Only For The Week: Part 11

Because of lack of things to say to make this starting blurb really interesting, this might be the last time I will even write something before presenting the songs. It may change some time later in this series, or maybe I will just write some small stuff over the previous week, I really do not know yet, we just have to wait and see.

With that said, it has been a crazy week for music. Axl Rose joining AC/DC, Record Store Day, and another super group saw the light of day. Let us hope that this coming week becomes a little calmer. Anyway, enjoy!

All of the songs on this segment is gathered in a Spotify playlist, you can find it here

The Classic: Gary Moore - Out In The Fields

There are few musicians that have had such a long and glorious career as the Northern Irishman Gary Moore. With over 4 decades of music behind him, he left the Earth life 2011 and left a big hole in the metal world behind him. His legacy is massive and impressive, but it is the song "Out In The Fields" that not only serves as the highlight, but also the perfect statement to what the man could do with his guitar. That solo is one of the coolest and most iconic ones that I can remember, despite it being so short in the studio version. However, it is still that hair rising chorus that makes this song so incredible. Rest in peace Gary, we truly miss you.



The Newcomer: Otep - No Color

She might be most famous for her über angry songs, but "No Color" is a different song from Otep Shamaya and her band, and it works just as well. A mysterious song with a cool groove and a smooth chorus that sneaks into your little brain with ease. While it still ends on a weird note, it is still a nice highlight to an overall diverse album, an album that you all should give a try.

Check out my review of the album this song is from, "Generation Doom"

sorry, no video for this song :(

The Personal Favourite: Ronald Jenkees - Guitar Sound

Can you create a great guitar instrumental without using a guitar? Ronald Jenkees tried, and he succeeded big time. "Guitar Sound" is one of the most emotional and versatile instrumentals I have ever heard, capturing the listener with these intriguing melodies and passages that are both technical and beautiful. It is like Ronald is just making it all up as he goes along, yet still, it all feels so smooth. And just when all is starting to settle down, Ronald brings out a really fast and technical part that may take away some of the typical guitar sounds, but is instead showing an illusion of pure shredding. An awesome twist to one of the coolest instrumentals out there



Stay Metal!
Robert "Sharkruisher" Andersson

Otep - Generation Doom (2016)

A minute into "Generation Doom", and Otep Shamaya is already screaming "I don't give a fuck" straight into my ears, which frankly does not surprise me one bit. You see, her self named band Otep is all about anarchy, anger, and a "don't give a fuck" attitude, and it is a style that is highly debated in the metal community, is she the voice of the revolution or just some crazy bitch screaming her lungs out? Personally, I think Otep is a interesting, and rather unique band that, when they hit the right notes, can make some great aggressive metal, just a shame it rarely lasts throughout an album.

The only thing that surprises me with this record is that it exists at all, because Otep straight up retired after the release of "Hydra" in 2013, claiming that she was frustrated and no longer felt inspired to make anymore music (mostly thanks to labels trying to interfere too much). Now she has made a Rolling Stones, and returned with a huge knuckle sandwich in "Generation Doom".

Usually, Otep albums are extremely uneven, containing several different songs and styles (including dark whispers that barely classifies as music), but "Generation Doom" is a lot more cohesive than what I expected it to be. The album holds well together with its aggressive half industrial, half nu-metal sound, and Otep delivers a passionate performance. You can really feel that her blood is on the boiling point. And the music is not too shabby either, being either heavy, groovy, or just madness personified, it often works out really well.

My personal favourite is probably "No Color", a mystical song with a really cool chorus that sticks to your mind and is easy to enjoy. It might have a worthless ending (like several other songs in this album), but I am impressed that the band could create a great song without screaming. Even "In Cold Blood" is a slower song that shows Otep's versatility, a soft song that feels just right for the band. Otherwise it is the faster and heavier songs that steals the show, like the cybernetic "Feeding Frenzy", the well armored "Lords of War", and the Lacuna Coil sounding "Down".

And in the middle of all this aggression and anger we have a song called "Royals", and you guessed it, it is a cover of the song with the same name by Randy Marsh Lorde. The screaming in the chorus might be a little forced, but the band really succeeded in making this song their own, and it sounds really good, making this luxurious song into a anarchistic rally.

