Cynic - Traced In Air (2008)

Cynic - Traced In Air revieved by Pritham 'metal farmer' D'Souza aka Morbidpitbull

Lineup:

• Paul Masvidal
• Tymon Kruidenier
• Sean Malone
• Sean Reinert

Track Listing:

1. Nunc Fluens
2. The Space For This
3. Evolutionary Sleeper
4. Integral Birth
5. The Unknown Guest
6. Adam's Murmur
7. King of those Who Know
8. Nunc Stans

Its been 15 years since Cynic gave us one of the most Progressive Metal Albums of all time with their masterpiece debut 1993's Focus, and the new release has finally answered the prayers of the dedicated fans. But is the album really that good or is it just the hype surrounding the release? Well, its great to say, Yes! Infact the album is a lot better than it was perceived to be.
Paul Masvidal is a certified genius composer, musician & guitarist whose talents can only be matched with the time keeping qualities of Drum God Sean Reinert.
The music here is absolute top class. Not as heavy as the first album, but then it doesnt even require to be. There are great Riffs all around, mostly played clean & the jazz influences really show here. Paul also mostly sings clean & the growly parts are only in bits sprinkled in tracks like King of those Who Know, Integral Birth and The Space For This.
Original Guitarist Jason Gobel couldnt join the band as he had family issues to deal with, but they have found an excellent replacement in Tymon Kruidenier, the Dutch virtuoso who also plays with another band featuring members of Textures, responsible for the death metal growls here.

Most progressive bands these days release albums with very lengthy songs & often the album length exceeds 60 minutes. Cynic's album thankfully clocks just over 30 mins but the listener is somehow compelled to repeat all the tracks on loop mode.
The eerie vocals are done using a vocoder which takes the vocal inputs and converts the signals electronically, like using a voice modulator.
The musical arrangements are lush, the production clear as crystal. Lyrically Paul dwelves into matters like the one ness of the universe and being reborn through integral birth.

Since the album is short in length, every song here is brilliant, though i love Evolutionary Sleeper and The Unknown Guest.This is not simple music. its pretty complex with so many guitar n drum passages, riffs & totally off beat rhythm sections. Seeing them play live (wacken open air 2007) is believing, that magic created in studio can also be recreated Live in front of thousands of people. Good to see Sean Malone return as he was not able to play with them on their live shows before the release of this album due to his commitments with several other bands.
This music is totally recommended for people who want a change from the average and tired of the ordinary. Highly recommended for fans of Jazz, Death metal, Technical Metal and for those who truley love music. If u want soul in your music look no further.
Cynic have arrived...again

My Rating
10/10

The Outlaws College Band

The Outlaws performing their most loved crowd favorite number Judas Priest - Breaking the law. Even though it was a very easy song, it was deliberately chosen to make a point to the catholic run establishment. and to the amusement of the band, the fans actually cheered them on.... Metal Forever

Band members Outlaws (1996 - 1998)
Dhiraj D'Costa - Vocals
Cronin D'Almeida - Bass
Gorden Fernandes - Guitars/Vocals
Jeethan Dsouza - Drums
Pritham D'Souza - Guitars

guest Musicians
Nelson 'malmsteen' D'Souza - Guitars
Merwin - Drums

Outlaws go commercial??

A rare Pic of the outlaws peforming their 'only one time' show at the Roce function of vocalist Gordon fernandes' cousin at the outskirts of Mangalore in a place called 'Kuthar'

and no outlaws never went commercial... infact, all they got for that show was free food & free booze...

My First band 'The Outlaws'

The Outlaws perform at the annual school day event of St. Aloysius High School in 1995.
band members
Glenford Soans - Keyboards
Gordon Fernandes - Vocals
Ajay Fernandes - Bass
Cronin D'Almeida - Guitars
Jeethan D'Souza - Drums
Pritham D'Souza - Guitars

The song played that evening was Scorpions - wind of change

My very first band 'The Outlaws'
pics here were taken in 1995









































The Guitarist with the blue Ibanez is Dylan Rodrigues, guitar god and prodigy & relative of another guitar god Trinity aka 'tiny' of Cryptic fame.

Novembers Doom - The Novella Reservoir (2007)

Track Listing:

1. Rain
2. The Novella Reservoir
3. Drown the Inland Mere
4. Twilight Innocence
5. The Voice of Failure
6. They Were Left to Die
7. Dominate the Human Strain
8. Leaving This

Lineup:

• Paul Kuhr
• Vito Marchese
• Larry Roberts
• Chris Djuricic
• Joe Nunez

the only thing that sucks in this band is the grammatical howler of its band name. thats all. the rest is just awesome.

November's Doom is easliy the American version of UK's doom death kings MY DYING BRIDE & the influence really shows. every track here is just a masterpiece & if you thought that they have reached their peak with their previous effort 2005's 'The Pale Haunt Departure', then you are going to be totally surprised.

it starts with a killer track 'rain' with its heavy intro & deep, dark, heavy death metal growls of the founding member, vocalist Paul Kuhr. the best part about his vocals is that , even though they can get quite brutal, one can follow the lyrics.

and he can also sound fantastic in his clean voice as displayed in 'Twilight Innocence', a ballad which sounds beautiful with its soft & crispy acoustic guitars.

'Dominate the Human Strain', 'Drown the Inland Mere', are absoloutely bone crushing heavy, 'The Novella Reservoir' starts with acoustic guitars & then transforms into typical doom death mode. here vocalist sings most in his typical growls & the chorus has clean vocals.

in fact, there is not a weak song here. every song has this haunting vibe its actually quite a challenge to listen to this album on a dark, rainy night without getting goose bumps.

even though this band comes in the doom death category, the music is quite fast paced & unlike other doom death bands which thrive on repeating a particular riff throughout the song, Novembers Doom thankfully prefer to take another path, that of sheer musical ability & melody which places them high & above the rest.

