Motörhead - Iron Fist (1982)

Jesus Christ, there are few bands who knows how to kick off an album better than Motörhead in their primes. With songs like "Motörhead", "Overkill", "Dead Men Tell No Tales", and "Ace of Spades", Lemmy and his crew have made sure that they blow you away every time you hit the start button. "Iron Fist" is no different, opening up with a title track that may have a lot of similarities with "Ace of Spades", but is still a kick ass track with blazing speed, fantastic riffing, and a chorus that you have to shout out. There is no bullshit here, just a knuckle sandwich coming at you straight from the start.

And that is probably the strategy the band had to have to even come close to the amazing "Ace of Spades", going balls to the wall with fast heavy metal that will melt your face. Here we have a 36 minute album that is packed with 12 songs, variating between 2 and 4 minutes in length, which almost makes this a punk album. It is obvious that Lemmy might have had too much free time to write songs here, because while the quality is even and nice, it flashes by like... well... The Flash. There is not enough time here to really appreciate the music, making it feel rushed.

Even if the ride is short, there is still lots of excitement to be had. All three band members have cranked up the volume and pushed the pedal to the metal, giving it all in an onslaught that is equally impressive as intense. "Iron Fist" also ended up to be the last we saw from guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clark (whom left the band a month after the release of the album), and while the chemistry between him and Lemmy was far from perfect during the recording, very little of that shows, with Eddie delivering some fantastic riffs all across the board. A really nice last outing from the dude.

And then we have the lyrics, which is more of what we have learned to love from the band. Everything from drugs, sex, and all of that stuff, but my favourite here might be from "(Don't Need) Religion", in which Lemmy just gives religion a good ol' middle finger. It is kind of simplistic in its structure, but with lines like "I don't need no blind belief/I don't need no comic relief/I don't need to see the scars/I don't need Jesus Christ Superstar", you simply cannot fail, even if the main riff here is clearly stolen from the Ted Nugent song "Cat Scratch Fever" (that is a parable I never want to hear again, that's for sure).

And while no song in here does not stand a chance against the title track, the remaining 11 tracks in "Iron Fist" are ranging from enjoyable to really god damn good. Both "Sex And Outrage" and "Speedfreak" are extremely fast songs that gets the blood pumping to my neck, engaging those head banging muscles. "Go To Hell" is a little more groovy, but it is still a catchy song that gets you in the right mood, and so does "I'm The Doctor" as well, while also injecting some humour to it. Yes, this album has small candies all over the place, just waiting to be discovered by you.

There is also a new Marvel show out now called "Iron Fist", and while I am sure it is good, I am also sure that it will not match up to the album "Iron Fist". While the album has some obvious flaws, it is still a kick ass record, delivering fast heavy metal that is also extremely infectious. It is a fun time all the way through its short run time, and it surprisingly also has a lot of replay value in it, even in this day and age. It is a knock out punch that have a long lasting effect, both physically and mentally.

Songs worthy of recognition: Iron Fist, Go To Hell, Speedfreak, (Don't Need) Religion

Rating: 9/10 Losers

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Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance (1982)

I can understand why Judas Priest is screaming for vengeance. After all, their previous album, "Point of Entry", was far from an incredible experience, probably more forced out than it should have been. So for this album, Judas Priest went back to their heavier sound, while still holding a bit of the commercialized sound that was so prominent in "British Steel", and thus, a new classic was born.

"Screaming For Vengeance" marked the band's true breakthrough in the states. Although they were already known there and have done some tours, this album was the first that actually sold good (and it is still to this date the band's best selling album). Just like in the two previous albums, the band got some air time with the songs "(Take These) Chains" and "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". The latter one was actually added to the album in the last minute, so you could almost say that the Priest did a "Paranoid" there. The songs themselves are really good, even if they are pretty soft. They both have nice instrumentation and good choruses, especially "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" impresses with its straight forward approach.

Even if those two songs got most of the attention on the radio, it is the heavier songs that defines "Screaming For Vengeance". The title track has some of the fiercest guitar work the band has ever produced, and Rob Halford match it with screams that makes it seem like he searches for a lot of vengeance. If the guitars did its work in that track, Dave Holland shows in "Riding On The Wind" that he also can show off, starting the track with a ferocious drum solo that blows you away (pun intended). And of course, we have the 1 2 punch that kicks off the album, "The Hellion/Electric Eye" has one of the coolest main riffs ever written, a emotional opening, menacing singing and lyrics, and of course, a killer solo. It has become one of the band's most iconic songs, and I see no reason to why it should not be.

