Tag: heavy
2 Ruffians – Desert of Tears (Release Year – 2006)
If you are looking for a good metal CD in the vein of Iron Maiden, you ought to give the Ruffians new disc, Desert of Tears a listen.
I stumbled on this disc by listening to the Boneyard’s(XM 41) Breaking Bone show. This is a radio show where they introduce new hard rock and metal music to the Boneyard listeners.
Desert of Tears is a very heavy disc. Judging from the quality of the tunes here, I am surprised that I haven’t heard of these guys before.
I Believe is an explosive metal anthem to start this disc off with. Running Blind is a heavy Iron Maiden style track. Day of Champion is another powerful track that has guitar harmonics that sound very close to George Lynch.
I Will Fly reminds me of some older Leatherwolf tunes. Rich Wilde really howls on the vocals, on this cool track.
The lyrics on Desert of Tears sounds like something Bruce Dickenson would write. This is another excellent Maiden style track.
It Ain’t Over is one the only track I didn’t like on this disc. It breaks up the pace on the album as this is a low tempo number, but I didn’t care for it.
Live By the Sword, Soldier’s Fate, Chosen One are all very good heavy tracks.
Freedom starts with a very cool acoustic guitar and builds into a beast of a metal anthem. This is a very cool track to end this disc with.
The guitar tandem of Chris Atchison, and Craig Behrhorst, absolutely smoke on this disc, and vocalist Rich Wilde sings like he is out to put the Ruffians on the Heavy Metal map. Judging from the Desert of Tears CD, this band will be one to watch in 2007.
Metal fans need to check out this killer disc!
You can also hear more tunes from the band at the Ruffians my space at Ruffian’s metal .
Rating:
Out of 10
Ruffians – Do or Die Video
Track Listing:
- I Believe
- Running Blind
- Day of the Champion
- I Will Fly
- Desert of Tears
- Darkest of Light
- It Ain’t Over
- Live By the Sword
- Chosen One
- Soldier’s Fate
- Freedom
- Do or Die (Bonus Video Track)
The Ruffians are:
Chris Atchison – Guitar
Craig Behrhorst – Guitar
Luke Bowman – Drums
Rich Wilde – Vocals
Eric Wong – Bass
2 Ultimatum – Into the Pit (Release Year – 2007)
If Thrash Metal is your thing, Ultimatum has released a record that you must seek out!
Ultimatum is a Christian thrash metal band that has been around since 1992. Don’t let the Christian thing fool you! This is 100% pure heavy metal.
Into the Pit features the razor sharp vocals of Scott Waters. His style may not be for everyone, but extreme metal fans are likely going to love this. His style is almost Death Metal like, but unlike many singers who fall into the cookie monster trap, you can understand the lyrics. At times, Waters often reminds me of Mike Muir from Suicidal Tendencies. Often Into the Pit is a heavy record, that compares sonically to 80’s thrash metal. Fans of bands like Overkill, Testament and some early Metallica, may find something to sink their teeth into here.
On Into the Pit, the guitars are fierce, the lyrics and vocals are intense, and the drum beats are driving and sometimes insanely fast.
I don’t recall any recent albums of this style being this good. Retroactive Records has found one hell of a band with Ultimatum. My favorite cuts on this disc are Heart of Metal, Into the Pit and Game Over. This isn’t usually the style of music that I listen to on a regular basis, but when I want to hear some new thrash metal, I will be grabbing for Ultimatum’s Into The Pit.
Buy Into the Pit and Play it Loud! For more information on Ultimatum, check out their myspace page.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- One for All
- Exonerate
- Deathwish
- Blood Covenant
- Heart of Metal
- Wrathchild
- Transgressor
- Blink
- Blind Faith
- Into the Pit
- Game Over
Ultimatum is:
Scott Waters-Vocals
Robert Gutierrez-Guitar
Rob Whitlock-Bass
Alan Tuma-Drums
5 Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer (Release Year – 1992)
Dehumanizer is the 16th studio disc by Black Sabbath, and the third featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals. Ronnie returned to Black Sabbath after an 11 year hiatus in which he was performing as a solo artist.
