albums that are generally considered to be 'bad' that I can tolerate?
Honestly, I re-reviewed Metallica's St. Anger last year and it's not that bad. A lot of annoying things about it, sure, but some stuff about it I actually like. Annihilator's Remains isn't good as such, but again, there's songs on it that I like. Anthrax's Stomp 442 is run-of-the-mill 90's groove/alternative metal, sure, but it's not horrible. Judas Priest's Demolition has a bunch of good tracks. Van Halen III is an album I legitimately like! Read my review! I'm a big fan of Iron Maiden's The X-Factor. It's one of my favourite Maiden records. I even like Virtual XI. In short, I unironically like the Blaze Bayley-era!
Are there any albums that are generally considered to be 'good' that I can't tolerate?
I see more love for Judas Priest's Turbo these days than I used to. Aside from a few tracks, I still don't like it much. People like Def Leppard's Adrenalize - I find it to be too poppy for it's own good. Many of the 21st century Iron Maiden albums don't do much for me. I'm not going to call them 'bad', but I almost never turn to Dance of Death, The Final Frontier or A Matter of Life and Death when I want to hear some Maiden. I'll even take the Blaze albums over any of those three.
What are some of the most underrated albums in my collection?
First thing that comes to mind are pretty much any of the Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath records. But then when you start interacting with other hardcore Sabbath fans, you realise that a lot of people also love those albums and this period in general seems to be getting more attention over the years, so I'm not counting them.
I think AC/DC's Blow Up Your Video is a great album that gets barely any attention. Considering literally everyone knows Queen, I think the first album is a 'banger. I bet most people outside of the actual fans can't even name a single song from it bar 'Seven Seas of Rhye' though, and the version on this album is just a short instrumental anyway. The first two Faith No More records deserve a shoutout - considered classics amongst fans for sure, but I've met casual FNM listeners that can only name one song from the Chuck Mosely era, and it's usually 'We Care a Lot'. Introduce Yourself in particular, is brilliant. Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door - I love that record.
While we're at it, what are some of the most underrated bands I like?
From the top of my head - Steppenwolf, because a lot of people only really know them for 'Born to Be Wild', 'Magic Carpet Ride' and 'The Pusher'. But they have some great albums. Annihilator - again, most people only really talk about the first 2, but I love many of their albums. Budgie - awesome Welsh proto-metal. Atomic Rooster just for Death Walks Behind You, amazing record. Maybe Blackfoot too? Maybe not in the States and certainly not in the world of Southern rock, but hardly anyone seems to have heard of them here in the UK from my own experiences, and they have some absolutely classic albums.
Definitely Metal Church too. Their first 3 albums are unbelievably strong; Blessing in Disguise is one of the finest US metal albums ever made in my opinion. Also Magnum - I talk about them a lot on here, but for good reason. I don't think they're underrated here in the UK, but in the States they're hardly known at all.
What are some of the most overrated albums in my collection?
I have two Arctic Monkeys albums, the first one and AM. The debut I'm not the biggest fan of, but I understand why people loved it back in '06. Ironically, I actually think AM is the better record of the two, yet I still think it's overrated. I mean, it's a solid indie/garage rock album, but why it gets treated like some sort of masterpiece is beyond me. It's good, but it's not the second-coming. I'll never understand the hype for this band - in fact (and I'm just gonna be a generalising asshole here) I get the impression that many Arctic Monkeys fanboys don't listen to a lot of rock outside of their favourite band. They're the kind of people that will also tell me how Liam Gallagher is the greatest frontman in history whilst simultaneously not even able to name a Jimi Hendrix song. I kinda wanna throw the Black Album and The Joshua Tree in there too, but I like those albums a lot. Ooh, actually, I recently revisited Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power, and while the good songs are fucking excellent, there's also a fair share of filler to sit through.
What's the most disappointing album in my collection?
That's actually pretty easy - it has to be Black Sabbath's reunion 2013 Ozzy Osbourne reunion album, 13. Compared to the Ronnie Dio-fronted The Devil You Know from 2009 (which is a Black Sabbath record!), 13 just feels passionless, and more like a cash-grab to me. It's not terrible; certainly listenable, just mediocre. Remember, 'disappointing' doesn't automatically mean 'bad'.
