Iron Maiden - Virtual XI (1998)

Because destroying your new vocalist's chances with the fans and the world through the release of an entirely mediocre 10th album was just not enough...the swiftly sinking Iron Maiden had to go and follow that up with a pinnacle of career embarassment that rivals Metallica's St. Anger or Megadeth's Risk. In fact, Virtual XI is so bad that it makes Tim 'Ripper' Owens two albums with Judas Priest seem shining by comparison...not that I encourage you to waste your time there, I'm simply sliding the mercury down the thermometer so you have a clear idea of just how fucking wretched this temperature is.

Perhaps the best way to describe this album's sound is to create a hypothetical situation. Let's imagine for a moment that a group of fresh young Iron Maiden fans who had only just learned to play their instruments because they were inspired by The X Factor. Let's assume that all of these kids had a jamspace within driving distance of a venue where the band was touring, in which you could find their cheap instruments, a couple carpets for muffling, a basic PA, and two Iron Maiden CDs: The X Factor, and some greatest hits compilation which the band rarely listens to since they are so obsessed with the former. Now let's say one of these blokes has a van, and that somehow, after a Maiden gig, they've gotten Blaze very drunk and 'kidnapped' the poor man to their jamspace. Once they arrive, they keep getting Blaze even more hammered, sit him on a stool, hand him the microphone, and have him ad lib over some shitty songs they wrote...inspired by The X Factor. Then they record the session an 8 track or 16 track or whatever they've got lying around.

Virtual XI is actually WORSE than the result of what such an outlandish meeting might produce...

The flaws are myriad with this album. From its dulled down, absolutely uninspiring production values which mirror those of the previous album, to the dreadful songwriting which cannot have taken more than a beer or two to produce. Yes, this album sounds like it was released rather haphazardly, and I'm curious how EMI Records even let it slip past them. At the very best, and I'm talking the rare moments of this album that do not immediately induce vomit or other symptoms of malaise, the songs sound like a shallow redundancy of things we've already heard through the band's career, recycled just to get a passing score and the disc to the pressing factory. Although I like the guy, and hate to admit it, Blaze Bayley sounds terrible, like a drunk at a karaoke bar. He hits his usual, sombering range here, but let's be honest...even if the guy was suddenly channeling Andrea Bocelli here, the music is so bland and dreary that the effort would have been wasted.

There are guitar melodies, there are plodding basslines, and there are all the signature staples of Iron Maiden's past written across Virtual XI, except one: good, or even passable songs. The material on this album ranges from the truly embarassing ("Como Estais Amigos", in which Blaze Bayley tries to wax emotional over a crappy, repetitious sequence of notes that even the atmospheric keyboard cannot save) to the just bad ("The Clansman", which has one or two decent lines in which the repeated vocal melody creates a nice theme to which any Scot might want to tip his mug, but not for 9 fucking minutes...oh no). "The Angel and the Gambler" is stupefyingly mundane...like if you took a handful of old Maiden riffs, dulled them down to drunken laxness, tossed on an organ and strings, and took a giant squat all over the resulting mess. I mean, just listen to it...

Actually, belay that order. Do not listen to this. You'll only hate me more than you already do. "The Educated Fool", "When Worlds Collide", and "Futureal" sound like poor outtakes from The X Factor. None are any good, but perhaps if the latter and "The Clansman" had only been thrown onto that album instead of "Sign of the Cross", that one could have been somewhat easier to stomach. One of the riffs in "Futureal" sounds as if the band later salvaged it for "The Wicker Man", and the melodic guitars aren't the worst thing on the album, but that is saying very little. "Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger" is abysmal, with horrid lyrics that eschew the same string of cliches you'll find everywhere on this disc. "Lightning Strikes Twice" has a fair, moodiness to its initial minute, but as the power chords hammer in, it sounds incredibly goofy due to Blaze's vocals, and the way the track cuts to and fro sounds pitiful, like the band actually needed to randomly string it together from sequences that might have belonged in other tracks. The chorus vocal pattern at the end is too little and too late.

Kill it with fire! Melt it into slag, whatever it takes to rid yourself of the stagnation and foul memory of exposure to this monument to mediocrity...for Virtual XI worships at the foot of such an altar, stretches its arms, begging to be accepted as even a plain old, forgettable album. But what has manifested upon this release is something much worse...awful music that feels contrived and conceived simply to fill a void, to meet a quota, to pay the bills. When reading that several of Brave New World's tracks might have been written for this album, one has to wonder why they are not present here, for even with Bayley's uninspired barroom browbeating they might have been the stick hanging out over the quicksand's edge...the one saving grace through which the album could have pulled its tired carcass out of its inevitable fate. But no....

Glurg. Glurg. Grasping hand, with no one to take hold of it. Bubble. Bubble. Dying Gasp. The End.

Highlights: Yeah. That'll be the day!

