Music:
Heavy metal...
BLACK SABBATH
My favourite all time band. I love post Ozzy material as much as stuff that he sung on. The Dio era is brilliant, as is early Tony Martin. Never done a bad album and not many bad songs either! I'd prefer that they continue recording albums though - the reunion as it is means nothing to me.
Black Sabbath 89/100.
Great album, in fact when it was released I'd say the greatest album ever. It was a cheap album to record but even today holds up really well.
Black Sabbath - 100/100, The Wizard - 92/100, Behind The Wall Of Sleep - 89/100, N.I.B. - 100/100, Evil Woman - 85/100, Sleeping Village / Warning 72/100, Wicked World 87/100 (bonus).
Paranoid 92/100.
A classic album. The production isn't great but some of the greatest songs ever written on this album.
War Pigs - 100/100, Paranoid - 99/100, Planet Caravan - 67/100, Iron Man - 100/100, Electric Funeral - 86/100, Hand Of Doom - 93/100, Rat Salad - 68/100, Fairies Wear Boots - 97/100.
Master Of Reality 94/100.
In many ways the definitive Black Sabbath album - much better sounding than Paranoid also.
Sweet Leaf - 100/100, After Forever - 98/100, Embryo / Children Of The Grave - 100/100, Orchid / Lord Of This World - 93/100, Solitude - 75/100, Into The Void - 97/100.
Black Sabbath Vol. 4 90/100.
A really cold sounding album, but some of the greatest (and heaviest!) songs ever written!.
Wheels Of Confusion - 99/100, Tomorrow's Dream - 91/100, Changes - 69/100, FX / Supernaut - 100/100, Snowblind - 99/100, Cornucopia - 91/100, Laguna Sunrise - 54/100, St. Vitus' Dance - 86/100, Under The Sun - 92/100.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 97/100.
One of the greatest albums of all time! Great melodies, great lyrics!
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 100/100, A National Acrobat - 98/100, Fluff - 84/100, Sabbra Cadabra - 99/100, Killing Yourself To Live - 99/100, Who Are You - 95/100, Looking For Today - 95/100, Spiral Architect - 95/100.
Sabotage 98/100.
My favourite Sabbath album with Ozzy - heavy, melodic experimental and great performances all around.
Hole In The Sky - 100/100, Don't Start (Too Late)/Symptom Of The Universe - 100/100, Megalomania - 100/100, Thrill Of It All - 95/100, Supertzar - 93/100, Am I Going Insane (Radio) - 92/100, The Writ - 100/100.
Technical Ecstasy 93/100.
This is a bit of a strange album for Black Sabbath. It took me a long time to get into and now I can't get enough of it! A truly underrated classic.
Back Street Kids - 99/100, You Won't Change Me - 98/100, It's Alright - 77/100, Gypsy - 98/100, All Moving Parts (Stand Still) - 94/100, Rock'n'Roll Doctor - 100/100, She's Gone - 76/100, Dirty Women - 100/100.
Never Say Die 82/100.
This one is often derided, but in truth half the songs are outstanding. The other half are somewhat below par (at least by Sabbath standards) with the instrumental 'Breakout' being downright embarrasing.
Never Say Die - 100/100, Johnny Blade - 98/100, Junior's Eyes - 100/100, Hard Road - 86/100, Shock Wave - 87/100, Air Dance - 68/100, Over To You - 69/100, Breakout - 8/100, Swinging The Chain - 71/100
Heaven And Hell 96/100.
You gotta love Sabbath with Dio! Probably my favourite song ever on this! (Die Young).
Neon Knights - 100/100, Children Of The Sea - 100/100, Lady Evil - 98/100, Heaven And Hell - 100/100, Wishing Well - 93/100, Die Young - 100/100, Walk Away - 88/100, Lonely Is The Word - 84/100.
Mob Rules 98/100.
I think this one was even better than 'Heaven And Hell'!A truly underrated gem!
Turn Up The Night - 100/100, Voodoo - 95/100, The Sign Of The Southern Cross - 100/100, E5150 / Mob Rules - 100/100, Country Girl - 99/100, SlippingAway - 93/100, Falling Off The Edge Of The World - 100/100, Over And Over - 94/100.
Born Again 95/100.
The most evil sounding album ever! As you can see by my t-shirt in some pics it's also one ofmy favourites. I think this is Ian Gillan's best vocal performance and I think he suited this version of Sabbath perfectly. Perfectly you hear! I don't care what you say!.
Trashed - 100/100, Stonehenge/Disturbing The Priest - 100/100, The Dark/Zero The Hero - 98/100, Digital Bitch - 95/100, Born Again - 95/100, Hot Line - 92/100, Keep It Warm - 78/100.
Seventh Star 84/100.
Whilst I wouldn't regard this as one of Black Sabbath's greatest albums, it's still very impressive and Glenn Hughes performs some of his best vocal work on it.
In For The Kill - 99/100, No Stranger To Love - 71/100, Turn To Stone - 94/100, Sphinx (The Guardian)/Seventh Star - 99/100, Danger Zone - 83/100, Heart Like A Wheel - 64/100, Angry Heart/In Memory... - 84/100.
The Eternal Idol 91/100.
Great album responsible for introducing Tony Martin to the masses! His vocals on the title track are spine-chillingly good! Great album!
The Shining - 99/100, Ancient Warrior - 82/100, Hard Life To Love - 83/100, Glory Ride - 92/100, Born To Lose - 97/100, Nightmare - 80/100, Scarlet Pimpernel - 78/100, Lost Forever - 97/100, Eternal Idol - 98/100.