What album surprised me the most by how good it was?
Right now the 2020 Blue Oyster Cult comeback album, The Symbol Remains, comes to mind. It had been 19 years since they released anything new from the studio, so I had absolutely no clue what to expect. As it happens, the bulk of the songs are brilliant, and it was my favourite album to come out that year. It also made me go out and collect the rest of their discography.
Recently-released albums I've enjoyed the most?
I'm gonna count 2020 as 'still recent', so Annihilator - Ballistic, Sadistic (2020), Deep Purple - Whoosh! (2020), Alcatrazz - Born Innocent (2020), Blue Oyster Cult - The Symbol Remains (2020), AC/DC - Power Up (2020), Tony Martin - Thorns (2022), Saxon - Carpe Diem (2022), Megadeth - The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (2022), Metallica - 72 Seasons (2023), Uriah Heep - Chaos & Colour (2023), Deep Purple - =1 (2024), Judas Priest - Invincible Shield (2024), Magnum - Here Comes the Rain (2024), Saxon - Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024).
Recently-released albums I've enjoyed the least?
I really can't get into Smashing Pumpkins' Cyr from 2020.
Albums in my collection that I never thought I'd ever own when I was a teenager?
I have albums by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, R.E.M., Donald Fagen, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jim Croce, Dire Straits... too many to list. The fact I own a few Beatles albums would also have sounded weird to me many, many moons ago. I also have some rap albums by De La Soul, DMX, Onyx etc., but this probably wouldn't have surprised the 16 year old me. I grew up playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with my brother, and I've always had a soft spot for old-school hip-hop.
Albums that I own the most copies of?
I have three copies of Black Sabbath's Mob Rules - one vinyl copy, one 2004 Sanctuary reissue and the 2010 Deluxe Expanded Edition. Same with 1983's Born Again - one vinyl copy, one 2004 Sanctuary reissue and the 2011 Deluxe Expanded Edition. I have three copies of Def Leppard's Hysteria - one vinyl copy, the 2006 Deluxe Edition and the 30th Anniversary Edition box set. I have three copies of Deep Purple's Now What?!, from 2013. The vinyl release, the original CD jewel case and the deluxe box set.
Rarest CD in my collection?
Not sure. I don't really keep up to date on this sort of thing. Rarity can be down to a specific version of an album, so it might be something completely unexpected.
Most expensive CD in my collection?
Do box sets count? Because I dropped about £50 on the seven-disc 30th Anniversary box set of Def Leppard's Hysteria a few years back. It's only gone up in price since. I also noticed as I've reviewed certain albums over the years, that many are now out of print and kinda pricey to buy these days, but they weren't especially expensive when I bought them however many years back. For example, there's a whole bunch of Annihilator and Saxon albums that are now out of print and expensive, which were widely available when I bought them.
Are there any albums that even I'm surprised I don't have?
I still don't own anything by Alice Cooper. That surprises me, because there's plenty of his songs that I actually like.
Edit: I do now own Alice's School's Out.
Are there any albums I have but don't really know why I have them in the first place?
Yeah. I won't say any of these albums are bad, just not to my tastes. First one is Trivium's Ascendancy - I never liked Trivium, and I hated them when they were gaining momentum back when this thing was released in '05. I never liked this album, I never bought it when it first came out so I have no clue how it ended up in my own collection. I've also got White Zombie's Astro Creep 2000 and Rob Zombie's Hillbilly Deluxe. Nothing against Rob Zombie, but neither White Zombie or his solo stuff interests me, so why I have these baffles me.
What's the most random, out-of-place album that I'm a fan of?
The first Streets album, Original Pirate Material. The lyrics are genius and often still relevant to this day on a social, British level. Don't care much for anything Mike Skinner did after, but that first record is brilliant.
Are there any discographies I plan to complete?
