Today's Metal Tune

Refuge came out in 2002, but “Torn Apart” was straight out of 1995 with its dank production, Therion-esque sense of low-budget drama and almost laughably over the top operatic vocals.  Rain Fell Within fit within the Therion mold though they leaned far more into the goth and opera side rather than the doomdeath that was the latter’s foundation, and Dawn Smith was essentially an American Tarja Turunen right as Nightwish was gaining serious traction outside Europe, so the track was somewhat well placed for its moment.

Rob Halford deserved some credit for trying to broaden his scope a bit, and by all accounts Fight was supposed to be brief diversion for the Metal God in between Judas Priest album/tour cycles.  On that level, something like “Kill It” could’ve been appreciated for what it was, which was a street-level slammer that allowed Halford to try different vocal approaches, engage with newer strains of metal and hang with the kids.  But then Fight inadvertently became the singer’s main band and his personal mission statement, and the track sounded inane bordering on idiotic: Halford’s intonations and attempts at commentary were extremely ‘90s and quickly became even more dated than his earlier proclamations about robots taking over the world, while the stuttering riff aimed for Pantera but just sounded basic.  There was a certain troglodyte charm to the whole thing and Halford’s charisma and enthusiasm for the material went a ways towards making the tune a simplistically fun headbang and something of a guilty pleasure- Rob was so clearly excited and inspired by metal’s next wave that one wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt even if it felt like he was playing catchup and inadvertently looking more long in the tooth as a result.

As album titles went, Suicidal for Life was both a mission statement and easy joke, and so it went for a good portion of the tunes on Suicidal Tendencies’ last shot at major label glory.  Speaking of titles, “Don’t Give a Fuck” made Mike Muir’s intentions crystal clear as he and the 1994 iteration of the band (which somehow included a completely out of place Jimmy DeGrasso alongside Robert Trujillo and Rocky George) flailed about in defiance of getting too popular but also annoyance over not selling more records.  It certainly played like a mix of contractual obligation, mid ‘90s absurdity and a schlocky attempt at provocation only made more ridiculous by Paul Northfield’s pristine production.  But in a way all of that made complete sense for the time- a crossover group called Suicidal Tendencies on Epic Records at a time when supposed authenticity was valuable currency, and what better way to show street cred than putting a cussword in your song titles?

The first Heavy Metal Heroes compilation didn’t have the same cachet as the first Metal for Muthas since it came out on much smaller label and didn’t have two tracks from the fast-rising Iron Maiden.  But it was arguably the better record overall since it was a truer encapsulation of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in all its energy and naïve glory: there was no chance of a group calling themselves Metal Mirror going anywhere, but “Hard Life” was a good a banger as anything by Angel Witch or Holocaust at the time.  The tune had all the bushleague charm that powered the NWOBHM, from the frenetic but not overly complicated riffing to the ramshackle drums and endearingly cheap vocals, and played like a great time at the bar.  Calling “Hard Life” working class metal wouldn’t entirely be fair, but the track was only ambitious insofar as so much NWOBHM was about bringing metal back to the ground floor and Metal Mirror accomplished that with their one moment.

Louder than Love was appreciated more for what it suggested than what it actually was, for all of the bits that made Soundgarden one of the greats were there but it didn’t quite come together and even the best moments had a slightly tentative feel right down to Terry Date’s strangely anemic production.  “Gun” felt like a slammer just waiting to be let out: it was heavy and massive and Matt Cameron’s drumming basically invented Mastodon, but Chris Cornell was a bit too laidback even if he showed his singularity when he let out that earthquake howl.  Soundgarden was still the coolest band in metal at the time and “Gun” showed a ton of promise, they just needed to shake off the nerves and let loose.

Realm’s Endless War was a slight departure for Roadrunner at the time, as the band’s tech thrash stylings weren’t exactly in line with the label’s predominantly extreme roster in the late ‘80s.  But by the same token, “Slay the Oppressor” represented a certain faction of the underground defined by groups like Watchtower and to a lesser extent Annihilator, and Roadrunner was very much about the underground: the track didn’t have the dizzying technicality of the former nor the songwriting acumen of the latter, but its focused aggression certainly stood out next to the wooly mayhem of early Sepultura and Deicide.  The power of the musicianship was first and foremost for Realm, and that came through on “Slay the Oppressor” in a way that made them slightly ahead of their time.

Don Dokken’s always questionable vocal ability became even more glaring when he put out a compilation of cheaply re-recorded greatest hits some 20 years after his namesake band peaked, but “Magic Man” had a bit more life to it thanks to Jon Levin’s fiery riffing and solos.  Levin was clearly aiming for (and was definitely tasked with) a George Lynch vibe and he mostly came through here, enough so that it was a rare instance where a “new” track outshined the more familiar hits, particularly since its newness could cover up Don’s vastly diminished range.  Credit was also naturally due longtime drummer Mick Brown who hadn’t lost a step and matched Levin in liveliness and did more than Don to make “Magic Man” feel like a proper Dokken track.

How exactly Philip Boa was able to coax the likes of Dave Lombardo, Mille Petrozza, Waldemar Sorychta and Chuck Schuldiner to both play on the same record as well play supporting roles remains unclear, but Jesus Killing Machine not only featured all of the above in 1994 but didn’t sound anything like any of their day jobs.  “Metallizzed Kids” was a terribly spelled mid ‘90s industrial thrash number that maybe nodded to what Kreator was going for at the time, but this was really Boa’s show and his vocals stuck out over the clanging.  The guitars and drums sounded really good, but the tune felt a minute or so longer than necessary and began to get tedious towards the end- this was very much a product of its time so there was only so much anvil pounding one could take.