'They were left to die' & 'the voice of failure' demonstrate just that. brutal throughout the song, with the chorus being the most haunting & soulful.

numerous line up changes every album do not seem to deter Novembers Doom and they seem to be growing in strength with every album. it would be great to see what they can come up with next.

my rating
9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Van halen - Van halen 1 (1978)

Track Listing:

1. Runnin' With The Devil
2. Eruption
3. You Really Got Me
4. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
5. I'm The One
6. Jamie's Cryin'
7. Atomic Punk
8. Feel Your Love Tonight
9. Little Dreamer
10. Ice Cream Man
11. On Fire

Lineup:

• David Lee Roth
• Edward Van Halen
• Michael Anthony
• Alex Van Halen

One of the greatest debut albums of all time, and also one of the greatest albums of all time, this is vintage VH.
though it cannot be called 'metal', the guitar playing style of Eddie Van halen influenced each & every metal guitar wannabe out there. the original 'atomic punk', responsible for creating and popularizing the 'air guitar' among fans, am sure if the greatest guitar player of all time Jimi Hendrix was alive to see Eddie Play, he would have gladly relinquished his throne for Eddie.

even though there were more popular metal bands before VH hit the stage, like JUDAS PRIEST, KISS, WHITE SNAKE, DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, etc etc, it was Eddie's 2 hand guitar tapping technique that totally revolutionised the way the guitar could be played. & he got inspired from another legendary guitarist JIMMY PAGE(LED ZEPPLIN).

Its safe to say, that this album sounds a bit like a heavy LED ZEPPLIN minus the vocals off course.

and all their songs have this really catchy vibe to it. you just dont get tired even if you keep looping the entire album the whole day.
it all starts with 'eruption', a barrage of notes played at lightning speed by the 2 hand finger tapping technique & ends on a high note with 'on fire'.

the songs are short, catchy, melodic & make a point. even though the production sounds very 1970's, its still way ahead of a lot of other music that was released during that period.

"aint talking 'bout love", is still a crowd favorite with its A minor heavy palm muted intro. 'Runnin' With The Devil' show cases the vocal talents of David Lee Roth, who is such a fantastic vocalist live. 'Feel Your Love Tonight' would impress any teenage girl into going to bed with you, 'You Really Got Me' a cover of the KINKS with a heavy dose of VH guitar harmonics, 'Atomic Punk' with its catchy chorus riff are all classics.

they even cover JOHN BRIM'S 'ice cream man' with its old school rock n roll style, soft blusey intro & then typical VH bravado.

this album should easily fit in the top 5 hard rock albums of all time. it in fact it even reached diamond status, & only 3 other bands in music history have managed to do that. LED ZEPPLIN, PINK FLOYD & DEF LEPPARD.

VAN HALEN F****NG RULES

my rating
9.9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Metallica - Master Of Puppets (1986)

Track Listing:

1. Battery
2. Master of Puppets
3. The Thing That Should Not Be
4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
5. Disposable Heroes
6. Leper Messiah
7. Orion
8. Damage Inc.

Lineup:

• James Hetfield
• Kirk Hammett
• Cliff Burton
• Lars Ulrich

this album can easily share the throne along with SLAYER in the greatest thrash metal album of all time. after releasing a great album in RIDE THE LIGHTNING,metallica surprised even their hard core critics with the release of MOP.

all the songs here talk about power & control & how everything is ultimately under the control of a higher authority.

the opening track couldnt have gotten a better name than 'battery', as it batters your ears till they bleed. the sense of melody is just impeccable & the solos are drool material. & its such a highly addictive song, that it took me 2 months to listen to the other tracks in the album!

'welcome home(sanitarium)' is taken from the perspective of an asylum inmate, while 'disposable heroes' is about how a soldier takes lives & sacrifices his own just at the order of his superiors.

and the 8 songs here clock over 60 minutes & whats great about that is, not a single section is boring or repetitive.
with this album, METALLICA have raised the bar so high, it became an impossible act to repeat. they were at the top, & it seemed like, there was only one way to go. down.

life can really be cruel as this happened to be the last album of bass player Cliff Burton before he passed away.

'Master of Puppets' is an extreme song & one has to think metallica sold their soul to the devil to come up with genius stuff. they slow down a bit with 'The Thing That Should Not Be ' and 'Leper Messiah' but the gargantuan guitar riffs just boast of power. absolute power. 'Orion' is a cool instrumental, & at that point of time, Kirk Hammet was billed over Eddie Van Halen as the next big thing to happen in guitar. 'Damage Inc.' as the name suggests can cause serious ear damage if abused on the ipod.

every song is a masterpiece, epic, brutal, hard yet melodic & powerful. this album is one of those rare releases that feels better with every repeated listen.

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984)

Track Listing:

1. Fight fire with fire
2. Ride the lightning
3. For whom the bell tolls
4. Fade to black
5. Trapped under ice
6. Escape
7. Creeping death
8. The call of ktulu

Lineup:

• James Hetfield
• Kirk Hammett
• Cliff Burton
• Lars Ulrich

even though a lot of people keep debating as to which is the best METALLICA album ever, 1984's RIDE THE LIGHTNING comes very close to being one of the best ever in metal history. this is pure unadulterated thrash metal, music that after one listen, makes you wanna beat up someone.

the opening track 'Fight fire with fire' starts with a cool sounding classical guitar piece, which then evolves into a barrage of thrash riffs created to numb your brain.

even though this is not really a concept album, death seems to take centre stage in every song here. the nuclear apocalypse tinged opening track, 'ride the lightning' talks about the electric chair execution, 'trapped under ice' talks about drowning, 'creeping death' talks about the famous moses & the pharoah incident mentioned in the bible, 'fade to black' talks about suicide.

also fade to black is probably the greatest ever power ballad/thrash song ever written. that one song has inspired more people to playing metal guitar than any other song on the planet.

