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Showing posts with label Ronnie James Dio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ronnie James Dio. Show all posts
DEMON EYE
are back with their third offering and another dose of their own blend of Heavy
Classic Rock, Proto Metal and Traditional Doom!
The new album "Prophecies and Lies"
was recorded by Mike Dean of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
in the band's hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, and displays a strong
musical progression with mighty riffs, haunting melodies and fist-raising
anthems. DEMON EYE are bringing vintage heavy
darkness for modern times and current day evils, giving their listeners dynamic
songs to empower them against all adversaries.
With the release date of 11 August 2017 just over a week away, today
were serving another sonic brew from the
album entitled “Dying For It”, a hard charger with a bit of Voivod dissonance meets classic Dio. You
can check it out in full below. Preorders are available here
“The Rise of Chaos” is precise, prescient, presented
superbly in terms of artwork and production and, more importantly, rocks as
hard as anything I have heard this year. A tour de force.
“The Rise of Chaos” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Die By the Sword
2). Hole in the Head
3). The Rise of Chaos
4). Koolaid
5). No Regrets
6). Analog Man
7). What’s Done is Done
8). Worlds Colliding
9). Carry the Weight
10). Race to Extinction
The Review:
Accept are back with a new-ish
line-up and ten new songs. I'll put this out there straight away: I am a big
fan of the Mark Tornillo fronted
“new” Accept.
“Blood of Nations” and “Stalingrad” were every bit as good as
the Udo-fronted band's classics from
the early eighties. “Blind Rage” was
a very big commercial success for the band, but I found it a touch measured, a
little too melodic and, well, just not quite heavy enough for my tastes
(although “Stampede” is a true
classic opener).
“Restless and Live” followed it as a very
fine live 'career best of' and really gave great value for money for the fans.
With “The Rise of Chaos”, the band
deliver ten tracks over 45 minutes or so... and each track is balls to the wall
metal!
No
ballads here, and the record itself is a balanced mix of the hardest of hard
rock (AC/DC
on steroids) and the most Germanic of metal. Opener “Die by the Sword” has all the Accept trademarks in place; sandpaper lead
vocals, Teutonic choir vocal backing, razor sharp riffing and rock solid rhythm
section. It's a fine statement of intent and the record maintains that momentum
throughout. It's a focused and often furious listen.
The
song themes range from the dark and dystopian (the title track) to a more
light-hearted, if curmudgeonly, view of the world (“Analog Man”). This is not a concept record per se, but as well as
looking back to the past for comfort it also references darker events in “Koolaid”, via the Jonestown Massacre.
For the most part, though, the record is firmly rooted in the present. The
title track is a damning indictment of where the world is in 2017 and this is
perhaps one upped by the storming “Carry
the Weight”- a fleet of foot hook fest with some very contemporary
political references. Is this the first metal album to reference Brexit?!
Maybe.
The
record is not as relentlessly dark as “Stalingrad”,
but perhaps hits a note similar to “Blood
of Nations”- but for my money this is a more intense listen. It's so
focused and so relevant to the here and the now that I think the band have a
real winner on their hands. Instead of pursuing more melodic writing, the band
have gone back to their true strengths: riffs as tough as steel and hooks as
catchy as anything else out there.
I
can't find anything to fault on this album at all; the production is superb and
state of the art, the individual performances of old and new members alike are
stunning (Wolf Hoffmann is as
flawless as ever, Peter Baltes
ditto, Mark Tornillo excels) and
while the band may have lost Hermann
Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann (a
huge shame- even if we got The German Panzer out of their departure) they
have gained Uwe Lulis and Christopher Williams on guitar and
drums respectively.
If
you happen to be a fan of old school metal in the vein of early Maiden,
Dio-Era
Sabbath,
NWOBHM's best acts, Judas Priest and so on, then Accept
will be right up your strasse, the band have managed to really breathe life
into the latter part of their career and recapture the spark and inspiration
that made them Germany's truly classic metal band in the 80's. The band are not
thrash, but have the heaviness to appeal to any fan of, say, Overkill.
They are not hard rock, but your average AC/DC nut would find much to enjoy here. “The Rise of Chaos” is precise,
prescient, presented superbly in terms of artwork and production and, more
importantly, rocks as hard as anything I have heard this year. A tour de force.
