This first Blessed Death album rules so hard. They are ugly and believable. The vocalist is a gem. Took me a minute but I finally realize who he reminds me of. The guy from Tyrant! The giant, beautiful man. He has all that drama and malice, but his train moves a little faster.

They look a little older than your average purveyors of speed circa '85. I have a feeling this is important. Napalm, for instance, opens with this effortless Sabbath swagger that I never expected.

Really great stuff! Othyrworld, wow what a fucking impression that opening lick makes. Been meaning to check them out for a while, would you recommend the original Sacred Blade recording or the updated one? Ritual is awesome too, definitely captures the mysterious moody feeling of the best Diamond Head, but put through more of a doomy filter? Putting these two on my list. Manilla Road, I'm only just really starting to like their classic material, so I probably hold off on the older stuff now. I do like that droning, rock-ish type of epic metal (Quicksand Dream), so I'm sure I'll get into old MR in time.

Canadian USPM demo band. Lots of FW-worship here.
Like No Exit was recorded in an alternative universe. Sometimes the singer tries to out-Arch Arch.



More demo bands:
Apollo Ra (1989)
Bastille (1991)

Hittman - s/t (1988)
Hollow - Modern Cathedral (1997)
Balance of Power - Heathen Machine (2003)
Secrecy - Art in Motion (1990)

In the same vein as above, some USPM, some from the vast wave of "Cloneryches", some power/thrash that gets lumped together with the previous, some well-known, some a bit more obscure... This whole scene is VAST, the underground is filled to the brim with demos and lone albums.


Zions Abyss (1991)
Lord Bane (1994)
Oliver Magnum (1989)
Forte (1992) (bit thrashy too)
Leatherwolf (1987) (little prog elements, also some hard rock)
Lethal (1990)
Wicked Maraya (1994)
Catharsis (1995)
Throes of Sanity (1995)
Titan Force (1989)
Mystic Force (1993)
Twilight Kingdom (1995 demo - better than the album version)
Helstar (1988) outside your scope really but pretty damn amazing...

Also, I would recommend visiting a couple of threads from another board:

That Othyrworld album is a perfect example of modern heavy metal. The production doesn't sound anything like the 80s but it's PERFECT. It suits the vibe so well. That album takes you on a journey, every time. I'm still steadily trying to keep an eye out for a reasonable-priced copy of the Sacred Blade debut. I hate myself for not buying one directly from The Pilot before he crashed. Glad you dug it!

I'm stuck on Voivod lately. I've had the CDs for awhile but they're various russian and brazil presses that sound like dogshit. The vinyl versions...oh my god the vinyl versions. I feel like I heard Rrroooaaarrr for the first time last night. I had a moment. I think it truly might be the most confrontational album. Total irradiated speed metal hell.

I'm hooked on this 2012 EP by one of my old favorites, Dark at Dawn. I couldn't find it back when it came out, but this is seriously fucking grade A power metal. It's their best work I think - a whole album of this stuff would be close to classic material. Just great crunchy classic metal riffs, somber and elegant melodies and the inimiatble, deep vocals they're known for. These songs are catchy and energetic and heavy as hell. This is basically 100% what I want in PM.

Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8heKKunw-4Q

The other songs are in the related videos. Just so good. I am trying to track down a way to buy this.

This is surprisingly cool. Despite the god-awful artwork and band logo the production isn't disgustingly modern sounding. The riffs are definitely crunchy as hell but there's a great melodic vein running through everything. Color me surprised!

Their album Of Decay and Desire is their strongest album, I think, and it may be of interest to some here - very moody, elegant stuff, but with heavy as fuck riffage and a great sense of hooky songwriting. It isn't very USPM but I think some may dig it here.

But damn, this EP is just on another level, keeping their core sound but the band sounds more confident and the music more consonant and streamlined without losing integrity. Just another example of a great underground band ignored for no reason other than obscurity. Sometimes the best bands are the unknown ones - super tragic to me in this case, the way they seem to have disappeared again. Their last FB post was in 2013. Hope they release more someday.

Mr. Vic ... you forgot SCREAMER: "Target Earth"! That one is a masterpiece.

Indeed! Considering the scope of the sound one could go for hours... Heir Apparent, Liege Lord, Slauter Xstroyes, Fifth Angel...

Have any of you listened to the new Dark Forest? I just listened to a few tracks and I'm hooked.

Yeah man, super catchy and fun stuff. Have you heard their previous shit too? Quality band.

I listened to a few songs from their second album a while ago, but I never listened to the whole thing. I remember thinking they changed from black metal to power metal!

And you both forgot KINGSBANE. Honestly, I think this is the most Fates Warning-esque stuff I've heard. Obviously, there's a big Queensryche influence but the way it's put together is much more like Fates. A damn underrated band.

Posted one of the "rock songs" previously decided it's time to post a piece of historical speed metal instead
So at least this is something you wont find on the new Running Wild album

Because Opus had already posted them, as well as other fine choices.