Lars in an exceptional drummer & James is perhaps the greatest rhythm guitarist ever. there is not a single dull moment in the entire album.

the solos are crafted to perfection, the rhythm section is totally made to injure the spine, the drums are on fire & the vocals though not yet matured, couldnt have been done better by anyone else

the production is good & gives an ambiance of a dark, war ravaged wasteland where everything seems to just die.

a 100 years from now, & this will still be regarded as one of the all time classics in music history.
you can bet on that

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans (1993)

Track Listing:

1. Sear Me MCMXCIII
2. Your River
3. The Songless Bird
4. The Snow in My Hand
5. The Crown of Sympathy
6. Turn Loose the Swans
7. Black God

Lineup:

• Aaron Stainthorpe
• Andy Craighan
• Calvin Robertshaw
• Ade Jackson
• Martin Powell
• Rick Miah

doom death metal?? takes the listener by complete surprise when one listens to the opening track 'Sear Me MCMXCIII' with its funny name. evil yet utterly depressing piano accompanied with morose violins and narrative vocals which may not be the perfect start for a band just enjoying their success from their previous effort, but then this is no ordinary album

this album is solely responsible for the countless imitators of the 'doom death' genre , the most famous one being USA's NOVEMBERS DOOM.

just 7 song but over 1 hour of pure sadness. there are several shades of Gothic influences which only add more character to each song. this is one of those albums you wouldn't want to listen to if you have suicidal tendencies.
'Your River',''The Crown of Sympathy', 'The Song less Bird', 'The Snow in My Hand' are all depressing classics. and that's a good thing. there are some parts in the album which sound like as if Satan's having to deal with the loss of a loved one, evil , yet so beautiful & dark.

the guitars are very melodic at times, slow & then it changes all of a sudden to this real evil sounding passage that it scares the daylights out of you.
the riffs even though slow , weigh as heavy as a 10 ton hammer smashing against ones head. the moods that this album can create is quite phenomenal.

looks like Satan came down to earth, decided to form the ultimate depressing band on the planet, & gave its members music composed from the tortured pits of hell.

lethal album

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

My Dying Bride - The Light At The End Of The World (1999)

Track Listing:

1. Into the Lake of Ghosts
2. Edenbeast
3. The Night He Died
4. The Light at the End of the World
5. The Fever Sea
6. Into the Lake of Ghosts
7. The Isis Script
8. Christliar
9. Sear Me III

Lineup:

• Aaron Stainthorpe
• Andy Craighan
• Calvin Robertshaw
• Ade Jackson
• Shaun Steels

one of the greatest bands to ever come out of britain, MDB were the founders along with compatriots ANATHEMA and PARADISE LOST of 'doom death' metal. the earlier albums were pure old school death metal, but these 3 bands later took their music in a different direction which we all are greatfful for.
as the name suggests, 'doom death', the music is painfully slow & filled with eternal sadness. the 'death' comes in the form of either the growly vocals death metal style which keep popping up in odd places in the album & also too many references of dying. hence 'doom death'

Aaron Stainthorpe's voice can convince anyone that he is really in pain, while the guitar work of founding member Andy Craighan is just addictive. all the songs except for 'The Fever Sea' clock well over 6 minutes.
the music is very slow, at times mid paced, with haunting melodies that just refuse to go long after you have finished listening to the songs, & the general ambience is very very dark throughout.

'Edenbeast', 'Into the Lake of Ghosts', 'Into the Lake of Ghosts', 'The Night He Died' are all brilliant compositions which take the listener to a world filled with ghosts, visions & even nightmares.

even though the music here is not head banging material, it cannot be sidelined in anyway. if you are one of those people who likes to live in cold places, wear long over coats & sip wine by the fire place while sitting on your rocking chair, then this is the perfect music for you.

my rating
9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe (2000)

Track Listing:

1. Spinning
2. Excessit
3. Moving spirit
4. Occam's razor
5. Insect
6. Cloud constructor
7. Conjuring collapse
8. Adaptability
9. Fountainhead

Lineup:

• Øyvind Hægeland
• Steinar Gundersen
• Kaj Gornitzka
• Lars K. Norberg
• Asgeir Mickelson

this should have come with a warning note "may cause melting of the brain"

when other progressive metal bands play progressive music just to sound really cool & technical, they mostly end up sounding like disjointed jam sessions. Spiral Architect on the other hand, make it possible to play highly technical music, without falling into pieces.

this band comprises of members playing in several black metal bands, is probably Europe's answer to America's CYNIC. plenty of influences can be heard here, from the classic YES, to the psychotic WATCHTOWER, to the weirdness of CYNIC, and yet, this album has its own originality.

this is what they have to say about their music on their official website
"Spiral Architect is about continual development, idealism, and intensity. Spiral Architect is controlled anarchy. The aim is to make music that challenges the listener, as well as pushes the abilities of the musicians and man."

this music seriously sounds like the members are aliens from another planet. If CYNIC"S FOCUS took like 10 listens to digest, this one requires a 100 listens. this music is just not meant for everyone, & thats whats so special about it.
the progression makes DREAM THEATER sound like a circus act, while the vocalist Øyvind Hægeland mimcs Devon Graves of PSYCHOTIC WALTZ. his high pitched vocals are just superb.

