Then, you have the bands that are still going strong – those aging rockers with their instruments who still get on stage and give it all that they’ve got. This article is an ode to those bands: the ones that never stopped rocking. So, let’s take a look at who’s still left standing.
Judas Priest
source =https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Judas_Priest_Retribution_2005_Tour.jpg
Although Judas Priest actually formed towards the end of the 60s, they had to compete for attention with Black Sabbath. Within just a few years, though, everyone knew their name. In fact, in their own way, they helped define the very genre of metal to many of their fans. Now, that isn’t to say that the band didn’t have their own setbacks. They were thrown into slight disarray over the departure of Rob Halford, with Tim Owens taking over the reins. Also, more recently, the band had to deal with K.K. Downing taking a final bow as well. Despite these tumultuous times, the band kept performing and touring. In fact, at the moment, they have tour dates lined up for 2019 as well.
Deep Purple
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There are some that might argue that Deep Purple isn’t a real metal band. This argument does have some merit considering that the ensemble has changed up their style and sound over the years. However, the band did influence the genre quite a bit. For that reason alone, Deep Purple deserves a spot on the list. Of course, considering that they started in the tail end of the 60s, this band had its fair share of bumps in the roads. For instance, they lost their guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and had to replace Ian Gillan with David Coverdale. They even took a hiatus in the 70s. However, they can still be found touring to this day, with Gillan going so far to say that the band still has a few more years left in them.
Iron Maiden
source = https://www.flickr.com/photos/adels/3041791317
Founded in the mid-70s, it isn’t surprising to learn that this band has been around for over 40 years. After all, what would the heavy metal genre even be without them? The band hit a turbulent spot with the departure of the frontman Bruce Dickinson but bounced back soon enough. Not only has the band kept creating music and albums, but they have also continued to tour. The latest tour of “Legacy of the Beast” continues in 2018.
Metallica
source = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metallica_at_The_O2_Arena_London_2008.jpg
Last but certainly not least, there is Metallica. This band is probably a large part of why every generation spawns a whole new metal audience. The innovation and versatility of Metallica mean that they have infiltrated almost every genre of rock and perhaps music, in general. This is definitely not a band that is afraid to switch it up. Of course, this is why they have continued to remain relevant all those years after they first began playing. In fact, you will still find Metallica headlining popular venues and shows all around the world.
These bands go to show that true metal never dies – it lives on in every way possible. Each year, there are more people being drawn in by this truly spectacular category of rock music.
]]>Let me take you back to a time when internet, streaming or anything of the sort was science fiction. CD’s were still relatively new, but the little silver discs with the tiny covers were quickly gaining momentum. We first and foremost had vinyl. We also had cassette tapes, not because they were trendy, but because they were the norm and affordable, and we copied vinyls onto those cassette tapes like mad.
The year is 1988. Yours faithfully is 15 years old and in the middle of a period of time, which would define my musical taste forever. From a life were comic books and badminton were my two main interests, I’d move into a state were music and metal music in particular would be the interest to rule them all.
Ram it down, ram it down, straight through the heart of this town
I recently realised that 2018 marks my 30th anniversary as a full-blown metal fan. It was the year when I finally bought my first albums and KNEW in my 15/16-year-old bones that metal music would be the soundtrack of my life.
It all started two or three years before, when some of my class mates started listening to Iron Maiden, Beastie Boys, Accept, Slayer and Manowar. I didn’t like it much in the beginning, mainly because I would always tend to be a bit oppositional to what the others did and liked. Eventually, I’d admit even to myself that I was completely in love with the energy of this music and exactly that rebellious nature of the whole genre. It was primarily the TV programme ‘Monsters of Rock’ on Sky Channel that taught me more and more about this rebellious genre of music, which had so more power than the rock and pop music I was listening to at the time (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, The Beatles).
The legendary Mick Wall from Monsters of Rock introduced me to Judas Priest and their cover of ‘Johnny B. Goode’. I was completely in awe. What had they DONE to that classic rock song? I had to own it. Immediately. There’s was no single, so I had to buy the album, Ram It Down, and as much as I thought it was a bit over the top to buy an entire album I didn’t know beforehand, I didn’t regret it. I loved the album, and I do to this day. This was towards the end of May 1988.
