Revisiting: Kane Roberts' "S/T"

Welcome to the third installment in my brand new kind of review series. Damn, that headline doesn't look good no matter what I do with it. Oh well. Since I started off this series with Alice Cooper's excellent "Raise Your Fist And Yell" album, I thought it would be fitting to revisit and do a breakdown of this album as well. Let's go!

Band/artist: Kane Roberts
Album: Kane Roberts (S/T)
Release year: 1987
Style: Glam Metal

Quick introduction: I'm guessing most of you who read this are probably here because you were actively Googling for Kane Roberts. If not, then let me introduce the man. Kane Roberts was a promising guitar player who's mostly known for his work with Alice Cooper. He helped the Coop in relaunching his career during the mid 80's after years of alcohol abuse and some album flops. It was a successful collaboration. Alice's career took off once again, now playing more of an 80's heavy metal style compared to his earlier classic (shock/hard) rock sound.

Kane Roberts himself was also known for playing a guitar designed as a machine gun, as well as for being a body builder. This made him something of a "metal Rambo" in media and MCA (Alice's record company at the time) tried to capitalize on his looks and guitar talents, launching a solo career for the man. It seems, however, that it was more or less a flop as it's fairly hard to find his solo music or any information about him. Not even his time with Alice Cooper, despite being quite successful, seems to have much substantial information to find these days.

1. Rock Doll

This was an MTV video back in the day. For being a single it's ironically a track I kind of like the least on the entire album. It's not bad but I've heard it a thousand times before. It's just your typical run-of-the-mill party track, 80's glam style. Nothing too memorable.

2. Women On The Edge Of Love

This is better. It's not as rocking as the album's opener but it's a lot more melodic, which I prefer in this case. It's obvious you're in for a typical 80's album as it's got your trademark cheese keys, almost bordering on an AOR-ish sound. It doesn't matter, the song is catchy as hell. I like it.

3. Triple X

"Triple X! It's only sex 'til it crosses the line!" The lyrics might not be something worth remembering but then again, whenever were glam lyrics that memorable anyway? This song is great, though. Kane also does a great solo on this one. Now the chorus is stuck on my mind. It's super catchy!

4. Gorilla

Just another case of "your typical", this time in form of a short guitar instrumental. If you ever bought an album in the 80's with some kind of guitar monster featured, it always had a "wank track" like this. This is just not that exciting, though.

5. Outlaw

This is the heaviest track so far. Short and straight to the point. The guitar(s) sound great here, riffs as solo. It's also got some of those lovely 80's style gang vocals in the chorus. OUTLAW! Cool song.

6. If This Is Heaven

The album's most upbeat-sounding track to my ears. It's not overly upbeat but more so than the others. It's pretty much another 80's anthemic song. Not superb but good enough. The chorus is once again a catchy thing.

7. Out For Blood

Like you can probably guess from the title it's going for a heavier route again. This is definitely the album's heaviest and most uptempo track. Speedy riff and pounding drums all complete with a gang vox chorus and a long blistering solo. One of the best tracks on here.

8. Full Pull

This is the only track on the album to feature a collaboration with the Coop himself, who did some or all lyrical work. The song itself, however, is amongst the album's weaker ones. It definitely lacks the same kind of memorability in chorus and solo compared to the other tracks.

9. Too Much (For Anyone To Touch)

...And the cheese-keys are back. To put it very simply: this is as 80's as it gets. Imagine the most 80's-sounding metal song you can think of and this is right up that alley. But I'm not dissing, I think this track is great. It's extremely catchy and I used to strongly associate it with Kelly Bundy (Christina Applegate) from Married With Children, whom I had a mad crush on during my late teens.

10. Tears of Fire

"She had a hand in my sex education, took me down right by the river." These lyrics sure are something special. All accompanied by one of those extremely soppy 80's metal ballads, musically speaking. This song and its lyrics have been a standing joke between me and my buddy for a decade, even though we haven't heard it for years. "But I still remember baby when she came..." Yeah I remember it too, Kane.

11. Strong Arm Needs A Stronger Heart

At this point I'm really out of ideas how to describe it without repeating myself. It's just more of the same, but since it's catchy and super 80's sounding I guess it's a good thing, right?

Overall impression:

So this was Kane Roberts' first solo album. I think it's pretty safe to say it didn't left much of a mark in metal history, despite sounding like basically any other successful guitar-shreddy 80's glam album. Musically it's a very cheesy album most of the time, but it's also an extremely catchy and memorable album. Despite not having listened to it for a decade or so, I find myself remembering these songs very clearly. Most of all I find it a fun album to listen to. Isn't that what truly matters?

If I compare this to what Kane did with the Coop I've gotta say I prefer the Coop stuff. Well, maybe not the "Constrictor" album but definitely "Raise Your Fist And Yell". This album, however, has better guitar solos from Kane in my opinion. He really gets to show more of his musical abilities on here, while with Alice he did more odd stuff during solos. I suppose you can call Kane another 80's guitar virtuoso, but he's also not that over the top. Guys like George Lynch or Warren DeMartini would beat him any day, in my opinion.

Sadly Kane Roberts' never truly took off. He got a fair amount of spotlight while playing with Alice, but in retrospect it's perhaps not a generally favored era in Alice's career either. Say what you will about Kane Roberts - the man could certainly play guitar really well and he seemed to be quite a showman as well. It's also pretty safe to say that he was rather productive at the time, releasing three albums over two years time. Personally I really enjoy his stuff with Alice as well as his solo stuff.

Revisiting: Tigertailz' "Bezerk"

Welcome to the second installment in this new review series of mine. Bear in mind that it's not gonna be your typical review, but instead a song-by-song breakdown and literal revisit for me. Let's jump right into it!

