A couple I've always struggled to get into:

Gorguts - Obscura
Made it five deep this run, but don't think I'll ever revisit this. This avant/jazzy branch of metal just does nothing at all for me. Aimless riffs, no particular atmosphere to speak of, vocal style sounds completely arbitrary over the instruments. It's technically impressive and unique, sure, the musicianship is good but the whole experience is super unengaging for me and sounds ultra-forced.

Demilich - Nespithe
Liking this a lot more than I have in the past, it's gaining some traction. The riff work and composition have a lot more drive and direction than what's on Obscura, more flavorful production, too. The vocals aren't my favorite but, taken as a whole, it's pretty listenable, and the Realm of Chaos influence sweetens the deal.

^ Both albums I really admire.

Bruce Dickinson - Mistress of Mercy

Not getting old yet. Love the dark vibe, the drive and the charge of it all, the differing moods.

Judas Priest - Gates of Hell

First time listen. It's great.

Narnia - Long Live the King

So, now they are a full band, the sound is more power metalish and I notice a clear Stratovarius influence, the vocalist's performance is more solemn and preacher-like. It's an interesting evolution, I'm not sure if I like it more or less than the debut, what I can say is that it's very accessible and enjoyable music to listen to.

Judas Priest - As God Is My Witness

That's one cool, driving main riff. Very solid tune, and the album seems pretty good on first listen. Too bad they went for this glossy, synthetic production, but it's not a deal breaker.

Over the last few days.

Kingdom Come - In Your Face

I liked it when they asked the singer about Led Zeppelin and he cracked a joke "I've never heard them". A good album.

Robert Plant - Now and Zen

Very 80's pop. Ship of Fools is my favorite.

The Dead Daisies - Radiance

A good modern rock album.

I refuse to believe that this combination of name and title is real.

LOL, I never thought about it like that.

Bolt Thrower - Cenotaph!!!

Alone you stand - The final parody
Destined to silence - A memorial to mortality

Carved in stone - A tribute to the dead
For nameless victims - Whose litany is unread

Never Forgotten - War's memory lingers on
A dark reminder - To mankind's oblivion

This solemn image - Constructed with resolution
A monument - To war's terminal conclusion

Cenotaph!!!

Solstice - To Sol a Thane

Such a great band!
This latest album is amazing.

Hope they have something new coming soon!

Glaciation- Ultime éclat

Nice French Black Metal. This singer has got some pipes on him, wish I spoke French, because this shit sounds cool as hell.
I've been sniffing around some of these bands from the French scene as of late, and I will say I love this sound.
Check it out.

I just listened to that 20th Adversary pack they released ten years ago the other day and it's just good grimy technical death metal. To me, the vocals seal the deal and I'm still impressed that those are his genuine vocals.

Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence
Isen Torr - Mighty & Superior
Liege Lord - Master Control
Morbid Angel - Covenant

Covenant is fucking crazy. Great, grinding maniacal riffs. Wonderfully strange macabre vibes.

A stellar list.
Plant’s solo career has been hit or miss, but he’s never been afraid to follow his muse and do whatever the hell he wants. “Ship Of Fools” is sublime. Should have been a global #1 hit.

Gorefest-Blood Is Thick

This is legitimately amazing lmao

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

I cannot choose between this or "Powerslave" when it comes to favorite Maiden album.


If I have to pick a favorite Morbid Angel album, it probably is that one.
Suddenly remembering a goofy scene in "Night of the Demons 2" involving the song "Rapture". It's dumb and I love it. Trashy horror movies just ain't what they used to be.

Queensryche - Selfish Lives

This album was a .98 cent pickup at a thrift store and its a pretty solid album. This cut is pretty good, but so far the whole thing has been a pleasant surprise. Good vocals, leads, and drums.

Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 1.

A pretty solid song but not sure about they key runs.

KK's Priest – Sermons of the Sinner
KK's Priest – The Sinner Rides Again

Musically darker and more snappy and dangerous than Richie's Priest but one of their flaws is Ripper's penchant for layering different vocal tracks (the metal screamer, the grotto demon, the Witchking etc.), especially on the second album. It's absolute overkill. A human being has one voice, not twelve. There are some good ideas on "The Sinner Rides Again", e.g. "One More Shot at Glory" and some similarities to "Dissident Aggressor" in a couple of tracks, but they're hidden behind walls of vocals. For me, this arrangement choice is the weak spot. It just sounds awful when somebody's trying to sing all octaves and, sometimes, all notes at the same time. I prefer clear melody lines.

I can’t choose from Iron Maiden to Seventh Son …so you are at good point…


Seriously how Covenant can be better of Altars or Blessed..?

