Iron Maiden - Purgatory (3:21-ish)

I've been slacking. "Updates whenever" indeed.

I'm more of a fan of Bruce's voice but Paul di'Anno could beat him in a fight any day, Killers is up there with Powerslave, Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son... and Purgatory totally slays. I'm just going to bet that that riff was ripped off by everyone and be done with it and if you don't know what that riff sounds like it's about time to hand in your leathers.

Angus - Warrior Of the World (5:08-ish)

Or Dio which it sounds a lot like. It just needs more "yeahs", "mm-mms" and "look outs!" in it. Well it's a song about rocking the town and stealing souls with the metal rock which probably would make them come across like Thor if they were into body building and bending steel with their jaws. There's an absolutely massive chorus (first at 1:52) which indeed makes me want to rock all night and some great leads throughout. But why call your band "Angus", it's not exactly the most inspiring name you could come up with.

The Crime Is Life Metal. The Sentence... Of Death (same length as the rest)

Out of all of the names I've given to my mixtapes this one has to be the coolest. Sixteen tracks of totally crazy death and thrash metal, 100% evil and endorsed by Satan so what are you waiting for,

Go fetch.

Sextrash - Black Church (2:23-ish)

This song is total black metal, with possession and perversion of belief taking the stage over perversion of the typical Sextrash variety. (0:05) Disgusted screams are always a great way to start a song and then there are those totally decrepit vocals (0:11) that sound almost Von-like. Almost mind you, they aren't that echoing I don't think anything is. (1:59-2:16) There's only time for a short solo just stuck there on the end like they had to include one but I'm cool with that, especially with music this relentless and 'hammering'. UGH!

Realm - Theseus and the Minotaur (4:19-ish)

You want to know what a fucking cool band is? Realm is a fucking cool band and completely off the hook. This was on one of their demos but where I heard it was at the back of the reissue of Endless War (totally boss sleeve art on that one). Nice lead work at the start which is a highlight of any Realm song but then again, the everyone in this band is a highlight. (0:48) Vocals are in the high range but it's nothing like Toxik whom I guess are a pretty close comparison. Nothing beats that out. There's bass all over this and the solos (2:59-3:24 and the little one near the beginning) just do it for me. Oddly this song doesn't sound as 'nervous' as the other songs on Endless War if that's what you could say about it.

Hail To England Mix #2 2011 (about an hour-or-so)

Fifteen more tracks which is where the cleaning out ends. There's some cool stuff in here but I honestly prefer the first one. Now I can get back to writing about songs.

Go fetch.

Hail To England Mix 2011 (about an hour-or-so)

Fifteen tracks of NWOBHM sweetness put together from assorted MP3s that I accumulated over the years. Kind of an odds and ends compilation and a clearing out of my various email accounts.

Go fetch.

Ancient Warriors Successor Mix 2011 (about the same as the last)

Much like the previous Ancient Warriors mix but bolstered by the addition of some great speed metal, for the long hairs. Despite being less about hard rock and more about metal the feeling is still there which is important. Also, Metal Virgins which is a total trip and the true metal punks and something that you've just got to hear.

Go fetch.

Power and Slay Mix 2010 (about an hour-or-so)

I'm trying to get posting these out of the way. One side is power metal and I mean power metal how it is supposed to be, no chart metal shit that keeps getting called power metal by people who don't have a clue. The other side is thrash and speed metal and a little bit of death metal to flavour. Kind of what you attribute to the word 'slay' I would say.

Go fetch.

Cemetary Eyes Mix 2010 (about an hour-or-so)

This one's full of doom. Shit like Upsidedown Cross, Hellhammer and Sacrilege but also Candlemass, Brocas Helm, Reverend Bizarre and that band that by law has to be on every doom compilation. You know, the one that started it all. I like this mix because it gives the impression that I know more about this kind of thing that I do.

Go fetch.

Ancient Warriors Mix 2010 (about an hour-or-so)

Might as well post this here as well. It's a mixtape that I did back in two thousand and ten. No death, no grind, no thrash but plenty of heavy rock and doom. I've done a few more so I'll get around to posting about those some other time.

Go fetch.

Macabre - What the Heck Richard Speck (Eight Nurses You Wrecked) (2:06-ish)

You like cool music dontcha? Listen to this, you're guaranteed to be down with the kids. Since this is Macabre it's going to be about a serial killer because that's all they ever write about. A Macabre song that isn't about serial killers is like a Mortician song without a movie sample, it just doesn't get done. There's blasting all over this which always gets heads banging and then there's that quite original vocal style from Corporate Death which is always good for a laugh. (1:24) A lead, and then more blasting. If you're sick to death of blasting I'm sure that you can still make a little room for Macabre because they are cool.

I'm certainly in the mood for writing today.

Crom - Funeral Pyre (0:50-ish)

It's a cover of (part of) Black Funeral by Mercyful Fate but with one of the words changed (0:25) which I'm having trouble discerning because maybe my hearing is shit? Along with Nasty Ronnie destroying televisions, Wendy O. Williams chainsawing guitars in half and blowing up cars and Tim Baker being wheeled on stage in a coffin to burst out and sing King Of the Dead this is pretty metal.