Headless Cross 98/100.
An absolutely outstanding album from beginning to end! One of my all-time favourites!
The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 100/100, Devil & Daughter - 97/100, When Death Calls - 100/100, Kill In The Spirit World - 99/100, Call Of The Wild - 89/100, Black Moon - 99/100, Nightwing - 100/100.
Tyr 97/100.
This is a much better album that some people give it credit for - in fact I believe it's one of the greatest metal albums of all time. I recommend giving this one a listen before judging, as it's a really amazing album.
Anno Mundi (The Vision) - 100/100, The Law Maker - 99/100, Jerusalem - 99/100, The Sabbath Stones - 100/100, The Battle Of Tyr/Odin's Court/Valhalla - 100/100, Feels Good To Me - 86/100, Heaven In Black - 90/100
Dehumanizer 99/100.
This is actually my favourite Black Sabbath album - in fact after Judas Priest's 'Painkiller' it's my favourite album of all time. Ronnie James Dio and Tony Iommi are a lethal combination and this is brutally heavy and beautifully melodic all at the same time.
Computer God - 100/100, After All (The Dead) - 97/100, TV Crimes - 100/100, Letters From Earth - 97/100, Master Of Insanity - 99/100, Time Machine - 100/100, Sins Of The Father - 98/100, Too Late - 100/100, I - 100/100, Buried Alive - 96/100
Cross Purposes 91/100.
This is a great album and very consistent. It's probably lacking in the absolute killer track, but they all come close and it's probably the best produced album Black Sabbath ever did.
I Witness - 97/100, Cross Of Thorns - 96/100, Psychophobia - 98/100, Virtual Death - 90/100, Immaculate Deception - 92/100, Dying For Love - 80/100, Back To Eden - 85/100, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle - 98/100, Cardinal Sin - 87/100, Evil Eye - 84/100, What's The Use (bonus) - 82/100
Forbidden 83/100.
I really wasn't too thrilled with the production on this one. The songs were mostly strong, though below the standard that you'd expect from Sabbath. Even Tony Martin's voice was strangely lacking on this.
The Illusion Of Power - 73/100, Get A Grip - 81/100, Can't Get Close Enough - 77/100, Shaking Off The Chains - 82/100, I Won't Cry For You - 87/100, Guilty As Hell - 78/100, Sick And Tired - 71/100, Rusty Angels - 84/100, Forbidden - 96/100, Kiss Of Death - 91/100, Loser Gets It All (bonus) 83/100.
Additional songs from Reunion - Psycho Man - 85/100 Selling My Soul - 80/100
JUDAS PRIEST
Part of my unholy trinity! Rob Halford is the metal god and the Tipton/Downing combination is the best of its kind. Painkiller is my all time favourite album. I thought Ripper Owens was great live, but Glenn Tipton had too much control over Jugulator/Demolition and as a result I think they fell short of their potential - still good albums though.
Rocka Rolla 69/100
A good album with a bad guitar sound and overall production. Alot doomier than subsequent albums.
One For The Road - 72/100, Rocka Rolla - 75/100, Winter / Deep Freeze / Winter Retreat / Cheater - 68/100, Never Satisfied - 70/100, Run Of The Mill - 78/100, Dying To Meet You - 69/100, Caviar And Meths 12/100
Sad Wings Of Destiny 97/100
One of the greatest albums of all time, the only thing stopping it from getting full marks is 'Epitaph'.
Victim Of Changes - 100/100, The Ripper - 100/100, Dreamer Deceiver - 99/100, Deceiver - 99/100, Prelude/Tyrant - 100/100, Genocide - 96/100, Epitaph - 65/100, Island Of Domination - 99/100
Sin After Sin 93/100
A brilliant album! Pure timeless metal!
Sinner - 100/100, Diamonds And Rust - 100/100, Starbreaker - 94/100, Last Rose Of Summer - 66/100, Let Us Prey - 94/100, Call For The Priest / Raw Deal - 93/100, Here Come The Tears - 95/100, Dissident Aggressor - 100/100
Stained Class 93/100
Another classic with two of metal's greatest monsters! Statistically most people who listen to this album don't commit suicide!
Exciter - 100/100, White Heat, Red Hot - 91/100, Better By You, Better Than Me - 94/100, Stained Class - 90/100, Invader - 85/100, Saints In Hell - 92/100, Savage - 96/100, Beyond The Realms Of Death - 100/100, Hero's End - 85/100
Hell Bent For Leather 92/100
What a great album! Some of the best metal songs of all time -I've had both the original version (Killing Machine) and the American version with Green Manalishi, which Ilium covered on our EP.
Delivering The Goods - 99/100, Rock Forever - 95/100, Evening Star - 96/100, Hell Bent For Leather - 100/100, Take On The World - 88/100, Burnin' Up - 84/100, The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown) - 100/100, Killing Machine - 89/100, Running Wild - 100/100, Before The Dawn - 76/100, Evil Fantasies - 71/100
British Steel 97/100
Simple but effective - truly one of the greatest albums of all time and an iconic metal album!
Breaking The Law - 98/100, Rapid Fire - 100/100, Metal Gods - 97/100, Grinder - 98/100, United - 86/100, Living After Midnight - 98/100, You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise - 94/100, The Rage - 99/100, Steeler - 100/100
Point Of Entry 89/100
This album got alot of bad press, but to be honest I think it's a really good effort with really great songs.