“Trust No One” was heavier than usual for Sinner (especially considering it was a solo Mat Sinner composition), with steady double kick propulsion and fat power chords slammed with force by Tom Naumann.  It fit within the overall construct of The Nature of Evil as a logical continuation of the more forceful sounds of Judgement Day, and indeed the guitars and drums did a lot of heavy lifting since Mat’s vocals and lyrics were still ridiculous tough guy nonsense with questionable syntax and gnarled garbled gesticulating.  That the crunch of the guitars was so powerful while the vocals were so lame proved important, as Mat Sinner and Tom Naumann would basically bring this approach to Ralf Scheepers in assembling Primal Fear.

Abigail wasn’t that far removed from Fatal Portrait on a musical level, but King Diamond’s second record was where the whole idea behind the band snapped into focus.  Whether one followed the narratives the lyrics and vocals meshed seamlessly with the tech/goth/thrash hybrid that Andy LaRocque, Michael Denner, Timi Hansen and the irrepressible Mikkey Dee cranked out in lockstep, making tracks like “The Possession” work as both a link in the storyline and slamming standalone headbanger.  One might’ve expected the tune to sound more like Mercyful Fate given it was written by Michael Denner and King Diamond, but it was of a piece with the blockier and shreddier sound the group was fully harnessing on Abigail.  At their best the group was both an irresistible force and immovable object, with the musicians charging with a certain inevitability while King’s singular vocals were a special effect but also its own instrument that kept the music and concepts moving. 

It felt like Skyharbor had a real shot at something for a minute, as Sunshine Dust came out with proper international distribution and built on years of goodwill coming in with the cresting of the djent scene.  And with the band solidifying a proper lineup for recording and touring after mostly existing on the internet, the guys seemed to poised to properly coexist alongside Tesseract and Periphery.  To that end, “Menace” may have been a bit more direct and metallic, with Eric Emery’s vocals a bit more emo, but the band’s chops were as tight as ever and the dynamics inside the tune were strong as was the writing in general.  It wasn’t fair to compare Emery to Dan Tompkins, and the American singer left his own on mark on the music.  Forrester Savell’s production was perhaps a bit too clever (which was surprising given his wealth of experience working with bands in this space), but Skyharbor was one of the more underrated bands of their moment and “Menace” was a tight and purposefully heavy number.

Fairyland delivered exactly the kind of froofy and dramatic symphonic power metal their name suggested, so give them credit for truth in advertising.  “Ride with the Sun” was full of dramatic keyboards and even more dramatic vocals over hyperactive double kicks, and to the extent that symphonic power metal was still gaining traction in 2003 the French band were not too far removed from the likes of Rhapsody and Nightwish.

Heavy Metal Records was easily the most generically named record label of all time, but the company played a significant role in capturing the New Wave of British Heavy Metal at its peak by releasing a wealth of great singles by bands that weren’t capable of much more.  In so doing, the label made the case that while the scene ultimately only added a small handful of bands and albums to the pantheon there were a shit-ton of great songs amongst all the strivers and dreamers.  And while Buffalo’s “Mean Machine” didn’t do anything unique it crackled with the energy and enthusiasm that made the NWOBHM a refreshing antidote to the bloat of exhausted legends: the track had momentum, hooks and verve to spare, making the nondescriptly named band another worthwhile contributor to the movement.

Jonny Santos wasn’t doing anything groundbreaking with Silent Civilian, but the group’s two albums were still underrated and didn’t get enough credit for their sturdy songwriting and extremely catchy headbanging riffs and choruses.  “Murder One” fit properly in the back half of Ghost Stories and on its own was a really good banger aided by a perfect Matt Hyde mix: the vocals, riffs and surging drums were all well in place, and that chug in the middle was primordially effective.  There wasn’t a ton of sophistication in tracks like this, but Santos took the lessons he learned about craft while in Spineshank and brought them to bear in a slightly different context with Silent Civilian- and ironically enough even though he was accused of trendhopping in the moment this sound was actually far more durable in the long run.

Tales from the Twilight World was the last time Blind Guardian prioritized thrashing over grandeur and bombast, with “Altair 4” being short, fast and right to the point in a way that would prove exceedingly rare over the next 35 years.  Indeed the band would never sound this lean again even if the track didn’t deviate from their approach and aesthetic: Thomas Stauch was steady and powerful on the drums and Hansi Kürsch’s bellow was inherently dramatic.  What “Altair 4” ultimately documented was Blind Guardian’s increasing maturity as writers and players each record was a steady progression and incremental expansion of their sound, so even if the tune itself was a brisk banger it revealed the breadth and scope simmering right below the surface.

Bitches Sin previewed “Strangers on the Shore” on the first Heavy Metal Heroes compilation and brought it back for their proper debut even as the band’s lineup had already shifted.  Nonetheless the track had an awesome frantic charge to it along with classic NWOBHM attitude, energy and swagger- the vocals were charmingly amateurish and matched the vigor of the music.  The New Wave of British Heavy Metal produced such a staggering run of great songs and singles that it made some sense that most of the bands associated with the movement couldn’t sustain themselves at the album level: Bitches Sin was one of the many that figured that sound and propulsion alone would keep them going, and it worked great on “Strangers on the Shore”, but one song along wasn’t going to give them a career.

“Into the War” was the sort of fast and frantic banger Grave Digger made sure to include on every record, in this case Ballads of a Hangman: Chris Boltendahl gargled about fighting and killing over riffing from Manni Schmidt and Thilo Hermann that belied their respective roots in Rage and Running Wild as Stefan Arnold went pedal to the metal on drums.  The track was pure lizard brain mayhem and exactly what one would expect from Grave Digger, which counted as high praise since we could always count of them for this sort of thing.