Here’s a clip from Monsters of Rock:
Justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is gone
Ram It Down started an avalanche of purchases. From then on, all of my pocket money went into the till of the local record store owner and the ditto second-hand store. I believe Testament’s Live at Eindhoven (1987) was next (I bought that on a trip to Germany), then Anthrax’s Spreading the Disease (1986), a Nazareth maxi (Cinema) (1981) and very soon, one of my mates sold me Master Of Puppets (1986). After that, I bought The Number of the Beast, Live After Death and Powerslave. The foundation of a collection was made!
Suddenly, I also discovered that these bands played live concerts. The first one I went to was Denmark’s own Artillery sometime during the autumn of 1988. The venue was tiny and there were probably 30 of us tops, but, hell, the energy was crazy. Banging your head in front of a real, live band was just something completely different. Then and there, it became an addiction to see more.
To this day, I don’t understand where I found the money. I was both picking up the back catalogue of the bands I discovered and at the same time, I’d get the new releases. And looking back, 1988 was a gargantuan year in terms of metal music.
Yours truly…aged 15, with parts of the growing collection:
At this point, I would like to write something like ‘the one release that outshines them all is this one’ or ‘unequalled among all of these albums was…’, but I hesitate. The number of gargantuan metal releases throughout 1988 was ridiculously huge. Examples? Well, let’s begin with Metallica.
My mum went to London on a business trip for some days in September, and crammed into her suitcase, she brought home with her the double LP …And Justice For All, which had been released the week before. Even though Master had blown my mind, Justice would turn out to be the Metallica album for me and certainly also one of my all-time favourite releases. I didn’t mind the thin sound and the infamous absence of bass, the songs very simply astonished the 16-year-old Thomas Nielsen. It’s still my favourite Metallica album.
That was by the way not all my mum’s generous suitcase contained; she also picked up the new Anthrax album, State of Euphoria, on cassette. I loved it. It was so much better than Spreading, and since I didn’t know Among the Living yet, State was truly the dog’s bollocks. Anthrax did mean a lot to me, and they would eventually also be the first international band I saw live in concert. This happened one year later, when they played in Copenhagen.
Silently screaming as I bang my head ‘gainst the wall
The support band for that same concert was Suicidal Tendencies who also found a big place in my heart. This was due to one of my mates from upper secondary level school. He introduced me to ST, and in 1988, they released the brilliant How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today, which was so different from the other thrash metal I knew. Mike Muir’s lyrics as well as his delivery was something else and the flow of the music was unique.
Thrash or be Trashed
And thrash certainly was gigantic in 1988, although the genre was actually already at this point wearing out. Other thrash grenades to emerge during the year included Death Angel’s Frolic Through the Park, the outstanding No Place For The Disgrace by Flotsam & Jetsam, Atrophy’s Socialized Hate, Realm’s Endless Wars, Forbidden’s power house debut Forbidden Evil, Helstar‘s A Distant Thunder, Australians Hobb’s Angel of Death’s eponymously entitled debut album, Swedish Midas Touch‘s (sadly!) only album, Presage of Disaster, Rigor Mortis‘ self-entitled debut album, Robb Flynn’s pre-Machine Head combo Vio-lence’s Eternal Nightmare, Toxik’s excellent techno-thrash album World Circus, Sanctuary’s Dave Mustaine-produced debut Refuge Denied, where the world of metal for the first time noticed the uncanny voice of the now sadly departed Warrel Dane, the debut offering Suffering Hour by tech-prog-trashers Anacrusis, and in Germany, beer-drinking maniacs Tankard released The Morning After, Sodom unleashed the live album Mortal Way of Live, Vendetta put out the fabulous Brain Damage and Blind Guardian’s debut release, Battalions of Fear also saw the light of day.
The greatest speed/power/thrash album to come out of Germany that year, though, would be Helloween’s Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2, an album which, along with the rest of the pumpkin heads’ early albums, would influence an entire metal genre.
A very serious young man, doing his best to keep his cool during a family vacation to Greece. Very metal.
The root of all evil is the heart of the black soul
More of the greatest bands within the subgenre made an impact: Former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine would release the third Megadeth album, So Far, So Good… So What! The blistering cover of ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’ was phenomenal, as were ‘Set the World on Fire’, ‘Mary Jane’ and ‘In My Darkest Hour’. Well, it was just an amazing album, basically.