Heading Out To The Highway - 100/100, Don't Go - 89/100, Hot Rockin' - 89/100, Turning Circles - 92/100, Desert Plains - 94/100, Solar Angels - 87/100, You Say Yes - 83/100, All The Way - 82/100, Troubleshooter - 82/100, On The Run - 82/100
Screaming For Vengeance 95/100
Not much needs to be said about this one - everyone knows it's a classic! Pure British Steel!
The Hellion/Electric Eye - 100/100, Riding On The Wind - 99/100, Bloodstone 87/100, (Take These) Chains - 97/100, Pain And Pleasure - 95/100, Screaming For Vengeance - 100/100, You've Got Another Thing Comin' - 97/100, Fever - 88/100, Devil's Child - 93/100
Defenders Of The Faith 97/100
Truly one of the great metal masterpieces of all time. For me this is the true prelude to the Euro power metal movement.
Freewheel Burning - 100/100, Jawbreaker - 100/100, Rock Hard, Ride Free - 97/100, The Sentinel - 100/100, Love Bites - 98/100, Eat Me Alive - 100/100, Some Heads Are Gonna Roll - 85/100, Night Comes Down - 89/100, Heavy Duty/Defenders Of The Faith - 97/100
Turbo 88/100
I wasn't as horrified by the change in musical direction on this one as some die-hard Priest fans. Musically I think it's still a pretty good album, though I would have preferred to hear them in the true Priest style - and with better lyrics! What was a bunch of guys in their mid to late thirties doing singing about Parental Guidance anyway!
Turbo Lover - 97/100, Locked In - 85/100, Private Property - 79/100, Parental Guidance - 73/100, Rock You All Around The World - 89/100, Out In The Cold - 96/100, Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days - 80/100, Hot For Love - 86/100, Reckless - 89/100
Ram It Down 92/100
I know this album copped alot of flack, but to me it is classic Judas Priest. Rob's voice is in top form and some of their best songs are on this album. Obviously Dave Holland hadn't been cutting it for some time, but aside from that a classic album!
Ram It Down - 100/100, Heavy Metal - 93/100, Love Zone - 90/100, Come And Get It - 88/100, Hard As Iron - 100/100, Blood Red Skies - 98/100, I'm A Rocker - 86/100, Johnny B. Goode - 88/100, Love You To Death - 83/100, Monsters Of Rock - 81/100
Painkiller 100/100
My all time favourite album - this is amazing from beginning to end, and what a way to introduce Scott Travis!
Painkiller - 100/100, Hell Patrol - 99/100, All Guns Blazing - 99/100, Leather Rebel - 100/100, Metal Meltdown - 100/100, Night Crawler - 100/100, Between The Hammer & The Anvil - 99/100, A Touch Of Evil - 100/100, Battle Hymn / One Shot At Glory - 97/100
Jugulator 87/100
Whilst I enjoy this album Rob's omission from the line-up becomes painfully obvious when Glenn Tipton takes over the lyrics and vocal melody production. Basically the lyrics are juvenile and poorly written, and the melodies that are a Judas Priest trademark are sorely missing. I doubt that Ripper had very much if any control over how it all came together, and it's likely that, whilst he's a great vocal imitator of Halford, writing vocals and imitating them are two very different things (though his work with Beyond Fear was very impressive). A strong album despite it's deficienies, I'd love to hear this re-recorded with actually guitar melodies and Rob's vocals (and lyrics) as I think they'd be very different songs
Jugulator - 97/100, Blood Stained - 85/100, Dead Meat - 87/100, Death Row - 85/100, Decapitate - 70/100, Burn In Hell - 80/100, Brain Dead - 80/100, Abductors - 84/100, Bullet Train - 91/100, Cathedral Spires - 94/100
Demolition 88/100
I think in many ways Demolition was a better album for this version of Priest than Jugulator. Some of the lyrics were still pretty lame (eg Machine Man - great song but purile lyrics) but the difference is Ripper was able to show of his voice more and even managed to sound like other singers beside Rob at times! (Ronnie James Dio for instance). Overall a pretty impressive album.
Machine Man - 99/100, One On One - 82/100, Hell Is Home - 89/100, Jekyll And Hyde - 87/100, Close To You - 98/100, Devil Digger - 71/100, Bloodsuckers - 88/100, In Between - 87/100, Feed On Me - 90/100, Subterfuge - 86/100, Lost And Found - 86/100, Cyberface - 85/100, Metal Messiah - 95/100
Angel Of Retribution 94/100.
This was the comeback album I was waiting for! Rob's presence is definitely felt and is needed in Priest. Some amazing music that picks up where Painkiller left off!
Judas Rising - 100/100, Deal With The Devil - 96/100, Revolution - 95/100, Worth Fighting For - 92/100, Demonizer - 99/100, Wheels Of Fire - 88/100, Angel - 89/100, Hellrider - 99/100, Eulogy / Lochness - 91/100
IRON MAIDEN
No one has released their first 7 studio albums with this level of consistency at extremely high standards. I think Steve Harris took too much control over production on later efforts and as a result I think the Blaze period suffered. Again, no bad albums but some could have been better. Overall an exceptional band.
Iron Maiden 97/100
What a brilliant album! I don't care what anyone says, I like the raw production for this album - it suits it!
Prowler 100/100, Sanctuary (bonus) - 86/100, Remember Tomorrow 97/100, Running Free - 99/100, Phantom Of The Opera - 100/100, Transylvania - 95/100, Strange World - 87/100, Charlotte The Harlot - 93/100, Iron Maiden - 100/100
Killers 95/100
Another masterpiece with some of metal's greatest ever tracks!
