Yeah I only download stuff I already have physical copies of, so I can basically have my entire collection at work with me. The s/t was surprisngly easy to get ahold of, but the second one might not be. One of the few cases where I'd probably want to sample it first. I wonder if he mixed up the production style any.

Nah I've never even heard Warlord to be honest with you. Just Cauldron Born doing a cover on their debut. Dude undeniably has a penchant for triumphant sounding melodies though.

I've never heard Warlord either, actually. Arkeyn Steel is releasing a double disk comp featuring all their material; but it's really pricy. 19 euros before shipping. Howie from Cauldron Born said he might consider getting in some copies for his distro. I hope he does, it'd probably save me a lot of money.

Speaking of Cauldron Born, really looking forward to that EP. 12 minute Cauldron Born song? Heavy Load cover? Yes please.

The second album is equally amazing.

YEESH that sounds pretty amazing. Was Howie talking about it here or something? I need to start taking notes. I'm ready to snap up anything he puts out, especially under the Cauldron Born name.

I'll keep an eye out for that Arkeyn Steel release. I would think Howie would still have to charge quite a bit for it, to cover his own costs.

I'm sure he's mentioned it here, but I keep regular contact with him outside of the forum. Every now and then I get nosy and hassle him about the EP. I'm pretty sure he told me the EP has two new CB songs, the Heavy Load cover and the four tracks from the Swords, Sorcery and Science demo. Gonna be quite the release.

God damn dude, I was hyped when I thought it was just going to be two songs hahaha. That is going to be the definition of a must-have release for me. I love that he chooses to cover such simple songs, when the stuff he writes is brain-melting by comparison.

Tim from Shadow Kingdom says the album is pretty much Manilla Road with keyboards. Should be good, as long as it's not Playground of the Damned with keyboards.

I'll be seeing Manilla Road live the SECOND TIME next summer

Listening to some samples of the new Antiquus on iTunes...sounds like more of their usual goodness with a better production job. I'm sold. Gonna buy this thing the first chance I get.

I only listened to their first 2 albums once, but I remember enjoying what I heard.

Ramayana is a bit too weird to be really memorable, but Eleutheria is a masterpiece of the genre.

I listened to a few of the samples from the new Antiquus album, and one of them had...rapping? Wat.

It's not unthinkable. If hard rock groups like the Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine could get away with it without sounding too ridiculous...

Yeah, that was the first one...it really threw me off. But the rest of the samples didn't have any rapping, so I didn't think it was too important to mention.

Hey guys, just signed up hoping to get some recommendations for some good Power Metal releases from the last few years.

Found 2012 to get off to a pretty slow start and im wanting to check out some new stuff that i might have missed from the past few years.

Ill know most of the mainstream stuff (by power metal standards), the likes of Gamma Ray, Helloween, Blind Guardian, Stratovarius etc..

Im sure theres plenty out there thats pretty good but ive overlooked.

Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks

Definitely check out Pharaoh's last few albums, Antiquus - Elutheria, and Vulvagun's debut.

Whoa, Vulvagun seems really cool.

On another note, checking out Vulvagun on youtube led me to Ozric Tentacles... holy shit, this is awesome.

Yeah, Kudos to Empyreal, he was the one that was promoting them.

Sup. Just realized that I really like the style of bands like Skullview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfNUjso4 ... ure=relmfu But don't really know any other bands like them... Heard a few similar bands in the past, but can't remember their names. I guess Omen is pretty similar, but that's all that comes to mind. Any other similar bands?

To the guy who asked for recent power metal albums and didn't really specify anything else, check out Theocracy's As The World Bleeds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVs2ulome_Y

Will have to check that Warhead out. Anything similar to Fatal Violence has got my vote.

I keep meaning to cheak out more of Pharaoh's stuff after listening to "The Longest Night" which is pretty damn good.



Good band Theocracy, own both their albums.


Pagan's Mind are a band that have really grown on me this year, first heard about them last year when "Heavenly Ecstacy" came out was highly impressed, Got the "Celestial Entance" earlier this year and tht album was even better, probably now one of my favourite PM albums.

Im sure most of you guys will have come across them before though, but if you havent, you need to check them out.

I never would've thought saying this a couple years ago but the first 3 Sonata Arctica albums are great!

Your not alone there, especially "Winterheart's Guild", i wish they'd bring that style back rather than the more slower symphonic style thats appeared in the last coupla albums (and it does look like its going to change either ), stuff like The Cage, Blank File, San Sebastian too me is SA at their best and the ditched the main componant of those songs (imo) which was the upbeat tempo.

And what's wrong with Reckoning Night, huh? Huh?! HUH?!?

Sonata Arctica are even worse than Stratovarius. Dreamspace is cool though.

Damn dude... damn. I'm speechless.

Thanks for showing this to us, Element. It's every bit as good as I would've imagined it, and Arch sounds great. Again; thank you man.

Go raibh míle maith agat!

So, Arch certainly brings it live. That was amazing.

Can someone recommend me some speed metal in the vein of Exciter and Warfare (Mayhem FUCKIN MAYHEM!!!)? Pure speed metal that kind of borders on thrash. Even stuff like on Raven's Wiped Out would be cool too. Just some blistering break neck speed metal. I'd prefer if the vocals were more in the realm of Exciter and Warfare as well.

Thanks so much in advance! I'm been wracking my brain for more shit like this for a while.

I just got a ton of recs from the Thrash thread that are partially speed metal, so I can give you some of those. They included early Annihilator, Hallows Eve, Heathen, Holy Terror, Ulysses Siren, and Paradox.

Perhaps check out Fatal Violence and Powerlord.

Fuck. Yes. These are both perfect examples of what I'd like. Of course there can be variation, but this is perfect! I love the production on Powerlord's album. Really raw and from '86 no less! One of my favorite years of metal.

Thanks DeathRiderDoom!

@Zelkiiro, Edit: Apparently I need to re-listen to some of my thrash albums because I don't remember what half of those bands sound like anymore. I was getting Ulysses Siren mixed up with Mekong Delta for some odd reason... anyhow thanks a metric ton for those bands! I'll check those out soon.

Anything else is much appreciated guys!

^ Sweet, glad you like those bands - I absolutely love both of them.

Zelkiiro mentioned Holy Terror which i think you'd dig too. Really aggressive, nasty thrash with some powery vibes. One of my favourite of the US thrash bands - prefer 'em to any of the Big Four.

Yeah I didn't understand how the Powerlord album got average ratings. Phenomenal album! Precisely what speed metal is all about! A perfect mixture of early-mid 80's power metal and blistering thrash metal.

Right on, I'll definitely check it out. 2 albums with such good ratings! Shouldn't disappoint.

Also...anything else that sounds like that shit is always welcome!

Other than what's already been rec'd, there Onslaught's "The Force", Destructor's "Maximum Destruction", Helstar's "Nosferatu", Realm's "Endless War", Toxik's first two, Whiplash's first three...Xeogred will probably know some more.

Agent Steel, and Scanner are a couple obvious ones. Liege Lord is really good power/speed metal. Give Master Control a listen. Solitaire is some good Exciter worship. Revenge, Assault, Iron Angel (Check out Hellish Crossfire), Riot (Check out Thundersteel), Striker, Messiah Force, Enforcer, Predator, Amulance, Abattoir, and Skull Fist are some more to check out.