Let me first just say that to me, having every studio album is enough to satisfy me. Unless a band has some quintessential live album that can't be missed, I feel that having every studio album is a good enough qualification for a complete discography. I do eventually plan to collect every Uriah Heep and every UFO studio album. I don't know how long this will take (probably years), but those are the two bands that spring to mind right now.
Edit: As of 2024 I do now own every UFO studio album, and they're all reviewed on here.
What are some of my favourite album covers?
Black Sabbath - the self-titled debut and also Born Again (not kidding), Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side, Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny, Magnum - On a Storyteller's Night, Motorhead - Another Perfect Day, Rainbow - Rising, Slayer - Reign in Blood, Venom - Black Metal. Too many to list. Metal artwork is the best. Well, Magnum aren't metal, but you know what I mean.
What are some of my least favourite album covers?
Erm, but metal artwork can also be the worst. Iron Maiden - Dance of Death is putrid. Gamma Ray - Sight No More is a piece of crap. Deep Purple - Slaves and Masters looks like an image from ClipArt. UFO have a worrying number of bad album covers, sadly.
Do I prefer originals or remasters?
If I had to pick one or the other, I'd probably say older pressings across both CD and vinyl. But honestly, I don't specifically go out of my way to only collect original releases of albums. Unless a certain remaster is largely considered to be inferior to the original, I'll often buy the remaster if it's significantly cheaper and more widely available.
Most fun album in my collection?
Van Halen's Diver Down is a stupidly good time. That 2021 Deep Purple covers album Turning to Crime isn't always that good, but it's a lot of fun all the same.
Prettiest album in my collection?
Hmm. Possibly Neil Young's Harvest Moon. Very pretty acoustic numbers.
Heaviest album in my collection?
I mean, technically speaking it'd have to be something death metal by Suffocation or Devourment. But to me it's Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. 'Into the fucking Void' my friends.
Darkest album in my collection?
Black Sabbath's 1970 debut?
Scariest album in my collection?
Mayhem's Ordo Ad Chao is pretty fucked up. So is To the Depths, in Degradation by Infester. Celtic Frost's Monotheist anyone?
Most depressing album in my collection?
Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral. Social Distortion's Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell isn't that depressing musically, but the lyrics certainly are.
Most overblown, pompous album in my collection ?
Pains me to say this because I still kinda like it, but maybe Judas Priest's Nostradamus? Oh wait, scrap that. The 2023 rock opera Atum by Smashing Pumpkins (or just Billy Corgan to be more precise) wins this award. Probably the longest too.
Shortest album in my collection?
Nails' Unsilent Death clocks in at a mere 13 minutes and 52 seconds. Circle Jerks' Group Sex is 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Hirax's Hate, Fear and Power lasts just 16 minutes. All great records by the way!
Most metal album in my collection?
Judas Priest's Painkiller for sure.
Do I ever sell/trade any of my albums?
I mean, I have traded albums here and there with my friend when I was still at school/college, but as an adult I have never sold or traded a single one of my CDs/vinyl etc., and have no plans to do so.
How do I store my collection and are they arranged in any particular way?
Before I bought my house and was renting, I used to store my CDs in a bookcase until I filled it. When I bought my house in 2022, I had custom shelves made from a small furniture company. They were expensive, but I future-proofed them by adding several extra shelves, and they fill an entire wall in my living room. My CD collection is the centrepiece of my living room, and I'm very proud of it. As for how they are arranged, they're stored in alphabetical order by band/artist, and then in chronological order within each band/artist. The same goes for my vinyl, only they are stored in a unit that my stereo sits on top of. My vinyl collection is way smaller than my CD collection.
How do I discover new bands?
To be honest, I don't really go out of my way to find new bands these days. I often go back to old bands and releases that I never got 'round to checking out previously, but in terms of finding new (or new-ish) bands, I just don't do that very often anymore. I think it might be an age thing.
Band/artist that pisses me off most?
