I would also give All For One a chance. I'm especially fond of "Take Control".

So I've been enough lucky to hear the new Timo Tolkki's Avalon album today and I must say it sucks big time!!! The songs have some potential but production-wise it is a global disaster...
For example song "Rise Of The 4th Reich" could be a TOP HIT but it sounds like crap...
I am wondering if Tolkki was doing all the studio work on this album and if so I would not recommend him doing the same shit on the following one!

I like what I'm hearing on Take Control. Btw, with my limited spins, I am preferring "Wiped Out" to "Rock Out...". Not that I'm trying to blatantly pit one against the other, but Wiped Out seems like a more complete record with consistently good songs.

1984 or 2014? You be the judge.

Whats a Speed Metal band with war themed lyrics?

I also want to be able to listen to them in spotify/pandora. (but its not needed)

This review says it all: http://myglobalmind.com/2014/05/11/timo ... se-review/

Wiped Out is ultimately better IMO and definitely more polished, but Rock Until You Drop is just so fucking raw, energetic and frantic. When I'm in the mood for it nothing else will do. Faster than the Speed of Light is still my favorite Raven song though.

Hung Drawn and Quartered is also awesome, but All for One isn't as good an album overall i don't think.

Is the double CD version of Crystal Logic worth getting if you already own the album?

Not sure if this has been posted yet so I apologize if it has. Solar Eagle's demo and ep are finally getting a release on cd via Skol records.

http://metalkaoz.com/metal-news/13289-s ... ssued.html

went to Destroying Texas Fest last night and saw a guy with a "speed metal" tattoo and another guy with some great patches, like Agent Steel.

Do you people actually exist offline as well?

Hahah what "you people", weren't you the one breaking your own balls to compile some ultimate speed metal jamz list?

I've set things in motion to order the new Demon Bitch tape. Very excited. The one song they have on youtube is so damn good. And there's 4 tracks this time!

I want that belt buckle, but the price is a little high for me when you factor in conversion to USD. With shipping I think it could come out somewhere between $60-$80. Considering I will probably be able to get the double CD for about $15-$20 and I wouldn't pay more then $20 for that buckle. Still it would be cool to have though.

So, FSM hipped me to Saber Tiger a few days ago while we were discussing Anthem, and it turns out some of their recent material is actually really fucking good.



Nonstop solid heavy/power metal riffage all the way through, and a modern production that sounds massive but not sterile.

Fuck! *adds another one to the wantlist*

I've heard of Saber Tiger for awhile and have been meaning to eventually check them out - they got bumped up the priority list.

I only know Saber Tiger because they did the 3rd ending theme to Hajime no Ippo. :V

One band in particular that is absolutely amazing to listen to: HOLY GRAIL

Soaring vocals with neo-classical guitar solos!

No.

Stuff like this really isn't worth shit until you know that the album's good. For example, I bet more than a few Morbid Angel fans splashed out on the deluxe box set of their last album before even hearing it. In fact, even then the regular version is probably better. A freebie can be nice (a sticker or a patch, as is included in the new Portrait album, which I bought today). All that other merch is just for people with too much disposable income.

@ Acrobat, the belt buckle is ambiguous though as it does not specify that it is from the "Return of the Reaper" album, and Grave Digger has used the same font on all their albums. Still it does cost to damn much for me. If I lived in Europe I would probably buy it though.

I recently came across this Judas Priest buckle though:


Pretty cool even though I'm sure its not officially licensed. Just purchased it a couple of days ago. Came out to $7.98 shipping included. Not to bad.

Hehe, that Priest belt buckle's over-the-top. The British Steel razor or the 1980s logo would probably make for a better buckle, I think.

So, the new Portrait's definitely good; definitely branching out beyond a "Mercyful Fate clone" (although their previous album certainly did that, too). It's pretty complex, demanding stuff at times; the production's a little more organic, but also with some strange choices - the vocals, for example, are quite far back in the mix at times. Interesting stuff, though, recommended. There's nothing as immediate as 'Beast of Fire' but it's definitely worth digging into.

I did, but the stupid website database crashed and lost it.

The cover art for the new Midnight is pretty stupid/awesome!
http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Mi ... hem/411531

That's pretty cool. They're never going to top Satanic Royalty though, as far as covers go. That blue you could fall into, plus the little demon chicks looking just a BIT underage...it's perfect.

I was jamming Satanic Royalty on the way into work Monday. It's so good, but it's just not the album I want it to be. Which isn't a fair criticism but I can't shake the feeling when I play it. I wish they sounded more like Venom and less like rock and roll. Even still...Satanic Royalty is about as good as it gets if you just want some dirty rock and roll played in Satan's name.



Oh wow, that's brutal. I wanted to make fun of how hard you worked on it even though no one cared about it but you....but now I just feel bad hahah

Yeah, I really like Satanic Royalty but I hope the new one's got a higher ratio of speed metal parts to rocking mid-paced parts.

Some of the track names are so promising. Evil Like a Knife and Prowling Leather have to be an incredible 1-2 punch right?

Boy, I love all this retro metal coming out. It's like the NWOBHM all over again.

What I think I love most though (other than those awesome riffs) is that they get the production sound just right and don't overproduce those crips riffs as a lot of the older bands seem to be all too tempted to do.

It's like a new wave of vitality into trad. metal, which is awesome.

Somehow, the stars were right today, and I found a copy of Omen's Battle Cry in a local record store. Of course I bought it, plus Motorhead's Another Perfect Day. My pockets hurt, but it was so worth it

I'm interested in this too; also, has anyone picked up the SKR reissue of "Mystification" yet? Does it feature two covers like the Sentinel Steel edition?

On a somewhat related note, any bands similar (like, really similar) to Hyborian Steel? I checked out some of the bands their guitarist is involved in, but none were to my liking.

Not really. The bonus tracks are for die hards only. Not much replay value. The remastering makes the album sound a bit different but not necessarily better.


Only the original '87 artwork.

Tragedy Divine's one and only album "Visions of Power" is quite the trip. Shades of Arch era Fates especially in terms of setting mood and atmosphere but it eventually capitulates towards a more straightforward power metal delivery. Not as esoteric then. Still, songs like "I Married A Witch" are big fun;

Shit man, this is awesome. You seem to be good at pulling random awesome bands out of your ass, got any more? Hehe. Cool stuff.

Nice band, I wasn't famliar with them! The singer is in many other bands, he seems to be the German Swanson. I like Angel of Damnation and Battleroar (I need to check their new one Blood of Legends.)



I reviewed Dark Quarterer's The Etruscan Prophecy, I can't get enough of this marvelous band, they fucking rule divine!

That song is the best thing on that album. The rest of it just kinda meanders about. Disappointing because that cover art really got me excited and then I was stricken with total boredom.

Lame. The new artwork is a lot better.

I thought so, thank you.

Well, since I learned about Tales of Medusa and Longings Past from you, I figure two good turns deserve a dozen....
Right now, I could recommend the really ancient Heathen's Rage but I suspect you've heard of them.




That's Gerrit Mutz whose main band is Sacred Steel. He sounds better now than ever. Angel of Damnation sounds really cool, will check the album out. The new Battleroar on the other hand, is exceedingly awesome.

Yeah I know Heathen's Rage, pretty cool stuff. Thanks though.

I can't believe I never realized how ACDC Tim Baker's (Cirith Ungol) voice is. Love these crazy singers.

Yeah one of my friends pointed that out the first time I showed him CU. I've been aware of it since then, although I don't think about it often since I'm not much for AC/DC.