Judas Priest - Ram It Down (4:49-ish)

It's a far cry from the best Priest album and definitely not the best song on there (hello Blood Red Skies and Monsters Of Rock). I can have some pretty terrible taste in music sometimes. It's well played at least and starts so promisingly with a scream from Rob. (0:21) First lead here and it's into the singing (0:32). The bridge (0:45) is typical Priest ridiculousness; thousands of cars and a million guitars... that's a lot of cars and a pretty huge army of rock. I could believe Queen pulling those numbers but not Priest. (1:20) Another lead here and the bridge and chorus again (1:39), time to rage metal maniacs. (1:48) A  minute lead here, during the chorus and one of Rob's screams here (2:09). (2:21) Here you get two lines which are supposed to be unifying but it comes off as a bit fake but what do you expect when the album you did before was Turbo. Painkiller wasn't on the horizon just yet. At least the minute and twenty one of solos (2:36-3:57) which end in another scream are good. (4:03) The last bridge and chorus with little (4:29 ) leads (4:35) added in there and it ends with a dual-tracked (4:43) scream which always leaves me puzzled how any band can pull it off live.

I've been a bit negative. Maybe I should've wrote about Victim Of Changes instead.

King Diamond - No Presents For Christmas (4:21-ish)

I'm sure that there is some kind of heavy metal law that requires you to post that image whenever you write about this song.

It's a classic and you know it. It may start out with some jingling bells but it's not long before you get one of King's instantly recognisable laughs (0:18) and the first riff kicks it off into a typical Andy La Rocque lead (0:31). (0:50) Vocals start here. You'd think that the song would be more evil and vengeful being a King Diamond song but it's pretty tame and completely silly, you'll have to hit up Google and search around for the lyrics because it's a scream. (1:01) Speaking of screams... (1:59) Have another one, AAIIIEEEE! (2:33-2:49) What you get here is two killer solos here broken up with some more bells and then more shredding from Michael and Andy (2:55-3:23). This is guitar hero shit here folks. (3:42) Here is that ridiculous Christmas riff where the guitar sounds like something they put on the boombox at the holiday inn when you're there at this time of year. Oh hey, it ends with a laugh as well (4:12).

This is a song that I would have loved them to have made a video of.

Nasty Savage - Metal Knights (2:42-ish)

Nasty Savage were fucking cool. Metal Knights may be a silly song but that just makes it a riot to thrash out to. It's about killing posers, don't start hating on songs about killing posers. It starts out with the riff that dominates the song and it's not long before Nasty Ronnie starts his crazed performance (0:10). I could listen to him all day. If you haven't heard Ronnie sing you could compare him to King Diamond but that's not really all that accurate. Tough luck if you haven't heard King either because that's all I got. (0:20) Chorus, where we are told that the metal knights live on and all of the posers will die. (0:44) More vocals and the chorus repeated (0:55) and then it's into a totally shredding solo (1:06). But that's not enough, they hit us with another one (1:26) and then one more if we didn't get the message the first two times (1:38). Boy they're just outta control, thrash! (1:48) Oh it's over, I was totally absorbed. (1:58) This is where you can expect the last verse and the final chorus (2:08). It was a blur while it lasted.

Wage of mayhem.

Omen - Ruby Eyes (Of the Serpent) (3:51-ish)

Some squealing guitars open this one then it's into a typical Omen riff (0:12). (0:47) This is where the vocals start. I love J. D. Kimball's vocals, full of warrior pride and sadness which makes him much more believable than a huge number of those other vocalists doing this type of thing. Oh look, a lead (1:49) which goes right into a solo (2:01) and then another one (2:24). That's another thing I like about Omen. Well, everything but the solos really stick in the mind. (2:43) Vocals again, repeating the bridge and chorus and there's that riff at the start again (3:13). If you aren't into this band then you really suck and you're going to have to come to terms with that.

Gotham City - Battle Blade @ 33 ⅓ (6:07-ish)

Something a bit different today. You've got to slow this down just to hear how funeral it sounds. Raise the pitch a little if the vocals don't do it for you. What's best to use? I don't know, use Audacity or something. This makes it the best song off of The Unknown because it's the only one that works when slowed down.

Massive riff at the start. (0:59) Vocals come in and boy they sound funny at such a slow speed but I like 'em anyway. (2:12) Really mournful lead and then more of those vocals (2:20). (3:00-3:06) Short lead here. (3:3:53) This is where the beat changes and the solo starts (4:06) which is a very good solo. (2:56) Last vocals here, if this was at the original speed it's well fast and the part of the song that I like the most 'cause it's great to sing along to.

I think I'll write about more songs slowed down because it makes them heavier. Amusingly, if you raise the pitch high enough it starts to sound like Cirith Ungol. Awesome.

Arsedestroyer - Teenass Revolt (about 31 minutes)

This is all KKKSSSSHHHHHHHH-AARGHRAGHRAGHRAGH-KKSSSSSHHHHH-RAAAARGHARGHARGARGH!!! There's samples in there which isn't often so basically it's KKKSSSSSHHHHH-THDUM-THDUMTHDUM-RAAAAARGHAARGHARGHRARRRGH-KSSSSSSHHH!!!

None of the "songs" are titled.

Thor - Rock the City (4:10-ish)

Thor bends steel bars in his teeth and blows up hot water bottles until they explode and then he goes and rocks the city with his muscle rock. There's a nice riff going through this and a smooth groove, like they're taking it easy like. (0:12) Vocals come in, listening to John Mikl Thor's voice could make you think that he could be your friend, a friend in rock and roll. There's not a really impressive solo here (1:41-2:06) but it's not offensive by any means and it's the right length. (2:19-2:31) Here is where the beat varies to keep it fresh and the final chorus (3:29) which repeats until the song ends.

We are all rock warriors but there is one that rocks ahead of us.