Unfortunately, there are a couple songs that drags the album down a notch. "Lie" is boring as hell, "God Is A Gun" has a really weird flow to it, and then we have "Equal Rights, Equal Lefts", a more hip hop spoken word song that may be a big part of Otep's personality, but this song just breaks down the flow of the album in the wrong way. Also, there is a line in this song I cannot comprehend. "He called me a dyke/I called him an ambulance". What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are those really insults? "Oh, so I am a vehicle that helps sick people getting to the hospital? That's... something?". She can write some great lyrics from time to time, but this is just dumb.

I think the hate for Otep will still be there, but it is a hate that I think fuels Otep to come back with twice the strength, at least that is what she has done with "Generation Doom". This album is the most even one, and it might also be the strongest album she has presented us with. She is still far from perfect, and the music will continue to be controversial, but this is a strong comeback, and an even stronger statement that they are here to stay, and continue to be pissed off.

Songs worthy of recognition: No Color, Feeding Frenzy, Lords of War

Rating: 7,5/10 Lies

Judas Priest - Turbo (1986)

What the hell? That is the initial reaction both I and, I assume, a lot of other fans of the band got when listening to "Turbo" for the first time. After releasing two amazing albums in "Screaming For Vengeance" and "Defenders of The Faith", they return with... this. I know that the Priest is known for its sound diversity and that they can further develop their sound, but this is just flat out weird.

So what is it that makes "Turbo" such a stand out? For starters, this was the first Judas Priest album to include guitar synthezisers, which directly is a sign of how the music scene was like in the mid-80's. But it is not only that, the songs in here are more straight forward, more chorus driven, almost poppy, one reason for that could be that the band initially wanted to make a double album (named "Twin Turbos"), but that was scrapped and the more accessible songs ended up in this album, while the others were either reworked for the upcoming album "Ram It Down", or was released as bonus material in any of the remastered albums, almost 20 years later.

However, the main reason to why this album sounds weird is in the lyrical department. Judas Priest is mostly known for three things, Fantasy, Sci-fi, and overall dark themes, but "Turbo" was almost exclusively about love and romance. Just... why? That alone makes me wanna brand this album as straight out pop, not that metal band can't sing about it, but because they should leave that shit to boy bands and *insert young girl in her 20's that everyone will forget when she turns 40*.

Fortunately, the band fits in some humour in it all to lighten things up (another thing that is not typical of the band, but I'll let that one slide). "Parental Guidance" is one of the songs that do this, because it was solely created as a counter reaction for "Eat Me Alive" being one of the "Filthy Fifteen" that the PMRC published. The song itself is not one of the stronger ones in this record, but it is still a nice addition. I also get some shits and giggles out of the opener "Turbo Lover", not only because of its ridiculous and catchy chorus, but because of the subject matter. I mean, I suppose the song is about cars, but if it was about a real human being, would you really want a Turbo Lover then? Do not know about you guys, but I want a lover who is sensual, hot, and want to go on all night with me, not someone who is done in two red seconds.

Enough of my sexual fantasies, the band is doing their business as usual, but the sound just does not seem right. It does not sound like a Judas Priest album, it is more like a KISS album, except one song that sounds like Rush. It is more or less classic 80's rock that is played in "Turbo", no shredding, barely any Metal God screams, not much heaviness at all. The only thing that tells me that this is a Judas Priest record is the aggressive attitude, and it is just that that makes this 80's glam rock experiment go from a bland album to an okay album. After all, the songs are still there, rocking out pretty good. I just know that bands like Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe, and Ratt would kill for songs like "Reckless", "Locked In", and "Hot For Love"

Ultimately, "Turbo" is best described as a fun record... in small doses. This record is fun, catchy, but I seriously cannot believe that the band labeled here is Judas Priest. It is a little funny that Judas Priest out glams almost all of the glam bands out there, but was there even a reason to why they had to do this record? They did not need to be more accessible to the public since they were already famous around that time, nor were they in some identity crisis. In the end though, it is a okay album that just feels way out of place. The odd one out of the Judas Priest discography.