This disc features the same lineup from the Mob Rules disc, which is Iommi on guitar, Butler on bass, Appice on drums and Dio on vocals.
Typically when people talk about Dio singing in Black Sabbath they will often refer to Heaven and Hell, and Mob Rules. Dehumanizer rarely gets mentioned, and that is a shame. It is a heavy disc, and easily as solid as the first two with RJD.
This disc starts off with Computer God, which is a very heavy track to start the pace of Dehumanizer. This is a well written and performed song, and quite possibly one of their best.
Computer God
After All is a very dark and heavy track that sounds like it was a left over from the period when Ozzy was still in the band. This is a bit too dark for my tastes.
After All (the dead)
TV Crimes on the other hand is a killer track that I absolutely love. The tempo is high paced, and Dio sounds awesome on vocals. This is one that I hope they perform live on the Heaven and Hell tour. This is essential for any Sabbath fan.
TV Crimes
Another track that I like a lot on Dehumanizer is Letters from Earth. This is another well written song, with cool lyrics, and superb playing by Iommi. Geezer’s bass sounds like it is going to rip the walls down, and Appice crushes on the drums here. Great Stuff!
Master of Insanity starts with a dark and gloomy bass riff by Geezer, and turns into a heavy rocker, that resembles more of a DIO solo track than a Black Sabbath song. Nonetheless, it is a good song, and one of the better ones on Dehumanizer.
Master of Insanity
I love the chugging guitars and fast paced bass rhythm of Time Machine. This song is another Dehumanizer stand out.
Time Machine
Sins of the Father is one of the most different Sabbath tracks I have heard in a while. It seems that Geezer’s bass is mixed so that it less audible. Iommi’s guitar seem to be tuned in a different key on this track. The end result is a very cool 80’s sounding Metal song.
Something about the track Too Late reminds me of Queensryche in a sense. It starts off as a low tempo acoustic track that allows Dio’s voice to shine, but then breaks in a heavy metal behemoth about midway through. This is one of those songs that you may not get the first time. I bet if you sit down, crank this song up, and close your eyes, and immerse yourself into the music, you will get into it to. I think it is a very cool song.
I is a track that grows on me more with every listen. The lyrics are cool, and the chorus is simple and sing songy…I..I..I. The music is good, and Dio sounds great as well.
I
Buried Alive is a song that I just could not get into. Its ultra heavy intro, didnt work for me. Sure Iommi has some cool solos here, but this feels like an average track to me. Quite frankly, I tend to skip this song when it comes up.
Aside from the intro on Time Machine, I can’t tell much of a difference in the Wayne’s World version. They could have used this one instead of the other version on the album, and added another original cut. There isn’t enough difference between the two to really support having two different versions here.
Bottom line, I believe Dehumanizer is a much better disc than a lot of people perceive it to be. It has some tracks that may need to grown on you a few times, and is probably the heaviest of the three discs that have Dio on vocals. It is still a good listen today, and to me and while it isn’t perfect, it is still a must have in my heavy metal collection!
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Computer God
- After All (The Dead)
- TV Crimes
- Letters from Earth
- Master of Insanity
- Time Machine
- Sins of the Father
- Too Late
- I
- Buried Alive
- Time Machine (Wayne’s World Version)
Black Sabbath is:
Ronnie James Dio – vocals
Tony Iommi – guitars
Geezer Butler – bass
Vinny Appice – drums
Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
6 Black Sabbath – Mob Rules (Release Year 1981)
Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules is the band’s 10th studio disc and 2nd featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals. Mob Rules also features the 2007 lineup of the Heaven and Hell Tour, Tony Iommi on Guitar, Geezer Butler on bass, and Vinnie Appice on Drums.
Mob Rules starts off where Heaven and Hell left off, by opening up with a heavy up tempo track Turn Up the Night. Iommi starts jamming early and Dio is in fine form here.
