Stuff I'm currently playing:
Tyrant's Reign -
Tyrant's ReignTruly old school power from the band that recorded the legendary mini-album
Year of the tyrants. On November 4, Randy Barron and his thrashing metal maniacs will perform at the Keep It True festival in the south of Germany. I can't wait!
Ursa Major -
Ursa MajorExcellent early heavy rock classic from 1972, with American singer/guitarist Dick Wagner, who went onto fame and a bit of fortune, too, as a songwriter for Alice Cooper and even recorded with Lou Reed. There's splendid melodies abound on this one-off - epic tracks like
Sinner,
In my darkest hour,
Back to the land or
Liberty and justice are just waiting to be (re)discovered.
Commander -
The high 'n' mightyI discovered this one through a bootleg cd-series. High-class heavy metal gem with clearly defined melodies, a raw singer and anthemic qualities. 'Pity the band (like so many others back in the day) got nowhere.
Heart -
Jupiter's darlingAnn and Nancy keep on rocking in the free world.
Inner Wish -
Silent facesFine and underrated album from Greece's finest melodic power metal act, sounding a lot like Fifth Angel on their second and, regrettably, last outing
Time will tell. Great vocalist.
Girlschool -
Demolition &
Hit and runRe-releases of these two Britgirl-classics.
Cage -
Darker than blackChicago power metal that rips and tears through the speakers. I keep playing this one and turning up the volume...
Ballistic -
BallisticAn absolute killer of a record, no matter what's being said about Tom Gattis' vocals - I like them!
Ra's Dawn -
Solar forceDemo on CD by this German band that plays power metal with some progressive elements without losing momentum halfway through the tune. The music has a bit of an epic feel without fitting into the Manilla Road/Warlord-category. They have a privately financed, second full-length out, called
Unveiling the grotesque.
Death -
SymbolicI'm ashamed to admit I arrived late in the Chuck Schuldiner Appreciation Society, but it's the vocals that put me off death metal for years. Oh well, better late than never.
Jag Panzer -
Chain of commandWell, finally, this once shelved classic sees an official release on disc - I think I'll hold on to the bootleg versions for nostalgic reasons, however.
Will this do?