What do you guys think of Heretic? Personally I'm not crazy about them, but man, ''The Search'' is a badass tune. Had the whole album sounded like that, then it easily could have been one of the best USPM metal albums ever I'm convinced.

I like "And Kingdoms Fall" a lot too. Great album, but yeah it could have been even more.

I thoroughly recommend Tyrant's Too Late to Pray, one of the most dense traditional (although only marginally) metal albums I ever heard. It's one of a kind, really.

Desultor's Masters of Hate is kicking my ass.

Holy shit, just found Dark Deception while slogging through some USPM demos. Where the hell did this band come from? It's incredible! Great songwriting, excellent singer, and a great production (for a demo). I'm going to have to try and track down this demo, unfortunately that's the only song on YouTube.

Aww, that's a shame but pretty cool that they're a unique band in a subgenre which is somewhat saturated. But thanks for the recs!

Oh well, what do you guys think of the less flowery female fronted bands such as Chastain, Triosphere, Messiah Force, Divine Ascension, etc?

METAL LADY!

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/8/1/4/4/81448.jpg

Hahahahah.

I'm unsure if this is at all what you're looking for, but you could give Isen Torr's Mighty & Superior EP a try. That's what quickly came to mind with the mention of guitar tone, at least.

Here's the title track for you.

"I" kind of remind me of this

Angel Dust's first two speed/thrash albums were a lot better than their power metal phase to me. Both are pretty good, though. Into the Dark Past is a great album, too.

I think the first two Angel Dust albums are boring. Well their first one anyway, since I haven't heard To Dust... in years, but somehow I doubt my opinion has changed about it...just dull songwriting.

Hi guys. Hope it hasn't been mentioned already, but I just read that Cloven Hoof - A Sultan's Ransom is getting the official re-release treatment in June in CD+DVD and LP formats by High Roller Records.

Thankfully they aren't doing it themselves, so it's got to better than that unlistenable Dominator re-release. Yuck.

It's fairly standard speed/thrash for the time, granted, but the songwriting is actually pretty damn good to me. Take "Legions of Destruction" for example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XBTcm2E ... re=related

Love the buildup, great vocals with some nice falsetto, and them riffs! Tons of great riffs on that track. Some of the album gets boring at times, but overall it's a really solid album.

It's a passable enough album, but ehh, got nothing on FRIGHTENING SHADOWS! HIDE BEHIND THE LIGHT!

The Dominator re-release isn't unlistenable at all. The original album sounded like garbage and the re-release sounds like slightly better garbage. The rhythm guitar tone is notably louder and sharper.

All I know is that I got a CD that was ripped from vinyl. Fuck that.

Have you guys heard Whetstone's Ancient Metal? Very solid heavy/power with an epic flair and a vocalist that's a dead ringer for Hansi Kursch, which is pretty weird. Definitely a diamond in the rough.

I am now a Messiah's Kiss fanboy.

Same here. They just do right everything that can be done right with power metal; the crunchy, roaring riffing, the blistering solos, the driving drums, and the fucking stellar vocals of Mike Tirelli. Damn, I got a bloody man-crush for that guy's voice.

Also, on a thrashier note, I have to say that I've been enjoying Savage Messiah quite a bit because, as said in the reviews hells_unicorn made for them, their particular brand of modern, Pankilleresque power/thrash is very cool, for certain. Not terribly original on it's own, sure, but then again there aren't many modern bands practicing power/thrash, much less with Savage Messiah's quality, and as such, I heartily recommend them.

yeeaaahh, they're a damn good band. They have riffs in spades, and the vocalist kind of makes me thing of Dave Mustaine with his tone, if Mustaine was like 10 times better at singing.

Yeah, now that you mention it, he does sound like a much less nasal Dave Mustaine that can actually sing, and with some Chuck Billy thrown in there for good measure. His high notes are pretty cool too; shrill, but powerful and piercing.

And now, to begin a series of short reviews simply titled: "Groups to Avoid Like the Plague"

Today's contestant: Opera Diabolicus
Sample Tune: "Blood Countess Bathory"
Official Genre Label: Epic Heavy/Gothic/Doom/Progressive Metal
Review in a Sentence: What the fuck am I listening to?!