Band/artist: Tigertailz
Album: Bezerk
Release year: 1990
Syle: Glam Metal

Quick introduction: Tigertailz is one of those bands I never was a very big fan of. Not that I've ever disliked them but I never thought they were anything extra ordinary either. Their image (particularly the hideous haircuts) were definitely competing with bands like King Kobra, though. I was really into glam metal during the time frame 2007-'09, or "hair metal" as I always referred to it. I listened to a lot of relevant bands of that time and genre, and I discovered lots of great but obscure bands. Tigertailz, however, were just "another band" to me. Never leaving much of a mark for me back then, I haven't really revisited this album in the past 10 years - until now.

1. Sick Sex

Hearing this opener makes me think of two things: it sounds like quite the "typical" glam metal opener of the time (late 80's), but it also sounds rather generic. Put this up against a glam metal masterpiece opener, such as GN'R's "Welcome To The Jungle" or Ratt's "Wanted Man", and this is just proof that Tigertailz is nowhere near the same league as many of their peers. Not bad but not very engaging either.

2. Love Bomb Baby

Probably my clearest memory of this record but not in a positive matter. I suppose this was the album's "big hit" and I can understand why, but to me it just sounds cringey as fuck. The ultra-happy intro choir just rubs me the wrong way immediately. There's also a cheesy AOR-ish keyboard which makes it sound more dated than anything else on the album. Nope, time hasn't changed my opinion about this song.

3. I Can Fight Dirty Too

Now we're startin' to talk here. This is one of the album's rockers and possibly also the best track on the entire album. It's got a pretty nice drive and actually sounds way more instrumentally engaging and energetic than "Sick Sex". Pretty good riff and quite catchy chorus. Not awesome but definitely a song I could come back to again.

4. Noise Level Critical

I remember reading old Kerrang mags I bought from Ebay to get old band posters back when I was a teenager. They used this song's title for their concert reviews page. The song itself is very Van Halen-esque and pretty decent. I defintely would've prefered this as a single over "Love Bomb Baby" (and with that said, I have no idea if this was a single/video as well).

5. Heaven

I remembered this track. Kind of. I remember it being a ballad and that I thought it was pretty good, but I had forgotten the song itself. Hmm, it's still pretty good. I mean, it's very soppy and kind of "wimpish" and the lyrics are lame, but it's just what you'd expect from your typical hair metal ballad of the time. It reminds me of Steelheart. If nothing else then at least it's something to make out to with my girlfriend.

6. Love Overload

This starts off really good with a heavy if somewhat unimaginative riff. Think earlier Dokken or similar heavy hair bands closer to the mid 80's. Overall it's an okey song but the simple yet poppy chorus drags down its potential a notch. There's a pretty cool harmonica later in the song, though.

7. Action City

So this one started really good with another engaging riff only to kill itself when everything else kicked in. It's like they wanted to play a fast rocker at first but then they switched into your generic hair metal filler. Wasted opportunity.

8. Twist And Shake

Shalala la laaa... Shut the fuck up already. Annoying as fuck intro. Overall this is along the lines of "Love Bomb Baby", being another jolly and cringey sing-a-longish earsore.

9. Squeeze It Dry

This sounds like something off of Dokken's "Back For The Attack" album, being a rather positive thing in this case. Not the best track but it's definitely one of the better ones on the album. I like the calm mid-breakdown in the song. It's actually the only thing on the entire album that sounds like 90's music, reminding me of that one 90's song everybody's heard in some movie (forgive me for not remembering its name right now).

10. Call Of The Wild

Why did seemingly every band have a song with this title in the 80's? Doesn't matter, though. This is finally more of that up-tempo heaviness that left me hungering for more earlier during the album's playthrough. Still nothing extra ordinary for the genre but a solid enough closer and overall pretty cool. Along with "I Can Fight Dirty Too" I'd say this is my favorite track on the album. It's also got the best guitar solo on the entire album.

Overall impression:

So I've gotta admit that this wasn't exactly the most positive comments I've had to say about an album. My memory served me more or less correctly, though. To say it's bad is perhaps an overstatement. I'm sure there are glam metal fans out there who loves this band and this album. To my ears, however, it's a very mediocre album of its genre. There are very few moments that really catch my attention and those are all very second-rated stuff.

Having heard countless of bands in this genre, I'm just not so easily impressed. Hell, this album was a (very small) part of me ten years ago. Ten freakin' years. At that time I had more acceptance toward this kind of bands because I was so heavily dedicated to hair/glam metal. These days, however, most of those bands aren't still around in my speakers.

My ticket into Tigertailz was when I watched the video to the re-recording of "Living Without You". I thought that track was awesome. I still do. But that's also a whole nother level I feel the band never managed to reach again, further making this album something of a disappointment as its songs pale in comparison. For a hair metal album this just doesn't reach beyond an "average" to me. To compare it to all metal in general... I'm not even gonna be that much of a douche.

Revisiting: Alice Cooper's "Raise Your Fist And Yell"

Welcome to the first post in a whole new series I've decided to do. I've done a bunch of different reviews series by now but nothing quite like this. You see, I've decided to dig up old albums which I used to crank on a regular basis, but have kind of "forgotten" about in more recent years. I guess you could also call it nostalgia reviews, of sorts.

I will also review each album in this series differently to previous reviews. Instead of writing the review more like a summary of everything, I'm gonna do detailed commenting on each track as well as the albums' productions and overall sounds. What am I waiting for, let's get started!

Band/artist: Alice Cooper
Album: Raise Your Fist And Yell
Release year: 1987
Style: Heavy Metal 

Quick introduction: Alice Cooper goes far back with me. As a child I really enjoyed his music, although it was mostly some of his 70's hits. I always loved old school metal and hard rock music as a kid, having young metalhead parents and all, but when I got my own interest in the subject there wasn't much love for Alice Cooper. Apart from Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and AC/DC there wasn't really much 70's stuff that I liked. Being an 80's metal fanatic, however, I somehow stumbled upon this album around 2007 and it was my key into Alice Cooper, but I haven't really listened much to it since cirka 2009, though.