I find myself head banging to Voodoo each time I listen to it. Ronnie James Dio is probably one of the few singers on earth that can make a track like this work. Voodoo has a very good rhythm to it, and the guitar work is quite good, but Dio’s vocals are what stands out the most.
The Sign of the Southern Cross is one of the heavier tracks on Mob Rules. This song is essential to any Sabbath fan. Awesome!
E5150 is a dark instrumental track that will scare the hell out of your parents. This track flows right into the title track, The Mob Rules. This is a heavy track that is essential to any Sabbath fan. Great stuff!
Mob Rules
Something about Country Girl reminds me of an Irish drinking song, albeit a very heavy one. I didn’t really care for this track much at first, but it has grown on me somewhat.
Slipping Away is an upbeat rocker that has a simple rhythm about it. Its pretty much the same guitar riff over and over by Iommi. Geezer Butler has some funky bass grooves in this track. It is a cool track but not essential.
Falling Off the Edge of the World is one of the better tracks on Mob Rules. This tracks starts off as a dark low tempo number that only Black Sabbath could pull off, and then blasts off into a heavy guitar noodling , Dio screaming monster. This is probably my second most favorite track off this disc.
Over and Over ends this disc with a heavy low tempo track. Dio belts out the lyrics in fine fashion, and Tony Iommi ends this disc the same way it began, by jamming out. The song itself would just be an average track, by Iommi’s playing turns this into something much more enjoyable. While not this is not the best Sabbath track I have ever heard, it is still a solid way to close out this disc.
Mob Rules is an excellent slab of Black Sabbath metal. This disc isn’t quite as good as Heaven and Hell, but it still very much essential to any fan of hard rock and heavy metal!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Turn Up The Night
- Voodoo
- The Sign of the Southern Cross
- E5150
- The Mob Rules
- Country Girl
- Slipping Away
- Falling Off the Edge of the World
- Over and Over
Black Sabbath is:
Ronnie James Dio – vocals
Tony Iommi – guitar
Geezer Butler – bass guitar
Vinny Appice – drums
Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
6 Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell (Release Year – 1980)
In 1979 due to lack of commitment and personal conflicts, Ozzy Osbourne was asked to leave Black Sabbath. None other than Ronnie James Dio was brought in to replace him.
Heaven and Hell is the first of 3 discs (and a live disc) featuring Ronnie on vocals and the 9th overall by Black Sabbath.
Heaven and Hell is nothing short of a metal masterpiece! Who can deny the incredible opening track Neon Knights! This is an up tempo track that pleases both Black Sabbath and Ronnie James Dio fans. Great vocals by Dio and killer guitars by Iommi. Awesome!
Neon Knights
Children of the Sea is another classic Sabbath track. This mid tempo jewel featues that fat Geezer Butler bass rhythm, and more awesome vocals by RJD. Outstanding!
Children of the Sea
Lady Evil is infectious as hell. Geezer’s bass sounds extremely fat on this track. If you don’t find your self singing “Lady Evil, Evil...” after a single listen, then you probably wont get this track. That would be a real shame too. This is killer track!
Heaven and Hell is unmistakably one of the biggest songs Black Sabbath has ever written. Dio’s vocals are in fine form here. Iommi’s guitars are amazing on this song. The sheer heaviness of this track is what makes it so cool. I can’t say enough about this track. Definitely one of my all time favorite metal songs!
Heaven and Hell
Wishing Well is a cool track that you need to sit and absorb a few times. Iommi’s guitar work on this track is so cool, you need to listen to this multiple times to get the true enjoyment out of it.
Die Young has a very trippy Pink Floyd and Queen progressive feel to it while retaining that Sabbath heaviness. I like this track more each time I hear it.
Die Young
Walk Away is one of those tracks that needs to grow on you. Af first it seems that this track isnt as heavy as some of the Heaven and Hell. This track is probably the least heavy of the 8 songs here. It is still a rocking track, but not one of my favorites.