the guitarists shred the guitar to bits, & the drumming of Asgeir Mickelson who also plays with BORKNAGAR, VINTERSORG & IHSAHN, among others, is simply mind blowing.

this is the musical equivalent of a 10 year old kid(that being us) trying to figure out calculus (that being the album)

truley jaw dropping musicianship this

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Cynic - Focus(1993)

Track Listing:

1. Veil of Maya
2. Celestial Voyage
3. The Eagle Nature
4. Sentiment
5. I'm But a Wave To...
6. Uroboric Forms
7. Textures
8. How Could I

Lineup:

• Paul Masvidal
• Jason Gobel
• Sean Malone
• Sean Reinert

great release from a super group hailing from Florida, CYNIC never really got the credit they deserved. soon after this album , which is now considered a landmark in the field of progressive thrash/ death / the members decided to split up & join other bands. Masvidal & Reinert who were earlier with DEATH, along with Gobel formed GORDIAN KNOT, which is another super group consisting of members from various progressive rock & metal bands. Reinert also had AGHORA to keep him busy, while Malone hit the studios to record several sessions in jazz, and progressive rock. his collaboration with DREAM THEATERS Mike Portnoy & Kevin Moore along with guitar god Jim Matheos of FATES WARNING had prog buffs all excited.

coming to this album, it has strong complex song structures. Masvidal uses a lot of guitar synths & weird vocal effects to create an eerie alien like ambience. he shifts between clean & death growls with ease. Malone's bass playing is very technical to the point , one can easily mistake him for playing bass solo in every song.

'Veil of Maya', 'Celestial Voyage' , 'Textures', 'How Could I' are just classics in the field of prog/death.

this album clearly shows the influence it had on mighty bands like MESHUGGAH & TEXTURES.


even though its been more than 15 years since its release, it still requires at least 3 listens before one gets hooked to it. this is not really for the everage metal head, coz the music is not average, but for serious listeners who want to explore the boundries of where metal can really go, should love this album

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Death - Human(1991)

Track Listing:

1. Flattening of Emotions
2. Suicide Machine
3. Together as One
4. Secret Face
5. Lack of Comprehension
6. See Through Dreams
7. Cosmic Sea
8. Vacant Planets

Lineup:

• Chuck Schuldiner
• Paul Masvidal
• Steve DiGiorgio
• Sean Reinert

taking a much more technical & progressive approach to their song writing, death started the whole technical death metal style probably with this album. just look at the all star cast here. Paul Masvidal who later formed the critically acclaimed CYNIC, was in top form here, twisting his guitar to give progressive riffs n solos. Steve DiGiorgio with his fretless bass playing, Sean Reinert with his double bass assault & good ol Chuck better than ever. his guitar solos are extremely technical, complicated at times, & very fast. the fat bass seems to be everywhere. & Paul compliments chuck with excellent solos of his own.

this album speaks in volumes about human emotions & chuck and co let their music do the talking here.

though all the songs are considered classics now, 'Lack of Comprehension' is a total stand out track & even enjoyed good air play on mtv. yes mtv!

the music here though bone crushing, makes the listener tilt his head & listen to the music. really listen. classic stuff this

my rating
9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Judas Priest - Painkiller(1990)

Track Listing:

1. Painkiller
2. Hell Patrol
3. All Guns Blazing
4. Leather Rebel
5. Metal Meltdown
6. Night Crawler
7. Between The Hammer & The Anvil
8. A Touch Of Evil
9. Battle Hymn
10. One Shot At Glory

Lineup:

• Rob Halford
• Glenn Tipton
• K.K. Downing
• Ian Hill
• Scott Travis

even though Judas Priest were formed in 1974, & have several great albums to their credit in the 80's, it was only after 16 years they virtually pulled the proverbial rabbit outta the hat. this album rules.....

there were shades of things to change in their previous effort, 1988' RAM IT DOWN, but the whole world was in for a surprise shock when they released this masterpiece.

there are no words to describe this. 'awesome', 'brilliant''classic', 'timeless' are words that come to mind while trying to describe this. each & every song is a class in its own right.

Downing & Tipton shred the guitar to bits, with their thrash tinged riffs coupled with really melodious solos, while Travis destroys the drum kit. Halford never sounded more powerful ever. one listen to the opening killer of a track 'PAINKILLER' shuts up all critics of true metal. the madness never stops, 'LEATHER REBEL', 'HELL PATROL', 'NIGHTCRAWLER' are your typical in your face heavy metal to its best. 'Metal Meltdown' has one of the craziest solo intros ever.

'A TOUCH OF EVIL' is one of the best power ballads ever written in metal history. & they end things on a fine note with 'ONE SHOT AT GLORY'.

like i said, this is one of those rare moments in music history, where everything was going right for a band. after creating this & reaching the top, they could only go downwards from here. an all time classic. a must have for fans of all genres of metal. even brutal black metal bands like EMPEROR, DIMMU BORGIR, BEHEMOTH bow their heads to this jaw breaking album.