Verdict: Epic Fail [1.75/10] (blind in the haze)

http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Abuser - Threats of Fate (2010)

I often lament the lack of the truly good technical speed/thrash metal which once exploded forth from the European scene, in particular the sounds of bands like Paradox, Midas Touch, Pyracanda, Mekong Delta, Artillery, Vendetta, Tankard, and mid to late 80s Destruction. Well, to those of you who might feel the same, Italy's Abuser have arrived to offer you some degree of comfort. Take the sounds of the bands above, mix in a little Nasty Savage, Whiplash ferocity and perhaps an occasion or two of Realm's hyper wailing and you come up with something like Threats of Fate, which ironically feels like a breath of fresh air when so many of the younger thrash bands I encounter these days perform in a retro-tarded fashion that I'd sooner just skip, as they offer no other incentive to why you should be listening to their 'Thrash _ _ _ _" song titles and not just poring back through your back catalog of vinyl or CDs from the actual 80s.

Sure, Abuser can't claim to 100% originality, but I will take this band over 50 of the party all night with hi-tops and scene credibility denim and patches that can't write a lick or a song worth a damn. This is not the type of technical, mechanical wasteland thrash metal that some younger fans might demand due to their tech-death addled attention spans, but in 1988 or 1989, this would have been considered right at the edge of progression. The band can play, and can fly off the handle at a blink's notice, but they don't...they restrain themselves to creating excellent series of riffs that take me right back to those seminal years where thrash evolved into one of the most complex forms of music on the planet, outside jazz and classical.

This record was probably made for old farts like myself, but there is absolutely no reason it would not appeal to any who enjoy the old thrash sounds of the 80s. Each of the 10 songs displays strong compositional skill and a virtual onslaught of hyper riffing, all anchored through Walter Lamorte's multi-faceted vocal tone, which can shift from cruel to shrill instantly (and the backing vocals also help). He's also a great bassist, and well complemented by the dual assault of Marco "Toffa" Toffaletti and Stefano Bertolotti, or the spry and talented skin bashing of Lorenzo Graziani. Granted, there aren't a lot of songs here which evoke the epic, unforgettable chorus of a notable German band 20 years past, but they are all very level and tight, with a myriad of twists and turns plotted beneath the raging surface.

Thinking up highlights is difficult, because they're all quite good, but perhaps "Creations" would stand out because of its wild frenetic wall of speed as the vocals sear across the fore like a ballistic missile. "Iron Ghost" has some huge grooves and melodic chords in there that remind me of something off Realm's sophomore effort Suiciety, and it's hard not to feel the pull of something like "Missing Convictions", "Flesh Eaters" or the surging power/thras of "Possession". After 9 original tracks, the band also features a fun and hammering rendition of Whiplash's "Spit On Your Grave" from the Power and Pain debut.

There is not a lot of room for improvement, because Abuser are really damned good at what they do, especially for a band that has arrived from out of nowhere. The chorus parts could probably do a little more to catch the ear if the band wanted to really stand out alongside their forebears, but this is little cause for complaint if you have the patience to just appreciate the entire passage. The mix is good and raw, just like something out of the 80s, and that is all I ask. If you're fond of thrash that rises beyond the silly nostalgic image and actually delivers intelligence, venom and passion through both the lyrics and music, as thrash ALWAYS SHOULD HAVE BEEN, you absolutely must seek out Abuser, they are one of the best newcomer bands I've heard performing this style (alongside the USA's Vektor).

Highlights: the lack of craptacular 'thrash' stupidity. There is also music.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://www.myspace.com/abuserthrash

Umbrtka - Kovový háj (2010)

The previous album of the prolific Umbrtka, Úplná Demontáž Lidstva was a journey through societal and urban decay, which made use of extra-traditional instrumentation and industrial noise to produce a curious and unique result. The sound was not entirely distanced from Lord Morbivad's better known sewer black band Stíny Plamenù, but it was more abstract and ruefully more interesting. So I am quite surprised, then, that the 15th Umbrtka album has arrived in the form of a mellower offering with a lot more emphasis on acoustic folk music...and not bad, at that. But when a band is releasing albums as often as this one, I guess it doesn't hurt to change up the formula every now and then, and Umbrtka have certainly made such rapid deviations in the past.

For those worried, fear not, because there are still plenty of metal passages on Kovový háj, and when they appear, they are likewise well furbished. With 7 tracks at 55 minutes, there are a few here which are quite hefty in length, and not always supportive of their vast borders, but all possessive of at least some degree of charm. I was immediately taken in with the opener "Chrám těla (Temple of Flesh)", an immersive, acoustic experience which plays out like an overcast day in some tranquil glade, near the flow of water or an edifice of rock, all hinting at deeper mysteries of the world below as you study them. I hate to use the term 'zen' to describe its effects, but that was the ultimate result. The 9 minute title track ("Metal Grove") benefits from layered, soothing vocals and spikes of electric notes that flow above the twinkle of the cleaner guitars and the fervent, infectious swells...this is simply an amazing song, one of the best on the album and wholly recommended for its natural, psychedelic interlacing. "Slovany" may deceive one into thinking its another folk track, but it erupts into an amazing, atmospheric black metal laden in dense melodies and vibrous atmosphere.