For the most part I try my best to maintain a positive attitude, but that's not always possible. There's musicians in genres I don't listen to that piss me off, naturally, but I'll stay within my own ballpark. And it's Guns n' Roses. The sad fact is Appetite for Destruction is a relatively important album in my collection, because I bought it when I was 13. It's a classic album, no doubt. Hell, I still enjoy songs like 'It's So Easy' and 'Mr. Brownstone'. But Christ, I wanna tear my own face off whenever I hear 'Welcome to the Jungle' or 'Sweet Child of Mine' these days!! Soo overplayed!! And I don't care for either Use Your Illusion or Chinese Democracy. 'November Rain' - fuck right off!! What a bunch of dickheads. Duff is cool, but Slash is the single most overrated guitar player in rock, and Axl is just a monumental bellend on all levels. To me, the whole band's existence revolves around that debut album. For fuck's sake, record some new music!! I won't buy it, but I have more respect for a band that actually gives it's fans something to look forward to!
First concert I ever attended?
Heaven & Hell (Black Sabbath) at the NEC, Birmingham on the 13/11/2007. Support was Iced Earth and Lamb of God.
Best concert I ever attended?
Couldn't name just one. Cannibal Corpse in 2009, Nile in 2009, Overkill in 2010, Biohazard in 2012 come to mind. Also Deep Purple in 2022. Just recently, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 2024. Gigs I attended from around the 2009-2012 period in particular hold a lot of special memories because it was a new thing for me then.
First festival I ever attended?
Sonisphere in Knebworth on the weekend of the 02/08/2009.
Best festival I ever attended?
Not an easy one, but probably Download 2019 mainly because of the social side of things (too many funny incidents to count). The rain only made it more memorable. The music was great too.
Worst concert I ever attended?
You know what? I have no idea. Some have been a lot better than others, but I can't think of any that I flat-out didn't enjoy. There's been support bands that have sucked for sure, but I don't think I've ever seen a headlining act that I didn't enjoy at least a little.
Worst festival I ever attended?
That's easier. Hammerfast last year. Terrible organisation, bands like Napalm Death and Venom Inc. pulling out (the latter at the last minute), confusion over stage times etc.. Blaze Bayley was awesome, the rest ranged from good, to 'meh', to downright terrible.
Most unexpectedly good live performance I ever saw?
Probably Billy Idol at Riot Fest in 2015. There's plenty of tracks of his that I like, but I wouldn't ever call myself a fan. Yet I remember thoroughly enjoying him live.
Most disappointing live performance I ever saw?
Weirdly it was during the same festival, and it was System of a Down. I like SOAD, but they really did nothing for me live. I barely remember the set despite them being headliners, yet I clearly remember the majority of the other acts I saw at Riot Fest 2015. The runner-up has to be Motorhead headlining Bloodstock in 2011. I remember they only played for about 40 minutes? Lemmy was sick as a dog. I also saw them at - you guessed it - Riot Fest 2015, and the band weren't playing at normal tempo. It was clear Lemmy was unwell, and the man passed away just months later. Very, very sad. But I did at least see them in 2010 and 2012 at the Civic in Wolverhampton, and they were awesome both times.
How does the rating system work?
I rate stuff from 0 up to 10, with a decimal point system since it allows me to be more precise with each rating.
0 - 0.9: It's rare to find a rating this bad. Thankfully I don't think I've ever rated anything lower than a 1/10 thus far.
1 - 1.9: Absolutely, disgustingly terrible. But sadly albums this bad do exist.
2 - 2.9: Woeful. Not worth your time in any possible way, but it might still have a riff or melody somewhere I like.
3 - 3.9: Overall a bad record. Likely a good song here or there however.
4 - 4.9: Mostly poor, but not dreadful. Below average.
5 - 5.9: Average/slightly above average. Serious fans might wanna check it out, but that's about it.
6 - 6.9: Not quite what you'd call 'good', but definitely not bad. Albums with this rating may just be worth your time, I'll let you decide.
7 - 7.9: Legitimately good. There could still be a bad track lurking somewhere, but certainly worth a look. In fact, higher echelon 7/10s border on very good.
8 - 8.9: Anything with this score is great. The flaws are minor. In some cases, an 8/10 can indicate classic status.