Songs worthy of recognition: Turbo Lover, Locked In, Hot For Love

Rating: 6/10 Wild Nights

www.judaspriest.com/
twitter.com/judaspriest

More reviews of Judas Priest
Rocka Rolla
Sad Wings of Destiny
Sin After Sin
Stained Class
Killing Machine
British Steel
Point of Entry
Screaming For Vengeance
Defenders of The Faith
Ram It Down
Painkiller
Jugulator
Demolition
Angel of Retribution
Nostradamus
Redeemer of Souls
Firepower

Only For The Week: Part 10

Happy 10 week anniversary! The time really does fly by when you are having fun, and working on creating an amazing setlist. We are certainly getting somewhere, with today's additions, we are now up to a total of thirty songs. I expect this listto grow a lot larger in time, but I will let it take its time, and continue to add three new songs every Monday for at least the rest of this year. Okay, enough babbling, let us get to this week's three songs. Enjoy!

All of the songs on this segment is gathered in a Spotify playlist, you can find it here

The Classic: Strapping Young Lad - Detox

It is about time I added some Hevy Devy material into this play list. "City" in itself is a big steam roller, crushing everything and everyone in its path, but it is "Detox" that gives the album that extra sharp edge. First off, we have that intoxicating gallop riff, a riff that is more metal than metal, and that is accompanied with some really loud drums, and a Devin that is, to put it simply, out of his fucking mind. This song also has dimension, containing a really epic (sorta) chorus, some cool and complex riffing, and a tempo change that is not only surprising, but also a small hint to what Devin could do outside the SYL box. It is a drug, and I do not want the buzz it is giving me to go over.

Check out my review of the album that this song is from, "City"



The Newcomer: Ihsahn - Mass Darkness

We all know Ihsahn as the singer of the legendary, but now disbanded, black metal band Emperor, but in his solo project, he takes on a hell of a lot more genres, everything from progressive, speed, experimental, and even ambient metal. "Mass Darkness" reminds me of fellow countrymen Enslaved, with its riff driven force that has some northern wilderness smell to it. It is some intoxicating stuff, and Ihsahn himself delivers a picture as clear as HD. Oh, and a nice guest appearance from the Trivium singer Matt Heafy as well.



The Personal Favourite: Forbidden - Forsaken At The Gates

To really celebrate the 10 week anniversary of OFTW, I am adding the song that named this very blog. You might wonder why I named it Forsaken At The Gates, and there are two main reasons. 1. It sounded kind of cool for a metal blog, and 2. it is hard as crap to name a blog and a domain name that is not already named through Blogspot, so I had to go with a name that is not so direct. Still, I think it turned out nicely.

Anyway, the song is thrash to the bone. It is fast, menacing, and contains a Russ Anderson that delivers one of the most insane vocal performances I have ever heard. This band overall is very underrated and has not gotten the recognition they so deserve, this song alone is a good solid proof of that. Without a doubt, the best thrash song from the 21st century.



Stay metal!
Robert "Sharkruisher" Andersson

Lillasyster - 4 (2016)

So, can anybody guess how many albums Lillasyster (Swedish for little sister) have released during their career? Anybody? You there in the corner. You are correct, they have released 4 albums, and it is more obvious than ever that they do not seem to give any fuck about album titles what so ever. Or maybe they have just become lazy in old days, because Lillasyster has gradually fallen down in the popularity hierarchy here in Sweden, mostly because they are not releasing new music in a frequent pace (and playing the same live set for 3 years straight).

My initial judgment of the sound of "4" was that this trend is going to continue, because this album is strikingly... weak. I know Lillasyster as a heavy band that may not take themselves (or anyone else) seriously, so they just blabber on with a comedic spark in their eyes. The guys are great entertainers for sure, but they seem to be running out of musical ideas, because the heavy sound is heavily muted. However, after a few listens, I started to enjoy it more and more, however I do feel like the production is not as dynamic as it should have been.