The Ides Of March / Wrathchild - 100/100, Murders In The Rue Morgue - 100/100, Another Life - 91/100, Genghis Khan - 73/100, Innocent Exile - 89/100, Killers - 99/100, Women In Uniform - 84/100, Prodigal Son - 97/100, Purgatory - 98/100, Twilight Zone - 81/100, Drifter - 98/100
The Number Of The Beast 98/100
What a great album, only one song that's anywhere near average, and that's still pretty cool! An iconic masterpiece!
Invaders - 98/100, Children Of The Damned -100/100, The Prisoner - 98/100, 22 Acacia Avenue - 99/100, The Number Of The Beast - 100/100, Run To The Hills - 100/100, Gangland - 83/100, Total Eclipse (bonus) - 85/100, Hallowed Be Thy Name - 100/100
Piece Of Mind 97/100
Another classic album full of brilliant tracks!
Where Eagles Dare - 100/100, Revelations - 100/100, Flight Of Icarus - 97/100, Die With Your Boots On - 93/100, The Trooper - 100/100, Still Life - 97/100, Quest For Fire - 86/100, Sun And Steel - 93/100, To Tame A Land - 100/100
Powerslave 97/100
At this stage of their career it seemed Iron Maiden could do no wrong. Another masterpiece of near perfection.
Aces High - 100/100, 2 Minutes To Midnight - 97/100, Losfa Words (Big 'Orra) - 86/100, Flash Of The Blade - 96/100, The Duellists - 91/100, Back In The Village - 95/100, Powerslave - 100/100, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner - 100/100
Somewhere In Time 96/100
Yet another classic. Love the cover art! A very consistently strong album.
Caught Somewhere In Time - 100/100, Wasted Years - 98/100, Sea Of Madness - 91/100, Heaven Can Wait - 92/100, The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner - 95/100, Stranger In A Strange Land - 91/100, Deja-Vu - 98/100, Alexander The Great - 97/100
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son 99/100
I believe their most consistently strong album. Whilst my favourite Maiden tracks are on other albums, everything on this is pure genius!
Moonchild - 98/100, Infinite Dreams - 99/100, Can I Play With Madness - 96/100, The Evil That Men Do - 99/100, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - 99/100, The Prophecy - 99/100, The Clairvoyant - 99/100, Only The Good Die Young - 99/100
No Prayer For The Dying 89/100
To me this album wasn't the perfect way to introduce Janick Gers, at the time I thought they'd lost some of their sophistication, but when the dust settles I think it stands up. There are no bad songs on this album, the problem is that, with the exception of Tailgunner, there are no really strong songs (at least by Maiden's standards). Plus the cover art was a little below par (again, by their standards). When all is said and done though this is another fine album.Tailgunner - 99/100, Holy Smoke - 90/100, No Prayer For The Dying - 78/100, Public Enema Number One - 89/100, Fates Warning - 91/100, The Assassin - 87/100, Run Silent Run Deep - 90/100, Hooks In You - 85/100, Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter - 88/100, Mother Russia - 88/100
Fear Of The Dark 86/100; The X Factor 86/100; Virtual XI 83/100; Brave New World 92/100; Dance Of Death 93/100; A Matter Of Life And Death - TBA but I like it!Rage - one of the greatest German bands of all time. Amazingly consistent. Not much to complain about here.
Reign Of Fear - 80/100 - a pretty decent start (if you discount the Avenger album), the early stuff had a few more thrash elements, but still very melodic. Scared To Death - 82/100, Deceiver - 83/100, Reign Of Fear - 72/100, Hand Of Glory - 80/100, Raw Energy - 73/100, Echoes Of Evil - 78/100, Chaste Flesh - 73/100, Suicide - 90/100, Machinery - 88/100, Scaffold (bonus) - 47/100; Execution Guaranteed 72/100 - the disappointing Rage album - good but well short of Rage standards, though Down By Law is a great song and there are a couple of other good ones. Down By Law - 92/100, Execution Guaranteed - 73/100, Before The Storm (The Secret Affair) - 74/100, Streetwolf - 49/100, Deadly Error - 85/100, Hatred - 73/100, Grapes Of Wrath - 70/100, Mental Decay - 71/100, When You're Dead - 68/100; Perfect Man 90/100 - the introduction of the classic Rage line up of Peavy, Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. This is a big step up for the band, who became one of the greatest and most consistent power metal bands ever. Wasteland - 94/100, In The Darkest Hour - 85/100, Animal Instinct - 89/100, Perfect Man - 94/100, Sinister Thinking - 83/100, Supersonic Hydromatic - 96/100, Don't Fear The Winter - 92/100, Death In The Afternoon - 84/100, A Pilgrim's Path - 94/100, Time And Place - 91/100, Round Trip - 86/100, Between The Lines - 86/100, Symbols Of Our Fear (bonus) - 82/100, Neurotic (bonus) - 73/100; Secrets In A Weird World - 97/100. One of my favourite all-time albums! This was the one that got me into Rage Specifically 'Invisible Horizons', which is still my favourite Rage song). Intro (Opus 32 No.3) / Time Waits For Noone - 99/100, Make My Day - 96/100, The Inner Search - 92/100, Invisible Horizons - 100/100, She - 95/100, Light Into The Darkness - 100/100, Talk To Grandpa - 84/100, Distant Voices - 99/100, Without A Trace - 99/100, Lost Side Of The World (bonus) - 75/100; Reflections Of A Shadow - 94/100 This album took me a while to get into, but now is one of my favourites. Peavy does sing very high on it though! Introduction (A Bit More Of Green) / That's Human Bondage - 93/100, True Face In Everyone - 91/100, Flowers That Fade In My Hands - 91/100, Reflections Of A Shadow - 100/100, Can't Get Out - 83/100, Waiting For The Moon - 99/100, Faith (bonus) - 75/100, Saddle The Wind - 99/100, Dust - 99/100, Nobody Knows - 85/100, Wild Seed (bonus) - 84/100, Trapped! 