9 - 9.9: Superb. A 9.5 or higher is bordering on perfection.
10: A 10/10 means you should stop reading and buy whatever it is immediately.
Which pages am I most proud of on this blog?
I'm pleased with my Motorhead and Saxon review pages, mainly because both bands have tons of albums and for the most part, both bands stayed true to a particular style throughout their career. This means that many of their albums sound quite similar on first inspection. I haven't seen many articles online written by other people, reviewing every Motorhead and Saxon album in detail. Also, my Annihilator page - I have almost everything in the discography in physical format, and I don't think there's many other sources out there reviewing them to the same extent.
Which pages am I least proud of on this blog?
There's tons of stuff on here that needs updating, which is why I've been doing that for the last three years. I've mainly just been updating complete discography pages for the most part, and occasionally adding new reviews for other stuff as I go along. But there's a lot of pages from four or more years ago on here that I've been tempted to delete. Basically, I'm happy with everything I've written from 2020-onwards. Anything I've written prior is either just okay or a load of shite. I guess the reason for this is because when lockdowns hit in 2020, I really got into writing, and spent a lot of my free time on here. Since then, it's become a genuine passion of mine and I just think I'm better at it now.
Which specific reviews am I most proud of on this blog?
Umm... maybe my Van Halen III review? No one else likes that album, but I do - and I think I explained why fairly well. Possibly my review of Deep Purple's Now What?! too. It's considered to be one of the best latter-period Purple records, but to me it's one of their best of all time and I again, I think I did a good job of telling why I like it so much.
Which specific reviews am I least proud of on this blog?
Too many to list! Again, almost anything written pre-COVID!
Am I more or less critical of albums I've had for years as time progresses?
I'd probably say less critical overall. For example, when I redid my AC/DC page in 2021, most of their albums were scoring higher than what they did initially (not that they ever scored badly anyway of course, except maybe Ballbreaker...). No one likes to be biased, but you just can't help it sometimes. Metallica's St. Anger is generally considered to be a bad album (although maybe not quite as much these days as it was previously regarded), but when I re-reviewed it last year I ended up giving it a 5/10 - there's just as many things about it I like, hence the perfectly average score. But the things I do like about it might just stem from my love of Metallica in general, so bias does definitely have some influence.
Do I prefer to write more positive or negative reviews?
Listening to crappy albums isn't fun, but writing negative reviews kinda is. I get a kick out of it, because it's funny to talk shit about bad music. But I only review stuff I own, otherwise I'd just be ragging on pop or EDM music all the time. And that's not fair, because I'm not qualified to talk about two genres I dislike and own almost zero records of. So obviously there's a lot of positive reviews on here, but when I do review an album I own that I don't like, it's pretty fun.
Why don't I post album images to this blog?
Because I've posted hundreds of reviews at this point, and I don't have the patience to go back and take a picture of every album. If I copy and paste images from other sources, all the copyright crap would likely block them. Plus, Google images exists. Go look there you lazy sod.
Will I write more general music articles instead of just review posts?
Yeah. I mean, when I feel like it. This is a recent thing however. I've only done three so far - I critiqued various critic sites' rankings of the Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest discographies at the end of 2022. I do plan on doing more of these in the future, but only for other complete discographies that I'm fully familiar with of course. I'm open to doing other articles too, I just haven't done it yet.
Why do I only review albums in my collection, when Spotify exists?
I use Spotify all the time as well as my CDs and LPs, but I only review stuff I have physical copies of because... I don't know, actually. Just seems more legit somehow.
What is my criteria for the Quick Reference Guide?
The only bands that make it to the Quick Reference Guide are one's that I own at least every one of their studio albums, and have reviewed them all.
How do I stay motivated to write?
If I start a new discography page and have a bunch of albums to talk about, I normally feel quite eager to complete the entire page. And if I find the time to consistently write throughout the week (not necessarily every day, but every few days at least), it normally keeps me motivated to continue that pattern. Naturally, life happens though and I don't always have to time work on here every week. When other things start popping up in my life it often makes it more difficult for me to find the motivation to write stuff on here. But hey, I've always come back, even if there's been periods of inactivity here and there.