This is another great record from
Avatarium and one which places the band firmly in the upper echelons of doom
outfits operating today. There is nothing to fault here. If you enjoyed the
band's previous work, don't hesitate. If you have never heard the band, then
this is as good a place as any to start. Great record.
“Hurricanes And Halos” CD//DD//LP track
listing:
1. Into The Fire - Into The Storm (4:14)
2. The Starless Sleep (4:47)
3. Road To Jerusalem (5:48)
4. Medusa Child (9:00)
5. The Sky At The Bottom Of The Sea (5:25)
6. When Breath Turns To Air (4:46)
7. A Kiss (From The End Of The World) (7:14)
8. Hurricanes And Halos (3:22)
The Review:
Avatarium are proving to be a rather prolific
band. The brainchild of Leif Edling (Candlemass) they have
now put out three full lengths and an EP since 2013! After the excellent “The Girl With The Raven Mask”, I
wondered where the band would go next. That particular album struck me as
somewhat Dio-esque- with all the drama and
storytelling of the miniature vocal maestro.
This
time around, Dio still looms large in the influences I
can hear; but more from his Rainbow era rather than
his solo work. Uriah Heep offer a reference point here as
well- with the rolling rhythms and Hammond organ work of “Demons and Wizards” being present and correct. The record offers up
a couple of the epic song lengths that fans will expect and Jennie Ann Smith's
vocals are as haunting as ever and are a real selling point of the band, not to
mention a highlight of the album.
There
is a lightness of touch to songs like “The
Starless Sleep”, despite the weight of riffage, while there are more
whimsical acoustic sounds in tracks like “Road
To Jerusalem”. “Medusa Child”
offers something of a centrepiece to the album at the half way point. It's a
fantastic track, full of changes, production flourishes and a darkness and
gloom that is always found in the best doom.
Elsewhere,
“Easy Living” by Heep is echoed, Led Zep at their more
morose is to be found and the downbeat grandeur of Sabbath
can be heard in “A Kiss (From The End Of
The World)” before the strange outro of a title track closes the record.
This
is another great record from Avatarium and one which
places the band firmly in the upper echelons of doom outfits operating today.
There is nothing to fault here. If you enjoyed the band's previous work, don't
hesitate. If you have never heard the band, then this is as good a place as any
to start. Great record.
The idea of Decades Apart is pretty simple. This year is 2016, so I’ll choose 5
different albums from 5 different decades, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 through to
the present day.Whilst these albums may
not all be considered classics, they’re certainly amazing records.I’ll share a little information about them
and hopefully you’ll check them out if you haven’t already.So let’s get started.
Rainbow – “Rising” (1976)
“Rising” is the second studio
album by the British hard rock band Rainbow, released in 1976 the album has been
hailed in some quarters as the greatest heavy metal album of all time.With only their second
album, “Rising”, Ritchie Blackmore’s
post Deep Purple
band created one of rock music's defining records.Despite playing a prominent role in the
development and introduction of heavy metal with Deep Purple, by the mid point of the 70’s Blackmore had quit and began to explore new possibilities
in heavy music with, Rainbow.
Unlike their debut, which was performed by Blackmore,
Dio and his previous band Elf“Rising” would feature a new band
consisting of bassist Jimmy Bain, keyboardist Tony Carey and drummer Cozy
Powell. This was viewed as the definitive line up and they would go on to
record “Rising” with Deep Purple
producer Martin Birch
“Tarot Woman”
the opening track of the album set the tone of the album’s ambitious nature and
the organic aesthetic carries throughout the tracks of side one with, “Run With the Wolf,” “Do You Close Your Eyes,” and “Lady Starstruck,” The album is perhaps
known best for the albums dual eight-minute epics, which dominated side two,
namely “Stargazer,” which is viewed
by many as Rainbow’s signature creation,
thanks to Dio’s
evocative supernatural lyrics and the rhythm and a central riff that originated
on a cello. The second epic track is “A
Light in the Black,” which many considered the obvious sequel to the “Stargazer” story, concluding the album
after mere 33 minutes.Unsurprisingly
then, “Rising” was a critical and commercial
success and voted the number one heavy metal album of all time by the readers
of British magazine Kerrang!