For other aggressive fare, seek "Rodina" with its primal black/doom leanings that work in tandem with its flowing streams of acoustic guitar and sombering melodies. "Onen večer (That Evening)" is perhaps the most bizarre of the compositions, with a myriad of vocals that range from eerie black rasping depths to a freaky folk side. Granted, it's almost 15 minutes long, and could very well have been a number of separate tracks, but there just might be enough here to compel the listener without raining tedium upon him. Also included are the elegaic, sombering "Na lásku (For Love)" with its ringing, excellent guitars that feel like a funeral march in a still photo, and the rambling, twangy "Vrby (Family)" with a memorable pattern of guitars.

I was a little taken aback by the album, not expecting much more than another odd cityscape, but Umbrtka successfully translate themselves into a more rustic environment, and write some killer folk/ambient/black metal that should appeal to any with an open mind who can stomach the native Czech tongue. Hardly a stumbling block when the reward is as worthwhile as this. Impressive.

Highlights: Kovový háj, Na lásku, Vrby

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

http://www.umbrtka.com/

Dawn of Silence - Wicked Saint or Righteous Sinner (2010)

Wicked Saint or Righteous Sinner is the sophomore album from the Swedish Dawn of Silence. The band formed around the turn of the century and spat out a bunch of demos before arriving at their debut Moment of Weakness in 2006, which was an average and inoffensive offering at best. But four years and a lot of hard work later, the band have made some huge improvements to their sound, which is a hybrid of classic heavy metal and more intense European power metal with siren-like vocals and a ballsy tone. The bands I am most reminded of would be fellow Swedes like HammerFall, Nocturnal Rites or the goofy Dream Evil, but Dawn of Silence have a style that might also appeal to fans of Sonata Arctica, Mystic Prophecy, Iron Fire, or really...anyone that likes their power metal modern and crushing with a huge depth of sound, if not the most intense compositions.

Patrik Johansson has a set of pipes on him which might sound like the frontmen of any of the aforementioned bands mixed together, or squarely between a Joacim Cans and Tobias Sammet of Edguy. When this man gets going, you can easily forgive the music being rather standard power fare since he will definitely have you banging your fists and screaming like a harpy. In fact, if Edguy were still writing good records instead of channeling party rock garbage like Poison and Skid Row, they might sound quite like this band does today.

Wicked Saints or Righteous Sinners consists of 10 tracks, all of which are anthems spring-coiled with big guitar hooks ready to strike out at you with their thick chords and massive chugging tone. That's right, there are no distinct ballads here. Even "In Quest for Life", which opens with clean guitars, picks up to a harmonious mid-paced metal charge, with one of the more distinct choruses on the album to boot. Other tracks that immediately caught me were "Away from Heaven", which Johansson heralds with a life affirming siren scream. The guitars are pumping here, if hardly ambitious, and I like the soaring of the backing vox during the pre-chorus. "Release Me (From Myself)" opens with a little melodic bounce not unlike In Flames, and then a largely chugged out momentum ala Dream Evil or HammerFall's heavier tunes. "Crucifire" has one of those standard, mean, power metal paces ala Judas Priest or Accept, and some great vocals as well.

The lyrics here are the sort you'd expect, larger than life and cut and dry expressions of life, love, sin, punishment, and redemption, but to their credit, while un-ambitious, they don't completely suck like so many other bands in the genre. Dawn of Silence does not fuck around like a Dream Evil, they do attempt to illicit some real emotion from the listener. The positive thrust of the band plus the fantastic production values will probably appeal to a lot of younger listeners who are fans of no-frills melodic heavy metal, especially the Swedish bands who take the retro intentions and place them in the modern mold. If you fit into that caste, then Dawn of Silence will probably not disappoint you. This isn't the sort of album I'd ever listen to with much frequency, but a safe bet to crank in your car if you want to bang your head and impress that friend you have who only likes 80s metal with the 'good' singing.

Highlights: In Quest for Life, Away from Heaven, Crucifire

Verdict: Win [7/10] (if there's a chance to escape)

http://www.dawnofsilence.net/

Iron Maiden - Killers (1981)

Iron Maiden's sophomore effort Killers is such a good ole gem that I often dream of what the band's career would have been like had they held on to Paul Di'Anno (and Clive Burr) forever. Perhaps there may never have been a Powerslave or Piece of Mind that was quite the same as those that front Dickinson's powerful pipes, but it's not hard to understand why some of Maiden's fans have eventually divided into two camps: those that prefer the 80s Dickinson streak of genius, and those that believe the first two albums represent the band at its most vital. Although I clearly belong to the former camp, with almost all of my favorite albums involving Bruce's vocals, I have grown very fond of the first two albums with age. There is just no denying it...if you want to hear Maiden at their closest to the 'pack' of the raw, pure NWOBHM bands, Killers is a monumental record that was nearly without peer (if you discount a few bands like Judas Priest), which took the infectious energy and good hooks of the s/t debut to a new height. It's also the first album by the band that I actually got into as a kid...

And it is one badass album. Where later Maiden efforts howl at you through the winds of history, the realms of the imagination or the shimmering neon streets of the future, Killers takes you from the shadows of the back alley of the sprawling 80s metropolis, lunging at you with a rusted cleaver, cackling with glee. That's not to infer that it ignores the band's old penchant for lyrics based in science fiction, horror and history. But compared to an album Somewhere in Time, Killers is just low down, dirty and mean, without totally lacking that melodic kick in the pants that made this band a household name on planet Earth. I can't blame Di'Anno for any of the drug problems he may have succumbed to while helping to conceive or tour off this album, because I honestly feel like taking a snort or two myself and tracing it with a draft of something dark and lethal proof when I listen to these songs.