1. Freedom

Unlike any other AC album prior to this one, this album starts off with this king of raging metal statement. A statement against the infamous PMRC - metal music's number one enemy in the 1980's. It's an anthem, a call to arms against the censorist cunts who tried to ban what we all love. Killer drums and overall a very memorable and heavy tune. It really put Alice on the 80's metal map, that's for sure.

2. Lock Me Up

This was always somewhat of a favorite track on the album, at least back in the day. Very anthemic, melodic and super 80's style heavy metal. Some people will probably think it's dated and cheesy as hell, but that's one of the many things I love about 80's metal - lots of reverb, anthemic sing-along melodies and immense power in sound and spirit. The cameo by Freddy Krueger is a great touch as well.

3. Give The Radio Back

This is one of the tracks I remember best from ten years ago. Great riff, quite catchy although not as powerful chorus as the previous tracks, but overall a cool song. Not one of my favorites on the album but it's decent enough not to feel like filler material.

4. Step On You

Very cool track and one of my favorites. Super catchy melodies and memorable instrumentation. Glam Rambo a.k.a. Kane Roberts really busts out some chops on this one, from playful noisy stuff to showcasing his skill and finesse.

5. Not That Kind Of Love

Probably my least favorite track on the album yet still a decent track. It's just not as engaging as the others.

6. Prince Of Darkness

Probably the catchiest and possibly also the most memorable song on the entire album. This has got everything that makes for a classic 80's heavy metal tune. I also can't help but to feel like they took this one somewhat more seriously than the other tracks. Maybe it's because it was in the John Carpenter movie with the same name.

7. Time To Kill

Another killer track with some great guitar work. Probably my favorite track if judged by the guitars only, but the chorus is very catchy as well. A very competent and musically thought through song. Kane Roberts also shaped one of his finest solos in this one.

8. Chop Chop Chop

Part one in what's considered something of a "trilogy" on this album, namely the album's last three tracks. Great riff and song overall but I feel the chorus is perhaps a bit lazy. It's just like that Dio song "Shoot Shoot". I just don't like it when the chorus turns into a one word "mantra" for some reason.

9. Gail

This is as classic Alice Cooper as it gets. Very atmospheric. It could've also been something straight from a King Diamond album. Very ghastly sounding.

10. Roses On White Lace

Another favorite of mine, as well as for many other fans it seems. It's a very heavy and engaging track with a faster tempo. Great riffing, powerful solo, cuper catchy chorus, and the mid section is a slightly blissful moment amidst all the chaos. I bet this was a rippin' track during the live tour.

Overall impression:

This is a very good album with some real standout tracks. A few tracks are definitely not as strong but I never feel like the album truly dips into mediocrity. It keeps a good balance throughout its entire duration and I also find it catchy and revisitable. The production is also pretty crisp and clear enough. It's not polished like the Trash album and not as cheesy sounding as Constrictor. It's got a pretty organic feel, I'd say. It seems like the production was definitely made with the songs' sound and character in mind.

I really liked this album back when I first heard it over ten years ago. Having not listened to it much, if at all, since the very end of the last decade, I still find this album highly enjoyable not to mention extremely underrated. It might be a bit on the heavy side for an Alice Cooper album, but I for one am really happy he decided to embrace a heavier side as well. Hell, after hearing the Brutal Planet album this one is pretty tame in comparison. That is, by the way, another underrated but totally killer album from AC.

Being more of an Alice Cooper fan for these past ten years than I was during my first five as a metalhead, I can happily say that Raise Your Fist And Yell is one of my top-3 favorite albums of his. It really is a great album, if you can look past a few moments of extreme 80's cheese. If you're like me, however, it will probably just make you like it even more.

Thrash Metal Revival - What the hell happened?

So I was going through my music and glanced upon my nowadays dusting CD collection, when I noticed a few old thrash metal revival bands. Do you remember the thrash revival that was happening ten years ago? It was a brief wave of underground thrash bands that rose up to bring down the ever-prevailing kings of the 2000's, namely the metalcore bands.

I remember those times very well. It was in some ways my prime. I turned 15 in 2005 and thus was I part of that entire decade's ups and downs. Most "true" metalheads like myself did not really appreciate the metalcore scene all that much. In retrospect I've grown to love some bands that were lumped in with that scene (Chimaira, DevilDriver, etc.), but the bulk of it was really bad.

Idols at 16: Megadeth (1986) - Chris Poland, Gar Samuelson, Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson

In 2006 I was a full-blown thrasher. I had grown very fond of 80's thrash in 2005 and by the next year I was listening to it 24/7 (I literally used to sleep with headphones back then). I was fanboying early Megadeth (Peace Sells era) above all else and I particularly took a liking to "rawer" thrash bands. I liked thrash bands with heavy influences from Motörhead, rather than the polished and more technical stuff like Megadeth did with Rust in Peace. I did not, however, follow any modern metal scenes and was totally unaware of what was cooking beneath the surface.

By 2008 something just exploded. From seemingly out of nowhere came hundreds of young new bands that played classic thrash metal. It was like a sonic revolution. For years everybody had been talking about how bad metalcore was and how they hated it, including my own band, but it took several years for anyone to properly react. By the time it came, however, it came down hard and without showing any mercy.

Who doesn't remember that album cover by Fueled By Fire? A thrasher beating up two emo kids. It was badass! Or why not the revival of Ed Repka artworks? You know, the guy who did artwork for some of the genre's best regarded masterpieces. Hell, his artwork was often just as synonymous with a record as the actual band, musicians and music. Sometimes even more so. Thrash metal was truly reborn and kicking ass by 2008. The downfall of classic metalcore had begun.

Warbringer, Evile, Lich King, Bonded By Blood, Hexen, Gama Bomb, Municipal Waste, Suicidal Angels... The list goes on. So many bands, no air time, no major labels, low budgets - but a massive fanbase and a huge thurst for the return of a rebellious saviour. It was like an old scene had returned with new blood overnight. But looking at it in retrospect, it was probably the scene's big mistake.