Ozzy Osbourne – “The Ultimate Sin” (1986)
“The Ultimate Sin” is the fourth solo studio
album by Ozzy
Osbourne. As the saying goes, there was no rest for wicked, and that
was perhaps no more apparent than the recording of this record, which was
recorded shortly after Ozzy check out of rehab.Fortunately for Osbourne his bassist/right hand man
Bob Daisley (credited with writing much of his back catalogue) and guitarist
Jake E. Lee had been hard at work on a new set of songs while he was in rehab,
and these track would indeed form the basis of his fourth solo effort, 1986’s “The
Ultimate Sin”.
Being in the Osbourne camp was not without it’s
problems, indeed the recording of this album was no different. Lee, who for me is arguably the best guitarist
that has ever been in his band, had demanded a revised contract before agreeing
to contribute, after feeling cheated out of writing credit for 1983 album “Bark At The Moon” (Ozzy is credited as
writing the whole album) and Daisley would leave the band during the sessions, with
Phil Soussan hired to play his parts.
Despite Osbourne’s dissatisfaction with the record, I personally
feel the album is graced by some of Jake E. Lee’s best work, indeed it is considered by many
including myself that it was him that subsequent guitarists would model themselves,
with Lee including pinched harmonics for the first time, which would later
become his successor’s trademark, namely Zakk Wylde.Lee was unceremoniously sacked the following
year after the “Ultimate Sin” tour ended, and Soussan — who had his own disagreement
over songwriting credits with Osbourne — also exited, only for Daisley to
return and the introduction of new guitarist Zakk Wylde.
Corrosion of Conformity – “Wiseblood” (1996)
“Wiseblood” is the fifth album by Corrosion of
Conformity and the second album to feature
Pepper Keenan on vocals, released in 1996; it would see the band on the verge
of breaking into the big leagues of Rock and Metal stardom.Indeed the band would get picked up for a coveted
support slot with Metallica.Released two years after their classic 1994 album “Deliverance”,the tone of “Wiseblood” was set instantly with the
crushing riff of “King of the Rotten”,
but features a succession of superb tracks including the Grammy nominated track
‘Man Or Ash,’ which featured a guest
appearance from Metallica’s
James Hetfield (uncredited).Released at
the peak of the band’s popularity, the mega-stardom that the album so richly
deserved never materialized
With Pepper Keenan on vocals and guitar, Woody Weatherman
on lead guitar, Mike Dean on bass and founding member Reed Mullin on the drums,
“Wiseblood was the second of three
records they wrote and recorded together, with long time producer John Custer in
the chair once again.Following up “Deliverance” was no mean feat, but the
record is strong from beginning to end, opening with the catchy ‘King Of The Rotten,’ and ending with
the musically complex seven minute closer ‘Bottom
Feeder (El Que Come Abajo)’ which completes itself with pig samples and
jazzy sections alongside its powerful Black Sabbath inspired stoner riffs.
Stylistically, the album follows the tone of their “Blind” album with minimal trace of
their hardcore roots, featuring straight up southern tinged stoner rock tracks
with smatterings of variety now and again to break it up, such as the powerful
semi-ballad ‘Redemption City,’ and
the break neck powerhouse that is ‘Fuel,’
as well as the aforementioned instrumental track ‘Bottom Feeder (El Que Come Abajo)’
For me “Wisblood”
is certainly one of the band’s best ever albums and arguably by extension one
of the best rock and metal albums of the 1990s. If you like the band then you
need this album, if you like Down, and don’t know COC I pity you.Cue much excitement for the new album next
year.
Mastodon – “BloodMountain” (2006)
“BloodMountain “is the third full-length
studio album and major label debut by Mastodon.
I guess it should come as no surprise to dudes or
dudettes reading this that Mastodon are pretty much unequalled in terms
of output over the last 16 years, with at least 3 classic albums to their name.Rewind 10 years and it is safe to say there may have been a few nervous
fans with the release of their third album, “Blood Mountain”,
perhaps in no small part to the fact it was their first for Warner Bros
Records. Rest assured, true to form with two monumental records behind them “BloodMountain” delivered in
spades.Queer; odd; unusual; monstrous are just some of
the adjectives you could use for this album, indeed coupled with their dynamic riffs and strikingly experimental approach, the band truly are at
the peak of their powers.