No Brunelle

After All - This Violent Decline

Belgian thrash metal. If you enjoy listening to Paradox (Ger), you should dig this.

Beenkerver - Breng mij haar hoofd

Damn, some recent releases* will get me expecting really good things from one-wo/man black metal bands (projects?). This one immediately reminded me of Nocte Obducta, a huge huge plus in my book, with its melancholic opening lead. Really good song all in all, and the album's shaping up to be very fine on first listen.

*Primarily thinking of Helleruin, Hulder and now this one.

StarGazer - The Scream That Tore The Sky

This organic strain of prog/tech death will always be one of my favorite styles of death metal, melodious yet frantic and aggressive at the same time.

Convulsing - Perdurance

I'm now convinced that this is Sloan's best work by far. Less blackened and more experimental than the past two, but still a very intense dissodeath album at its core.

Judas Priest – Live in Kansas City 1986

I've always like "Priest… Live!". So let's see how this more complete concert from the "Fuel for Life" tour compares.

I go between all their first three albums really. They were a really creative force - lots of interesting stuff and they never seemed to do the same thing twice. And I don't know if I ever saw that one.

Zakk Sabbath - first three Sabbath albums
Zakk Wylde's playing can be annoying, but his interpretations of the first three Sabbath albums is pretty damned good. Really enjoyable stuff.

Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East

Always incredible how these earlier cuts gained much more bite here compared to the studio versions.

Thin Lizzy - s/t

Not nearly as captivating as their later material, but solid enough. Phil is always enjoyable to listen to and the band are great, it's just the songs aren't quite there yet.

Judas Priest - "Twin Turbo"
Bootleg CD comprised of seven songs recorded for 'Turbo' or 'Ram It Down' that were supposedly intended for the shelved idea of "Turbo" being a double album. All of these songs have been officially released as bonus tracks on the early 2000s remasters.

"All Fired Up" is a pretty cool tune.

Fides Inversa- Historia Nocturna
Italian Black metal, checking all of the right boxes for me right now. Fast, dark, and straight to the point. Great atmosphere.
I love the album art for this record too.
https://www.metal-archives.com/images/8 ... 0.jpg?1607

Just finished the album Soul Survivor by Gorefest. It was not good.

Blackrat- Dread Reverance

Black/Thrash from Canada. Nasty attitude, and punky riffs. I'm late to the party with this band, this is really good stuff.
I just realized this singer is the same guy from Kontact. Wow, totally different vocals. I will be checking more of these guys out.
As should you.
Cheers

Motörhead - No Sleep 'til Hammersmith

The best live album that mankind has seen. 100% rock and roll, bloody classic.

Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence

This one actually seems like the better of their first two for me these days - more character to it, a certain griminess which the follow up smoothed out in favor of something more fast and tempo-based. Both tend to get slightly monotonous maybe but it's in that charming way a metal album can be - nothing but the bludgeoning. It's craftsmanship rather than a real failure.

Blind Illusion - The Sane Asylum

Love this... I always appreciate bands that completely do things their own way, with no trends or larger scene hallmarks really. All the playing on this is unique as fuck. Songs feel weird and original but never incoherent.

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness

This one is always funny for me since, if I had to really choose, I'd say I like Vincent's vocals better once he deepened it and did the true death metal sound, and I like the production on the next few more, too. But this one just has such brilliant, arresting songwriting - completely blistering metal genius. It's unmatched, really.

All 3 of these albums are essential.
great choices

Megadeth - Youthanasia
This album is overlooked a little bit I would say. Countdown gets a lot more attention, but I think this album is way better. With the release of the 2004 version, they put out a few demos and cut songs, there's one called Absolution I really like. Bizarrely though, this song has the original drums, not the 2004 sampled replacement drums, so score one for purists. Though, if I had to be fair, the 2004 remix of Youthanasia is one of the least egregious of the bunch.
My personal favorite way to listen to this album is to convert the 1994 version to a playlist, then put Absolution at the front of the list and Diadems from Hidden Treasures (originally made for this album) at the back end.

Funebrarum - The Sleep of Morbid Dreams
Really fun album, the riffs come thick and fast and the production is unbelievably burly. They captured all the fibrous, macabre texture of something like Privilege of Evil and gave it a contemporary sheen. The songs never lose steam, rushing you down oily sewers of Finnish DM leads and plunging over frantic, punishing cataracts as you're bludgeoned from every angle. Quite a beast.

Entombed - Living Dead / Sinners Bleed

Death metal perfection. I will never get tired of taking this wonderful and horrifying journey down to hell.

One of best one-two of death metal (and not alone)

Reverend Bizarre - Dunkelheit

Powerful, hypnotic and moving. Suddenly life has new meaning.