As good as the album is, it does contain some head scratchers, just like "British Steel" does. Songs that are not necessarily bad, just out of place. "Pain And Pleasure" is like the hand brake of the album, killing almost all of the momentum the band had build up to that point, and "Fever" sounds like some soft 80's rock tune, and I know that you are gonna say "but dude, this album was made in the 80's!!!", the difference here is that it just doesn't sound like something Judas Priest would do, it sounds more Van Halen to me. I still think the quality of these songs are pretty decent, so they do not take away too much from the album.

Judas Priest screamed for vengeance, and they truly got it. "Screaming For Vengeance" is a killer of an album that unleashes the beast within the Priest. All of the members does some of their best performances yet, which could be the byproduct of the line-up consistency the band has had out of late. This is without a shadow of a doubt a milestone record not only for the band, but for metal in general. I might not have understood why "British Steel" was considered a classic, but I certainly understand that this album is. No matter what, "Screaming For Vengeance" screams its lungs out, loud enough for the whole world to hear, and the world screams back with cheers and applauds for a hell of a metal release.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Hellion/Electric Eye, Riding On The Wind, Bloodstone, Screaming For Vengeance, You've Got Another Thing Comin'

Rating: 9,5/10 Devil's Children

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Iron Maiden - The Number of The Beast (1982)

Singing about the devil himself is now a days pretty mainstream but when Iron Maiden released "The Number of The Beast" in 1982, it was something that had never been done before. So in a way, you could say that Iron Maiden was hipsters. Nah, but seriously, singing about the devil was not the only new feature in Maiden's third album. Out with Paul Di'Anno and in with, at time, relatively unknown Bruce Dickinson who got picked up by Maiden after a short sojourn in Samson. And that vocalist change later showed that Maiden went from being a good band with high potential to one of the biggest bands ever created.

The first notable difference on "The Number of The Beast", besides Dickinson, is that the production is cleaner than it was on both "Iron Maiden" and "Killers", which is necessary since the music on this album is more complex and epic than it was on the two predecessors. But even if the production would have been rougher, I still think that the strength of Dickinson's voice would be enough to give this album that much needed boost.

Now there is three songs in this album that has both made this album and the band legendary. The mighty three called "The Number of The Beast", "Run To the Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name". These three songs are huge fan favourites and they still get frequent play time on various rock radio stations in all over the world. And even if these songs have been played over and over and over again I still cannot stop liking them. The title track is edgy and hooky with not one, but two of the coolest solos that Maiden has ever done. "Run To The Hills" goes perfectly with the slogan pedal to the metal because it just speeds up in such a fast pace that you barely can tag along, but you still stand there, singing out your lungs on that chorus and headbanging to that solo. But the best of them all is "Hallowed Be Thy Name". With out this song, "The Number of The Beast" would not have a epic grand finale that shocks you with one of the greatest riffs ever created and shows off the amazing qualities that every band member possesses. In other words, you cannot find a better album closer than "Hallowed Be Thy Name" since the song is perfection from first to last second.

But "The Number of The Beast" does not contain only three songs so how are the rest of the pack? Well, they are not nearly as good as "The Big 3", but they still have their charm. The epic story that "The Prisoner" is presenting is interesting even if the chorus could have been more powerful and the slower "Children of The Damned" is also epic but missing that final edge. The best song out of the rest is "22 Acacia Avenue" with its groovy attitude and very solid craftsmanship on every part of the song.

If I would point out the weakest songs on this album the it would definitely be the awkward "Invaders" and the bland "Gangland". None of these two songs holds the right amount of power that I want for this album which is such a shame since "The Number of The Beast" had such a high potential but fails on having a couple of fillers. Not good at all.

The biggest flaw in "The Number of The Beast" is actually that "The Big 3" is way too good. These songs steals the whole show and leaves the rest of the offerings as background characters which make for an uneven album. I cannot deny that "The Number of The Beast" deserves its legendary status but it is not the finest album that Iron Maiden has created. They still have one more level that they still have not shown, but the potential is there and with Bruce Dickinson now in charge of the singing, then I know that the full potential will show sooner or later.

Songs worthy of recognition: Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Number of The Beast, Run To The Hills, 22 Acacia Avenue

Rating: 9/10 Prisoners