The groove is what drives the band forward, and there is some of it here, but not nearly enough. At least the album starts off on a positive note on "Ej Till Dig" (not to you), with some groovy riffs, cool drums, and some typical Martin Westerstrand singing (sort of like half spoken word, half gibberish). We also have "Tussilago" (coltsfoot) that could just as well be a Korn song, with its groovy, but psychedelic riffs and its epic chorus. It is also a very fitting song for this time, since it is about Spring and all its glory.

One thing that has not changed too much since the last album is the lyrics. As per usual, Lillasyster delivers humorous lyrics that are either a straight up punch to the face or just pure satire. I especially like "Städer I Brand" (cities on fire) that criticize how we handle the ongoing refugee crisis. We also have the more easy subjects, like drinking in "Skål" (cheers), or pure hate in "Vi Kommer Alltid Hata Dina Barn" (we will always hate your kids). So even if the band has toned down their heavy attitude in the musical department, they show once again that they are a force to be reckon with when it comes to the lyrics.

Frankly, the one thing that I am most relieved over about "4" is that it does not contain any covers of female sung pop songs, which is a thing the band has mostly become famous for after the covers of Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Katy Perry's "Roar" (good covers, but the attention for them has gone too far). They still get some air time with their original stuff here in Sweden with "Krossat Glas" (shattered glass), but personally, I think this is one of the weaker tracks of the album, mostly because it just feels like normal soft radio rock, and nothing else.

"4" is ultimately a grower, which is extremely surprising since a typical Lillasyster album usually sits instantly to one. One could say that the band has matured over the 4 year span that has gone since "3", but the lyrics says otherwise, and I am glad it does, because it just would not be a Lillasyster album with quirky lyrics. I still feel like the musical parts of the album are a little lack luster, but it does work to some degree. It will certainly be interesting to see what these guys have in store for us when they release "5".

Songs worthy of recognition: Tussilago, Skål, Städer I Brand

Rating: 6,5/10 Trappramlare

The Algorithm - Brute Force (2016)

Even though the metal world has endless amounts of sub genres that has been developed over several decades, it seems like there is no stop to the evolution of metal. The next step might just be here, and it is named The Algorithm, a French duo consisting of Rémi Gallego and Max Michel that mixes electronic music with some djent influences.

The band has previously released 2 other albums, but on "Brute Force", they take on a heavier approach, letting the guitar being more involved in the music, and also adding heavier drum works. Judging by the name of the album, this was not a surprising move, but it is certainly one that is welcome, because it is always a risk to add something that is far from metal into metal. Sure, the electronica parts are still the biggest factor in the music, but now it feels like a perfect fusion of the elements instead of just layering in the guitars and drums afterward.

The whole sound of the album is very futuristic, like if someone had to describe The Matrix or Tron, only using sound. The electronica leads the charge with its captivating melodies and an overall dystopian feeling. I am absolutely not bothered with the electronica at all, but when it takes too much room and tries to force in even more, it can come out as some obnoxious dub step, but fortunately, that happens very rarely in "Brute Force". It often comes in with finesse instead, adding to the music instead of shoving its way to the front.

"Brute Force" has one clear strength, and that is its consistency. All the songs in here hold a good, fairly high standard while also staying within the same type of sound, making this album a very dense, cohesive force. However, this is also the album's greatest weakness. Since every song is within the same range, and the fact that this is a fully instrumental album, it does take some time and thinking to separate the songs apart from each other. I would have loved if the guys could have had some more diversity in this, like adding a really slow and a really heavy song, just to break this thing up. So the consistency is ultimately like a two edged sword in this album.

As an entity, "Brute Force" works really well. The power these guys produces are enough to run the toughest of processors without any lag. It is an interesting album from an interesting band, but to get the next level, I want to see some more diversity in the music. Good quality can only take you so far. Nonetheless, "Brute Force" is one of the most unique releases of this year, and whether you are along for the ride on the electronic parts or not, I still recommend that you at least give this well calculated album a chance. The evolution continues to places unknown.

Songs worthy of recognition: pointers, brute force, userspace

Rating: 7/10 deadlocks

Only For The Week: Part 9

Another eventful week is behind us. GnR has finally kicked off their reunion tour, and April Fools had us living more suspiciously than usual. Thankfully, I did not get fooled by anything or anyone (well, except for the new Babymetal record), which means I can be here to deliver another installment of Only For The Week. Enjoy!

