Metal Rules!! Interview With Lars Ratz of Metalium By EvilG, December 1999 Metalium are getting a lot of press on this side of the pond thanks to the fact that Chris Caffery from Savatage is one of the members in the band. However, the main-brain behind Metalium is bassist and…
Crimson Glory – Transcendence
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1988, Roadrunner RecordsRating: 4.5/5 Reviewer: Joe Classic Pick Of The Month With the recent release of Astronomica by the newly reformed Crimson Glory, I thought it might be appropriate to review their 1988 masterpiece, Transcendence, as this month’s Classic Pick. Well… That, plus the fact that EvilG…
Psychotron – Chaos Cosmic Time
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, IndependentRating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: EvilG Psychotron are yet another great underground band from Germany. It seems like there is an unending supply of great metal talent coming from this country. Psychotron claim to combine melodic power metal with aggressive thrash metal and that’s exactly what they deliver.…
Improvision – Energy
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Intromental ManagementRating: 2.5/5 Reviewer: Rick I have been wrestling with how to describe this band. Are they Progressive Metal? Progressive Rock? I think they are a bit of both. Improvision hail from Norway and were formed in 1994. The current lineup consists of founding members Pal…
Axemaster – The Awakening: 1985-1995
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1995, Unisound RecordsRating: 2.5/5 Reviewer: Rick Joe Sims, the man behind \”Axemaster\”, \”The Awakening\”, and \”Reign\”, sent Metal Rules!! this CD as a warm up to his forthcoming solo CD entitled \”Dream or Nightmare\”. Sims has been the driving force behind these 3 bands since 1985. Axemaster…
Marilyn Manson – The Last Tour On Earth
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, NothingRating: 1.0/5 Reviewer: Waspman *Sigh* You’ve got to be kidding me. A LIVE album from Marilyn Manson? Oh dear. Well, here goes. Opening with 2:30 of ambient “build-up” sound which is about as effective as a knee to the groin, this 69+ minute ride is on!…
Lake Of Tears – Forever Autumn
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Black MarkRating: 4.0/5 Reviewer: Waspman They’ve returned! They’ve returned! After a too-long absence from the heavy metal battlefield, Daniel Brennare has returned to lead his band of melancholy bards back into action. And not a moment too soon, ’cause kiddies, THIS is how doom and gloom…
Sons of Poseidon – EarthShaker
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1998, Carter Evenson/BMIRating: 2.5/5 Reviewer: Waspman In another underground release for the month, Ohio brings us their prodigal Sons of Poseidon. Like their album title implies, the Sons play an earthshaking style of proto-thrash metal, mixed with more modern 90’s metal tendencies. Quite the heady brew, but…
Sebastian Bach & Friends – Sebastian Bach & Friends
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Spitfire RecordsRating: 4.0/5 Reviewer: EvilG First off, if you think that Skid Row were a glam/hair metal band, you are very ignorant of what this band was about. Skid Row were a metal band – period. You put a song like “Slave to the Grind” or…
Various Artists – The Second Coming…A Millennium Tribute to 80`s Heavy Metal and Hard Rock
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Versailles RecordsRating: 3.0/5 Reviewer: EvilG Some “metal” and hard rock was best left to the 80’s, there’s no doubt about that. These better left to the 80’s bands were the (at the time) trendy glam metal bands. This CD is different than most tributes as it’s…
Bruce Dickinson – Scream For Me Brazil
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Sanctuary RecordsRating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: Joe Before I begin, I have to ask… What the HELL was Bruce thinking when he okayed this cover art??? A piranha on a plain green background? Pa-leez!!! Granted, piranha are indigenous to South America where this disc was recorded (hence, the…
Breaker – Accept
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Auburn RecordsRating: 4.5/5 Reviewer: Waspman Heading into the new millennium, there seems to be a paradoxical trend of new bands that form and look back to the 80’s as a blueprint for the style of heavy metal that they play. How many bands are out there…
Control Denied – The Fragile Art of Existence
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Nuclear Blast RecordsRating: 4.5/5 Reviewer: Joe As a rather big fan of Chuck Schuldiner’s work with Death, I was immediately intrigued when I read in some guitar magazine way back in 1996 (See… I used a 4 digit year…I’m Y2K compliant!) that Chuck wanted to form…
Witchburner – Blasphemic Assault
Reviewed: December 1999Released: 1999, Undercover RecordsRating: 4.0/5 Reviewer: EvilG Can you say “time warp”? Well Witchburner sure can and depending what type of 80’s music you like this is not necessarily a bad thing. If you like early 80’s thrash (and you had better!!) such as the early Kreator material…
Metal Church – Blessing In Disguise
Reviewed: November 1999 Released: 1989, ElektraRating: 5.0/5 Reviewer: EvilG \”A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay. I know these are the badlands, somehow I\’ll find my way\” This is THE Metal Church album that you just have to have in your metal collection. It\’s probably my favorite CD by…