Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

  After 2 great albums, Paul Di'anno slpit from Maiden. This proved to be a blessing in disguise though as Bruce Dickinson was brought on board and his operatic vocals proved to be an essential ingredient in Maiden's sound.

  Any worries of Maiden losing their appeal were erased as soon as the album was released. There isn't a single weak track on the album. Two classics were spawned, namely 'The Number of The Beast' which gained the band notoreity and a reputation as Satanists (which of course is false), and 'Run To The Hills'. Honestly, I feel that although these tracks are good, they aren't the best on the album. The slower numbers like 'Children Of The Damned' and "Hallowed Be Thy Name' are truly epic masterpieces which send chills down my spine everytime I hear them.

  The other tracks roll along pretty well with 'Invaders', '22 Acacia Avenue', 'Prisoner', 'Gangland' and 'Total Eclipse' bringing about a sense of total awesome-ness. The  solos are positively goose-bump inducing especially on the album closer 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'. The rhythm section is solid but it must be said that Steve Harris truly is a metal genius. Most of the songs are arranged by him and his bass-work is absolutely insane! Nobody plays the bass like him.

  If you're into really melodic riffs and supersized choruses, this is for you. Even if you're not, get it anyway. Chances are you're gonna love it. With most albums, it takes quite a while to get familiar with all the songs, but with Beast, I knew every chorus within a week because I couldn't stop playing it. This album is definately one of the best metal albums ever recorded. Maiden. Friggin. ROCK.

  

9/10

Judas Priest - Angel Of Retribution

  This was my first Judas Priest album which i bought in 2006 after reading about it on the internet. This album completely changed my life once i heard it. Never ever had I heard such brutality and melody fused together with such perfection. Angel Of Retribution is the album that made me fall for the glorious beauty that is metal. 

  After several years and 2 albums with Ripper Owens, it seemed like Judas Priest were headed for the sewers. Sure, Owens had a multi-octave vocal range, but he never really fell in with most of the fans, especially the Halford-purists. With Halford back in the fold, Priest recorded another classic album.

  The band say that Angel is supposed to be second and final part to their classic 1976 album, Sad Wings Of Destiny. If you expect Priest this album like it came out of the 70's, then you'll probably be terribly dissapointed. Priest have a more modern sound with traces of  Painkiller.

  The album opens with 'Judas Rising' and the intro promises great things with an ascending guitar dual attack combined with Halford's multi-layered vocals, and then at 0:50 the double-bass drums kick in and 2 seconds later it explodes into a monstrous riff with Halford screaming his balls off. The verses and chorus aren't spectacular, but its pretty good. At about 2:40 the solos kick in. HOT DAMN KK friggin lets it loose man! The solo is really really good, one of my favourite Priest solos.

  The album continues with a pretty fun rocker 'Deal With The Devil', with Halford and co. implying that they dealt with the devil to reach where they are now and sing about how metal has grown. 'Revolution' isn't verygood and neither is the slow paced 'Worth Fighting For' but then comes 'Demonizer' which sounds like it could have come from the Painkiller record. The riff is really good and Halford delivers the goods here although his lyrics may be a little amateur. The bass and drums are solid too. The solo contradicts the overall mood of the song, with very melodic phrasing. Awesome song. 

  Then comes 'Hellrider'. Dudes, I shit you not, this has got to rank up there with the classics. Theres nothing bad about this song. The intro gave me goosebumps the first time I listened to it. And then came the solo. Glenn and KK perform one of their best ever dual solos on this track. Even KK admitted in one interview that this was one of his favourites to play live and feels very satisfied when he manages to complete the solo.

  'Angel' is a pleasant ballad, 'Wheels of Fire is pretty cool and 'Eulogy' is odd but they're not much to shout about but then comes the epic 'Lochness' clocking in at 13:30. Thats got to be longest song they've recorded up to this point. Nostradamus would prove to be much more than this, but this song is pretty hard to digest at first listen. But if you're able to appreciate the progression, you'll love this song. The first few times I heard it, it didn't appeal to me, but now I really like it. The solos are pretty good too.

  Overall, this is a good record. Priest elitists will hate, but then again they're elitists; THEY'RE STUPID. The album may not be the most consistent of Priest's catalogue, but it has some really good tracks. Go and buy it

7/10

I have decided.

After almost a year, I have finally decided to update my blog, and it's going to be about music. I have absolutely no intention of letting the world know about my thoughts, feelings and personal experiences because they are meant for me, and me alone.

I've always wanted to be a music critic and I looked at this as an opportunity to see what it's like

So, I hope you really read through the reviews here and hopefully it may help you in deciding what albums to buy.

Oh and mainsream music fanatics, GET LOST. There's nothing here that could possibly interest you

All the reviews here are from genres such as Metal, Rock, Blues, Folk, Traditional etc.

Enjoy

Hi

This is my new blog and I have no idea how to use it whatsoever.

Hope you like it.