All of the songs on this segment is gathered in a Spotify playlist, you can find it here

The Classic: Accept - Fast As A Shark

I think my father explained this song the best. "When this came out, it was the fastest, hardest, and the most adrenaline pumped song that the world have ever heard of". Released in 1982, as part of "Restless And Wild", "Fast As A Shark" starts off with some kind of German folk music, only to abruptly end into a fierce, fast, and heavy attack that takes every first time listeners by surprise. This track is the true definition of speed metal, with its fast pounding drums and ravaging riffs. Oh, and let us not forget mr. Udo Dirkschnieder and his patented vocal style, giving this song another row of razor sharp shark teeth. It is extremely fast and heavy, even by today's standard.



The Newcomer: The Algorithm - pointers

Metal has a lot of faces, and one of the newer developed ones are the French duo The Algorithm, who mixes electronic sounds with djent influences. "pointers" comes out from their latest album "Brute Force", and it instantly shows that this weird mix can actually work out. The band creates this sort of futuristic emotion that is really intriguing, and after some keyboard typing, it blasts off into a crazy blast beat, just to wind down again. It is a fantastic instrumental output, with one of the coolest videos I have seen in some time. The beauty of technology is heavier than I first thought.

Check out my review of the album this song is from, "Brute Force"



The Personal Favourite: The Project Hate MCMXCIX - Descend Into The Eternal Pits of Possession

This band has in late become more of a debate than a force in recent years, but there is no denying that The Project Hate MCMXCIX is one of the most unique progressive death metal groups out there. This band is famous for creating really long songs that takes you to hell and back in some of the most insane ways possible. My first experience with this band was in Rock Band when the song "Descend Into The Eternal Pits of Possession" was released on RBN, and what a experience it was. Never have I heard a band mix such heavy riffs and vocals with beautiful female vocals and epic arrangements, and also holding a great and consistent quality throughout 10 minutes of play time. I instantly knew this band was something special, and I have been a fan of the band since.

Since there is no great video of this song, here it is with a Rock Band 3 produced music video :)



Stay metal!
Robert "Sharkruisher" Andersson

Babymetal - Metal Resistance (2016)

Japan is a weird ass country, and I really love them for being it. It is a land with crazy game shows, huge sumo wrestlers, stead fast traditions, and passionate people. Japan knows how to entertain and deliver weird ass stuff, which at last has reached into the metal world. From this wonderful land comes Babymetal, whom blasted into the scene in 2010, and consists of three little girls called Su-metal, Yuimetal, and Moametal, plus a backing band. 4 years later, they released their self titled debut, a album that gave them their big international breakthrough as well. A crazy project that seems to have no end in sight to how big it can become.

This weird mix of J-pop and blast beats is certainly unique, I'll give you that, but it is also about as mind fucking as following a anime series. In one side, we have this backing band that literally slays everything in its path. These guys can play almost everything, from Dream Theater and Korn, to Scar Symmetry and Fleshgod Apocalypse, the band delivers a range that is extremely impressive. But on the other side, we have three girls who sings like they are still in pre-school (even if they do sing good). It takes a while to get used to it, but it will still feel awkward. And if you happen to see this band live, you will also witness a choreographed dance routine. Hopefully they throw in some headbanging here and there.

I previously mentioned the backing band's extreme range, and that range is heavily displayed in this album. Every song in here is its own creation, none being like the other. The albums opens up in pure DragonForce style in "Road of Resistance" (mostly because the two guitarists from the band, Herman Li and Sam Totman, helps out on the track), with insane speed, crazy solos, and a classic oh-oh-o-oh part. Besides from power metal, we also have industrial ("Awadama Fever"), death ("Sis.Anger"), atmospheric ("From Dusk Till Dawn"), progressive ("Tales of Destinies"), and even folk metal (Meta Taro). While it is cool that they can be like a musical chameleon, it ultimately feels like they do not have a own sound, they just copy other stuff. The album is extremely divided, making it really hard to get a sense of cohesion.

