I immediately thought about Raven's Gate... It's one of the most electronic-tinged power metal album's I can think of.



The latest Ordan Ogan.

? I thought flower metal meant early Freedom Call ( Freedom Call pre-Circle of Life anyways)

Congrats, it's insane how many good albums are coming from Chile. I was just listening Espada - Caleu because someone talked about them on the 2021 poll. Not the best production, but it reminds me old Rata Blanca.


And Trueno, also from Chile, has released an amazing single.

I need some advice for heavy/power from South Korea.

Yes, I didn't really listen to much new metal until the end of the year when making my list and this one was up near the top, after repeated listens it's definitely my favourite of last year.

My favourite song of the year is definitely the first track of this Fortress album though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAEPYtMfKEc

New Hibria PV. Don't really care for the new vocalist (big shoes to fill), but at least they're playing power metal again.

^ You tried Eternity's End's last two yet? More like Hibria than a lot of what I heard after their first album.

What is the consensus here on the Hammerfall "Renegade" remix? I usually HATE HATE HATE remixes of any sort so I am very careful about buying or even listening to that one. I like the original album for what it is worth.

I did try their 2nd album last year and it didn't do too much for me. All the ingredients were there though (I love technical, speedy pm). However that doesn't mean that I may warm up to it at a later date, I may not have been in the mood for it (happens to me a lot, honestly). I do intend to give their new album a shot one of these days.



Yeah, I'm not huge on remixes/remasters myself. I've been used to Renegade's sound for 20 years now and it never really bothered me in the first place. If the remix does make a significant improvement, I may check it out though.

I heard some rumblings that the remix does improve the punch of the drums and overall clarity and crispness of the guitars. Of course I would gladly hear the opinions of the people here.

I've had to be in the mood for the extreme polish and techy sound, but honestly it's like even the production and guitar tone they tried to mold into something Defying the Rules-esque; a similarly crunchy guitar and lots of bass, etc. The newest one is their best yet I think. Catchier, more to the point.

As far as Eternity's End goes, Unyielding is their best album by a mile. The new one is pretty solid, as well.

The debut is super weak and dry, though.

All of em are pretty damn good. The Sanson ones seem like a more natural, maturing band though. I honestly don't really hear a big difference in quality between the last two.

I loved Eternity's End's debut and their latest one was also fantastic. Unyieldng I didn't care for as much. It's good, it just didn't grab me.

But overall, it's a super solid band.

I, for one, would be ecstatic if their next album was just "Under Crimson Moonlight" copypasted 10 times. That's the kind of material I want more of from these guys.

I can't really see what's so different about that song than most of the others on the album or on the new one. All the same style really. But yeah that is definitely a killer tune.

I have slight problem with Eternity's End. Love much of their sound and output - speedy, riffy, in-your-face. However sometimes in the middle of a song I would catch myself wishing all of this would be a tad simpler, a tad more down-to-earth. But that is just me.

To go back to that Hammerfall "Renegade 2.0" issue - I listened to that one and it is non-offensive I guess and the guitars and drums are a bit more punchy but overall it is worth buying? I don't know.

It's a bunch of tech death guys playing PM, so it sounds like it. Like I said, not always in the mood for that level of crazy polish, but they've grown on me and know how to write solid songs under it all, I think.

This is very good, great rec. It does sound like early Helstar + Adralmech, great riffing

Tokyo Blade's Fury is already released. Sounds good, but it's way too long to keep me interested the whole time.

Those Tokyo Blade tracks are good but not great. In their case the the old adage rings true - the debut (and singles!) was the best thing they have ever done.

So W.A.S.P. Is playing in my town in December. I don't know much of anything they've done. What are their classic albums, both 80s and beyond, that I should familiarize myself with to decide whether or not I should go?

Also does Blackie Lawless's voice still sound good theses days?

EDIT: Shit, looks like Armored Saint are on the tour too, so same questions regarding them and John Bush.

40th anniversary tour, I guess W.A.S.P. will stick to the classics: W.A.S.P., The Last Command, Inside the Electric Circus (specially first and fourth). From newer albums they used to play Crazy and Golgotha. A shitty song, but nowadays Blackie Lawless is Christian and has to let us know. From what I remember from live reviews, Blackie voice is good, but he uses TONS of apparently unnecessary backing tracks that detract greatly from the show.