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Candlemass - Nightfall(1987)

Track Listing:

1. Gothic Stone
2. The Well Of Souls
3. Codex Gigas
4. At The Gallows End
5. Samarithan
6. Marche Funebre
7. Dark Are The Veils Of Death
8. Mourner's Lament
9. Bewitched

Lineup:

• Messiah Marcolin
• Mats Bjorkman
• Lasse Johansson
• Leif Edling
• Jan Lindh

even tho this was their second album after the impressive Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, it was the towering personality of Messiah Marcolin which changed the fortunes of this Swedish band. The brainchild of bass player Leif Edling, this album is probably what started the 'DOOM' culture in metal.
the album is surprisingly heavy, the riffs are brooding & slow, tribute to the all time doom band BLACK SABBATH. some real gems here with songs like Gothic Stone, At The Gallows End, Samarithan.
there is not a weak moment in the entire album, sometimes it can get slow, but its never dull. even the song writing is awesome, & the album photo is a painting by Thomas Cole, which one can get to see at the museum of arts.
Messiah is one of those vocalists who powerful voice might uproot trees, metals Pavarotti. Mats Bjorkman and Lasse Johansson trade riffs skilfully. at a time when thrash was making headlines everywhere, & playing fast music was getting popular, candlemass changed everything by talking their music really slow. i timeless classic this one, and for us lucky fans, there was more to come from this great band

my rating
8.5/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Sepultura - Arise(1991)

Track List

01 Arise
02 Dead Embryonic Cells
03 Desperate Cry
04 Murder
05 Subtraction
06 Altered State
07 Under Siege (Regnum Irae)
08 Meaningless Movements
09 Infected Voice

Line Up

Andreas Kisser - Lead Guitar
Igor Cavalera - Drums
Max Cavalera - Vocal/Guitar
Paulo Jr. - Bass

one of the best metal albums to come out of south america, Brazils answer to Slayer, this is a collectors gem. Rage, is constant throughout the album, & theres plenty of music to headbang to. its very groovy & a fan favorite among mosh pits. 'under seige', 'desperate cry', 'dead embryonic cells', 'arise''altered state' are true power house metal compositions. the production is top class & compliments the groovy riffs by Kisser.
the only thing thats not really good is the lyrics, lots of grammatical howlers, guess they would have scored a lot if they sang in their native Portuguese, but they were young & had a lot to talk about & hence preferred to sing in English to reach a wider audience. anyways, their music does all the talking. Max' vocals never sounded more hate ridden & vengeful. guess he was pissed off with the corrupt catholic Church & the extreme poverty that had plagued Brazil.

best music to listen to while working out with heavy weights.

my rating
9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Iron maiden - Iron Maiden(1980)

Track Listing:

1. Prowler
2. Remember Tomorrow
3. Running Free
4. Transilvania
5. Phantom Of The Opera
6. Strange World
7. Charlotte The Harlot
8. Iron Maiden

Lineup:

• Paul Di'Anno
• Dave Murray
• Dennis Stratton
• Steve Harris
• Clive Burr

The year was 1980, & the music scene in the UK was probably never going to be the same thanks to a bunch of rebel teens who wanted to do something different. At that time punk was very popular & bands who wanted to sound very different, had to be really brave or stupid. With this album Iron Maiden made it clear they were going to be a band to reckon with. The songs here are short, catchy & will appeal to fans of both heavy metal & punk. Paul Di'Anno was more of a punk vocalist than metal anyways.
Musically this remains Maidens most raw offering till date. The production is top class, & sounds as if it was just released a few years ago. "Running Free", "Prowler", & "Iron Maiden" are cult classics , the band still plays live. "Remember Tomorrow" is one of their greatest songs they managed to write. It seems to have inspired tons of metal bands that carved a niche for themselves in their own sub genres of metal. bands like OPETH, DARK TRANQUILITY and hosts of other bands.
Steve Harris bass playing was the best. Dave Murray & Dennis Stratton paid rich tribute to older bands like Wishbone Ash with their twin guitar playing, something that remained with them till now.
All in all a good album.

My rating 7/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Slayer - Reign In Blood(1986)

Track Listing:

1. Angel of death
2. Piece by piece
3. Necrophobic
4. Altar of sacrifice
5. Jesus saves
6. Criminally insane
7. Reborn
8. Epidemic
9. Postmortem
10. Raining blood

Lineup:

• Tom Araya
• Kerry King
• Jeff Hanneman
• Dave Lombardo

1986 will be the year greatly remembered in the annals of metal history for giving us great albums like IRON MAIDEN'S 'SOMEWHERE IN TIME', METALLICA'S 'MASTER OF PUPPETS' , JUDAS PRIEST'S 'TURBO', and host of other great bands. But all these releases seem pale in comparison to, what can be called as extreme metals defining moment with the release of Slayers "reign in blood".
before this album, slayer were a band no one took seriously, with their outrageous satanic imagery, actually generating few laughs. but once the world got to listen to the opening masterpiece "Angel of death", Slayer suddenly became the most serious band on the planet.
this album was released 22 years ago & it still sounds as if it was made this year. thats due to the magic of producer Rick ruben who really turned the fortunes of slayer. not that they became millionaires, but they released the most aggressive & brutal metal album of not only that year, perhaps of all time.
'postmortem', 'piece by piece', 'jesus saves', 'criminally insane' are utterly brutal, with Dave lombardo showing no mercy on the drums. Air drumming became very popular thanks to him. King & Hanneman shred the guitar to bits with their fast, but totally un melodic style of solos and riffs straight from the depths of hell, Araya with his ferocious screams, and all songs under 3 minutes(except angel) really pushed the bar so high, that every so called brutal, fast, ultra heavy albums released by countless thrash metal bands, in these 2 decades since its release, seemed pale in comparison.
not a single bad or average song here. the final 'raining blood' is one of the best songs they still play live.