95/100 - What a masterpiece! Pure melodic power metal brilliance! Shame On You - 100/100, Solitary Man - 100/100, Enough Is Enough - 100/100, Medicine - 94/100, Questions - 98/100, Take Me To The Water - 92/100, Power And Greed - 90/100, The Body Talks - 95/100, Not Forever - 98/100, Beyond The Wall Of Sleep - 95/100, Baby, I'm Your Nightmare - 100/100, Fast As A Shark - 91/100, Difference - 81/100, Innocent Guilty (bonus) 83/100, Marching Heroes (The Wooden Cross)(bonus) - 62/100; The Missing Link 96/100, 10 Years In Rage 86/100, Black In Mind 93/100, End Of All Days 89/100, Thirteen 92/100, Ghosts 91/100, Welcome To The Other Side 91/100, Unity 93/100, Soundchaser 93/100, Speak Of The Dead 83/100.Blind Guardian - love their use of melody and choirs blended with that great metallic intensity. Another timeless bandBattalions Of Fear - 80/100 Alot of potential is displayed on the Blind Guardian debut, but it leans more in the melodic thrash direction. Some good songs but consistency was something that would come later. Majesty - 91/100, Guardian Of The Blind - 82/100, Trial By The Archon / Wizard's Crown - 72/100, Run For The Night - 82/100, The Martyr - 71/100, Battalions Of Fear - 81/100, By The Gates Of Moria - 66/100, Gandalf's Rebirth (bonus) - 62/100; Follow The Blind - 79/100. This album opens with a metal classic. I find some of the other songs a little less accessible though - good but the albums that came after really display what Guardian are all about! Inquisition / Banish From Sanctuary - 100/100, Damned For All Time - 75/100, Follow The Blind - 69/100, Hall Of The King - 78/100, Fast To Madness - 72/100, Beyond The Ice - 74/100, Valhalla - 91/100, Don't Break The Circle (bonus Demon cover) - 73/100, Barbara Ann - 51/100; Tales From The Twilight World - 93/100. Now this is an album! One of the most important albums from 1990 to now. Great melodic and frenetic brilliance! Traveler In Time - 100/100, Welcome To Dying - 99/100, Weird Dreams - 72/100, Lord Of The Rings - 77/100, Goodbye My Friend - 94/100, Lost In The Twilight Hall - 96/100, Altair 4 - 71/100, The Last Candle - 99/100; Somewhere Far Beyond - 93/100. This album is another classic that displays a band clearly at the cusp of metal brilliance. Time What Is Time - 100/100, Journey Through The Dark - 100/100, Black Chamber / Theater Of Pain - 91/100, The Quest For Tanelorn - 94/100, Ashes To Ashes - 91/100, The Bard's Song - In The Forest - 74/100, The Bard's Song - The Hobbit - 67/100, The Piper's Calling / Somewhere Far Beyond - 100/100; Imaginations From The Other Side 96/100 - this is Blind Guardian at their best! Amazing stuff! Imaginations From The Other Side - 100/100, I'm Alive - 99/100, A Past And Future Secret - 77/100, The Script For My Requiem - 100/100, Mordred's Song - 97/100, Born In A Mourning Hall - 97/100, Bright Eyes - 97/100, Another Holy War - 100/100, And The Story Ends - 89/100; Nightfall In Middle Earth 91/100; A Night At The Opera 91/100; A Twist In The Myth - TBA, but it is very impressive!Ozzy Osbourne - I'm a big fan of Ozzy's solo career, particularly the '80's stuff. Blizzard Of Ozz - 92/100. This is an amazing album, though there are a couple of songs that don't quite reach the high standards of Mr. Crowley etc. I Don't Know - 100/100, Crazy Train - 100/100, Goodbye To Romance - 69/100, Dee 34/100, Suicide Solution - 93/100, Mr. Crowley - 100/100, No Bone Movies - 81/100, Revelation (Mother Earth) - 100/100, Steal Away (The Night) - 100/100; Diary Of A Madman - 92/100 Another great album, sadly the last for Randy Rhoads. The title track especially is amazing! Over The Mountain - 100/100, Flying High Again - 86/100, You Can't Kill Rock'n'Roll - 99/100, Believer - 82/100, Little Dolls - 85/100, Tonight - 79/100, S.A.T.O. - 100/100, Diary Of A Madman - 100/100; Bark At The Moon - 95/100. This album took me a little while to get into, but ended up being one of my favourites. Ozzy's the coolest werewolf ever! Bark At The Moon - 100/100, You're No Different - 90/100, Now You See It (Now You Don't) - 91/100, Rock'n'Roll Rebel - 96/100, Centre Of Eternity - 100/100, So Tired - 90/100, Slow Down - 95/100, Waiting For Darkness - 90/100; The Ultimate Sin 94/100. I don't know why Ozzy doesn't like this album - besides having one of the coolest album covers ever, I think it's a brilliant album! The Ultimate Sin - 99/100, Secret Loser - 98/100, Never Know Why - 93/100, Thank God For The Bomb - 95/100, Never - 95/100, Lightning Strikes - 93/100, Killer Of Giants - 93/100, Fool Like You - 88/100, Shot In The Dark - 89/100; No Rest For The Wicked 96/100; No More Tears 89/100; Ozzmosis 88/100; Down To Earth 83/100.Helloween - the masters of Euro melodic power metal! One of my favourite bands and except for a short period of misdirection, one of the most consistent