Would I ever branch out to other places, e.g. YouTube?
Possibly. I've already been thinking about starting a YouTube channel. Not because I expect to make any money from it of course, but because it's a new challenge. I'm not quite ready yet however. I don't post reviews to sites like Metal-Archives either, because here I can write whatever the hell I want without following sets of rules and guidelines.
What are some music-related YouTube channels I like watching?
Here's a few I can think of right now:
- Sea of Tranquility: Hands-down the best music discussion channel on YouTube. Pete Pardo is a legend, tons of videos posted all week and lots of great regular guests.
- The Contrarians: Good and interesting discussions about often overlooked records. Martin Popoff often has some unusual takes and opinions, but they're always worth hearing!
- Scott Waters: A very metal-focused vinyl channel. I've been following Scott since my teens.
- Brendon Snyder: Brendon's CD collection is insane, he has literally anything and everything rock-related. His record store videos are my favourite, and his whole channel and personality is super positive and chilled.
- Tastes Like Music: Decent music discussion channel with three guys who appear to be more within my age group.
- Now Spinning Magazine with Phil Aston: Probably one of the best review channels on YouTube, especially for showing what pricey box sets have to offer. Also, Phil is the best interviewer I can think of and again, a very positive guy.
Thoughts on professional music critics/journalists?
I'll admit that I don't read many of the paid big-name music sites and magazines these days. I read and listen to enthusiasts/fans/YouTube people all the time as I find their opinions to be much more genuine and honest by comparison, not to mention interesting. Big critic sites tend to always lean the same way towards whatever album or artist they are talking about.
But I can't deny the impact music magazines had on me when I was growing up. I was subscribed to Metal Hammer for many years as a teenager, and I used to read Classic Rock magazine a lot too. Classic Rock was pretty good in my opinion, but as a serious metalhead teenager I often got tired of all the metalcore/nu metal coverage in Metal Hammer during the mid-to-late 2000s. It's never been my thing, but like other genres I don't particularly enjoy, I'm not going to be ignorant and call it all 'shit'.
Are there any things I don't like about being a rock fan?
Ticket prices seem to be so much more expensive than they used to be. But this applies to all genres, not just rock I guess. I remember seeing Judas Priest with Megadeth and Testatment in 2009, and it cost me around £35 if my memory serves me well. I saw them again at the same venue in March of 2024 and I payed £81!! Crazy. But I don't know the ins-and-outs of the music biz either; maybe it's justified in this day and age. Probably not though, let's be honest.
Got anything else to say?
I try to keep any politics OUT of my blog. I'm sick and tired of browsing online rock and metal communities, and seeing so many political arguments occur regardless of the topic or band. It's just boring now. Everyone has their own political views, so just shut the fuck up and talk about music. I have friends, family and even my partner has differing political views to my own, doesn't mean we hate each other by default. People need to grow up.
I'd also like to talk about elitism in rock and metal music. I try to avoid elitist attitudes if I can help it, but I think every serious fan is a secretly a little bit elitist sometimes. For example, I don't like a lot of alternative influences in my metal, and I couldn't give a toss about most nu metal. Some songs here and there I like, but in my honest opinion, it's a genre I mostly hate. It's not rare to meet other metalheads that hate nu metal or metalcore etc., and sometimes I might let it slip that I too cannot stand that kind of music. But at the end of the day, if that's your jams, then more power to 'ya. I won't try to argue that it isn't metal...
...having said that, what I will say is that I don't like when casual fans of heavy music who've never dipped their toes into the genre any deeper than Slipknot, try to convince me that Linkin Park is as metal as, say, Testament. They're just not though, are they? Sometimes I think you have to be a little bit elitist just to prove a point.
Also, I get that I may have some strange takes on music myself at times. There's albums I might like more than the general public, and there's albums that I might like less too. Doesn't mean I'm wrong, or an idiot for thinking this way. Doesn't mean anyone else is either. That's the beauty of art. It's all subjective.