Don't let the short-lived majesty of "The Ides of March" deceive you, because "Wrathchild" comes storming out like Jack the Ripper posteuring as a Hendrix or Page. The riffs groove and stomp while Di'Anno weaves his old catlike sorcery like a dirty man that knows he's about to score with every whore in the pub. Mind you, I mean this only with the sincerest of compliments, because if anything, Killers is the most 'sexy' Iron Maiden album. Denim and leather, spikes and booze, this is heavy metal music and it is not ashamed. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" devours you with terse seconds of tranquility, before the sparse chords ring out. I'd almost call the fast paced verse of the song 'uplifting', considering the Edgar Allen Poe story it was based on, but regardless, it is one of the best fucking songs this band has ever played, and I've got a lawn that wants you to kindly step off if you don't agree! Flighty, fun solos and an unflinching, dark boogie to the chorus assure that this is likely a standard on every Jukebox in Hell. Do you seriously think the Devil listens to Deicide or Akercocke? Because he doesn't. He listens to this.

Reminding you that metal is in fact just a more abusive form of rock and roll is the wailing bluesy taint that intros "Another Life", a hammering joint that features a nice echoing spin to Di'anno' vocals, and a stream of bleeding melodies over the plunking pumpkin bass of 'Arry. I was only about seven years when this damn thing came out, but even then I was jealous of what high schoolers must have done with their sweeties behind closed doors when this thing was playing, because it's hot like melted wax. "Genghis Khan" is a ripping instrumental with some savage, pumping guitar rhythms that easily transport you to the fields of conquest that its titular figure once grazed upon. And at 1:00 minute, the song becomes GO TIME, as in bang your unworthy head you sodden fuck! "Innocent Exile" finds an amazing medium between the band's hard rock blues grooves and titillating sense for raucous metal melody. Combined with the badass, on the run from the law lyrics, I cannot help but envy the outlaw, the trucker, the motorcycle man, or any other marginalized stereotype the song evokes within me.

And lo, though the album had by this point long since earned its keep, it is far from finished with you. "Killers" introduces the unforgettable, solemn and steady bass line bristling with quiet guitars before the forward trot below the harmonic debauchery, and then the chorus which is like a mighty punch in the groin that would fell a hundred Goliaths. This functions better than "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor as a psyche-up for a fight, sportlike or to the death. After this, "Prodigal Son" surprises with its river rolling, homely clean guitar tones and Di'Anno vocals that cut through the night like a a radio in a lone trucker's cab beneath some twilight, open desert. Might not be as heavy as the rest of the album, but it still kicks a severe amount of tail. "Purgatory" is a nice early speed/power metal number with a fierce and unforgettable chorus that sails across the abyss like a beautiful hell-kite, aglow with subterranean lightning, and "Drifter" features that sick, descending guitar line intro, though as much as I enjoy the song, it might be the one thing here I don't find entirely captivating or perfect.

Of course, being that I had the US release, I was also entreated to the delightful "Twilight Zone" in between "Killers" and "Prodigal Son", and what can I say...it's a perfect track with more of Di'Anno's, excellent echoed wailing, and one of my overall favorites on the disc, with guitars that burn straight past your defenses into your metal soul.

Killers is certainly a strong case for the original Maiden being every bit the contender that its next incarnation would prove to be. Proof that this is one of the few bands to easily weather periods of two distinct, excellent vocalists (but not three, sadly). But beyond that, it is one of the very best of the early 80s heavy metal offerings, with songs and production that have survived, intact, through almost three decades. I don't appreciate every waking second of the album with equivocal lust, but it's fantastic, and easily one of the band's better efforts. If by some anomaly you have yet to avail yourself of its charms, I suggest you make it so, lest you feel the burn of eternal shame as the rest of us avert our eyes from you, avoiding you like a bearer of plague.

Highlights: Perhaps the heaviest album of all time to feature the word 'cuddle'?

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10] (bound to destroy)

http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Iron Maiden - Dance of Death (2003)

Brave New World brought a ray of hope back into the hearts of many an Iron Maiden fan, but three years later, the hysteria over the band's reunion would subside. The honeymoon was over. Could the band deliver another album of the same quality? Or would the creative curse the band suffered in the latter half of the 90s rear a head so ugly it makes Eddie himself cringe? Well, unlucky no. 13, Dance of Death sort of falls somewhere in the middle of the two possibilities. Like Brave New World, it's got an excellent production and a very bright, life affirming feel to the compositions, but at the same time, it's a little darker and certainly more mellow. The result is an album that, while not unpleasant to listen to, simply doesn't inspire or aspire to the heights of the band's older works. Ultimately, there are about 2-3 good songs and the rest feels like filler with reasonable intentions.