The last of the Big Four, Slayer, would also release one of their, in my humble opinion, best albums in 1988. South Of Heaven saw Slayer taking down the tempo a notch or two compared to Reign In Blood, but for me, it was a more nuanced album with lots more atmosphere than its predecessor. It remains one of my favourite albums to this day.
Another thrash band we need to mention are Testament, again one of my all-time favourite bands, who released their second album, The New Order, in 1988. It was less no ferocious than the debut, but no less popular with me. I liked how the Bay Area thrashers had everything under more control with this release, although they hadn’t lost the heaviness.
On the East coast, New Jersey’s finest also released one of the biggest albums of my youth: Overkill put out Under the Influence, which totally overwhelmed me with its mixture of thrash, punk and a thick, dark atmosphere. From the moment I heard that album, I immediately decided to get hold of everything they’d done before – and buy all their future albums. Which I did.
In Overkill’s neighbourhood, the crossover movement had been thriving with S.O.D. and Nuclear Assault, and the latter-mentioned released the scourging Survive album in 1988 – as well as the magnificent Good Times, Bad Times EP, which was running more or less non-stop on my record player. Also the S.O.D., Anthrax and Nuclear Assualt related band M.O.D. with Billy Milano in his prime released the hilarious Surfin’ M.O.D. It was a great laugh! Another New Jersey band took it even further in terms of extremity: Old Lady Drivers (OLD). This was grindcore with a theme, and a weird one to boot. I loved it.
The ceiling in my room towards the end of 1988…I was DESPERATE to find room for all those posters and magazine clippings!
I’ve got two faces
Further up north, in the French-speaking part of Canada, sci-fi-thrash metallers Voivod released Dimension Hatröss, a studio in oddness and inaccessible music…and yet, the song ‘Tribal Convictions’ caught my ears through the video that was aired on the Monsters of Rock show. ‘Tribal Convictions’ remains a song I keep returning to every now and then.
Some bands had begun to take things into an even more extreme direction than Slayer and the other thrash bands. Chuck Schuldiner and Death had already given name to a new brand of metal, namely death metal, and with Leprosy, they were perfecting the formula and in so doing amazed my mates and myself. In the Netherlands, Pestilence would soon give Death competition to the finish line. Their Malleus Maleficarum was also a masterpiece of extremity, although their expression and sound was different.
To consume all things material
In the UK, there were also extreme things going on. I was introduced to goregrinders Carcass sometime in 1989 and was utterly blown away by the brutally of Symphonies of Sickness from that year, and did the retrospective search in my local record store on the band’s debut from 1988, Reek of Putrefaction. Reek… was no less brutal, but perhaps less structured and therefore not quite as easy to digest as Symphonies. The cover, mind you, was over the top controversial and therefore hard not to love.
Bill Steer’s former playground of extremity, Napalm Death from Birmingham, England, released the scorching From Enslavement To Obliteration with later Cathedral front man Lee Dorrian as spoke person against injustice. Dorrian came from Coventry just like the death metal juggernaut Bolt Thrower, who also released their debut album in 1988. Not their best work, admittedly, but as we all know, they went on to produce some of the most crushing death metal there is.
Also in the UK, a band that would have a massive impact on me a year or so later, namely Sabbat, released their debut on Noise Records. History of a Time to Come was a raw and rather shrill offering, partly due to the production, partly due to Martin Walkyier’s vocal, but there were good songs on there, there was no doubt about that. However, in 1989, they blew all my proverbial speakers with their Dreamweaver, based on Brian Bates’ novel The Way of Wyrd about a young Christian munk who is sent into the pagan lands of Britain. It’s a sublime concept album, no less.
Twist of Cain inside my bleeding heart, yeah
The US scene was not only about the being faster and more extreme in 1988. Manowar released the mighty Kings of Metal album, which spoke to the quest for adventure and the heroic in all of us boys. Guns N’Roses were riding on the success of Appetite for Destruction (1987) and put out GN’R Lies, which was a sort of whilst-we’re-waiting-for-a-proper-album release, but it showed a different side of the band with the fine acoustic tunes.
Glenn Danzig, the former Misfits and Samhain singer, took many by surprise by making a curve between metal and blues. Danzig was and is to this day a fantastic album, and in particular the song ‘Mother’ became an anthem for the tormented souls who followed Evil Elvis. My mom loved it!