With so many bands coming from out of nowhere that fast, you suddenly had a bunch of new killer records and live tours to catch. At the same time, however, it became like a ridiculous case of bands adapting to a bunch of copy-and-paste formulas. There simply was next to no originality within the revival scene. Bands sounded closer to being tribute acts of their number one favorite band rather than doing their own thing. Now that is not essentially a bad thing, but when everybody does it that way it gets tiresome quickly.

Before you knew it, the thrash metal revival had gone back to the deepest underground whence it came. It lasted for what, two solid years? Even that long? Talk about 15 minutes of fame. What made the original wave of thrash metal so great was how it was something new, something innovative. It was fresh and dangerous. The problem with the revival was how all those bands and musicians had gained great amounts of skill, only to use it for reproducing a certain sound rather than develop and explore their own creativity. Nobody wants to hear twenty Kreator wankers.

So after coming up real hard and heavy the entire movement basically plummeted right back down the abyss. It went from being one of the coolest things to happen in metal history to being one of the most ridiculous ones. But even though its initial impact didn't have more than a minor lasting relevance, it did ultimately leave another, much greater, impact.

In the wake of the thrash revival's demise there were basically two things that happened. The first one was a door left open, a door for classic heavy metal to make its impending return. Just look at that - it's still there after almost ten years, still going strong and seemingly even stronger in recent years. I'm sure that without the thrash revival happening cirka 2008, we wouldn't have gotten a classic heavy metal revival as early as cirka 2010. I'm certain it would have happened sooner or later, just not as soon as it did. The other thing was that it did indeed bring down the metalcore movement. After all, what relevance has the majority of them had in the 2010's? Next to none!

So what can we possibly learn from this musical history? The way I've put it we should basically just avoid playing music altogether. If you're a skilled musician copying your idols down to the notes and styles, you'll never last. If you're part of a more original subgenre (metalcore) then you simply suck and should call it quits already. But hey, surprise surprise, that's not really what I'm suggesting.

While I wasn't a fan of metalcore back then I can look back at it in retrospect and appreciate those musicians doing their own thing (until they started copying-and-pasting each other that is). The thrash revival seems to be mostly suppressed these days with nobody associating with it. There are a few bands I still listen to from time to time. They still sound as unoriginal as they did back then, but at least they did some great thrash music nonetheless. I love the classic heavy metal revial that rose up from it. There are also a lot more originality within that scene, I believe.

The only thing I'm scared of right now is to see what happens next. We're closing in on the end of this decade, which often means new trends and whatnot lies ahead in the wake of the next one. This decade has been plagued with deathcore and dare I say that it generally sucks way harder than metalcore ever did? And similarily to the thrash revival towards the end of the last decade, we've now got something of an "old school death metal revival" instead. I love death metal. Way more than I love thrash. I don't want to see it end up like the thrash revival did, although I'm pretty sure the death revival has already outlasted it (and has more originality). Time will tell!

My TOP-10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Vocalists - Male Edition

One thing that's always been kind of strange for me is how huge my love is for the vocals in my music collection, yet I've never cared much for the lyrics of most bands. You see, a band's singer is super important to me since I'm mostly bored by instrumental music (often with lots of guitar wankery), but for some reason I'm always passive to the words. Instead the vocals are essentially just another instrument in the band's blend to me, giving the songs additional melody or perhaps even most of it.

Another thing about my preference is that I'm, like a true Swede/Scandinavian, prefer things to be "lagom" (meaning "just enough" in Swedish). I'm actually not that huge on some vocalists' styles like a lot of people tend to be. I don't like things to feel or sound overcooked. If a singer is in some way "overpowering" a band, then I'd like the band to be more overpowered as well. An example of this is a band like DragonForce - they simply take everything to the extremes. That's how I like it. Either do it extremely or do it stripped down, like AC/DC, but don't mix 'em.

So now you have a good idea about how I like and listen to singers in hard rock and heavy metal music. I might come across as picky but that's how I am. This list is not made to satisfy any of your tastes. It's my personal taste and I'm just sharing because the discussion is always interesting to me.

Let's dive into it!

10. Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend Project, solo)

Devin has one of the most dedicated fanbases in the world but it seems like his vocals are somewhat underrated to me. If you speak with fellow fans of Devin they tend to praise his music, which certainly is great and very unique, but his vocal work plays such a huge part in what he does. With one of the most versatile voices in the business, he pretty much masters anything he tries on. Most of all, however, he does it exactly where it works and enhances the music.


9. Dave Meniketti (Y&T, solo)

One of the most powerful rock voices there are. Dave and his main band Y&T are both criminally underrated. Ever heard "Summertime Girls"? Forget that, it was a one-time thing. Y&T is so much rawer and rocking than that. Try stuff like "Black Tiger" and "Mean Streak" instead and hear for yourself. Not only is the music great but Dave outmatches any similar vocalists from bands of their scene back in the day. Radio played a lot of lighter stuff like Night Ranger, Journey and whatnot, when in reality they should've cranked Y&T up to ten.


8. Mark Osegueda (Death Angel, Metal Allegiance)

I used to think that Joey Belladonna of Anthrax was thrash metal's finest vocalist, but in recent years after three excellent Death Angel records I've changed my mind. Mark Osegueda has done what most vocalists do opposite - he became much better with age. The guy was never bad by any means. I think his early vocals on masterpieces like "The Ultra-Violence" was some great thrash vocals, but he's simply become more than a thrash screamer - now he's a singer. His voice sounds better than ever these days while still maintaining those essential thrash barks. Simply the best voice in thrash.