Walls Of Jericho - 90/100. One of those few albums that sounds terrible but is great all the same! Some real classics on this one! Wall Of Jericho / Ride The Sky - 94/100, Reptile - 82/100, Guardians - 92/100, Phantoms Of Death - 90/100, Metal Invaders - 87/100, Gorgar - 77/100, Heavy Metal (Is The Law) - 93/100, How Many Tears - 97/100; Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 1 - 97/100. What a monster this album is - probably the album that launched the whole melodic power metal movement, or at least was one of the progenitors! One of my all-time favourites! Initiation / I'm Alive - 99/100, A Little Time - 97/100, Twilight Of The Gods - 100/100, A Tale That Wasn't Right - 86/100, Future World - 100/100, Halloween / Follow The Sign - 98/100; Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2 99/100; Pink Bubbles Go Ape 84/100; Chameleon 63/100; Master Of The Rings 96/100; The Time Of The Oath 89/100; Better Than Raw 95/100; The Dark Ride 91/100; Rabbit Don't Come Easy 94/100; Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy 93/100.Rush - one of my favourites - the godfathers of prog metal! Amazing musicians and songwriters!Rush - 78/100. I don't mind the first album, though it is more of a Black Sabbath meets Led Zeppelin effort - not as complex and Neal Peart hadn't yet arrived on drums. Finding My Way - 85/100, Need Some Love - 75/100, Take A Friend - 70/100, Here Again - 67/100, What You're Doing - 84/100, In The Mood - 69/100, Before And After - 77/100, Working Man - 90/100; Fly By Night 79/100; Caress Of Steel 82/100; 2112 89/100; A Farewell To Kings 93/100; Hemispheres 98/100; Permanent Waves 85/100; Moving Pictures 94/100; Signals 87/100; Grace Under Pressure 87/100; Power Windows 84/100; Hold Your Fire 81/100; Presto 83/100; Roll The Bones 80/100; Counterparts 90/100; Test For Echo 83/100; Vapor Trails 79/100.Scorpions - another one of my favourites! Always loved Klaus' voice and the great guitarwork of Rudolf and the others guys (Uli, Michael and Matthias). A couple of low points (Not a huge fan of the first album, Pure Instinct wasn't bad but a little disappointing, and Eye II Eye was just crap)
Lonesome Crow 56/100; Fly To The Rainbow 92/100; In Trance 83/100; Virgin Killer 87/100; Taken By Force 90/100; Lovedrive 94/100; Animal Magnetism 86/100; Blackout 88/100; Love At First Sting 93/100; Savage Amusement 92/100; Crazy World 88/100; Face The Heat 88/100; Pure Instinct 73/100; Eye II Eye 56/100; Unbreakable 84/100.Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore went from strength to strength after he left Deep Purple - some amazing classic material here, especially the Dio eraRainbow 88/100; Rainbow Rising 98/100; Long Live Rock'n'Roll 92/100; Down To Earth 93/100; Difficult To Cure 86/100; Straight Between The Eyes 87/100; Bent Out Of Shape 81/100; Stranger In Us All 90/100.Riot - one of the greatest and most underrated bands of all time - every album is a winner and there is rarely a bad song. Awesome stuff!
Rock City 91/100; Narita 90/100; Fire Down Under 85/100; Restless Breed 83/100; Born In America 94/100; Thundersteel 94/100; The Privilege Of Power 93/100; Nightbreaker 92/100; The Brethren Of The Long House 90/100; Inishmore 94/100; Sons Of Society 90/100; Through The Storm 86/100; Army Of One - TBA but it's a killer!Uriah Heep - some of their stuff is a bit hit and miss, but there's a least one killer song on each album and I really like the swirly keyboards! Some great vocalists as well! Overall a very impressive bandVery 'Eavy, Very 'Umble - 60/100; Salisbury 79/100; Look At Yourself 83/00; Demons And Wizards 87/100; The Magician's Birthday 81/100; Sweet Freedom 88/100; Wonderworld 73/100; Return To Fantasy 72/100; High And Mighty 69/100; Firefly 86/100; Innocent Victim 88/100; Fallen Angel 72/100; Conquest 75/100; Abominog 86/100; Head First 80/100; Equator 78/100; Raging Silence 81/100; Different World 75/100; Sea Of Light 84/100; Sonic Origami 75/100.Deep Purple - not too keen on the original lineup stuff but everything since Ian Gillan first joined is awesome!Shade Of Deep Purple 42/100; The Book Of Taliesyn 38/100; Deep Purple 49/100; Deep Purple In Rock 93/100; Fireball 79/100; Machine Head 91/100; Who Do We Think We Are 86/100; Burn 91/100; Stormbringer 88/100; Come Taste The Band 85/100; Perfect Strangers 89/100; The House Of Blue Light 82/100; Slaves And Masters 80/100; The Battle Rages On 88/100; Purpendicular 