On the melodic power metal front, Armored Saint gave the world Saints Will Conquer, a fine live documentary, which was my first encounter with the Saint, this wonderful and talented band fronted by John Bush. I saw Armored Saint in Berlin a couple of years later, at the oddly billed Rock Hard Festival (Obituary, Morgoth, Sepultura, Blind Guardian and the Saint). The atmosphere during the Saint concert wasn’t great, to be honest, which I found weird. The band never made it big commercially, but have been appropriately praised in later years after their return to the metal scene. Riot released Thundersteel, a great melodic power metal album that enjoyed many spins on my records player when I finally picked it up a year or so after its release.
By 1988, Ozzy had long since expatriated himself (or maybe Sharon decided that) to the States, and the band around the Ozzman certainly were Americans. Most notably his new, young guitarist, Zak Wylde, holds the blame for the No Rest for the Wicked being the most impressive of Ozzy’s solo albums. I am well aware that other fans might disagree wildly, but the artificial harmonies and sound of that album simply went straight to my head.
Kill Mary?
On the proggier side of life, Seattle’s Queensrÿche made their magnus opus in 1988: Operation: Mindcrime set new standards for concept albums and the quality of compositions in metal. This was the perfect album. The story, the vocals, the sound, everything. Queensrÿche never managed to top this album, although they made solid attempts throughout the years.
Not too far from the style of earlier Queensrÿche efforts were Crimson Glory. Their Transcendence album also offered fans of prog induced metal a more than decent alternative to the increasingly extreme direction the business was moving into.
Other less hard-hitting, but still superb offerings came from Impelliteri with Stand In Line, a vinyl that is still one of treasures of my collection. Also Sweden’s megalomaniac number one, Yngwie J. Malmsteen graced the ears of metal fans with his classical inspired music in 1988. Although it had nothing to do with thrash or death metal, the sheer strength of Malmsteen’s playing convinced greatly, and Odyssey continued the red line drawn up by Rising Force, Marching Out and Trilogy.
A snapshot of my 1988 memorabilia – most of the vinyls have been traded away for CD’s, but there are still a few left…
For All Those Who Died
Another Swedish artist offered a very different and definitely harder take on the metal genre the same year. In fact, this artist defined a sub-genre in its own right. With Blood Fire Death, Quorthon and Bathory began the transformation from being a prototype black metal meets Motörhead act to setting sails towards Viking shores. It was raw and brutal, yet, curiously epic in nature. As we all know, Quorthon would move on to explore this with great success on the next two albums, Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, in my view two milestones of metal music.
Another Swedish band set new standards in 1988: Candlemass released an epic lesson in doom metal when Ancient Dreams hit the shelves. With eight monstrously heavy tunes and Messiah Marcolin’s characteristic vocal, I was convinced from the second I laid ears to this. Black Sabbath was a clear influence, but Metallica was also a part of the brew. Amazing album.
Now that we’re touching northern shores, Danish Kim Bendix Pedersen, better known by the name King Diamond, the former Mercyful Fate singer, released his third solo album, “Them”, during the summer of 1988. “Them” was the first part of the tale of young King, his grandmother and the house, Amon, which was to be concluded with Conspiracy in 1989. These two albums were huge in my world. Fine storytelling, lots of melody, lots of heavy riffs from the hands of Andy LaRocque and King himself.
Moving the pointer further south again, more traditional heavy metal was still massive in Germany. Running Wild were riding the waves of success for kraut metal and put out no less than two releases during 1988, and these Germans saturated one’s hunger for pirate adventures. Ready For Boarding came out in February, and Port Royal, the band’s fourth effort and their last album for Noise Records, came out during the Autumn.
In Switzerland, Celtic Frost, many thought, had lost it completely. Tom G. Warrior took the Frost into a completely new and unexpected direction with Cold Lake. The album was an attempt at glam rock and heavy metal, and had thus very little to do with the avant-garde mix of death, black and goth, which had formed the first albums. This was definitely not the high-point of Celtic Frost’s career.
On the periphery of metal, the 1988 releases that would eventually catch my attention were AC/DC’s Blow Up Your Video (although I never really got into AC/DC in any big way), King’s X‘s eminent debut Out of the Silent Planet and the funky heaviness of Living Colour on Vivid.