“BloodMountain”shoots as quick
as a drawn gun with the first riff of “The
Wolf Is Loose” and ends 50 minutes with “Pendulous Skin”, feeling like you have been engulfed by a tumultuous
cinematic experience.“BloodMountain”
captures the band as a free flowing symbiotic unit, a colossal swaggering beast,
weaving distinct, pervasive and expressive music, virtuosic in its instrumentation,
aided by a power house production job from Matt Bayles, who truly captures the
unorthodox but magnificent tones from this hulking beast, augmented by a crushing
mix from Rich Costey.“BloodMountain”
is the standard
of excellenceon which many have attempted to duplicate,
but few will equal.Mastodonare truly architects of their own language, who like few others, care only about what they want to write for
themselves and refrain from conform to peddling out run of the mill crap for
the sake of making a buck. There’s an aura around this band and at the height
of their powers, no one can touch them, as this album demonstrates.
Slomatics – “Future Echo Returns” (2016)
It
seems as though 2016 is the year when the UK kicks the ass of the rest of the
world in terms of heavy, sludgy, doomy musical output. Slomatics make no exception on 'Future Echo
Returns' their 5th album and part 3 of their spacey trilogy that began with
'A Hocht' is my album of the year!
Even
without a bassist, Slomatics manage
to hammer out riffs with the weight and impact of a fleet of anvils dropped
from the empire state building; 'Estronomicon' gives us a brief glimpse
while 'Electric Breath' smashes the point home. Vocals from
vocalist/drummer Marty Harvey are exceptional here; as they are on 'In The
Grip Of Fausto'. More melodic and powerful than some of Slomatics earlier work, demonstrating how much
he's come on in recent years. Things get much more mellow and ambient on 'Ritual
Beginnings' with slow building guitar arpeggios that transform into drawn
out single notes, chords (and even what sounds like a xylophone).
‘Rat
Chariot'
has the classic Slomatics feel to it.
It could be the freshly bathed, more alluring but nonetheless heavyweight
younger sibling of 'BeyondAcidCanyon'
from 2012's 'A Hocht' album. Ex- Conan bassist/vocalist Phil Coumbe
weighs in with some serious growls towards the songs lumbering conclusion. When
a band's guitarist has their own signature fuzz pedal, it's a safe bet that
they can cut through solid rock with their riffs; when both guitarists have an
alternate version of the same pedal (you have to check out Dunwich Amplification) then prepare your
eardrums for some serious, rock crushing heaviosity. This speaks volumes on
penultimate track 'Supernothing' with its gigantic riffs slicing through
solar systems. More superb melodies come from Harvey's epic vocals and make this one of seven
standout tracks. Yes, I know what I just said.
Finally,
we get somewhat of a reprise of 'Ritual Beginnings' on final track 'Into
The Eternal', the slightly overdriven choral vocals and what sounds like
synths prepare the scene for some killer heavy music. Have you ever heard a
sludge doom band use 'whoa whoa's and 'yeah yeah's’
and thought "nah, that ain't right."? Well on this, it fucking
works! The majesty of the scene Slomatics have conveyed over the 6
previous tracks (and 2 previous albums) means that actual lyrics would do the
song a disservice. I mean, what would you say if you were floating through the
vast emptiness of outer space? This is why it makes sense. Some satellite
bleeps and spacey sounds travel through the soundscapes as well as some lead
guitar work which adds an extra dimension to the whole make up of the song and
makes for a glorious conclusion, not only to this album, but to the trilogy.
Slomatics riffs and Chris
Fielding's epic production are a marriage made in doom heaven. The towering
heaviness of the riffs and the images of the infinite, shimmering darkness of
space is executed and captured perfectly. An amazing album worthy of any and
all praise it will undoubtedly receive
Final Sign’s
foundation
stems from a musical partnership between vocalist Shawn Pelata and guitarist
Brian "Hellstorm" Williams which dates back to 1999, when Brian contacted
Shawn with the hope of recruiting him to sing for a new project he was putting
together. That short-lived endeavor became K-OCTAVE—yielding a single, highly praised
album, “Outer Limits”, issued via Germany's
Hellion
Records in 2001.
Williams then
continued with his main band, underground metal giants OCTOBER 31; while Pelata
released two albums with melodic rock outfit LINE OF FIRE, as well as working
with metalcore cultists KILLWHITNEYDEAD. The two kept in touch, vowing
to one day work together again when the time was right.As a proponent of unstoppable riffs Brian
soon found himself with new players, and eight new songs in need of the right
voice and Shawn was brought on board, finally Final Sign was born. Releasing
some of finest traditional metal in the form of debut “Hold High the Flame”, it is time for The Sludeglord to share some
pure metal for true metal heads and who better to discuss that with than Shaun
Pelata, vocalist with the mighty Final Sign, as we once
again
turn the dial up to 11 because it is, after all one louder.