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Iron Maiden - Killers(1981)

Track Listing:

1. Wrathchild
2. Murders In The Rue Morgue
3. Another Life
4. Innocent Exile
5. Dzhengis Khan
6. Killers
7. Twilight Zone
8. Prodigal Son
9. Purgatory
10. Drifter

Lineup:

• Paul Di'Anno
• Dave Murray
• Adrian Smith
• Steve Harris
• Clive Burr

though the sound in this album changed a little compared to their debut, the best hing that probably happened to maiden is the introduction of guitarist Adrian Smith. All the songs were again composed & written by Steve Harris, with the exception of Killers which had Di'Anno contributing.
this album scores over their debut in some ways. its a lot more catchier, riffs are better & the solos with Adrian have a lot more feel. There is not a weak song here. From the Instrumental opening "Ides" to the fast paced twin assault of "Purgatory", this makes for an excellent listen. The only drawback was probably the vocals of Di'Anno which seemed forced & not natural as compared to their debut.

My rating 8.5/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind(1983)

Track Listing:

1. Where Eagles Dare
2. Revelations
3. Flight Of Icarus
4. Die With Your Boots On
5. The Trooper
6. Still Life
7. Quest For Fire
8. Sun And Steel
9. To Tame A Land

Lineup:

• Bruce Dickinson
• Dave Murray
• Adrian Smith
• Steve Harris
• Nicko McBrain

Sick of being labeled as satanists by the conservative crowds, maiden deliberately recorded a message using the back masking technique just after their song "the trooper". it said" don't mess with things you don't understand". jokes aside, another classic album. the moods here were perfectly balanced with fast songs like" the trooper" which talks about war, to "still life" which is mid paced & quite depressive in musical sense.
this is possibly the greatest ever band line up in metal history. the same line up gave us 4 more classic albums. Nicko had previously played in the French jazz band 'trust' , fit like a glove behind handling the drums. "where eagles dare" was based on the Clint Eastwood movie, while "Quest for fire" was also based on a French movie on the same name. "to tame a land" was originally to be called "dune" based on 'frank herberts' futuristic novel, but they were denied permission to use the name.
the melodies were just awesome, the twins... one will think when will they ever run out of ideas. Adrian smith & dave murray were at their best & things were only going to be a lot better.

My rating 9.5/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast(1982)

Track Listing:

1. Invaders
2. Children Of The Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. the number Of The beast
6. Run To The Hills
7. Gangland
8. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Lineup:

• Bruce Dickinson
• Dave Murray
• Adrian Smith
• Steve Harris
• Clive Burr

One of the greatest metal albums of all time. Period. Hordes of other metal acts that followed have paid tribute to this definitive metal album on some ways or the other.Bruce Dickinson made his debut here with Maiden & his voice really blends with the music. His epic, clean shreik is just what the doctor ordered.
Adrian contributes in the songwriting on few tracks like "22 Acacia" which is a continuation from "Charlotte" from the previous album, where he talks about a one night stand with a commercial sex worker. "the prisoner " was their tribute to the long running tv series of the same name. "NOTB" with its Satanic imagery made Maiden infamous as 'satanists' while the song actually was based on the movie "the omen".
The production makes it really hard to believe this album was done sometime back in 1982. excellent. every song is top class here.
Fun fact . the devil in the video for "beast" is non other than the crazy Nicko Mc Brain who would make his presence with maidens next venture.
"hallowed" is probably the most played song by cover bands ever. the twins, the solos, the melody in this entire album, the sold out stadium arenas around the world, & the millions of albums still being sold, truley make this their greatest album ever.
every "top 5 metal album ever" compilation anywhere in the world, will have a mention of this.
Priceless

My rating 10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time(1986)

Track Listing:

1. Caught Somewhere In Time
2. Wasted Years
3. Sea Of Madness
4. Heaven Can Wait
5. The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner
6. Stranger In A Strange Land
7. Deja-Vu
8. Alexander The Great

Lineup:

• Bruce Dickinson
• Dave Murray
• Adrian Smith
• Steve Harris
• Nicko McBrain

To me the most progressive album maiden have done till date. a lot of people tend to say that the 1988 opus, Seventh son, was the most progressive, but this album kinda started it. the sound for one, was very, futuristic. a listen to the opening masterpiece, 'caught somewhere in time' transports the listener to an arctic wasteland. the riffs seem to have that freeze, it still manages to chill my spine whenever i listen to it even now.

'wasted years' probably most maiden fans favorite song, the opening riff inspired hordes of present guitarists the world over. 'sea of madness' are maiden at their musical apex. a very complex arranged song, Harris seemed to push his composing writings to the limit.

those who have seen the music video for 'stranger in a strange land' can relate to the fact that adrian smith is one of the best guitarists who plays with a lot of feel. even the great JOHN PETRUCCI is a long time fan of his vibrato technique.

one really wonders why a great song like 'deja vu' never quite made it to their live shows. the shortest song in the album, played brilliantly, with its epic sounding slow intro, you just wait for it to explode , and go into overdrive

maiden go into story telling mode with their last song on the album 'alexander the great' & you realize that they are such a well read band. all their songs on war are based on actual facts in history, on should think they should have opted for teaching at the local university. glad they didnt.
the whole album is a great feel, & for once, even dave plays with a lot of heart. melody is in abundance & so is the virtuosity.

my rating
9.9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Iron Maiden - Powerslave(1984)

Track Listing:

1. Aces High
2. 2 Minutes To Midnight
3. Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)
4. Flash Of The Blade
5. The Duellists
6. Back In The Village
7. Powerslave
8. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Lineup:

• Bruce Dickinson
• Dave Murray
• Adrian Smith
• Steve Harris
• Nicko McBrain

with the success of the previous Peace of mind album, fans were actually wondering if maiden can continue to weave their magic in the new album, & this album is another collectors classic. from the blistering opening of 'aces high', to '2 minutes to midnight' & the powerful 'powerslave' , every song perfectly complimented one another. maiden seem to have a thing with instrumentals, they really stick in your head, long after the songs over. 'big orra' losfer words( loss for words) is another testament to the twin guitar attacks of Adrian & dave.