82/100; Abandon 77/100; Bananas 71/100; Rapture Of The Deep 77/100.Alice Cooper - such a varied career. Some albums not so great but all (except the first two) have some great songs. Alice is the greatest showman on Earth and at his best he's performed some of the greatest songs - a true legend!Pretties For You 22/100; Easy Action 28/100; Love It To Death 76/100; Killer 88/100; School's Out 64/100; Billion Dollar Babies 87/100; Muscle Of Love 66/100; Welcome To My Nightmare 89/100; Alice Cooper Goes To Hell 77/100; Lace And Whiskey 53/100; From The Inside 78/100; Flush The Fashion 80/100; Special Forces 73/100; Zipper Catches Skin 73/100; DaDa 62/100; Constrictor 83/100; Raise Your Fist And Yell 85/100; Trash 78/100; Hey Stoopid 76/100; The Last Temptation 89/100; Brutal Planet 88/100; Dragontown 84/100; The Eyes Of Alice Cooper 77/100; Dirty Diamonds 71/100.Kiss - probably the best example of how great you can be with a simple formula. Pure entertainment!Kiss 82/100; Hotter Than Hell 82/100; Dressed To Kill 84/100; Destroyer 89/100; Rock And Roll Over 86/100; Love Gun 88/100; Paul Stanley 78/100; Gene Simmons 65/100; Ace Frehley 85/100; Peter Criss 17/100; Dynasty 83/100; Unmasked 74/100; Music From The Elder 82/100; Creatures Of The Night 92/100; Lick It Up 88/100; Animalize 88/100; Asylum 83/100; Crazy Nights 80/100; Hot In The Shade 85/100; Revenge 89/100; Carnival Of Souls 81/100; Psycho-Circus 82/100.Savatage - I have to say Ilium draws alot of influence here. Great dramatic, melodic music and I love the counterpoint vocals! Criss Oliva is sorely missed.Sirens 88/100; Power Of The Night 85/100; Fight For The Rock 86/100; Hall Of The Mountain King 95/100; Gutter Ballet 90/100; Streets - A Rock Opera 81/100; Edge Of Thorns 94/100; Handful Of Rain 89/100; Dead Winter Dead 90/100; The Wake Of Magellan 86/100; Poets And Madmen 84/100. Running Wild - classic German metal. They don't change much but they alway write great songs! Gates To Purgatory 83/100; Branded And Exiled 79/100; Under Jolly Roger 86/100; Port Royal 86/100; Death Or Glory 87/100; Blazon Stone 89/100; Pile Of Skulls 89/100; Black Hand Inn 95/100; Masquerade 90/100; The Rivalry 92/100; Victory 90/100; The Brotherhood 91/100; Rogues En Vogue 90/100.Gamma Ray - absolute genius. When Kai Hansen left Helloween I was a bit upset, but then Gamma Ray came along.. Heading For Tomorrow 93/100; Sigh No More 94/100; Insanity And Genius 94/100; Land Of The Free 98/100; Somewhere Out In Space 96/100; Powerplant 93/100; No World Order! 95/100; Majestic 95/100.Queensryche - love their old stuff, have gone downhill a bit in recent years though.The Warning 90/100; Rage For Order 94/100; Operation: Mindcrime 97/100; Empire 89/100; Promised Land 83/100; Hear In The Now Frontier 75/100; Q2K 74/100; Tribe 71/00; Operation: Mindcrime II 79/100.Blue Oyster Cult - classic band with cool lyrics! Who wants to be normal!Blue Oyster Cult 62/100; Tyranny And Mutation 77/100; Secret Treaties 83/100; Agents Of Fortune 77/100; Spectres 73/100; Mirrors 74/100; Cultosaurus Erectus 76/100; Fire Of Unknown Origin 83/100; The Revolution By Night 78/100; Club Ninja 78/100; Imaginos 83/100; Heaven Forbid 78/100; Curse Of The Hidden Mirror 75/100.W.A.S.P. - one of my early favourites..nothing's changed! Awesome stuff!W.A.S.P. 91/100; The Last Command 94/100; Inside The Electric Circus 93/100; The Headless Children 97/100; The Crimson Idol 97/100; Still Not Black Enough 82/100; Kill Fuck Die 77/100; Helldorado 84/100; Unholy Terror 85/100; Dying For The World 90/100; The Neon God Part 1 - The Rise 85/100; The Neon God Part 2 - The Demise 87/100.Fates Warning - one of the greatest prog metal bands of all time, whether it's the John Arch or the Ray Alder era stuff.Night On Brocken 82/100; The Spectre Within 86/100; Awaken The Guardian 92/00; No Exit 92/100; Perfect Symmetry 88/100; Parallels 93/100; Inside Out 88/100; A Pleasant Shade Of Gray 81/100; Disconnected 82/100; FWX 92/100.Megadeth - nobody like them! agressive yet melodic and technically brilliant! (except 'Risk' hmmmm)Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good! 81/100; Peace Sells...But Who's Buying 90/100; So Far, So Good....So What! 95/100; Rust In Peace 98/100; Countdown To Extinction 95/100; Youthanasia 92/100; Cryptic Writings 87/100; Risk 69/100; The World Needs A Hero 82/100; The System Has Failed 92/100.Dio - Ronnie can do no wrong - classic metal!Holy Diver 93/100; The Last In Line 91/100; Sacred Heart 94/100; Dream Evil 92/100; Lock Up The Wolves 97/100; Strange Highways 91/100; Angry Machines 88/100; Magica 88/100; Killing The Dragon 91/100; Master Of The Moon 85/100.Mercyful Fate - classic band. Dark and melodic with some great guitar motifsMelissa 88/100; Don't Break The Oath 90/100; In The Shadows 87/100; Time 91/100; Into The Unknown 87/100; Dead Again 86/100; 9 84/100.Yngwie Malmsteen - great guitarist who also happens to write great songs.Rising Force 84/100; Marching Out 91/100; Trilogy 90/100; Odyssey 86/100; Eclipse 85/100; Fire & Ice 84/100; Seventh Sign 88/100; Magnum Opus 85/100; Facing The Animal 86/100; Alchemy 86/100; War To End All Wars 84/100; Attack!! 