Now, mind you, despite the flaws, Dance of Death is not as miserable an album as the two the band put out with Blaze Bayley. There is plenty to be bored with here, but the album never hinges on any brand of audio torture that will have you questioning the existence of whatever God you pray to. The songs are somewhat busy, even if they don't often imprint themselves upon your memory. The lyrics are a lot like the previous album, a mixture of historically based musings and self-reflection, so it's unfortunately not a complete return to the subject matter of their 80s albums. But perhaps with age the band's fire for such pulp has died, and the band simply wants to say something more...poignant? I can't exactly fault the band for this, but the end result is that it's just not the same amount of fun...and that cannot be denied.

Dance of Death at least follows Brave New World's example of putting its best feet forward. In this case, most of the better songs occur very early on in the record, beginning with the count off to the mildly catchy "Wildest Dreams", which is an uplifting track in the vein of "The Wicker Man" but with more backing vocal melody to the chorus, which also features a swath of biting chords that mark the climax. The lead is fair, but the riff the band breaks into directly after that is an entirely generic sequence of notes that no band should be considering in the 21st century. "Rainmaker" is far better, and in truth one of the few tracks I actually still listen to on a normal basis. It's a pretty memorable rocker with a memorable impact to the verse and chorus, due not only to Dickinson's performance, but some nice, choppy melodic guitars that bust into solid, driving chords. "No More Lies", however, is 7+ minutes of mediocrity, from yet another of the band's soft spoken intro sequences up to the bland payoff of the chorus. About the only thing that stood out here were the post-chorus guitar melodies, which reminded me a little of Amorphis' "On Rich and Poor" sans the power.

The album returns to compelling, though, with "Montségur", one of several songs that take inspiration from historical battles, in particular the sack of the Cathar's final keep at the hands of the Catholic Albigensian Crusade in the 13th century. There is a nice, impulsive anger here delivered through the vocals and the careful intensity of the building guitars, and the two entwined through the chorus are probably the single most glorious point of the entire album. "Dance of Death" is another slow moving piece, over 8 minutes, which works best whenever the orchestra gets involved, but is otherwise quite dull, with nary a moment of memorable writing aside from the fact that the core band is 'not alone'. Dickinson does build up some aggression here, similar to the previous track. It's not entirely flaccid, but even then I am hard pressed to remember a note of it. "Gates of Tomorrow" has revisits one of those old, tremolo guitar riffs which make you feel that ZZ Top, Van Halen or Dire Straits are about to rock your socks off, and while I don't care for much aside from the chorus, at least that part is graceful enough to hang it by a thread above the mundane.

The rest of the album is where I generally draw blanks when I try to think back about it's strong points. "New Frontier" is aggressive and melodic, and in fact seems like the track here that I'd like the most on any given day, yet I just don't find any solace in the melodies or any desire to revisit it. "Paschendale" is another of the historic battle themes (God Dethroned also wrote an album about it a few years later), and it does build a little fire as the verse starts to rollick, with some well-timed symphonic swells, but so much of the 8:30 minutes could simply be clipped to get to the good bits, that it's a tough sell. "Face in the Sand" reminded me of "Blood Brothers" from the last album, but perhaps diving into a little more of a serious, atmospheric bridge. "Age of Innocence" has some nice, Bond-like digs in its surging melodies, and it was probably my favorite track on the latter half of the album, especially when it launches those insane melodies before 4:00, and "Journeyman" at least has that one catchy line in the verse, but again, I could have done without at least 2-3 minutes of the song. Not that there's anything wrong with a longer song, and Maiden have executed them successfully a number of times, but it seems for every memorable moment on this album there are 2-3 that just don't register.

From a technical standpoint, Dance of Death delivers yet another massive, wafting sound, as if you were witnessing the album live, in crystal clarity, and its melodies and tones were rising up to the rafters on the wings of skull-headed angels. There is a certain maturity and refinement to the songs that one might expect of any old metal or prog rock band of Maiden's status, but like so many of the band's peers (or even older rock bands that are still alive and kicking out hugely professional, big budget albums), the full body, the completeness of nearly 70 minutes of 'okay' material just doesn't add up to the primal vitality of their better years. I don't have a hate on for the album, because it's like picking cherries. The juices start flowing with anticipation in your mouth, but after a few bites...the romance is ended. But I'm sure there is some obsessive cherry lover out there who would disagree, and now I'll shut up.

Highlights: Rainmaker, Montségur, Age of Innocence

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10] (but I cut the threads)

http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Iron Maiden - Brave New World (2000)

In three decades of listening to heavy metal music, there are few periods in which I was so glum and down on a band as the awkward, silent years after Iron Maiden released the atrocious Virtual XI, which pretty much tolled the death knell for the band with Blaze Bayley on vocals. Once again, I should clarify that I actually do like Blaze, in particular his work with Wolfsbane and his solo band, but he just never felt right in this band...and of the few live performances I've heard, in only a few of the songs was he clearly doing justice to the Maiden standards. Having Dickinson off with a fairly successful solo career (making better records than Maiden) and watching the world race past with a revival of power and classic NWOBHM sounds in the late 90s must have all shaken off on Harris and co. The result was that the band were going to reunite with the 80s, Dickinson lineup, Blaze graciously stepping aside.