From Armored Saint, I would check their last album, Punching the Sky, since they couldn't tour it. That one for the newer sound, March of the saint from the 80s and Symbol of Salvation from the 90s to decide if you want to go further. Last year It was edited Symbol of Salvation (Live), recorded in 2018, so I imagine they will rescue a few songs from that album.

As for Armored Saint you really are doing yourself a disservice if you skip some of the albums/songs. They are a REALLY REALLY consistent and great band. Just go through the discography in chronological order and if you like heavy metal you are bound to find stuff that you like. The "beyond essential" album is Symbol of Salvation - that one has everything. Melodies, riffs, power, soul.

https://necrytis.bandcamp.com/

This is killer. Just bonanazas of technical power/trad riffing and sci fi themes. Digging it.

Hrm, something about them doesn't work for me, but I'm not sure what it is. They have a lot going for them, but it's just not grabbing me whatsoever.

It's pretty much exactly what I like in this kind of music. Comes down on the side of being meticulous and artful rather than just overloaded or "too much." The guitar playing is the kind of US-style riff stuff I always find engaging and there seems to be a lot of thought put into everything about it.

https://suesidol.bandcamp.com/album/six-sick-senses - this has the same guys as Necrytis apparently, plus some other dudes. First track was odd but I'm on the third now and it's picking up. More stripped down, but it's got some killer rocking riffs and a lot of charisma. There's some Voivod vibes in both of these albums I'm finding.

edit... this last one's a bit inconsistent. Not every song's been killer. But there is a sense of weirdness to it that I like. A bit quirky.

second edit... OK, I liked these last few tracks. Very weird. Just a band sort of doing whatever they want and I like that about it.

The other old-school PM album I dug into with Bandcamp Friday was the Heir Apparent debut. Sounds pretty ace to me. Just more classic old school PM that keeps the cascades of riffs and leads coming. More melodic and keyboardy at times than I thought. But it's very cool. Along with Warlord or really old Queensryche it's practically like the quintessential album of this style I feel.

I always liked Heir Apparent - good band but I felt something was lacking there. Maybe some vocals melodies? I cannot pinpoint it. It is very classy sounding though.

It does have a sort of commercial Lizzy Borden-esque sheen to it, so maybe if you want something more unfriendly it might underwhelm... I'm digging it though.

No it is all good and makes for a fine listen. I would just like sometimes for it to get a little more intense but that just might be me.

Try the Necrytis album I posted above; that may be up your alley even more.

Oh I know that one. While I like it and I think the writing is excellent at times I have two problems with it: a) the production and especially the guitar sound and b) the songs are little overlong at times. They could trim the fat a little and it would be great.

Their first one apparently has shorter songs, but I couldn't find that on Bandcamp. I'll have to give that one a listen later on. I really like the production and guitar tone on this though.

I just like a more balanced guitar tone - this one has too much highs for my taste. But that is me. The new Saxon has a GREAT tone to my ears.

I found Necrytis/Sue's Idol a couple years back - don't remember exactly how I stumbled on them - but found both groups enjoyable heavy/USPM-ish stuff. Nothing mindblowing, but very solid. It's been a minute since I've given either a listen, maybe should do so again, the Voivod similarity isn't something I remember noticing so that's a bit intriguing.

Heir Apparent I always found a bit lacking in the riff department, in a similar way to Queensryche. The first album definitely has its moments and I think the vocalist on it is great, but like Zdan I always felt it lacked a bit of oomph. Very classy though, and easier for me to get through than...any Queensryche full-length, basically.

The Voivod thing is more a minor subtle vibe than anything... there were a few parts on both albums that had that sort of odd riffing patterns (dunno if "atonal" would be the word, but it's just weirder than your usual stuff anyway) and the way the vocals are is a bit quirky and spacey. I dunno. Just reminded me of it. Sue's Idol is just bizarre but Necrytis I'd say is top notch.

Queensryche used to be incredible back in the 80s.

From a pure PM standpoint the first Queensryche album (and EP!) is a stone cold classic. Nothing but great songs there - classy, melodic, with punchy riffs and Tate is a god there. Nothing to dislike.

Mindcrime's always the one I go for, but yeah their first few releases are great too.

I love that one also of course but it goes beyond PM