This means that it is crucial that this album must have kick ass songs, and it is here the girls are used to the band's advantage. This trio of charming little girls sings in a way that makes the hooks sweeter than sugar, and stickier than gum. Just take the lead single "Karate" for example, we have this stupid "se-ya se-se-se-seya" section that is extremely catchy in an equally annoying way. Fortunately, it has a chorus that is catchy in a better way, not forcing itself into your skull. It is those sugar sweet parts that makes me hate this band, because it just does not fit in with the rest of the stuff. I still think the girls use their voices in the best way possible in most parts, but I would love it if they completely got rid of those sections.

We also have two pure ballads in this album, the first one being "No Rain, No Rainbow", which sounds like it could have come straight from a Disney film (I was about to write Mulan, but remembered that it takes place in China). Since I am not 8 years old, I did not care for this song at all. The other one is "The One", and that is the only song in the entire record that is fully sung in English. Okay that the pronunciation is slightly off, but it is not bad, and the song itself works as a epic closer of the album, playing in almost classic Dream Theater style. However, this is when I notice the lyrics for the first time (since I know very little Japanese), and it is straight up about love, and all that cheesy shit. This makes me wonder what the rest of the songs are about, but frankly, I do not wanna know, ignorance is bliss here.

I love when an album has diversity, but this is pure overkill. Babymetal goes from one genre to another to search for an identity, but cannot seem to find it. "Metal Resistance" is an okay album with a couple of good songs (none as good as last album's highlight, "Megitsune", though), but it stands clear that this is more of an experiment than a full fledged band. For god's sake, the girls have even admitted that they have never even heard of metal before getting thrown into this monster, it is all for the show and for the shock value. This is basically Slipknot, only with three little girls fronting instead of Corey Taylor, and it certainly has a place in this world, and that place is called Japan. It is crazy, ridiculous, mind boggling, and (at times) fun. All I can really say is Domo Arigato for the show, but I would rather take something less cutesy, thank you very much.

Songs worthy of recognition: From Dusk Till Dawn, Road of Resistance, Yava!

Rating: 6/10 Awadama Fevers

Judas Priest - Defenders of The Faith (1984)

When making the follow up to "Screaming For Vengeance", I bet Judas Priest thought "well, the last album worked out fine, why fix something that ain't broken?". Said and done, the band stayed with the heavy and catchy style, and created "Defenders of The Faith", a album that takes everything that made "Screaming For Vengeance" great, plus some own personal touches. Gotta have them personal touches, so nobody calls you a copycat.

It is mostly the attitude that is the difference maker between the albums. While "Screaming For Vengeance" is aggressive, "Defenders of The Faith" takes it to the next level, both when it comes to Rob's vocal performance, the Downing-Tipton shredding, and even Dave Holland sounds more pissed off this time around, in a good way. Just the fact that the album opens up with "Freewheel Burning" is like walking through the door and giving the party host a big slap, a action that is chocking, and could end in two ways, either a slap back at you, or a good laugh. I can definitely imagine that "Freewheel Burning" scared away some people when they first listened to it, while others went buck wild.

There is another thing that separates this album from its predecessor, the fact that it misses a super hit, a la "Breaking The Law" or "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". I guess "Eat Me Alive" is the most famous song in this album, but it was never released as single, nor was it even close to reach the same fame among fans. However, it is not something that bothers me, since fame and number of singles sold does not instantly makes it a good song (exhibit A: "Living After Midnight").

"Eat Me Alive" did however get famous for being a very naughty song, qualifying in as one of the fifteen songs that the Parents Music Resource Center found to be the most offensive, known as the filthy fifteen. Despite its negativity, It was seen as an honor that the song was seen as filthy, mostly thanks to its pornographic lyrics. The best part of this song though (besides the awesome solos and the simple, but super effective chorus), is that it follows "Love Bites". It fits so good that it made me chuckle.