Seven deadly sins, seven ways to win…
So, as you can see, 1988 was in all respects a year to be reckoned with. The list of majestic releases seems to go on and on. But, hang on, one is missing! That’s right, the heavy metal band that stands above them all also released one of their master pieces in 1988; Iron Maiden gave birth to Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. If I were to point to one album that defines metal music, well, music in general, for me, this would be it. This was the album that had the right sound at the right time for me. It had the story, the tale that encompassed hope, fear, love, darkness, madness, everything. It was nothing like the other two great concept albums of that year, Operation:Mindcrime and “Them”. To me, the Brits quite simply killed the competition.
If you were there, you’ll probably know what kind of a monster 1988 was. If you weren’t, I suggest you check out some of the albums I’ve mentioned above. They’re worth it. For me, they still define the nature of metal music.
Below is a bunch of videos so you can check out some tunes from what is probably my best stab at a top ten of 1988 albums. You can also listen to our 1988 Spotify playlist right here.
Number 1
Iron Maiden
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Song: The Clairvoyant
Number 2:
Metallica
…And Justice For All
Song: …And Justice For All
Number 3
Slayer
South of Heaven
Song: Silent Scream
Number 4
Queensrÿche
Operation: Mindcrime
Song: Operation: Mindcrime
Number 5
Judas Priest
Ram It Down
Song: Johnny B. Goode
Number 6
Anthrax
State of Euphoria
Song: Who Cares Wins
Number 7
Flotsam and Jetsam
No Place For Disgrace
Song: No Place For Disgrace
Number 8
Overkill
Under the Influence
Song: Hello from the Gutter
Number 9
Death
Leprosy
Song: Pull the Plug
Number 10
Danzig
Danzig
Song: Mother
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Les Binks (born: James Leslie Banks – April 1951 – Northern Ireland) is probably best know by the readers of this publication as the drummer of Judas Priest when the band had started to assert their dominance in the Metal world. Sure enough, in 1977 he joined the English band in time for the “Sin After Sin” promotional tour, replacing Simon Phillips (Gary Moore, Jordan Rudess, Stanley Clarke) who had never played live with the band.
The breadth of Les Binks’ discography and performance history might surprise many Judas Priest fans. In the audio/slideshow interview linked below I discuss with Les a few of these and of course talk about his time with Judas Priest and his more recent meeting with K.K. Downing. I also ask about Les Binks’ Priesthood with which he is currently performing Judas Priest songs released during his time with the band. And keep watching until the very end….there’s a little surprise awaiting you!
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The EP was mixed and mastered by Phil Kinman, all music recorded and written by Ace Mafia, Bruna Agra (former drummer), Richie Faulkner (former Lead guitarist), Sam Gharbaoui (K. Ghibli’s brother).The EP will be officially launched on 29/09/18 at the ‘Big Redʼ, one of Londonʼs premier hard rock venues.
Tracklist:
2. Face To Face
3. Stop Loss
4. Breathlessness
ACE MAFIA is:
Ben Lundy – Lead guitar
K. Ghibli – Rhythm guitar, Vocals
Jerry Sadowski – Drums
Geos – Bass. Backing Vocals
Former lead Guitarist:
Richie Faulkner – Lead n Rhythm Guitars (On the EP, now Judas Priest)
After a meeting in January 2018, the band felt that the time was right to once again bring Ace Mafiaʼs brand of heavy, grungy rock to the masses and reformed with a renewed vigour and intensity!
The history of Ace Mafia:
After arriving in London from Argentina in 2002, Geos Letona met Richie Faulkner via the Camden-based Hard Rock and Metal institution, “Metalworks” – rock covers band who have performed in London for over 15 years.
Geos, with Richie on board, begin to lay down some demos, but struggled to find the right voice to complement their sound. Some time passed before Geos was introduced to another local musician, Bruno ‘The Cat’ Agra. (drummer/producer), in 2007. Bruno agreed to engineer and produce Geosʼ album, but after hearing the initial ideas, was impressed enough to agree to join the band as drummer!
Geos had been friends with Kay Ghibli for a few years by this stage, and after being blown away by his incredible voice and delivery, convinced him to join…Ace Mafia was officially born!
Their debut album, “Vicious Circle” was independently released in 2009, however, due to touring commitments (with Lauren Harris) Richie could not fully commit to the project, and guitarist Ben Lundy was recruited as a replacement. With Richieʼs schedule later clearing, he returned to the band and Ace Mafia toured throughout 2010 as a 5-piece, having grown fond of Ben and his exceptional tea-making skills.