Is it bad that I can't remember a single song from this disaster, and it's only been a few days since I heard it? God, what a disappointment. It has a fancy cover, it's got neat concepts and song titles, and it was produced by Andy LaRocque, for fuck's sake! And yet, you'd never be able to tell, because their album is a shitty heap of muddled orchestral melodies and toothless guitarwork with very, very generic vocals on all fronts. Oh, and there's no progressive or doom metal elements here; it's all faux-gothic metal nonsense without a single memorable hook or any semblance of epic sensibilities.

If I were to officially review their 1614 album, it would be ranked in the 30s. There are gleaming moments of potential every now and again, but they are sucked back into the mud before they can take off. I have a feeling LaRocque produced this for the hefty paycheck he must have been offered, and who can blame him? If someone offered me a ton of money to arrange their shitty album, I'd do it, too.

Zel, you should include a sample to give it more oomph. I went and checked out a song ("Blood Countess Bathory" iirc) and it was oversaturated sympho-bullshit. Spot-on description.

Good point.

I'm thinking of buying Unicorn's The 13th Sign since I can't find a working download anywhere and it would be the crown jewel of my collection.

This band is pretty sweet: http://www.myspace.com/crimsoncult

Solid heavy metal with some groovy riffs and some nice powerful mid range vocals.

Open Fire, demo only heavy/power band. Active in mid to late 80's. Looking for players to reactivate now. Metal Inquisitor covered one of their songs iirc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rt6c02E ... page#t=75s

Sadistical, pure Danzig worship. Only one EP released
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We9T6iwX ... page#t=15s

Boy I really love the demo versions of the Titan Force debut tracks. Conklin sounds so awesome, he's not as refined or clear, but it's cool hearing him sound a bit like he would on AD. "Blaze of Glory" stands out especially, he sounds a bit more aggressive with his approach. Subtle but cool noticeable differences on the demo tracks.

Anyone here like Ascension, Neonfly, and/or Conflicted? I never see any discussion on them, and I didn't know if it was because of dislike/indifference or not knowing them. I recommend those bands more for the Euro guys, not the USPM lovers. Conflicted is more of a prog band, I suppose. I wouldn't throw 'em in with power metal really.

Hmmm, Grave Digger's The Reaper is better than I remember it being. I should probably order this one, too. I dig Uwe's guitar sound and the production is really very good; pretty much perfect for the style. And yes, to answer someone's earlier question: Chris's vocals are brilliant.

That album is cool, but when it comes to Grave Digger, I think that The Grave Digger is where the pure gold is. I like quite a bunch of their albums, yes, but that one has sort of a sentimental significance for me, most likely because it's the record that got me into GD. More specifically, I started to love them when I listened to Spirits of the Dead, a song that is easily the possessor of one of the best choruses I've ever heard.

Haven't heard that one in awhile, great stuff. "The Reaper" is definitely awesome, everything up to "The Grave Digger" is among their best I'd say. The stuff that followed for awhile isn't bad, but their mid era was just straight to the point kicking ass.

Oh yeah 'Spirits of the Dead' is a killer song, I don't know the rest of the album... but that's one of GD's best songs.

Haha that sounds exactly like all of Grave Digger's other choruses. It's not a bad song, but Giants is probably my favorite song from their 00's material. That main riff!!

Which reminds me I have to listen to Rheingold more often. Brilliant album.

And hey, Spirits of the Dead's chorus isn't faceless

So I've been listening to a shitload of bands that sit on the border between hard rock and metal, like KISS, Skid Row, Steelheart, W.A.S.P., etc. and I want more bands in that vein. Bands who don't try to be too serious or deep but instead focus on more catchy music that just FUCKING ROCKS. So what other great bands besides the obvious are out there that just scream "ROCK AND ROLL"?

Oh Jesus, I've been hunting down more stuff I've been putting off, and now I think I'm in over my head.

I got, like, 20 albums lined up.

I think "Rheingold" is -easily- my favorite of the later Grave Digger stuff.

Been listening to a lot of Phantom recently. Their sophomore album is almost as good as Cyberchrist - it's less consistent and a good bit slower, but goddamn some of those songs kill. Wolves at the Door is just a perfect example of how to write a mid-paced ominous track that keeps you completely engaged and doesn't drag at all.

If you're not afraid of non-American stuff, Baron Rojo is one of my very favorite hard rock/heavy metal bands. Catchy as shit, with serious attitude, and more rock than the Rockies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFE3S3_nLFI