7. Rob Halford (Judas Priest, Fight, Halford, 2wo)

Rob Halford needs no introduction. Anyone who doesn't know him or Judas Priest is basically wearing a large sign over their face that says "poser". But what is it that makes Rob such a badass vocalist? His extreme range? Yes, and no. While he had an insane range and high octave in his youth, it was always the way he executed them that made me love his style. He uses what fits the music right and nothing else. His almost talkative style in "Electric Eye" is so fitting it's just killer, but his non-stop screaming in "Screaming For Vengenace" works just as perfectly for that one song. But best of all is how his voice has aged - with grace and great maturity, even if it's not as powerful anymore.


6. Joey Tempest (Europe, solo)

I was a massive Europe fan back in my teens and it was all because of Joey Tempest's voice and John Norum's killer guitar playing. "The Final Countdown" is a decent enough record but the band's first two are great hard rock albums. The band's latest three records or so are great as well, even if they sound a lot closer to Deep Purple and Rainbow these days. But Joey's voice is simply one of the best to come out of the Swedish scene. Perhaps he's not that versatile with it, but instead his voice suits anything the band ever played, from their early heavy metal days to their most AOR-ish sound.


5. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, solo)

If you've read posts on this blog before, chances are good you've seen how big a fan I am of Ozzy's. The man and his music, solo as with Black Sabbath, is my dearest number one of all time. There's just something about him. But what about his voice? His voice has perhaps never been a technically "good" voice in that matter, but it's certainly unique. Well, you obviously should know this already regardless of being a fan or not. For me, however, that uniqueness is just that great. What makes his voice even greater is that he's great at coming up with memorable melodies, as well as always having killer musicians to back him up.


4. Bob Catley (Magnum, Avantasia, solo)

Another terribly underrated vocalist from an underrated band. Magnum is simply one of the finest hard rock/AOR bands ever to grace this earth. Guitarist Tony Clarkin might be the band's chief songwriter and creative force, but Bob Catley's melodically powerful voice is what makes the songs sound magic. He's just that kind of singer that makes your listening experience blissful. If you're not familiar with him, or if you've only heard him in Avantasia (which is not really my cup of tea tbh), then you should definitely check out Magnum. Particularly the 80's and more recent stuff.


3. Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk)

This man should need no further introduction to anyone who's not living beneath a rock. Much like Devin Townsend, Mike Patton is a multitasker and mad creative force. Apart from Devin, however, Mike is much more oriented in the vocal department above all else. While he creates music of all kinds with all kinds of instruments and gear, it's always his voice that is the main focus. He's even done music exclusively made with his voice. His work with Faith No More and Mr. Bungle are my personal favorites and to be widely recommended. You'd definitely be in for a crazy treat.


2. Ronnie James Dio (Dio, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf)

There only one word for this man: legendary. What he lacked in physical height he made up for a hundred times in vocal prowess. In my opinion there's just no one else that can match him. His voice was not only powerful but also extremely melodic, elegant and full of emotion. It was like an epic storyteller's voice. The bands and music he got to sing over was also a perfect match. He's just one of those vocalists who could front any heavy metal band and make it sound awesome. Inferior to none when it comes to metal music.


1. Freddie Mercury (Queen, solo)

What can I say? If Ronnie James Dio was untouchable in heavy metal, then Freddie Mercury was the equivalent in possibly all other musical styles. Queen played a lot of different styles and Freddie mastered them all. I'm not a huge fan of Queen itself but when I do listen to them, I listen to the amazing voice of the great, late Freddie Mercury.

10 Bands & Albums That Defined The Late 2000's Metal Scene For Me

Lately I've been on a nostalgia binge, listening to some specific bands from my late teens back in the years 2007-2009. The thing with my music listening is that I'm a "genre dweller" - I get in mood for a specific genre which I will listen to for a few months straight. I don't know why that is, but it's how my musical mind and cravings work since forever.

So why the late 2000's? It was a very special time with many unique experiences, dark as colorful ones. Without diving too deep into details, let's just say I was in my best teen years (17-19), playing in a band, havings fun with friends, seeing girls, playing video games and, of course, listening to a lot of metal. Naturally some bands just left a deeper mark than others, seeing as my music often works as a soundtrack for life.

This time period was also where I had finally left my comfort zone. Back in 2006 I was what I call an "ass-tight conservative metalhead", meaning I only listened to specific metal and/or bands. My thing was strictly sticking to 80's metal only. Mostly because it was, and still is, the number one metal sound I love and consume.

Another thing, however, was my distaste for modern metal during the 2000's. I just thought there were too many whiny emo bands and inseparable metalcore bands at that time. I ended up judging the entire metal scene for being that way. Around 2007 things started to change for me as some modern bands started to go more "old school" or "real metal". It opened my mind up to new bands and music that I had previously ditched.

With that said, here are 10 bands that defined the late 2000's for me, specifically the years 2007-2009, and what albums that I first discovered and/or loved the most by these bands respectively. Let's go!

• Machine Head

Album: The Blackening

As far as I can recall, Machine Head was probably the first modern metal band to help me break out of my conservative view on metal music. The funny thing about it, however, was that it wasn't their then-new album The Blackening that did it - it was their debut album Burn My Eyes. My love for Pantera at the time made me dig into the early Machine Head stuff, which later led me to their newer material.

My buddy Big D played The Blackening back at his place when I visited at some point and I noticed the thrashy riffing and great soloing. After that, I was hooked. The band as a whole has been kind of hit-or-miss for me, as I really can't stand their nu metal phase, but their early as well as latter day stuff is definitely something I'm a fan of.

• Cavalera Conspiracy

Album: Inflikted

I have fond memories of this project and release getting unleashed upon all of us. The much anticipated reunion between the Cavalera brothers was probably one of the biggest hypes of 2008. My buddy Big D and I, who were huge Cavalera-era Sepultura fans, were ecstatic about it. When the album's debut single "Sanctuary" dropped, I remember hitting play for the first time and we just lost our shit.