The band recruited the highly versatile and sought – after Jerry Sadowski in 2011 after Bruno emigrated, however, the band went on a temporary hiatus after Richie Faulkner landed his dream gig with the legendary Judas Priest!
What is the cause of these dramatic questions? Well, the thing is this: Dave Mustaine and his hardy men jump on stage and launch into a furious version of one of the best thrash songs ever written, namely ‘Hangar 18’. The sound is near perfect, Ellefson’s bass and Verbeuren’s drums are like thunder, Mustaine and Louriero’s guitars rip through the air. What a f*cking ride!
But, hang on, what is this? MegaDave goes to the microphone to snarl the infamous “Welcome to our fortress tall”, which he clearly does, and…nothing beyond a mere whisper can be heard. “Right,” one thinks, “initial sound problems aren’t unusual – they’ll fix it.”
However, it’s not fixed! It remains impossible to hear what Mustaine sings throughout ‘Hangar 18’, which of course is a darn shame.
Here comes the worst part: ‘The Threat Is Real’ from the strong Dystopia album is as powerful as they go, but, alas, the vocals are still not audible! ‘Take No Prisoners’…same story! ‘She-Wolf’…you guessed it – same story!
Finally, with ‘Sweating Bullets’, you can all of a sudden hear Dave. This is a relief! Until you realise that this is merely due to the fact that there is no instrumentation over the vocals in the beginning. As soon as guitars and drums set in, the vocals are again diminished to a whispering indication.
The weird thing is that the response from the 6500 metal souls in Royal Arena is almost overwhelmingly positive and warm. The cheer between songs is massive, the applause resounding. Perhaps simply because the band plays their well-construed set with precision and power? I dunno.
Despite a very, very slight improvement of the volume level from here on, fact remains that ‘Tornado of Souls’, the title track off Dystopia, ‘Symphony of Destruction’, ”Peace Sells…’ (including guest appearance by Vic Rattlehead) and ‘Mechanix’ all suffer just as much as the first half of the set from the absence of Mustaine’s characteristic vocals. ‘Holy Wars…The Punishment is Due’ concludes this odd Megadeth experience on an instrumentally high note.
“You’ve been great, we’ve been Megadeth”, a humble Dave Mustaine exclaims when the band departs, and I’d like to add to that: “…and someone in the soundboot sucked big time”. What a shame!
Here’s a snippet of the opening gig, which could have been the perfect support for Priest, but sadly failed to be so:
Obviously, the sound guy has upped his ante (or was replaced entirely) during the 30-minute break. The vocals come across in an altogether different way when JUDAS PRIEST hit the stage, and nothing is left to coincidence.
No prisoners are taken from the very first second as ‘Firepower’, the title track from the latest album, blasts into Royal Arena. The Priest is razor sharp, and the Metal God himself is locked and loaded.
Although it is immensely sad that Glenn Tipton is suffering from Parkinsons, there is some consolation to be found in his tour replacement, Andy Sneap. There is much talk about Sneap as an acclaimed producer, but forget not that he recorded his first album as a guitarist at the tender age of 18, when he and Martin Walkyier pushed pagan thrash metallers Sabbat to critical acclaim durng the 80s. That was exactly 30 years ago in April. He’s no spring chick, this one!
Sneap’s presence is one that emanates focus, solidity and humility towards the task at hand and offers a contrast to Richie Faulkner’s performance, which, if anything, is a pastiche of KK Downing during the early eighties. Which is cool.
The word cool also describes Ian Hill. I picture an internal band conversation around 1980, where someone goes:
“Right, Ian, we think you should move across the stage at this point and put your foot on the monitor.”
Ian: “Huh, no.”
Someone: “What do you mean?”
Ian: “I’m not going anywhere.”
Someone: “What?”
Ian: “You heard me. I’ll stand right here, in the right-hand corner, play my bass, make my moves, play it solid, and that’s it, alright.”
And that’s what he does. Always. Forever. The man’s a rock.
Since I didn’t have a photographer with me and no decent camera in my press seat on the right flank of the stage, I recorded a few seconds of the Priest’s entrance. Thought you might appreciate that:
You probably get the sense that Halford means business like the rest of the band. He does. It’s amazing how those 68-year-old vocal chords can still vibrate and shatter ears to pieces. Again and again throughout the evening, I’m blown away by his vocal performance, which is no less impressive than when I first saw Judas Priest in 1991.