'rime of the ancient mariner' was another fan favorite & it clocked at an impressive 13 minutes, maidens longest so far. Dickinsons maintains his high pitched shreiks, while the most underrated drummer in metal, Nicko simply blasts away.

this album was followed up by one of the biggest world tours the world had seen till then. 'world slavery tour', turned everyone to slaves.

my rating
9.5/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son(1988)

Track Listing:

1. Moonchild
2. Infinite Dreams
3. Can I Play With Madness
4. The Evil That Men Do
5. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
6. The Prophecy
7. The Clairvoyant
8. Only The Good Die Young

Lineup:

• Bruce Dickinson
• Dave Murray
• Adrian Smith
• Steve Harris
• Nicko McBrain

the greatest metal album released in 1988, it took the fans by surprise by actually selling more than their previous effort. critics hail this as their most progressive album, it in fact was a concept album.

the commercial success of 'can i play with madness', the concert anthem 'evil that men do', the progressive overtones of 'the clairvoyant' & the prophecy(esp the cool outro with the classical guitars), & the arguably the greatest song ever written by Harris 'infinite dreams' make this a timeless classic.
dickinsons voice was at its best, the music was exceptionally melodic & pretty progressive in the fact being that they didnt sound like their previous written material. if 'somewhere in time' had that icy feel to it, this on tops it with a blizzard. harris used a lot of guitar synthesizers here to achieve that background icy feel that reverberates during the entire album.

but all good things must come to an end, & this was their last multi platimun selling classic. Adrian wanted to do something more & felt that his songwriting skills were not being appreciated as Harris suddenly wanted to take maiden back to the basic hard rock roots which was evident in their next NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING ALBUM. So he left maiden to form his own band called ASAP, (adrian smith & project). later he had formed another band called Psyho motel which was more hard rock, & had him manage both, guitar & vocal duties, & even later he joined bruce duckinson in 2 solo albums of his, ACCIDENT OF BIRTH & CHEMICAL WEDDING. anyways..

if you really wanna feel nostalgic, all you need to do is listen to this masterpiece.

my rating
9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

In Flames - The Jester Race (1996)

Lineup:

• Anders Fridén
• Jesper Strömblad
• Glenn Ljungström
• Björn Gelotte
• Johan Larsson

Track Listing:

1. Moonshield
2. The Jesters Dance
3. Artifacts Of The Black Rain
4. Graveland
5. Lord Hypnos
6. Dead Eternity
7. The Jester Race
8. December Flower
9. Wayfare
10. Dead God In Me

the first time i heard IF, i was stunned. The reason being, i was told that this was a black metal album & so most of the black metal albums released back in 1996 sounded grim & thats a good thing if you like black metal.
however, In Flames were not a black metal band, but the new vocalist Anders Fridén who was with Dark Tranquility before making In Flames his home, did have growly & raspy vocals which would get any black metal followers interested.

But the melody, twin guitar harmonies, catchy grooves & classical arrangements made this a totally different musical experience all together.

the classical guitar intro to the opening Moonshield just tells you what to expect from this brilliant talented band. every song gets better n better with more melody, & fantastic guitar arrangements.

The Jesters Dance is a short 2 minute song with classical guitars, heavy palm muting riffs & grooves all aligned in perfect symmetry. The The Jester Race is another smooth track where the guitar melodies just wont refuse to go away.

Wayfare is another cool instrumental track which has serious progressive overtones. at one point in the track it sounds as if Eddie Van Halen was Jamming with his Swedish counterparts.
the sense of melody is impeccable.

in fact all the songs are very strong & the high light being the guitar driven classically arranged parts which are everywhere. the production is good but could have been a lot better, as it doesn't do justice to the fantastic guitar parts.

if one takes away the vocals (the only thing really death metal here) & drums , all you are left with is just some really fine European classical music played by really talented guitarists Jesper Strömblad and Glenn Ljungström.


even though this album doesnt really get the credit it deserves, it still makes a very impressive listen. If At The Gates were responsible for starting the whole Gothenburg death metal movement, also known as melodic death metal, then In Flames should be credited for making it popular.

Get this one please

My Rating
9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

King Diamond - Them (1988)

Lineup:

• King Diamond
• Andy LaRocque
• Pete Blakk
• Hasse (Hal) Patino
• Mikkey Dee

Track Listing:

1. Out From The Asylum
2. Welcome Home
3. The Invisible Guests
4. Tea
5. Mother's Getting Weaker
6. Bye, Bye Missy
7. A Broken Spell
8. The Accusation Chair
9. "Them"
10. Twilight Symphony
11. Coming Home

one of the defining moments in metal history, the release of Them kinda took the thrash metal elements a bit further and fused it with the not so popular power metal genre. Dont get me wrong, this is no way close to power metal, but its definitely no way close to other thrash bands mentioned in this blog either.
it took the best elements of thrash metal(speed, power) & fused it with the best elements of power metal(harmonies, melodies) and yet created a very unique sound which only a handful of metal bands were able to mimic.

the most outstanding aspect of any KD release is the banshee vocals of madman King Diamond, who apart from being a weirdo, is also a great guitarist, key board player, composer, writer & story teller.

this album still manages to give me goose bumps whenever i try to listen to it sitting in my dark room, all alone.

