With regards to things sounding forced or not, I cited Turbo as an example as it's painfully obvious how Priest were trying to copy Def Leppard and make a monster hit album for the radio with it, and the result just sounds phoney. Whereas with something like the Black album, it may be quite calculated in its approach and recording with regards to radio play, but it's also a pretty genuine record - Metallica were turning away from the Justice style, having taken it as far as they thought they could go, and were shortening and simplifying their material anyway.

Journey to Pohjola really is worth all your time, it's a fascinating release that moved on light years from the debut. But you're a monkey if you think Down is a waste of time: it's got riffs, it's got songs, it's got a weird kind of bittersweet heartache. Most stuff after Frozen is kind of rubbish, but the end of death metal wasn't the end of Sentenced.

I tried that album once and I couldn't stand it. But with a vocalist similar sounding to the guy Amorphis had around the same time, it's no surprise that the album sucks. At least Amok was still slightly amusing.

I think you and I have a very different idea of what great songs are.

Also I think you and I have a very different definition of "blues rock," filler or not. That statement makes sense for Heaven and Hell, but where's all this blues rock on Mob Rules? I could see Slipping Away, but that's it. Dehumanizer? Is there any blues rock to be found on this entire album?

I will say though that Sabbath's blues rock from 1970 is definitely better than their blues rock from 1980.

Morbert's Turbo-review hits the nail on the head, thanks.

I never thought of Turbo as a big dealbreaker considering Priest already having one foot in arena-Hardrock at the time with stuff like "Love Bites", "You've got another Thing coming" or large parts of "Point...". Though I prefer the more hard-edged renditions on "Priest...Live!", where 80s-Priest comes together in harmonious fashion.

Cheers!

morbert review title is pretty cool and I like the way he writes, but I disagree completely to his rating. Of course it's all a matter of taste. But this album licks the ass of the mainstream in such a painful manner that it is an insult to legions of honestly working bands.

I know your 2016 review Also a fun read but I obviously disagreed with it


As a member of this world, I actually did ask for it and still like it hahaha

All fun and games here. Cheers!

Me too <3 <3 <3

Priest has never been above staying current and Turbo is an example. But they write better glam albums than 99% of the bands that made their careers doing it.

Maybe, but that's kind of damning with faint praise.

Double-barrelled props, here, to Sweet's Lucifer's Hammer redemption, as well as Morbert's jubilantly gleaned fawning of JP's Reckless, off of Turbz.

Finally, a fellow metal-hearted soul sees its ultra cool movie soundtrack potential!

Cheers m8!

I rarely compliment him but great Maiden review by Hells. I might gather my thoughts about it as well sooner or later, it's one hell of an album.

Oi, fried friends! Nice touche of Portrait, there, FSixX3! (Although, was the doubling down in last paragraph intentional? The whole calm before and after the (hell) storm, you dig?)

Just read your Against Evil diatribe, gas; good analogy but I'd have rated End of the Line a bit higher, like an 85% at least?

Is the new Maiden really that good? Will have to chug it down, apparently.

I was also pleased and surprised to know that Portrait suddenly had one out! As for Against Evil, it's a really fun listen but I feel it could have been even better if they had a few more risks, especially vocally.

Judging by the shaky first single, I can see everyone is going to oversell new Maiden again.

Very solid review of Senjutsu by hells, indeed - I dunno if I would have put in the first couple paragraphs about the band's history, but styles will differ.

gasmask - the singles are the weakest ones on the album, give it a shot!

Chairthrower, thanks for your words. The mistake should be fixed now, as far as my old eyes can see it on my mobile.

Me 3. I actually really like Turbo as a whole and that 1-2 punch of "Turbo Lover" followed by "Locked In" is a big part of it.

He does this in every review and my eyes glaze over.

Thanks, I do that in part because of the audience that I tend to draw on TMO and Sonic Perspectives, especially the latter given that there are a large number of hard rock normies that don't necessarily know much about the bands I cover. Admittedly Maiden is pretty ubiquitous even among non-metalheads, so in this case it's done more out of habit than necessity.

God there are a lot of Senjutsu reviews - I can't believe literally all those people had promos for weeks to actually digest it...

That's the thing for a band as big as Iron Maiden on here. They all rush in to get their review in as quick as possible, and don't even let the record really sink in. I'm sorta guilty of this in my Infinite Granite review, but I was dead set on my opinion by the time I got around to writing the review for it, and I'm still mixed about the record to this day.

That's why you shouldn't rush writing for new stuff that's out there - especially not when an album is eighty something minutes long. Your opinion could still change a lot in the weeks/months ahead.

Yeah, this album just seems like it's going to take some time to really figure out enough to say to write a review - not good to be hasty. But oh well. It happens.

I mean it leaked a few days before its release, it's possible to give birth to a decent review (not the case with most of the ones I approved though) after a few listens. I did review TBOS a few months after its release so I might do the same for the new one.

Certainly possible. I was honestly just kind of surprised. I guess it's been a while since something this big came out and had a mad rush of reviews all at once.

I've tried to just take longer and just enjoy stuff more these days - took me nearly a year to review Arch/Matheos, and I am almost ready to review the new Pharaoh finally. I got to hate listening to stuff and constantly reviewing it in my head.

From my experience, you actually gain more insight about why you (dis)like certain once you start to write about it. I've heard that in therapy, people get more insight about their emotions once they start to write about it, so I'm not surprised that it works for other things as well.

What I can remember is it happened with some Metallica as well albums when they came out

Robotiq wrote a good review for Great Sorrow's Maze of Doom . The album's artwork is great...but the music definitely isn't.

Golly! H. Unicorn's analysis of Maiden's latest nails it right on the nose...I'm also assuming, here, Senjutsu will make a fine musical accompaniment to Ghost of Tsushima, say.

Interesting to get another review for Project Arcadia. I like the album a bit more, but it's a good writeup. That thing had a very special place for me when it came out - just that specific time of life.

Good ole morbert...then, again, Iron Maiden's latest (supposedly great) masterwork failed to stoke M-bert embers...

Anyone giving "When the Storm Comes Down" a good or even better review like bayern just did, gets my thumbs up.
p.s. E.M.TE.K. is an unsung masterpiece.

Grumpy Cat’s archspire review is plain trolling, please delete (his account and the review)

How? He describes what's going on and talks about why he doesn't like it. I am also not a fan of Archspire and would highlight the exact same stuff Grumpy Cat did if I was reviewing it. Furthermore, he's written reviews for other things giving them praise. You can't get someone's account deleted because they have different taste than you, sorry bud.

Thanks, I really wanted to like that album more - but on repeated listens, I just couldn't.



I've never heard this band/album before but I think that is a good review, makes some interesting points and comparisons. It also describes the album and the music well. I'm listening to the album now and I can see where the reviewer is coming from, regardless of whether I agree of disagree with them.

Russia isn't really a good country for doom/death metal in general. I prefer some Czech or Polish doom/death metal for doom/death metal from non-obvious countries.

Ha ha, cheers! By the way, when I listened to the album the first time, this was the only song that I genuinely liked... and "Greed", to an extent. It's a grower...

Wow, really? I also digged 'The Master Sleeps' and 'Suffer The Masses' from the get-go. And 'Deviation' as well! I loved the vibe of that song
I got the CD from the library first and taped it. It was in my walkman for several months, especially when I went to soccer practice, which was quite a long ride on my bike. It wasn't until months later that I got an original copy.

I might have to rewrite my review, it's 14 years old already and rather short.