These days I can feel like this particular album, or even the project as a whole, maybe wasn't as good as I initially thought it was. The years haven't been as kind to it as it's been to lots of other releases from that era. Inflikted and Soulfly's Conquer were the last "Max Cavalera albums" I truly enjoyed. Ironically, however, the modern Sepultura has surpassed Max's projects during this decade, which is something I never thought would happen back in 2008.

• DragonForce

Album: Ultra Beatdown

I was probably one of very few people who never got into the whole Guitar Hero craze that strongly defined the mid-to-late 2000's. Nonetheless did I know DragonForce from that particular franchise. I don't recall much regarding of what I initially thought about them, but when I discovered the Ultra Beatdown in early 2009 I really fell for the video game-esque album art. I was hooked!

Sure, there were some cheese, wankery and other weird stuff going on in DragonForce's music at the time, but I kind of took a liking to their crazy-sounding Nintendo metal. I'm normally not a fan of power metal (except for Helloween), but something just works very well with DF for me. It's like a beam of pure energy that hits you up and gives you a kick. These days I am a pretty big fan of DF and I even like their current singer even more. The Ultra Beatdown, however, kind of remains a favorite album for me. Whether it's nostalgia speaking or not, I'm not quite sure of.

• Chimaira

Album: The Infection

I remember hearing Chimaira a few times throughout the mid-2000's as they were somewhat "more metal" than other bands in their genre. I agreed. It wasn't before 2009, however, when the band released their somewhat conflicting album The Infection that I truly took a liking to them. I remember playing the zombie game Left 4 Dead a lot at the time and I thought the album cover reminded me of the game (the music fitted well with the game as well).

I know some fans don't like this album all that much while others love it. It was too slow, too doomy and whatever for some people, but that's what I personally love about it. For me it's just the ultimate Chimaira album, even though I love most of their stuff except for the debut and, to some extent, also the last album Mark Hunter did with all-new members. A very heavy but also sadly overlooked/underrated band within the genre and scene at the time.

• Strapping Young Lad

Album: Alien

I loved few, if any, modern bands of the mid-2000's as much as I loved SYL. The extreme metal machine by mastermind Devin Townsend had it all - a mix of brutality, melody, atmosphere and humour. I sadly can't recall how I got into the band, but I suppose it was either through my buddy Big D or through Sweden Rock Magazine. When I first listened to Alien, which I'm fairly certain was the first album I heard, I just loved how crushing it sounded.

Throughout the years since I have continued to listen to this band a lot, as well as Devin Townsend's other endeavours. These days I tend to fancy their 1997 album City above all others, but SYL's 2000's material is still some of my favorite brutal metal of all time. It's just a shame that Devin's got bad feelings and memories about that time period in his life, as I think none of his other projects have been quite as kick-ass.

• Trivium

Album: Shogun

When Trivium burst out on the scene with their 2005 album Ascendancy, I was naturally one of those people who hated it (because I heard "Dying In Your Arms" and thought they were emo af). When I went to see Iron Maiden live in 2006 they had Trivium as their support act. Needless to say I wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Unbeknownst to me, however, they had grown their hair out and just released The Crusade, from which album they mostly picked the songs off.

My concert experience with Trivium changed my mind and I found The Crusade to be quite a decent album, even though the Metallica plagiarism was painfully obvious. But when Shogun later dropped in 2008, things really hit the fan. The album was Trivum going for their equivalent to Machine Head's The Blackening, except with a possibly even better end result. I still love that album to this day and I just find it sad that none of their subsequent albums haven't been nearly as good in my opinion.

• Megadeth

Album: United Abominations

I was a huge Megadeth since my earliest days of becoming a metalhead but I always tended to stick to their earliest albums (Peace Sells ... But Who's Buying? always being the great favorite). Some of Megadeth's albums, however, always sounded rather mediocre to me, with their late 90's and early 2000's albums coming to mind in particular. The System Has Failed showed great promise but I always felt that Dave wasn't quite "there" yet. Something was still missing.

When United Abominations was coming out I remember being extremely hyped because the cover art looked kick-ass. I also remember hearing "Sleepwalker" some time before the album dropped, solidifying my hype as the much needed return-to-form for the band. The album was everything I wished for. The only downside was the unnecessary re-recording of "A Tout Le Monde". When the band followed up with Endgame in 2009 it was even cooler, but after that they would descend into mediocrity once more.

• Lamb of God

Album: Wrath

My buddy Alex got me into LoG back in 2008 because he was a big fan of Chris Adler's drumming style (which kind of makes the band in some ways). Since I was listening to a lot of Pantera at the time, the style of LoG's music was a natural fit for me. I remember being kind of lukewarm towards the 2006 effort Sacrament, which I still am to this day, but I really liked 2004's Ashes Of The Wake. Shortly after I started listening to the band, however, they announced Wrath which got me hyped.

I remember the album being marketed as being more "raw" and very aggressive (duh), which I didn't object against. I had a rough time the last few weeks before it dropped, being so hyped it drove me nuts. When the album finally landed on the shelf I went and bought it, played it and got my ass kicked. It became my favorite LoG album and it's managed to uphold that title ever since (VII: Sturm Und Drang came close, though).

• Devin Townsend Project

Album: Addicted

After listening to SYL for a few years I naturally followed Devin Townsend into his next project, which happened to be his as-of-now defunct Devin Townsend Project. I remember the project initially being intended for four different releases, with Ki being the first and later followed by Addicted, both in 2009. The former never did much for me. I know a lot of people love it, including by buddy Big D, but it's always been too mellow and too instrumental for my taste.

Addicted was a whole nother story. I remember my first few times listening to it, thinking about how it sounded as if SYL had become a pop band. I love 80's pop music and to my ears, Devin's music has always had some strange 80's "undertones" to it. I fell in love with the album except for one or two songs, but the good ones were really great. It remained my favorite DTP release until 2016's Transcendence, which is one of Devin's top-3 most fantastic outputs in my opinion.