a concept album, tells the story of a boy(probably king himself) and his demented grand mother who keeps seeing 'them' (dead people) & goes on a murderous rampage... or does she?
the entire album is quite gripping in its story telling aspect & reading the lyrics is like reading a horror/thriller novel with equally scary music.
even the cover of the sleeve, which shows a scary house makes one sit up and notice the tiny details

Andy La Rocque is one of the most under rated guitarists ever & he shines here with his ability to shred the guitar like a maniac yet do it with utmost craftsmanship without sounding like a pompous brat.

there are no stand out songs as such as all of them are quite eerie & scary, but the icings on the cake have to be either Twilight Symphony or Welcome Home

listening to KD's vocals will make one compare him to the high priest of metal screamers Rob Halford just because of his vocal ability to shock and awe with his ultra high pitch screams which could be called his 'vocal solos' in his own right

please get this album if u like ur metal to sound scary

my rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

10 - King Diamond - Twilight Symphony.mp3

Megadeth - Rust In Peace (1990)

Lineup:

• Dave Mustaine
• Marty Friedman
• Dave Ellefson
• Nick Menza

Track Listing:

1. Holy Wars...The Punishment Due
2. Hangar 18
3. Take No Prisoners
4. Five Magics
5. Poison Was The Cure
6. Lucretia
7. Tornado Of Souls
8. Dawn Patrol
9. Rust In Peace...Polaris

a super fine slab of pure American Thrash metal, from one of the all time greats Megadeth. Even though the earlier releases were very good & the music kept on progressing from their debut 1985's Killing is My Business.., Dave and co reached their pinnacle with this release.

the music is brutal right from the word go, & the lyrics seem to talk a lot about the governments foreign policies and war, two themes which seem very relevant even today, 18 years after its release.

Musically, Dave & Marty seem to compete with each other as to whose riffs & solos kick more butt, while the bass fills of Ellefson & time keeper Menza keep the music tight. A very technical & progressive album if one listens to songs like Hangar 18, Take No Prisoners & Holy Wars.

If one really compares the music, their rivals Metallica releases to what Megadeth releases, its easy to like the former just because, the music is mostly simple, catchy & James is a damn good vocalist. Where as in Megadeth's case, the music is progressive and technical, complex & the Dave has the voice which sounds really angry yet controlled. Dave formed Megadeth with the sole intention to sound heavier, faster & better than Metallica and with every metallica release, came a faster Megadeth release
So its safe to say a lot of people who like Megadeth dont like Metallica that much coz they feel the music is just technically inferior.

Tornado of Souls is the best track on the album just because it has all the elements of what true thrash metal was supposed to be. Aggression and speed, controlled chaos.

The only sad thing was, Dave never managed to recreate the magic that was on this album, even though he came frighteningly close on his next release, which was a much more sleek and polished release.

so if u really call yourself a true thrash metal fan, then please go & buy this album. It easily sits among the top 5 Thrash metal albums of all time. If u like your music to have aggression, with flawless solos, and technical playing, then the best place to start is right here with this epic of an album.

Definitely their finest hour

my rating
9/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza

Carcass - Heartwork (1993)

Lineup:

• Bill Steer
• Michael Amott
• Jeff Walker
• Ken Owen

Track Listing:

1. Buried Dreams
2. Carnal Forge
3. No Love Lost
4. Heartwork
5. Embodiment
6. This Mortal Coil
7. Arbeit Macht Fleisch
8. Blind Bleeding The Blind
9. Doctrinal Expletives
10. Death Certificate

Certainly one of the most under rated death metal bands to come out of Britain, carcass 5th studio release was the highlight of its career. The true innovators of the gore-grind genre, death metal purists may argue that their mucus & bile infested previous releases like 1988's Reek of putrefaction or 1989's Symphonies of sickness dont really get the credit they deserve. & yes thats a fact. not only were those 2 albums immensely pivotal to the whole gore infested grind scene, they were also pretty funny in a weird Dexter Morgan kinda way.

Coming to Heartwork, this album is one of the greatest releases to come out of the mid 90's when the whole grunge scene literally killed heavy metal. The complex riffing of Bill and Michael , the vocal snarls of Jeff & the tight drumming of Ken gave plenty of hope to metal heads around the world who were getting distracted with the whole Seattle scene.

the first 5 songs are just bone crushing heavy! the solos are fantastic, melodious at times & seem to make a loud statement that even gore grind bands can play cool solos. If one has to listen to their previous albums, which sounded like the background score for ultra low B grade horror movies (which in this case is a good thing), heartwork was like a big budget blockbuster.

the production was and still is one of the best in a death metal album. Michael Ammot who later formed the immensely popular Arch Enemy is in top form & could even put the other pompous metal shredders to shame. even though the tempo in the entire album is fast, what really gets ones attention is the groovy crunches of the guitar riffs that keep playing in the head even after the song is long over. Note the ultra heavy chuggs of 'No love lost'.

"Buried Dreams", "Carnal Forge", "Heartwork" are just timeless classics and stuff no one thought Carcass could write considering its the same band which also came up with songs like 'Swarming Vulgar Mass Of Infected Virulency', 'Splattered Cavities', 'Genital Grinder', 'Regurgitation Of Giblets' and scores of other sickening names from their previous releases. Of couse its sad that there were not many takers to the medical humor of Jeff Walker so they decided to write their best material (medical errors and horrors aside ) and wrote , probably the best metal release of 1993.

If there ever was a 'progressive death metal album, Heartwork could be the one.

This is a must have album & no metal fans collection can ever be complete without this phlegm ,cough cough, i mean 'gem'

My rating
10/10

review by Pritham 'Metal farmer' D'Souza