"All-time".
Really, "all-time"? Yeah, really. It's so hard, after 40+ years of
amazing heavy metal releases, to make lists like this. I think any metal fan
would say the same. Then to be limited to only five albums is there any task
more daunting to a fan?
Anyway, I poured a cup of
coffee (hey, it's only lunch time) and sat down to think of my list. It was
quite difficult whittling down to five albums (FIVE???), but after reheating my
coffee a few times I managed to get it done. There are SO many great bands that
I had to leave out (Armored Saint, Queensryche, Saxon,
Accept,
Ozzy-Sabbath,
Mercyful
Fate, etc) and so many albums in other styles that I love so much ('The Skull', 'Ancient Dreams', 'Ride The
Lightning', 'Show No Mercy'). I
just want you to know how much work this was and feel sorry for me. The pain is
real.
So, now that I have
reached the finish line, I present to you my Top 5 All-Time Favourite
Traditional Metal Albums.
5).The Scorpions – “Blackout”
SKAW-PYAAAWNS!!!!
Yes!! Such a great, enduring band! 'Blackout'
is my all-time favourite Scorpions album and was not going to miss
being part of this list. This album is pure energy! Klaus Meine is simply
raging on these songs. "Blackout",
"Now!", "Dynamite", "No One Like You" (!!!), "Can't Live Without You"...awesome,
awesome, awesome! I never get tired of playing this album. This is an album
where the production quality is so full and clear that it's absolutely
timeless. THIS is the kind of energy all bands need to play with.
4).Iron Maiden – “Piece of Mind”
As
I was writing this list, a buddy asked "Not 'Number Of The Beast'?"
For me, 'Piece of Mind' tops them
all. I love the songs, the mix, the cover art, the vibe, and most of all Bruce
Dickinson's vocals. Dear lord, the vocals! Bruce is in top, top form on this
record. "Where Eagles Dare",
"Die With Your Boots On",
"Quest For Fire", "Flight
Of Icarus"...brilliant, one and all. Also, if every heavy metal fan in
the world doesn’t know all the words to "The Trooper", I'd die of shock. Bruce is such a major
influence on me in terms of how I want to be on stage and the kind of power I
want to convey when I sing...and he's never been better than on 'Piece of Mind'.
3).Judas Priest – “Hell Bent For Leather”
I got into Judas
Priest with 'Screaming For
Vengeance'. MTV used to air the "You've
Got Another Thing Coming" video all the time when I was a kid and I
loved it. As I got older, started playing in bands, and delving into their huge
and growing discography, I ended up loving all eras of Priest (even the Ripper
era, although to a lesser degree). It's 'Hell
Bent For Leather' that makes this list, though. Rob sounds amazing on this
album. He's been a favourite of mine and a huge influence for decades now, but
his vocals on this album are stellar and full of fire. "Delivering The Goods", "Burnin' Up", "Running Wild", "The Green Manalishi", "Evil Fantasies", and of course the
title track, all just explode with intensity. I love it!
2).Dio – “Holy Diver”
'Holy Diver' is just such an essential
album for me. Everything from the music, to the vocals, to the lyrics ("Ride the tiger!") just resonates
with everything I love about heavy metal. Dio has such intensity to the way he sings and
to his presentation. There's this undercurrent of crushing energy to everything
he sings, whether it's the aggression of "Stand Up And Shout" or "Straight Through The Heart", or the enchanting falsetto on
"Don't Talk To Strangers",
or the uplifting swagger of "Caught
In The Middle". Every note is delivered with unmatched sincerity and
passion. When Dio
sings, you believe it!
1).Black Sabbath – “Heaven And Hell”
Seriously,
could there be anything else? Dio gets double-billing on my list because
he's Dio,
and nobody else is. This album is absolutely, 100% flawless heavy metal. Not a
single note is out of place. I even named the band "Final Sign" after the lyric in "Children of the Sea". It was my way of honouring not only the
very roots and traditions of heavy metal, but of honouring Ronnie James Dio himself. The
words "classic" or "iconic" or "legend" don't begin to do justice
to this brilliantly amazing example of badass badassery. Hyperbole, be damned!