So Bruce and Adrian Smith joined back up, and the band decided to keep Janick Gers for the three guitar attack. To be fair, the guy put in enough work to deserve it, and having seen them live in this incarnation, I can honestly say the three guitars do not hurt. As the result of all this kissing and making up, Maiden released Brave New World right about the turn of the century, and oh my was it glorious. Not in the jaw dropping, new masterpiece sense, but by the simple virtue that one of your favorite heavy metal albums had released their best album in over a decade (since Seventh Son of a Seventh Son), and gone were the grim memories of the tired and spent Iron Maiden of the 90s. Brave New World is not a perfect album, but it's a damn good effort, and as there have been no more brave new worlds since, well...I'll take it.

I will say that the band wasted no time in placing the best track on the album in the opening slot, and "Wicker Man" had me parading about the streets when I first heard it, wearing a denim jacket far too small for me, reeking of old alcohol and grunge, but absolutely no regret! No, sir. The song reminded me of everything I had always loved about this band...solid old heavy metal rhythm guitars, brazen vocal melodies and a solo that has more to offer than some showboat's flatulence. Granted, this is a happier song than most of the band's past glories, but it certainly has an emotional impact, as any track with Bruce Dickinson pointing at you and screaming 'Your time will come!' is likely to have towards any fan, on so many levels. Quite an exhilarating song, and the rest of Brave New World had its work cut out for it...

And to my surprise, I was not disappointed. "Ghost of the Navigator" has a spacious, airy feel to the driving guitars, and a powerful, soaring chorus that shows Dickinson has not skipped a beat since his earlier years with the band. "Brave New World" trots along like one of those desperate old tracks like "Quest for Fire", with a nice segment around 3:00 where Bruce highlights the guitar melody, and a crisp, emotional dual lead near the final chorus. "Blood Brothers" is hard not to enjoy for its folksy swagger, though it does take a few minutes to really pick up into its string section. But for that final, sailing chorus, it is entirely worthwhile. "The Mercenary" is one of the tracks that was originally written for Virtual XI but ended up here. It's not the best song on this album, but I have to wonder, why the HELL was this not included on the predecessor since it clobbers anything on that album many times over.

Ditto for "Dream of Mirrors", which is supposedly co-written by Blaze Bayley. Not a great track, and certainly not enough good riffs to support its bloated 9+ minute bulk, but still would have amped up Virtual XI a little, and I can even mentally hear Blaze's vocals. "The Fallen Angel" has a killer lead-in riff which brings me back to a song like "Be Quick or Be Dead", but then surges into a solid mid-paced majestic rhythm which makes you want to swill your mug and then smash it off someone's head. The vocal hook in the pre-chorus is extremely cool, and the chorus does not disappoint as the guitar melody begins to dance below it. "The Nomad" is another track from a few years before, and while it has some great atmosphere, mystic leads and vocal climaxing courtesy of Bruce's weathered throat, we have another case where the 9 minutes isn't entirely justified through the actual music. "Out of the Silent Planet" is based loosely on some pulp sci-fi stories (like the C.S. Lewis novel of the same name, and the classic film Forbidden Planet), and features some great speed metal licks when it picks up the pace from its sobering, psychedelic intro. The chorus here is yet another killer, though obvious. "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate" is probably the only longer track here does itself justice, with a slow escalation towards the climactic chorus, where the standard rhythm falls out for some thrusting drums and emotional screaming. The song serves as a pseudo-biography for the band's separation in the 90s.

Brave New World has a very bold production which also separates it from the band's prior recordings, but I have mixed feelings on this as I loved the old 80s sound. It's got a punchier edge to the guitars and feels more 'digital', but the melodies carry through gracefully and it certainly delivers if you've got good listening equipment. Style-wise, the writing does pick up where Fear of the Dark left off, ignoring the blandness of the two albums in between, and I do get confused that the 1992 album gets so much grief when this does not, but I do think this is the better of the two, so with Dickinson and Smith back in the fold they had tagged the clouds once more and were off, writing in the sky.

Highlights: The Wicker Man, The Fallen Angel, Out of the Silent Planet, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (say goodbye to gravity)

http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind (1983)

Piece of Mind is the 2nd Iron Maiden album to feature Bruce Dickinson on vocals, and the source of one of the band's biggest hits, "The Trooper". Strangely enough, these days, most of the tracks feel like forgotten gems, due to the fact that so many have been seemingly ignored in the band's live sets for a great many years now. But the bad tastes of band and audience aside, this is easily one of the best of Maiden's entire career, and certainly one of my personal favorites after Somewhere in Time or Powerslave. Each of the 9 tracks are splendid, powerful, melodic metal, and the album as a whole has a more reined in appeal than The Number of the Beast, giving it the slight edge in my opinion.

Just about anything I've ever loved in Iron Maiden's music is here in spades. Wonderful lyrics that reflect upon religion, war, history, science fiction and mythology, drawing on a number of classic sources. More guitar hooks than a bait & tackle shop, and an excellent, crisp tone to boot. An excellent performance out of Dickinson, who had really meshed into the band's landscape by this point. And a production which does not sound to me as if it has aged a single day in 27 years. Add to that the dark atmosphere of emergent NWOBHM gone 'eavy as all hell, and a great if simple cover image featuring the most recognizable mascot in metal music. We have a winner.