After ‘Firepower’ has set the stage, a relentless version of ‘Grinder’ takes over. What a mighty riff it is! Then ‘Sinner’ is next up and Halford impresses again. Just hear that scream at the end of this snippet:
‘The Ripper’ is presented in a fierce version tonight, accompanied by an effectful and rather brutal film backdrop. This is followed by new tune ‘Lightning Strike’, which is very effective and very much modern-day Priest. One of the revelations for me tonight is a song I haven’t listened to in a while, namely ‘Bloodstone’. My goodness, how could I forget what a precious song that is!
The next revelation comes right after that when a 40-year-old track is pulled out of the leather sleeves: ‘Saints in Hell’, no less. Again, stunning performance by Halford.
Everyone knows how controversial the Turbo album was when it came out, and how it divided fans. But, listen, what would a Judas Priest concert be today without ‘Turbo Lover’? Exactly! A poor one! Rock solid stuff!
With ‘Tyrant’, the Priest hurls us back to a better day once more. What strikes me is that this song so brilliantly displays exactly what made a band like Priest so special: the twin guitars. That’s it, right there – even if it’s not Downing and Tipton in front of us, it sounds right, and looks right.
‘Night Comes Down’ is probably THE epitome of the heavy metal ballad for me, although Priest made other contenders to that throne. Tonight it sounds absolutely wonderful, and it provides a perfect contrast to the hectic uptempo waltz of ‘Freewheel Burning’, which ensues. At this stage, a moshpit forms in front of stage!
Halford changes garments every now and then throughout the set, and also before appearing for ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin”. We certainly do. We have the customary appearence of the Metal God on his Harley, and we know that the roar of the engine signals ‘Hell Bent for Leather’. Hell, yeah!
Another thing you know if you’ve seen the Priest a few times since the beginning of the 90s is this: When the rest of the band leave the stage and Scott Travis remains behind his kit, the clock has struck ‘Painkiller’ time. My favourite Priest song? Possibly. Even Halford bangs his ol’ head to this one. It is SO metal. A bit shrill vocally on the Metal God’s behalf, but screw it, it’s fookin’ great nevertheless.
A short break before the encores and Judas Priest launch into the mid-tempo ballady tune ‘Rising from Ruins’ from Firepower. Very nice and approved.
As a pleasant surprise, Glenn Tipton now wanders unto stage and is hailed by the Copenhagen crowd. Sneap appropriately steps over in the opposite corner of Ian Hill’s corner and remains there for the triumvirate of ‘Metal Gods’, ‘Breaking the Law’ and the mega-hit ‘Living After Midnight’.
It is both sad and moving to see a great musician standing there behind sunglasses and cap, chewing gum, as he focuses 100% on churning out those riffs that he has played for decades. It isn’t easy for him, that much one can tell. It’s a grim decease, that’s for sure.
All the more touching to watch Tipton take a couple of steps back during ‘Metal Gods’ as if by drawn by a natural force to stand on a line with Sneap, Faulkner and Hill, moving in sync with them, as a unit of metal brothers. Strength in metal, my friends, strength metal – it’s more than just the music.
]]>**FIRST SINGLE UNITES FORMER MEMBERS OF JUDAS PRIEST**
Producer/guitarist Paul Crook (Anthrax, Sebastian Bach, Meat Loaf) and executive producer John Madera have announced the formation of DevilStar, an all-star hard rock and heavy metal group billed as the world’s first interactive band. The first release under the DevilStar moniker will be a cover of the Judas Priest classic “Beyond The Realms Of Death,” which will be available on streaming and digital platforms on June 1.
DevilStar’s rendition of “Beyond The Realms Of Death” will feature performances by three Priest alumni – guitarist K.K. Downing, vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens and drummer Les Binks – in addition to Crook and bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning). The song, which marks Downing’s first collaboration with Binks (who co-wrote the song with Rob Halford) since 1979, was chosen to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the group’s iconic album Stained Class.
Subsequent DevilStar single releases – which will be a mix of covers and original material – will feature other notable hard rock/metal names, with Crook handling production and mixing in addition to playing guitar. While several tracks have already been recorded for release in the coming months, fans are invited to email devilstarmusic@gmail.com to propose potential “dream team” lineups and/or suggest cover songs to tackle in the future.
