Heavier Than Heaven

This album is quite simply, a real surprise album. The dying beast of thrash metal has suddenly been given the elixir of life by a vintage performance by the metal band of the planet! Some people might beg to differ, but roaring, growling, monster vocals, a sea of blazing guitars, pounding drums and a fresh rawness gives this album an almost surreal feel. Bristling with aggression and intensity this album takes off like a fire-breathing monster spewing destruction and fury in its wake! The opening track ‘Frantic’ is just what it is!! The album is so aptly named ‘ST.ANGER’ which is the next track. Then comes ‘Some Kind of Monster’ with Hetfield’s voice like the rough and tough of old, the monstrosity and the intensity of it all is elevating. However the highlight of the album is the power anthem ‘Dirty Window’. Hetfield growls like a monster, the guitar and drums spit anger and venom. ‘Invisible Kid’ is quite simply astounding. ‘The Unnamed Feeling’ is a fire-cracker on the album and ‘All within My Hands’ is a perfect finisher. Metallica sounds harder, louder and thrashier than ever and Ulrich’s drums sound as if he is intent on destroying a sewer pipe. This definitely is a landmark album whose significance will be felt later.

This is the fourteenth studio album and the most powerful sounding record ever released by the band. Life, death, politics and war are recurrent themes of this album. The distinctiveness of the record is that each and every song was performed live and recorded in the same room and the lyrics of all the tracks go along with its melody! The album starter “Different Worlds” is a mixture of class, quality and perfection; an absolute stunner without doubt! “These Colors don’t Run” and “Brighter than a Thousand Suns” are songs with remarkable tempo changes and very thought provoking lyrics. Janick’s “The Pilgrim” reminds you of the maiden classic “Powerslave”, however it’s a super cool song with a wicked and fret melting solo. “The Longest Day” is the crunchy sounding track of the lot and has a fabulous bass-line! “Out of the Shadows” is an out-and-out killer composed by Bruce “Air Raid Siren” Dickinson! Dave’s “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg” has uncovered his composing talents in a first-rate way, with ever haunting lyrics and ultra heavy riffs; this is one of the best songs f the record. The album finisher “The Legacy” leaves you dazed and flabbergasted. This is the most delightful song ever composed by the band and is the best sounding track of the record.

The record is a blend of musicmanship, adaptability, passion and spirit and is arguably one of the best heavy metal albums of the century!

This is the thirteenth studio album and perhaps the most controversial albums in the history of the band. The album cover has severely been criticized for its unsightly appearance and it was considered to be unworthy of an Iron Maiden Album cover.

“Wildest Dreams” as the album opener sounds decent and is quiet passable. Dave Murray’s “Rainmaker” has a wonderful riff-pattern and the solo of the song cannot get any sweeter! This is followed by “No More Lies”, it is unquestionably one of the best songs of the record. ”Montsegur” has a very heavy start and is loud enough to blow your head off its place! The title song “Dance of Death” is pure class and a gem on the band’s crest, the slow start of the song is followed by a very melodious bridge and superb solos played by all the three guitarists individually! Adrian’s skillful piece of composition is the lengthy “Paschendale”, the song has a classy intro and is an epic both lyrically and musically! “Face in the Sand” exposes the remorseful state of our world and is a brilliant composition by the legendary bass guitarist, Steve Harris. The album finisher “Journeyman” is the first ever acoustic song recorded by the band and it describes the whole process of writing and being a musician, very beautiful indeed! Despite all the controversies surrounding the album art, the record was a huge hit among the fans and is undeniably a fascinating album!

With the huge success of their previous album “The Number of the Beast”, the band was off the hook and subsequently released “Piece of Mind” the very next year. The second album of the “Golden years”, the Record is a time less and awe-inspiring master piece.

This is the first album to feature the band’s new drummer Nicko McBrain who showcases his super skills in the first of few seconds of the record opener “Where Eagles Dare” and he keeps you wondering why he is as good as Clive Burr. The album’s theme wasn’t preset, but the lyrical approach showed the band’s predilection for film and fiction. The album consists of nine songs out of which five are power-packed and are an out of the world experience to any metal-head. “The Trooper”, is a default in all of the band’s live performances and an overplayed song is a killer nonetheless. “Revelations”, a forerunner to the more famous “Powerslave” of their next album, is a breathtaking song and is solely composed by the front man Bruce Dickinson. The album single “Flight of the Icarus” is an uncomplicated song with one of band’s best ever solos. The finisher and the epic song of the album “To Tame a Land” is an outstanding track which is highly underrated, it is definitely one of the better sounding tracks of the record. Surely one of the classiest albums ever produced and mastered, this took the band into new heights and their greatness then was inexplicable.

‘Follow the Reaper’ is the third studio album from the power metal band Children of Bodom. This was the album that showed some transition in the kind of music that ‘C.O.B’ made. The album is a mixture of black metal and power metal. It also has a lot of death metal feel to it. We can conveniently say that C.O.B has released an album that entirely defines a genre. This album did to C.O.B what the album ‘Powerslave’ did to Iron Maiden. All the songs in this album are great to hear and have superb keyboard solos to it. However the highlight of the album is the snarling voice of Laiho. His brutal voice is one of the two things that carry this album to its finish line. The other factor should definitely be Alexander kuoppala’s rhythm guitars. The album is so fresh and sounds extremely solid. The opening track ‘Follow the Reaper’ has a wonderful starting riff and with this we explode into a world called Children of Bodom. ‘Bodom after Midnight’ is another track that no metal head should miss. However the only disappointment (not actually a great one) is that Alexi Laiho chooses to scream through out the album rather than sing, but hey, this is a power metal band. On the whole the album tears metal apart and it shows us the different facets of metal(ranging from power to death metal). The sound that ‘C.O.B’ has established is a euphony to all those who call themselves a metal-head.