Lonely is the Word is a another great track where Dio really belts out the vocals. One again, Iommi’s guitars are excellent. This song makes me want to break out a lighter and start waving it in the air. Absolutely incredible playing, and a superb song to close this record out with.
Heaven and Hell is an extraordinary debut by Dio with Black Sabbath. If Iommi and company were trying to get people to forget about Ozzy with this disc, they accomplished the task. This is an impressive heavy metal classic that still sounds great in 2007. No hard rock fan or metalhead should be with out it!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Neon Knights
- Children of the Sea
- Lady Evil
- Heaven and Hell
- Wishing Well
- Die Young
- Walk Away
- Loney is the Word
Black Sabbath is:
Ronnie James Dio – vocals
Tony Iommi – guitar
Geezer Butler – bass guitar
Bill Ward – drums
Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
1 Dream Evil – The Book of Heavy Metal (Release Year – 2004)
The Book of Heavy Metal is the first release by Dream Evil that follows the NWOBH style. I enjoyed the United disc by Dream Evil so much I decided to find the disc that preceeded it. I heard a lot of good things about this disc, and it was not unfounded.
Much like United, this disc starts off with a blistering metal anthem, the title track (The Book of Heavy Metal) that will get in your head and wont leave any time soon. This is a classic heavy metal track in its finest form!
Into the Moonlight keeps the pace going with its heavy riffs and great vocals by Niklas Isfeldt. The Sledge is a cool metal anthem. The writing here isn’t the greatest, but I still like this track a lot.
No Way cranks the tempo way up. This track features excellent guitars by the tandem of Gus G. and Fredrik Nordstrom. This is killer stuff!
Crusader’s Anthem starts off with a Maiden like bass riff, but blasts off into a heavy, melodic Europe like masterpiece with chugging guitars and great solos.
Let’s Make Rock is another major anthem that will have you singing along in no time. Tired M.O.M. (Man or a Mouse) is a track that I get into more each time I listen to it. Sure its has kind of cheesy lyrics, but it is still a fun track to listen to.
The Mirror reminds me a whole lot of Judas Priest. This is another track that will get you head banging in no time.
The guitars on Only For the Night are nothing short of superb, leading into the Book of Heavy Metal’s lone ballad, Unbreakable Chain. After hearing the rest of the tracks on this disc, I was beginning to wonder if this band could slow it down. I can happily say that this track is one of the many highlights on this disc.
There are a couple of tracks that I could not get into on this disc, but for the most part most of the tracks on the Book of Heavy Metal range between good and great. Heavy Metal fans need to give this one a look!
Rating: Out of 10
Here is the video for The Book of Heavy Metal! Enjoy!
Track Listing:
- The Book of Heavy Metal
- Into the Moonlight
- The Sledge
- No Way
- Crusader’s Anthem
- Let’s Make Rock
- Tired
- Chosen Twice
- M.O.M.
- The Mirror
- Only For the Night
- Unbreakable Chain
4 Dream Evil – United (Release Year – 2006)
I passed by the Dream Evil’s United disc in my local record shop several times over the last few weeks. Each time, the cover on this disc would catch my eye, but I haven’t ever heard a single track by this band in my life, so I wasn’t will to lay the bucks to check it out. My local store has a demo copy sitting out, and let me listen to the first couple of songs. This CD went home shortly thereafter. The real bonus is, I picked up one of the first pressings of this disc, that comes with a second CD, with 5 extra songs (at the same price).
What does Dream Evil sound like? If there was a 2nd New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Dream Evil would be one of the bands leading the pack. This is very much in the same vein as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, without sounding like either of those two bands. This isn’t power metal or progressive rock, this is heavy metal, the way it is supposed to be done!!
Lead Singer Niklas Isfeldt has the pipes to really belt out these tunes, and drive them home. At times he hits notes in the Rob Halford range, which is really cool to hear. Dream Evil has a fiery axe attack of Mark Black on lead, and Frederick Nordstrom on rhythm guitars. The heaviness of this guitar duo reminds me quite a bit of Accept, but the intensity of Peter Stalfors bass really gives this band a different sound. The commanding double bass drums of Pat Power tops off Dream Evil’s powerful yet melodic sound.