Crook first rose to prominence as lead guitarist of thrash pioneers Anthrax in the mid-1990s, when he performed on and toured in support of the group’s albums Stomp 442 and Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, the latter of which he also co-produced. In 1999, Crook began a five-year stint as lead guitarist for former Skid Row front man Sebastian Bach. In 2004, he was personally chosen and trained by Queen guitarist Brian May to handle his guitar parts for their musical production of We Will Rock You, which performed for a year on the Las Vegas strip at the Paris Casino Hotel. For the last 15 years, he has served as lead guitarist of Meat Loaf’s Neverland Express. In that time, he has performed on four Meat Loaf studio albums and three live albums/DVDs, including Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose and Bat Out Of Hell: Live With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He also produced Meat Loaf’s two most recent studio albums, Hell In A Handbasket and Braver Than We Are.
Still, Crook – who over the years has also collaborated with artists ranging from Glenn Hughes to M.O.D. – remains a hard rock and heavy metal fan at heart, and DevilStar will now serve as a supercharged vehicle through which he’ll exorcise his heavier musical demons.
“John and I are proud to partner our DevilStar brand with M-Theory Audio and Marco Barbieri,” Crook says. “There is no one better suited to help us share our passion for heavy metal with the world than Marco.”
“I’ve heard the magnificent cover of ‘Beyond the Realms of Death’ and I’m excited by the possibilities teaming up with DevilStar,” concludes label president Marco Barbieri. “Paul has tremendous talents and experience and John is quite the ambitious visionary, and together we’re going to have a lot of fun bringing you some great collaborations and future recordings.”
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]]>Opener ‘Exodus’ immediately catches my attention, especially because of the emotional bit theatrical singing part at the start. A nice riff, lots of melody, strong singing and a steady bass carry this song. The music reminds me of a mix of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and some power metal influences. These influences return in several other songs later on. Next up is ‘Age Of Machines’, an uptempo track with influences of Judas Priest, the singing style of mr. Rasmussen is at times a bit similar to Halford. His voice has a kind of raw edge, sounds emotional and at times rather theatrical. ‘The Hunter’ starts a bit like Helloween in their ‘Keeper’ period and Gamma Ray influences in the singing style aren’t far away either.
The songs on Abandon Earth have a real high standard, you hear some great song writing skills, only killers no fillers. ‘Time Traveller starts as a ballad and then turns into a real epic track, building up in speed and getting heavier minute after minute ending in galloping style. Guitar tandem Jacob and Simon do magic, playing strong solos/leads song after song. ‘Behind the Veil’ is an emotional ballad with Troels vocals in the leading role, the raw edge reminds me of the band Lefay (who still knows them?).
Uptempo classic heavy metal song ‘Fourth Dimension’ follows, again mixing Maiden, Helloween and Priest. After an intro ‘Fall Of Icarus’ appears to be an emotional track with strong riffs and emotional vocals. The band Nevermore enters my mind because of the singing. ‘Event Horizon’ has been out as a single for some time and is the shortest and fastest track. Below you can listen and look at this track. With ‘Savage’ the emotional atmosphere of Nevermore returns at the start after which some real power metal riffs take over and make it a perfect music mix of Helloween, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden again. Final song ‘Welcome To Hell’ is the perfect end of a perfect album. Underlining that real melodic heavy (power) metal has still a future.
This must be good enough to gain a lot of new fans and also trigger some German festivals!
]]>If a friend asked me what heavy metal is, I would probably let him listen to Dream Evil’s The Book of Heavy Metal. Influences of Judas Priest, Hammerfall, Iron Maiden, Helloween, and Primal Fear can all be found on that album.
On their sixth full length album with the original title SIX, it’s no different. In Niklas the band has an excellent vocalist who easily sings in every style necessary. ‘Dream Evil’ opens in typical heavy metal style. More power metal can be heard in ‘Antidote’ and in ‘Sin City.’ The refrain sounds very much like the Scorpions. Next up is ‘Hellride,’ of which the opening part sounds almost the same as Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs,’ and then turns to a Priest/Primal Fear mode.
The next eight songs have a recognizable style and are just what you expect from Dream Evil. As with many of their albums, the quality is high, the execution perfect, and the songs are very recognizable. Because of this they are nice and easy to listen to. The only negative point is that there is completely nothing new. I suppose that’s not the goal of Dream Evil. They just want to play heavy metal, and that is what they do!
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