• Dethklok

Album: Dethalbum II

It took me a long time before checking out Metalocalypse. By the time Dethalbum II arrived, I had only watched whatever scenes my buddy Big D had showed me. For two years, however, he had tried to get me into 2007's The Dethalbum but to little avail. I just didn't get the fuzz or like its production style/sound. The successor sounded a whole lot better production-wise and the songs appealed to me a whole lot more.

In a way I find my relationship to Dethklok's music a bit ironic. I didn't like the first album which so many people hyped and praised. The second album seemed to be not as well-embraced, but it was the one I got completely hooked to. Then a few years later the third album arrived, by which time I had watched the show dedicatedly, and I didn't really like that one either (the drums and guitars sounded thin and farty af). The third album also seemed to be more loved than the second one to me. For me, however, nothing comes close to Dethalbum II and it was a damn fine album in my opinion.

Black Sabbath: All Albums Ranked Worst To Best

Black Sabbath might just be the most important band of all time to me. My parents grew up listening to Sabbath, Ozzy, Dio and all that stuff during the 80's, then I got to grow up with all that stuff during the 90's and early 2000's. By 2002, I had become interested in music myself and metal was, of course, the best shit in the world.

So where did I start off? It was Ozzy and his solo stuff that really got me into music as a whole, but with him Sabbath obviously followed. From there I discovered Dio (the band) and his previous works with Rainbow. I also kept an open mind towards the post-Dio eras of Sabbath and thus discovered that both Ian Gillan and Glenn Hughes used to be in Deep Purple. You know, the list just goes on and on.

With Black Sabbath essentially being the centerpiece of my entire musical world, I just had to make one of these lists for their albums. That is all of their albums, i.e. anything labeled "Black Sabbath" which have guitars performed by Tony Iommi. So, let's begin!

Classic Sabbath: Geezer, Ozzy, Tony, Bill

19: Forbidden (1995)

 Last place and thus the worst album of Black Sabbath's career is none other than, surprise surprise, 1995's Forbidden. It's definitely the most disliked album of their career by the fan-base in general, and for quite obvious reasons in my opinion. I don't really find the album particularly bad like many others do. For instance, I don't really have a problem with the album's mix which tend to be a real earsore to some fans. I just think it lacks a lot of the essential things that make a Sabbath album being Black Sabbath. It sounds like one of those typically dated mid-90's metal records which tried too hard to be up-to-date at the time.

Favorite track: Kiss of Death


18. Born Again (1983)

The sole album featuring then former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan on vocals. This was where Sabbath kind of started to fall away from the public eye and it's quite easy to hear why. There's nothing wrong with Ian Gillan and his vocals at all, but he belongs in Deep Purple and not Black Sabbath. With that said, the bulk of the album itself was kind of lackluster and its horrible mix didn't help any of it one bit. It's still got a few great tunes, though.

Favorite track: The Dark/Zero The Hero

1983-'84: Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi, (touring drummer) Bev Bevan, Geezer Butler

17. 13 (2013)

Sabbath's first Ozzy-fronted album in 35 years just didn't quite fare all too well with me. If I'm being completely honest, then I think it's actually a really boring album. It does nothing for me. On top of that there is no Bill Ward playing drums. Yes, I am the super-biased kind of fan. After all, if anything without Ozzy no longer is "Black Sabbath", then how can it be without Bill Ward? It was always Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill. That was Black Sabbath. This isn't. Whatever. Then we have Rick Rubin's awful production. It just sounds raw in the most plastic way and, of course, it's also brick-walled to high heaven. I hate the guy's production work. Ultimately I could've just lived without this "reunion album".

Favorite track: Methademic


16. Cross Purposes (1994)

At this point it already starts to get difficult to chose where to rank a few of the lesser great albums which remain. I'd say that everything from this one and below is pretty effin' great and only gets better and better, but you know, I decided to do this so I've got to make up my mind. This album, which really is quite cool, gets the 17th place for sounding a bit too dated. It's a good heavy metal record but it also sounds like a typical product of its time.

Favorite track: Cross of Thorns


15. Never Say Die! (1978)

Another album that's been quite bashed throughout the years. Initially I wasn't too fond of it either, but it has really grown with me in recent years. It sure is different from the earlier stuff with Ozzy but I for one welcome the evolving change of their sound at the time. There are some seriously overlooked gems on this record.

Favorite track: Junior's Eyes


14. Tyr (1990)

This is quite an interesting and unusual Sabbath release. First off, it's with the most excellent (and majorly underrated) Tony Martin on vocals, but it's also the only Black Sabbath to rely more on viking themes rather than christian ones. As a Swede I find these lyrical themes quite interesting and Tony Martin was also a good writer of lyrics. The one thing that makes it a less awesome Sabbath record, however, is how it tends to sound more like a power metal band rather than Black Sabbath. It's not really anything wrong with it. I mean, they pull it off masterfully, but it's not what I want or expect(ed) from a Sabbath record.

Favorite track: Anno Mundi

1990: Tony Martin, Tony Iommi, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray

13. Vol. 4 (1972)

I know this one has a very dedicated fan-base who believes that it's Sabbath's very finest hour. I on the other hand always felt like it was lacking something. It was their fourth album in the span of two years and I think that it shows to some extent. Less memorable songs and the mix sounds more  primitive in a rushed kind of way. It's still a great record, don't get me wrong, but just not one of my favorites.

Favorite track: Snowblind


12. Dehumanizer (1992)

Sabbath's reunion album with Ronnie James Dio, at the time, and it's the heaviest shit they've cranked out since the mid 70's. The album itself, however, falls somewhat short in comparison to the earlier Sabbath records with Dio on vocals, as well as Dio's own solo material at the time. It's doomy and heavy as all fuck, but it just doesn't quite cut it anyway. It's one of those scenarios where you are just left like you expected something more.