"Where Eagles Dare" is a sturdy track to open the album, with a lot of shuffle in its step. Twin guitars rambling out a passionate if somewhat predictable rhythm, and lyrics based on the 1967 novel of the same name, which was itself adapted to a film in '68 featuring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. The airy nature of the melodies in the bridge makes for a fine if elegaic tribute to the story and the war in which it was fought. "Revelations" features one of the most simple and unforgettable verse rhythms of the 80s, with the perfectly placed little bass steps and the beautiful, simmering melodies that transform the tempo into a fist flying rager, and then down into a thoughtful tranquility. The song feels compelling and timeless, as if it could have been written and recorded in the late 60s or 70s and wound up much the same. "Flight of Icarus" tells the tale of its titular, tragic Greek character, and was also used a single for this album. It's more of a narrative than the previous tracks, with the riffs structured about the story. And who would ever forget Dickinson's shining chorus vocal?

Fly, on your way, like an eagle, fly as high as the sun
On your way, like an eagle, fly and touch the sun

At this point, the hammer drops and the balls fly out of their zippers as Maiden crushes through two of their more pronounced exclamations, beginning with "Die With Your Boots On", a self-determination anthem, and a nice little deconstruction of omens and the prophetic bullshit that fuels so much religious nonsense throughout our history. Smith and Harris have some swanky little backup vocals here, and the chorus is just the type of manly expression that makes you want to leap onto a motorcycle, or a horse, or something. A jet ski if you've got it. But people might look at you strangely if you're wearing boots on a jet ski. Speaking of boots, "The Trooper" follows, ready to plant both of them, leather and steel, straight up your arse. Basically the ultimate war metal song before there was 'war metal', maybe not as good as "Disposable Heroes" but it came first. How many metal fans out there learned their first guitar or bass riff from this song? How many people who don't even like metal music remember this song? How many have covered it? It's an indispensable classic, and just as brilliant as the pageantry requires. Trotting, equestrian guitar rhythms and spiky vocal latitudes, excellent popping bass beneath the lead, and the lead itself...gorgeous.

The rest of the album is the half that I feel is sadly the more forgotten, but it's no less rapt or impressive. "Still Life" has a great melody that charges below the vocals, and Dickinson even has a robotic like tinge to the 'piece of mind' lyric. The dual guitars are brilliant here, especially as they quaff off into the slamming leads, and "Quest for Fire" follows suit with an epic hymn about early man and his travails against nature and beast, and the advent of the one thing that would raise them from beasts themselves into a more potent force. Many have pointed out to me that this is a bit of a silly track, but fuck, I'll take Iron Maiden singing about cannibals and dinosaurs any day over Dethklok or 3 Inches of Blood inhaling and exhaling their stale irony. Once again, there are some killer leads here, and a very pulp adventure feeling that is simply too rare in metal.

"Sun and Steel" is a hooky melodic samurai tribute with various literary references to the famous swordsman Musashi, and it's another of the tracks here which could easily have fit the decade prior, due to the soaring vocal harmony which could have just as well been Freddy Mercury of Queen. It's an amazing track, one of my favorites even among this lofty crew, and it's a goddamn shame that this didn't take off like "The Trooper". I'd kill to hear this one live, and if you've seen them do it...well, don't tell me about it. I've got enough in the world already to envy. "To Tame a Land" caps off the album, a morose, wandering epic based on the classic science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert. The tiny arabesque rhythms and edgy, warlike atmosphere of the track really fit the contested desert world of Arakkis, and certainly it has to be one of the best tributes (and one of the ONLY tributes) done to this literary masterpiece in all of rock or metal music. The bass and leads are unsurprisingly exquisite here, and though its the longest track here at over 7 minutes, I hardly noticed. Though I consider it my least favorite track on this album, it's still pretty close to perfect.

Piece of Mind is both a hallmark album and a wave of beautiful nostalgia. Old, indeed, but far from irrelevant, as its another essential fragment of the band's Golden Age (1982-1988) which catapulted them to the very top the pack. 1983 was the year of two of the greatest debut albums in all of metal history (Metallica's Kill 'Em All and Slayer's Show No Mercy), but even against those monstrosities, this album still holds its own, and I have a feeling it always will...

Highlights: All of them, but with To Tame a Land at the rear of the marching order.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10] (oh, we'll drown together)

http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Trauma - Archetype of Chaos (2010)

If you've been following the Polish death metal scene closely over the past decade than you likely are aware of Trauma. They could be considered one of the 'second tier' bands in that group, below Vader, Behemoth, and Decapitated that have produced their share of good albums like Suffocated in Slumber and Imperfect Like a God. They don't sound entirely like their more famous countrymen, except perhaps Vader, and also a slight affinity towards Dies Irae, Hate, and Lost Soul.

At any rate, Archetype of Chaos is their 7th full-length album and I think it is high time this band got a little credit, and perhaps a little opportunity (what I mean is: maybe some of you more popular Polish bands should offer to take this one out on the road). They're smart, they're brutal, they've got enough thrash and grooves to have human pig piles forming on violent impulses, and most importantly, they don't bore the fuck out of you with mindless guttural stupidity and no riffs. Trauma are like a hammer of stomach punching rhythms that always remind considerate of the qualities melody and atmosphere can bring to a death metal song. Fully modernized, but not at all trendy, they can lapse into a mystical rhythm that escalates you beyond the palm muted fury, and then crush your spine the next moment. I'd also like to point out that the band write good leads for death metal that cautiously complement the songs, yet still feel like they stand out rather well.