United is a very heavy disc, with no filler tracks. There are plenty of stand out tracks:
Fire! Battle! In Metal! is as good as metal anthems come. United, Evilution, Let Me Out, Higher on Fire and Back From the Dead are all impressive. When the band slows it down on Love is Blind, I was blown away. This is one killer heavy track that has to be heard to be appreciated.
Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the video and the 3 mp3’s below, and discover this awesome band for yourself. Fans of British Heavy Metal would be crazy not to pick this up! If I had heard this disc in 2006, it would have cracked my 2006 Heavy metal Top 5 list for sure.
Rating:
Out of 10
Fire! Battle! In Metal!
United
Let Me Out
Back From the Dead
Track Listing:
Disc 1
- Fire! Battle! In Metal!
- United
- Blind Evil
- Evilution
- Let Me Out
- Higher On Fire
- Kingdom At War
- Love Is Blind
- Falling
- Back From the Dead
- Doomlord
- My Number One
Disc 2
- Calling Your Name
- Dynamite
- Into the Unknown
- I Will Never
- Vengeance
2 Black Label Society – Shot to Hell (Release Year – 2006)
How does Zakk Wylde do it? Each year he chugs out another quality CD.
Shot to Hell is no exception in the quality dept.
This CD sounds like it could be Mafia part 2 in many cases, with the exception that it has more slower tracks than its predecessor. Aside from that, Zakk’s vocals and guitar style is virtually unchanged, and that is a good thing. I guess if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. The BLS formula seems to work.
Several quality tracks and a only a 2 or 3 that I would consider fillers. If you liked Mafia, chances are you will enjoy Shot to Hell as well. Fans needing a heavy yet melodic hard rock CD should give this one a look. For Black Label Society fans, its a no brainer, pick this up!
Track Listing:
- Concrete Jungle*
- Black Mass Reverends*
- Blacked Out World
- The Last Goodbye*
- Give Yourself to Me
- Nothing is the Same
- Hell is High
- New Religion*
- Sick of it All
- Faith is Blind
- Blood is Thicker that Water*
- Devil’s Dime
- Lead Me to Your Door
Black Label Society is:
Zakk Wylde – Vocals, Lead Guitars, Rhythm Guitars, Piano, Keyboards
John DeServio – Bass Guitars
Craig Nunenmacher – Drums
Nick Catanese – Rhythm Guitars
0 Black Label Society – Mafia (Release Year – 2005)
I find myself gravitating towards this CD more often lately, so I thought I would give my 2 cents on it.
Zakk Wylde’s voice used to annoy the crap out of me, and thanks to my mp3 player, I have grown to like it after a few spins.
Listening to Mafia, the Black Sabbath and Ozzy influences run rapid throughout the CD. Not only does Zakk approach his vocals in a similar method to Ozzy, sometimes his guitars seem to have that dark, Iommi/Black Sabbath approach.
Even when Zakk slows it down, he crafts some great songs. Mafia has quite a few stand out tracks! Fire It Up, Suicide Messiah, In this River (written for Zakk’s buddy Dimebag Darrell) are my personal favorites. There are quite a few decent tracks on Mafia worth spinning this disc for.
It may take a couple of listens to really get into this CD, but I believe this is one of the top Metal releases of 2005.
Great Stuff!
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Fire it Up*
- What’s in You
- Suicide Messiah*
- Forever Down*
- In This River*
- You Must Be Blind
- Death March
- Dr. Octavia
- Say What you Will
- Too Tough to Die
- Electric HellFire*
- Spread Your Wings
- Been A Long Time*
- Dirt On the Grave*
- I Never Dreamed
*Best Tracks
Black Label Society is:
James LoMenzo – Bass, Vocals
Craig Nunenmacher – Drums, Shaker
Zakk Wylde – Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Piano, Vocals