This album IS heavy metal! BELIEVE IT!
Final Sign’s
latest
record “Hold High the Flame” is
available here
This
is certainly their best and heaviest record since “Iron Will”- going one better
than “Triumph and Power” (all the way to 11!) and several leagues ahead of “The
Hunt” and even the very good “Hammer of The North”. They are one of the best
metal bands in the world today, no question. In fact, if you look at their
discography, they may be one of the best of all time. An idle boast? How many
bands can you name who have four or more classic albums to their name? Grand Magus'
tally now stands at five. An impressive spectacle of might.
One
of the greatest bands in heavy metal return with this, their eighth (!) album.
Starting out as a more bluesy/stoner rock outfit, Magus went through trad doom on “Monument” and transitioned to being something altogether more... traditionally
metallic from “Wolfs Return”
onwards. Indeed, after the shaky (in my view) “The Hunt”, the band hit a real return to form with “Triumph and Power” back in 2014.
Essentially, “Sword Songs” is a
continuation of “Triumph and Power”,
but with some new elements. After all, the band has often experimented with
their sound so it should come as no surprise to hear the nods to Slayer
in the record, or the more extreme elements in the riffing generally.
Once
again, the Kings of Metal influence proceedings here. You may think that Manowar
are ludicrous, they may be easily lampooned... However, they are also one of
the greatest metal bands of all time and embody the genre in all its glory AND
ridiculousness. Grand
Magus channel those heavy metal gods to perfection here (even more
so than on “Triumph and Power”).
The
opening “Freja's Choice” sounds like Magus imbued with the spirit of
thrash via the Valkyries referenced in the song. “Varangian” (look it
up; an interesting historical feature of the Vikings was how far they actually
travelled) has the Manowar influence writ large- big chorus, big
riffs. Straight away, the memory of the hard rock of “The Hunt” is banished in favour of metal anthems with muscles of
steel.
“Forged
In Iron- Crowned In Steel” is even more over the top. This is Grand Magus 2016; take Priest,
Manowar,
Dio-era
Sabbath
and mix them together and this is what you get. Glorious and anthemic, this
material is some of the band's best! Cracking solo, great vocal in the middle
eight, too. The production is stellar- live sounding with a killer drum sound
that is both live sounding and polished. Ludwig Witt turns in a tour de force
performance as per, Fox supplies his usual gnarly bass lines and tones while JB
excels in riffs, solos and vocals (the true heir to Dio in our world, as it goes).
The trio are firing on all cylinders this time around.
“Born
For Battle” is catchy in the extreme;
no subtlety, no dynamics. Just power. “Master
of the Land” again references more extreme fare in the opening riffs and
throughout the song. It is great to hear the band expanding their sound a
little- the record is certainly more aggressive than “Triumph and Power” and certainly on a par with “Wolfs Return” or “Iron Will” for bombast.
The
nine track playing time plays to the band's strengths; each track is focused,
lean and mean. There is no filler here, the album can easily be digested in one
sitting and there are lots of riffs, changes and nice production touches to
savour. With the faster material, such as “Last One To Fall”, the Priest
trick of chords for the verses while the more intricate riffage is to be found
without vocals. Superb breakdown section as well.
Frost
and Fire
is a rollicking ride through a great vocal hook and expertly crafted verses and
a great chorus. This is truly heavy metal of the finest quality and of such a
vintage that had it been released in 1984 would have conquered the world, no
question. You might have thought that heavy metal bands no longer made records
like this, but if Iron Maiden don't, then Grand Magus do.
The
obligatory instrumental “Hugr”follows and sets the
tone for the rather maudlin “Every Day There's A BattleTo Fight” which
makes a very fitting end to the record; the aftermath of the carnage of the
battle is to be found here. To say that Grand Magus have excelled themselves is
accurate. This is certainly their best and heaviest record since “Iron Will”- going one better than “Triumph and Power” (all the way to 11!)
and several leagues ahead of “The Hunt”
and even the very good “Hammer of The
North”. They are one of the best metal bands in the world today, no
question. In fact, if you look at their discography, they may be one of the
best of all time. An idle boast? How many bands can you name who have four or
more classic albums to their name? Grand Magus' tally now stands at five. An
impressive spectacle of might.