Children of Bodom, the power-metal band from Finland released ‘Blooddrunk’ as their 6^th studio album. This album is a mix of old ‘Bodom’ and new ‘Bodom’, in terms of the music they make. This album has a tinge of industrial metal feel to it while maintaining the trademark classic style. The music in this album is ‘simple metal’ which is a deviation from their complex song writing style. Alexi Laiho is the savior of the day. He still has those menacing growls inside him and with this album ‘COB’ pushes power metal to its limits. The first single from the album ‘Banned from Heaven’ is similar to ‘Angels don’t kill’ from the album Hate Crew Death roll. This track has a metallic ballad feel to it. Talking about guitar riffs, you will find this best in the song ‘Done with Everything, Die for Nothing’. The whole album features Janne Warman at his best. He has incorporated great and blazing keyboard solos into most of the songs. What carries tha album is the pace. The album sounds great for ears which are used to fast shredding solos. Laiho and Latvala must be given the due credit for what they have contributed to this album. If anyone wants to point a single blemish it would be the lyrics. The lyrics aren’t that great, in fact it is not even acceptable. All said and done, at the end of the day ‘COB’ has managed to give a classic in terms of power metal and screaming vocals.

Up in the top 5 metal albums of all time “Number of the beast” launched the band into fame and success. It was the first album in their “golden years” which lasted through out the 80’s and which consisted of 5 top class albums. With the release of this album, the band members were considered to be devil worshippers as the record contained a lot of dark, brutal and pensive themes. With Bruce Dickinson replacing Paul Di’anno, the songs sounded heavier and grandiose, and ended becoming a feast to all the metal heads. The album kicks off with “INVADERS”, a ferocious song and a great opener for such a fiery album. The song is then followed by the worth mentioning and the beautifully composed “CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED”, an exquisite power ballad defining the sound of the band. “NUMBER OF THE BEAST”, a brilliant title song, has given the fans more than what it takes to be a title song. “RUN TO THE HILLS”, though an over rated song, sounds amazing in live performances and is a fan favorite. The album finisher is probably the best ever metal song to be recorded and produced; “HALLOWED BE THY NAME” is one song which made IRON MAIDEN so very great. It’s the sole outcome of amazing riffs, mind blowing vocal performance, thundering bass line, hell hammering and fret melting solos. Amidst all the controversies surrounding the theme of the album and the new, extravagant approach to the world of metal music, this album is definitely a killer by its own!

This album stands for the quintessence of the band at the height of their golden era. The record’s theme is a mix of power, emotion fantasy and mystery and was the first album to be released without any change in the line-up. The record consists of eight tracks out of which four have become timeless hits. The album kicks off with one of the most definitive piece of metal work ever recorded, “Aces High” and is by far the best opener for any of the maiden concerts. Another classic song to be included in a metal head’s play list is “2 Minutes to Midnight”, a brilliant intro by the maiden powerhouse Adrian Smith. The next four songs are just blatant fillers. The band has never disappointed their fans when it comes to an album finisher. The last two songs being “Powerslave” and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” are the most important pillars of the Maiden stronghold. With dark and haunting lyrics, powerful riffs and a mind blowing bass solo, the title song “Powerslave” definitely speaks of the quality of a timeless maiden classic! “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the longest track in the history of the band, brings the perfect ending to one of the most sought after heavy metal albums in the world!

The last album to be released in the “golden years” shows the height of the creative progression that the band was heading towards, from the start of their previous album, “Somewhere in Time”. Co-incidentally, the album is also their seventh studio album and it has pulled off a better synth balance and is not very pushy. The record is one of a kind because it’s the first album to have a specific storyline that unfolds through the songs! The story is adorned with obscure, sinister and dark thoughts! The album opener “MOONCHILD” has a brilliant synth start and is followed by “INFINITE DREAMS”; This particular track is filled with delightful tempo changes through out. The weakest track of the record is “THE PROPHECY”; However the song is definitely not a filler!

“THE EVIL THAT MEN DO” and “CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS?” are beautifully composed heavy metal singles and are featured in most of their live performances. The title song is splendid and top notch and is incomplete without the killer solos! “THE CLAIRVOYANT” is easily the album’s best song with its thundering bass start!

An amazing way to round off the “golden years”, the band’s music had become more progressive and they were considered to be the greatest and the most successful heavy metal band of all time! UP THE IRONS!!

With the return of the former lead guitarist Adrian Smith and the “Air Raid Siren” Bruce Dickinson, this was perhaps the most long awaited reunion record in the history of the band. But at the same time, the record faced ridiculously high expectations due to the band’s return to their 80’s line up. The record is filled with outstanding tracks and there isn’t a single weak song featured over here. The album starts with Adrian’s “Wickerman”, an amazing song with very weird lyrics and a very well crafted solo. “The Ghost of the Navigator” and the title song “The Brave New World” are two beautiful and well written melodic and progressive metal songs. The title song is followed by “The Blood Brothers”; This song in particular is exceptional because of the way in which it was played, heart and soul performance by the band. Dave’s “The Nomad” is an excellent song with mind blowing solos from all the three guitarists! “Dream of Mirrors”, composed by Steve Harris and the ex-frontman of the band, Blaze Bayley, is an epic not to be missed. One of the rawest songs ever produced by the band, “Out of the Silent Planet” is definitely a fascinating track lyrically. The “Mercenary” for its shear pace and catchy chorus will leave you high and wasted. An all killer no filler album, the band has undeniably surpassed all the expectations they faced prior to the launch of the record!!