88/100; Unleash The Fury 85/100.Heaven's Gate - excellent melodic and technically brilliant power metal band!In Control 84/100; Livin' In Hysteria 89/100; Hell For Sale! 83/100; Planet E. 89/100; Menergy 86/100.Stratovarius - another great band. Don't always think the phrasing is that great, but overall the songs are. Timo Kotipelto has a great voice and the overall standard of musicianship is very high.Fright Night 81/100; Twilight Time 80/100; Dreamspace 82/100; Fourth Dimension 85/100; Episode 88/100; Visions 90/100; Destiny 87/100; Infinite 92/100; Elements Pt. 1 84/100; Elements Pt. 2 81/100; Stratovarius 83/100.King Diamond - great storyteller and exciting musicianshipFatal Portrait 94/100; Abigail 91/100; "Them" 94/100; Conspiracy 93/100; The Eye 86/100; The Spider's Lullabye 91/100; The Graveyard 80/100; Voodoo 87/100; House Of God 87/100; Abigail II: The Revenge 87/100; The Puppet Master 88/100.Iced Earth - classic power metal band.Iced Earth 85/100; Night Of The Stormrider 87/100; Burnt Offerings 88/100; The Dark Saga 88/100; Something Wicked This Way Comes 90/100; Horror Show 91/100; The Glorious Burden 91/100.Rhapsody (Of Fire) - great band that really took metal to the next level with their great symphonic metalLegendary Tales 87/100; Symphony Of Enchanted Lands 93/100; Dawn Of Victory 91/100; Power Of The Dragonflame 90/100; Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret 84/100; Triumph Or Agony TBA.Virgin Steele - great band with great concepts and musicianship.Virgin Steele I - 70/100; Guardians Of The Flame - 82/100; Noble Savage 85/100; Age Of Consent 88/100; Life Among The Ruins 74/100; The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell Part One 81/100; The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell Part Two 84/100; Invictus 92/100; The House Of Atreus Act I 85/100; The House Of Atreus Act II 81/100; Visions Of Eden TBA, but classic Virgin Steele.Metal Church - a classic metal band that has always been consisently great and deserved far more attention than they got. Hope people are still buying their stuff because their new one is a killer!Metal Church 88/100; The Dark 92/100; Blessing In Disguise 92/100; The Human Factor 94/100; Hanging In The Balance 90/100; Masterpeace 82/100; The Weight Of The World 89/100; A Light In The Dark 89/100.Manowar - they're funny. Furry codpieces and boots are funnyBattle Hymns 82/100; Into Glory Ride 87/100; Hail To England 85/100; Sign Of The Hammer 88/100; Fighting The World 94/100; Kings Of Metal 88/100; The Triumph Of Steel 78/100; Louder Than Hell 83/100; Warriors Of The World TBA, but I think it's a mixed bag, some brilliance mixed with some strange (and bad) covers choices.Queen - For some reason I ignored this band for a long time, probably because they weren't often referred to as metal. Realistically they're heavier than quite alot of bands that have been called metal, just more diverse. An incredibly talented band.Queen 76/100; Queen II 82/100; Sheer Heart Attack 83/100; A Night At The Opera 83/100; A Day At The Races 80/100; News Of The World 74/100; Jazz 76/100; The Game TBA, a bit mixed though; Flash Gordon TBA two great songs and the rest is just background stuff for the movie; Hot Space TBA but I think it's pretty crap; The Works TBA, good overall, though no ANATO; A Kind Of Magic TBA, mostly great but some crap in there; The Miracle TBA, pretty good overall; Innuendo TBA, but pretty solid; Made In Heaven TBA but not really worth listening to.Symphony X - incredible band with incredible musicianship. These guys are the complete package!Symphony X 85/100; The Damnation Game 87/100; The Divine Wings Of Tragedy 90/100; Twilight In Olympus 93/100; V - The New Mythology Suite 94/100; The Odyssey - 94/100Hammerfall - great metal band.Glory To The Brave 88/100; Legacy Of Kings 90/100; Renegade 89/100; Crimson Thunder 86/100; Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken 88/100.Axel Rudi Pell - straight out classic metal - love it!Wild Obsession 75/100; Nasty Reputation 82/100; Eternal Prisoner 80/100; Between The Walls - TBA but pretty good, Black Moon Pyramid - TBA but classic Pell!; same applies to Magic; Oceans Of Time; The Masquerade Ball; Shadow Zone; Kings and Queens; Mystica.Saxon - classic British metal band who keep getting better!Saxon 83/100; Wheels Of Steel 85/100; others TBA but they're all great! Strong Arm Of The Law; Denim And Leather; Power & The Glory; Crusader; Innocence Is No Excuse; Rock The Nations; Destiny; Solid Ball Of Rock; Forever Free; Dogs Of War; Unleash The Beast; Metalhead; Killing Ground; Lionheart.Angra - another great band from Brazil! Love their work!Angels Cry 91/100; All others pretty impressive and TBA - Holy Land; Fireworks; Rebirth; Temple Of Shadows