"White Architect" builds a nice intro atmosphere that instantly gives you hope that you're about to hear more than the average death record, and "Cortex Defamation" cashes in the check, with tyrannical walls of thick bludgeoning rhythms that instantly get the anger level high and the blood flowing through the limbs that then flail about like an induced seizure. Yet, amidst the crawling, battering of the guitars there are nice little touches of distorted backup vocals, and the leads after 3:00 are fantastic. "A Dying World" charges gloriously across some broiling guitar melodies and spastic bass fills before breaking down into a thick series of shifting, crunchy tempos, and "War Machine" is simply a ridiculous, fucking brutal piece which removed at least three of my vertebrae as I was listening and unable to stop from jerking around the booth, flighty arpeggios complementing Chudy's blunt chorus vocals. And from this point...it just gets SICKER.

And you're not even half-finished with the album, as the chugging of "The Slime" commences like a war between Vader and Morbid Angel (the band with the other great 'Slime' titled death metal song). The grooves here are just irresistible, especially when the bass swells beneath and an angelic synth echoes off towards the distance. "The Truth Murder" weaves a mystical atmosphere through clean guitars before its tank tread, central rhythm rolls directly across your skull, pistoning and jackhammering you down to nothing. "Tabula Rasa" is likewise immense, like a monolith slowly crushing out all of your hopes and dreams, while "Portrait of the Lies" picks up the pace for another pattern of crunching chaos, the guitar tone heavier than a thousand boulders being lobbed at you by titans. The closing track, "Destruction of the Demented World", maintains the level of aggression, but weaves in even more pensive Eastern rhythms. It's so atmospheric that you don't even realize it was the longest track here at about 7:30 minutes.

I don't know how these Polish bands do it, but they continue to conquer through both their skill at songwriting and the absolutely stunning production values. This is pure 21st century death metal, completely unashamed, and worth tracking down whether you enjoy any of the band's Polish peers or just a serious kicking of your ass. After having this album cranked to capacity, there was barely enough primordial jelly left of me to call the ambulance. Disgusting.

Highlights: Cortex Defamation, War Machine, The Truth Murder, Destruction of the Demented World

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

http://trauma.art.pl/

Jack Slater - Extinction Aftermath (2010)

Probably the best band ever named for anything from the Arnold Schwarzenegger flop the Last Action Hero; Jack Slater have been slowly refining themselves throughout the years and their past 3 albums into a force to be reckoned with, growing more impress both technically and through their songcraft. Extinction Aftermath arrives and essentially crushes the band's entire backlog at once while proving that this band is on the cusp of Germany's finest death metal, and seeing how Germany has a LOT of death metal bands these days, that is, in fact, saying alot.

Jack Slater are in that rare position where they balance both a high level of proficiency, including the usual arpeggiation and other guitar tricks that have tech death maniacs dropping their jaws, and enough slamming riffs and chugging breakdowns that those into the more violent social elements of death metal can also appreciate them without having to grab a towel and hang up their mosh sweaty moshing bodies. But most importantly, they write quite a few songs here that just rock your face off. Vocalist Horn has a deep, grasping rumble to his tone which actually does catapult through a range of emotions if you can pay close enough attention, and this makes him infinitely more interesting than many of his peers. The band also has a thing for melodies, rare through this type of brutality, but nevertheless tracks like "Pheromon" and the almost sludgy, pounding "4 8 15 16 23 42" are ample evidence.

Extinction Aftermath is a well-balanced album, with more thrashing, energetic numbers like the title track or "Dysrythmia" that should appeal to fans of bands like Revocation, Theory in Practice or Centaurus-A. "Funkenflug" and the aforementioned "4 8 15 16 23 42" have more of a full, pensive feel to them with larger, adventurous chords and a punchy series of grooves. Then you've got tracks like "Omniscience" and "Konstrukt" that just directly flatten you with a mixture of intense, barbaric fast paced death metal and bone-breaking grooves. The album stays tight and focused through all 10 songs and 34 minutes of material, and the production is the same top of the line job you'd expect from Polish death metal or the better produced deathcore you may have encountered. It sounds new, and it sounds fresh.

That said, about the only issue I could take with this album were a few of the very generic palm mute grooves, which often felt so much less interesting than the band's other riffs, which kick ass. There are certainly a few riffs on the album where you'll feel a straight groove metal influence, but these are sparse and often they do work well within the framework of the track. The lyrics are in German but I doubt that will stop anyone since it's all gruntwork. If you're looking for an album to flair your arms about to in the pit, or just another example of the finely crafted European death metal available to you these days, Jack Slater have outperformed themselves with this latest album and deserve your attention.

Highlights: Pheromon, Omniscience, Extinction Aftermath, 4 8 15 16 23 42

Verdict: Win [8/10]

http://www.jack-slater.de/