Still, there is nothing in this album that beats "The Sentinel", a song that I first thought, and I am being dead serious, was a Machine Head song. The band made a cover of this song as bonus for their album "Unto The Locust", and it was so good and convincing that I thought it was a original piece, only to find out years later that it was not. The thing that shocks me though, is even if I loved the Machine Head version, the Judas Priest version is even better. It is the dirtier production, the screeching guitar work, and most importantly, the insane vocals from the Metal God that makes "The Sentinel" so epic and hair rising that it is ridiculous. Oh, and the chorus is so god damn catchy, I cannot help myself, I must sing it every time I hear it. Sworn to avenge, condemned to hell, tempt not the blade, all fear the Sentinel.

The first half of this album is extremely good, but unfortunately, the second half cannot quite catch up. From "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" and onwards, the quality slips, and the speed and aggression that the first part had built up is almost completely gone. I guess that "Heavy Duty" and the title track is quite good as chanting tracks, but they are both short (and quite frankly, should have been one song instead of two) and they end the album in an interesting, but disappointing way. Such a shame that the band did not keep their momentum, because they were like a runaway train, only to be slowed down by a sudden cow on the tracks.

Even with the slightly disappointing ending, "Defenders of The Faith" still stands tall as a great follow up to its legendary predecessor. The band is clearly on a roll, spitting out awesome melodies, riffs, and solos so we almost drown in them. The album is as fierce and tough as its kick ass cover, and I truly believe that this is how Judas Priest should act. Because even if the band can do a lot of styles and be very versatile, it is often that they are at their best when they go full on Hulk mode. Nonetheless, "Defenders of The Faith" is a great album, but it lacks the knockout punch to floor me completely.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Sentinel, Freewheel Burning, Eat Me Alive

Rating: 8/10 Heavy Duties

www.judaspriest.com/
twitter.com/judaspriest

More reviews of Judas Priest
Rocka Rolla
Sad Wings of Destiny
Sin After Sin
Stained Class
Killing Machine
British Steel
Point of Entry
Screaming For Vengeance
Turbo
Ram It Down
Painkiller
Jugulator
Demolition
Angel of Retribution
Nostradamus
Redeemer of Souls
Firepower

Only For The Week: Part 8

I hope all you metal head have had a good Easter, I certainly have. Great company, lots to drink, and a lot of music that has been both reviewed and listened to. I really feel like my productivity level is right where I want it to be, so let us hope that it keeps up. Anyway, here are this week's three songs, enjoy!

All of the songs on this segment is gathered in a Spotify playlist, you can find it here

The Classic: Pantera - Cowboys From Hell

With all the controversy that Phil Anselmo has created recently put aside, he and the rest of Pantera really knew how to kick ass with their unique metal style. "Cowboys From Hell" is one of their trademark songs for a very good reason, the riffing. The main riff is one of the coolest, craziest, and most amazing riffs that I have ever heard, being both futuristic and bad ass at the same time. Also, Dimebag completes his deliverance with a killer solo. This song would not be this good without its outrageous lyrics and the stunning force that the full band delivers. A true showing that Pantera was ahead of its time.



The Newcomer: Amon Amarth feat. Doro Pesch - A Dream That Cannot Be

I really do not know why, but whenever Doro Pesch makes a guest appearance, magic happens. It happened to Angra, and now it happened to Amon Amarth. "A Dream That Cannot Be" is one of the main songs for the story that centers "Jomsviking", where Doro plays the female character that is the protagonist's lost love. Not only do Doro do a strong impression as this character, but she gets a ton of help with a song that has great riffing, a killer chorus, and a delivery that crumbles mountains. It is a little early to say if it is one of the best songs Amon Amarth has done throughout their career, but it is the definite highlight of a great concept album.

Unfortunately, no video for this song :(

Check out my review of the album this song is from, "Jomsviking"

The Personal Favourite: Gojira - The Gift of Guilt

When I first discovered Gojira through the album "L'Enfant Sauvage", I really did not know what to expect. What I got was a groovy ass band that used their heaviness in a cool and unique way. But it was "The Gift of Guilt" that really made me love this band. The main riff is one of the catchiest riffs I have ever heard, and it just wont leave my skull, and whenever I least suspect it, it can pop up and make me hum it. The band delivers tons of emotions in this heavy and groovy song that could as well gone for over ten minutes with that riff alone. True magic!



Stay metal!
Robert "Sharkruisher" Andersson