Songs Of Praise (Of Heavy Metal)#4 - Metalucifer, Heavy Metal Hunter (part 2) (5:02-ish)

Or nearly every Metalucifer song ever. They push their metal praise to an even higher plane by loading the song with references to hundreds of other bands, this song is literally band names with some other words in between which is super sweet. They are still HUNTING for METAL despite being nothing but metal, tireless soldiers who should by all right be generals in the army of metal by now. Also I totally learned that there is actually a band named FACT that is four degrees away from Gamma Ray. You've gotta hear the guitars in this because it's thoroughly honest.

Songs Of Praise (Of Heavy Metal)#3 - Manowar, All Men Play On 10 (4:01-ish)

This is totally an anti-straights song because man, fuck those guys. Eric Adams ain't gonna listen to no suits and Manowar is just gonna just keep livin' heavy metal and fuck any skinny tied jaggoff who rolls their eyes and scoffs. Just who's band is still shaking the earth? Exactly.

Fucking Manowar man, they were always generals and not soldiers. When you give your life to metal you can't do it by halves. Get up there, burn some ears, blast the fuck outta that bass pedal, scream like a man trapped in a vice and just kill everything with power chords. You can't be in one of those shit licker bands who's just joking about, not if you want to kill with power brother.

Metal for life.

Songs Of Praise (Of Heavy Metal)#2 - Steel Assassin, Heavy Metal Soldiers (4:58-ish)

Steel Assassin is an awesome name for a band and with a name like that you damn well better be packing a song about heavy fucking metal. Metal soldiers who claw their way out from hell to kill the false and enslave the unenlightened with reverb and burning lead.

They're feeding off metal and tungsten steel
Eating iron bridges for fun
Flying in their metal atomic cars
Their power chords will darken the sun

Bad. Arse. Appearing on a demo there is no such thing as production so it sounds like it's just been unearthed which adds an extra dimension to the song.

Songs Of Praise (Of Heavy Metal)#1 - Cianide, Metal Never Bends (2:19-ish)

Heavy metal rules period and is worth worshipping because it is the highest power in many people's lives. It will never die as long as there are bands that scream of steel. Cianide come across like a hammer beating and they love metal which is the perfect mix for a hymn to power chords and demolishing a six pack whilst swinging an axe bladed or stringed.

Destroying the trends
Killing the false ones dead
Headbanging 'til the end

METAL NEVER BENDS

You're damn right it doesn't. Dependable Cianide, as strong as the metal they hail.

Trouble - Assassin (3:13-ish)

Trouble dig God and that is swell. This song ain't about God though it's about dudes that kill and is total speed metal overload but not quite as fast as the bullet that ends your world or the killer guitar tone that does your neck in. It's amusing to hear a whine like Eric Wagner's because it ain't intimidating in the least so hitmen the world around can sleep soundly in their beds tonight.

Sabbat - Mion's Hill (6:06-ish)

This was on, what, their first 7" and it's one of the best song's that they've ever done. It has this real nice acoustic bit at the start and then it's straight to the headbanging (0:27). It's pretty pagan but it still sounds really evil, even more evil than Mercyful Fate! Even more than Nunslaughter and this is Nunslaughter I'm talking about. It's also got my favourite solos of any evil metal song and there's about three or four of 'em.

Imagine a scene in a junkyard, fires all around. The camera pans past the band thrashing away vocalist with painted face writhing and gurning and waving a staff inter-cut with footage of a recreation of a ritual. During the solos there is fire breathing. That is what this song sounds like.

Slauter Xstroyes - Battle Axe (2:16-ish)

Here's to another year of not getting anything done! Yet another love song about guitars from the always interesting and entertaining Slauter Xstroyes, the most metal band to have rocked the planet. Sure a love song about a guitar sound ridiculous on paper and yeah, it's pretty ridiculous in practice but man do these guys know how to peel your face off with their burning rock. And those vocals. Crikey. If you ask me this shames just about every other heavy metal band out there that dares to label themselves as progressive.

Doomsword - Warbringers (6:32-ish)

I was listening to their s/t album the other day and it got to the solo in this song (3:20-4:01) and I thought: you know what, that really is a killer solo. The s/t is still my favourite album of theirs, it kinda sounds like Battleroar's Age Of Chaos album so much that I had to edit this twice to change the title and the tag from "Battleroar" to "Doomsword" because once it's in my head it'll never get out.

Ozzy - Steal Away the Night (3:29-ish)

My favourite song on Blizzard... I usually skip to this straight after Mr. Crowley because it sure beats songs about pornos and soppy songs about the planet. If I measured the worth of a song on how quickly it gets my head bangin' then this is the best one on the album.

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.