Wow, that Blazon Stone cover is exactly like Little Big Horn's cover.

Yeah I laughed a bit when I saw it the first time but eh, it's good for me. It's not like the music is any different from the same band either

But I've already started recording the next album and I have a more unique idea for the cover art next time.

So I listened to the first five Mob Rules albums at work, and I like these guys a lot. I think I like 'em more than Gamma Ray, the band they're obviously influenced by.

Have you guys ever listened to Veonity? I listened to a bit of their 2015 release and I liked it. I just randomly came across them again and apparently they have a new album coming out!

New 2016 single:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vJriqXFYppQ

2015 song:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3IlsyHge85k

Yeah, I listened to their last album about Roman gladiators. Their vocals have gotten much better!

Can anyone suggest power metal bands with trance-y synth? Stuff like Odyssea, 4th Dimension (stuff like the song Kingdom of Thyne Illusion is basically what I want), Hammerforce, etc.

And don't recommend a Japanese band like Jormungand, DOLL$BOXX, etc. because I'm confident I already know them

Heard Synthphonia Suprema? They kinda suck, but they may be worth downloading anyway.

Does this work?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oFxOENdPz8s

I thought of Bob Katsionis' (Firewind, Serious Black, etc) solo albums. They have plenty of that sonic element although they are basically instrumentals based on the classic shred albums and a mix of power metal with heavy Dream Theater influences Very catchy though if you like that sort of thing, I would suggest the first 3 (Turn of my Century, Imaginary Force and Noemon), he gets too cheesy after that for my tastes (YMMV). You can try Nightrager or Galaxy There might be better examples than this, I haven't really exhausted these albums.


Not what you're looking for but the trance-y remark reminded me of these:

Labyrinth's cover of Vertigo

Nylithia - F-22 (speed/thrash though)

Anyone here listen to Sumerlands yet? I only lisend to the first few tracks but Seventh Seal is awsome.
http://sumerlands.bandcamp.com/releases

Thanks guys. I'll get on the Bob Katsionis stuff, seems like the sort of dorky prog crap I'd like.

Great song! Your craft is being honed close to perfection. Can't wait to pick this one up!

Thanks dude. Yeah I've learned a lot since the first two...

Yep, I concur that that is a pretty goddamn cool track.

The new Axxion album, available for 48 hours (46 now).
Solid speed/NWoBHM, no modernities to be found and enough falsetto to fulfill your needs for both 2016 and 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXWRI8Q0MhU

Heh, I found this band on bandcamp. Might interest people who like some King Diamond worship.

https://them6.bandcamp.com/

This is excellent stuff. They have real songwriting chops.

Holy shit. Shadow Kingdom is selling a Tales of Medusa cassette for a lot of money. In their words, $150.00 will not buy it. Didn't know they were that popular?

They aren't that popular, it's just that they only release like 100-200 copies of their albums so physical copies aren't usually available for sale, and I guess hardcore fans are willing to shell out for them? I love the shit out of the band, but I wouldn't pay $150 for a cassette no matter what it was, personally.

1. The Sumerlands album is fucking great. Brilliantly retro, heavy as hell guitar tone cranking out monster headbanging riffs, and Phil Swanson being his awesome self over the exact type of music his voice works for. Man I love it. You guys gotta check it out.

2. Blind Guardian's Imaginations from the Other Side, man - what a great album. No one else sounded like this and the music is heavy and mean and folksy and kind of beautiful all at once. My favorite album from them these days.

That Sumerlands album really surprised me. The promo sheet that came with left me a little leery, but I'm glad I checked it out. You're right, Phil rocks that album.

What did the promo sheet say?

Formed by an all-star cast of scene veterans, heavy metal force SUMERLANDS burst out of the proverbial gates with a fully-formed sound on their Guardian demo in 2014. The band's output is one that calls to mind the most learned heavy metal ancestors and the most forward-thinking newcomers: one that sounds old but feels new. In its short existence, the band has already garnered widespread praise from the likes of Sputnik Music, No Clean Singing, and Pitchfork, the latter of which stated that, "SUMERLANDS sounds like Cirith Ungol and every lost '80s American power metal band on steroids of steel, getting swole and flexing their might."

I've been jamming this for about a week now (the band sent me a promo) and it rules so much. I've got a review at the link in my signature if anyone is curious.



I'd never heard of Sumerlands, but I've now seen it mentioned on here a couple times in the past few days, so I guess I need to check it out.

Also, you're bang on about Imaginations. Best album from Blind Guardian by far, and no one else still sounds like that.

In general, I think the title track of Somewhere Far Beyond is more-or-less the encapsulation of everything that Blind Guardian is about, but if someone was to ask where to start with BG, yeah, I'd hand them Imaginations. It's an ideal cross-section of their sound past and present.