Favorite track: Master of Reality


11. Seventh Star (1986)

It's up for debate whether this one should really be regarded as a Sabbath album or not. It was initially intended as Tony Iommi's first solo album, but record labels tend to be money hungry cunts without any respect for integrity. Still, seeing as Tony was the sole original member for most of the time after 1984, I view this as a Sabbath release anyway. It is quite different compared to most of the band's other albums, though. It's got a very melodic heavy metal sound which is quite typical of its time, but it's the exact kind of 80's sound I fucking love. Besides, Tony's rocking a mean guitar tone on this one.

Favorite track: Danger Zone

1986: Dave Spitz, Glenn Hughes, Tony Iommi, Eric Singer, Geoff Nicholls

10. Technical Ecstasy (1976)

I always thought this album was unfairly underrated for an Ozzy-Sabbath record. I love the bulk of this one, with a few exceptions. To me this is just another great Sabbath record, albeit a bit experimental but in a good way. Some moments on this one reminds me of Queen, in a good way. Some other stuff sounds like the typical riff-heavy Sabbath we all love. Bill Ward also proved to be a great singer on this record.

Favorite track: You Won't Change Me


9. Heaven And Hell (1980)

At this point it's become really hard to decide where to place the remaining albums. As classic and great as this record is, and I truly love it, it's got a few moments which don't hold up quite as well as the others. Regardless, it's more or less a flawless record and the band performs exceptionally. Bill Ward hits those drums like a beast and Dio's vocals are just as amazing as ever.

Favorite track: Die Young

1980: Bill Ward, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iomii, Geezer Butler

8. Headless Cross (1989)

Another album with the excellent Tony Martin on vocals. Sadly I don't think this album would made it as far up in ranks on most other fans' lists. I am a fan of Black Sabbath regardless of what era we're talking. Tony Martin's voice is one of my favorites of all time as well. This album is yet another slightly different kind of record for Sab, as it features some typical AOR-esque influences which were popular at the time. I guess one way to describe it would be a "satanic Whitesnake and/or Blue Murder". There certainly are some traits of those kinda bands on this record, while still sounding like Sabbath of course. Tony Iommi also brings out some of his greatest guitar work on this one.

Favorite track: When Death Calls


7. Black Sabbath (1970)

Black Sabbath's debut album is as classic as it gets. It also marks something of the "official" birth of heavy metal. It's without doubt one of the greatest records of all time, still it ends up on 7th place on my list. I really think that says something about it, the band and the overall quality and impact of their music. The title-track, as well as the first Sabbath track, amazed me in a way no other song has ever done when I first heard it. I didn't really know any metal at that point, nor any other "extreme music" for that matter. I was 12 in 2002 and heard it for the first time. It could've been 1970 for all I know. To me it was so dark and sinister in a really uncomforting way, yet so chilling and amazing.

Favorite track: Black Sabbath


6. Paranoid (1970)

"How come you place this as low as 6th?! It's the best!!" Well, first off, I am a Black Sabbath fan. I listen to everything they ever put out, not just this one album. Unfortunately, it seems like this is the only album a large majority of listeners go for. Looking at Last.fm, for instace, confirms this as well. I dunno. It's their "hit record" for sure, but these songs were never their "hits" to me personally. I always liked a lot of other songs more. As fuckin' great as this record is, it's just not that extra ordinary special to me.

Favorite track: Electric Funeral


5. The Eternal Idol (1987)

"Watt fockin' album's thiz?!" You see the title above. It's also the first album with Tony Martin. Inititially this was going to feature the late Ray Gillen on vocals but I'm glad they ended up with Tony Martin instead, seeing as I like his voice slightly more. Possibly the most underrated album of Sab's entire catalogue. It's not perfect but it's a damn good record. Powerful vocals, riffs and solos. Some more notable background keyboards as well. The mix is pretty much the only downside about this one. It sounds more like a rough mix rather than a finished product. I dunno. It works but it could've sounded better. The songs, however, are really good in my opinion. I just love this album!

Favorite song: Ancient Warrior


4. Mob Rules (1981)

My favorite Sab album with Dio on vocals. Just a great heavy metal record. Unfortunately it's a somewhat underrated/overlooked one as well. The band themselves, as well as fans, seem to think lesser of this compared to Heaven And Hell. I always thought this was a better record and the songs are really fuckin' good. Some more doom and groove on this one. I guess that appeals to me more. Vinny Appice is also one of my favorite drummers. The best drummer Sabbath ever had after Bill Ward.

Favorite track: Voodoo


3. Master of Reality (1971)

For a long time this used to be my favorite Sab album. I guess I wore it out to a slight extent while the top two grew on me more. Nonetheless this is still an amazing album to my ears. The songs with their heavy riffs, Ozzy's trademark vocals and the excellent rhythm section with Bill and Geezer is just a perfect combination. Definitely one of the most classic metal albums of all time.

Favorite track: Children of the Grave


2. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

This one also used to be my favorite for a while. This one had more variety than the previous records without going into the quite experimental routes which later Ozzy-Sabbath records did. It's just an amazingly mastercrafted piece of music. Ozzy also reached his vocal peak around this period of time and I always loved his nasally ways of singing.

Favorite track: Spiral Architect


1. Sabotage (1975)

And the winner is none other than this masterpiece right here. Initially it wasn't made favorite, as I've already pointed out, but it has grown and grown and grown on me over the years and it's just grandeur. Every single note is nothing but perfection. It's just the perfect Sabbath album in all ways imaginable. It's got great songs, a great flow and all the members are really peaking performance-wise. It's just a perfect mix of everything Sabbath was with Ozzy during the 70's.

Favorite song: Megalomania

That's a wrap, folks! I hope you enjoyed my list! And remember, it's just my personal opinions. Nothing to get butthurt over if they don't agree with your own.

Black Sabbath might be over now but their music and legacy will live on. Whereas their run has ended, my has merely begun. But at least I know that they will run with me until the day my own run ends, and hopefully beyond as well!