1. The Skull
You know what, I thought it was a slightly less brilliant version of Psalm 9 after the first two songs, but by the end I wasn't even sure if it's any "worse" than the debut. The Wish may just be the best Trouble song I've heard, what an epic prog/doom tune. Also Wickedness Of Man intro is so slow and crushing that it must've been a huge influence on funeral doom. And then it explodes into cool as hell odd time riff, maybe my favourite part of the album. This one solidifies them as my second favourite doom band of the 80s. Unless we count Cirith Ungol as doom, but that's a bit of a stretch imo.
2. Land Of Mystery
80s doom with a unique, Italian twist. The synths add another mystic dimension to the record, and although vocals can be a bit weak at times, I still love this one. It was originally a recommendation from a friend, he also showed me other Italian bands such as Death SS and Bulldozer which also kick ass.
3. Relentless
A classic, Sabbath worshipping doom sound which is kind of derivative, but executed brilliantly. It's consistent and consistently cool. I do slightly prefer their 70s demos though.
4. Hallow's Victim
Another Saint Vitus album that must've been highly influential in the creation of stoner rock/metal. And a good album too, War Is Our Destiny is one hell of an opener and my fave.
🥰
Awesome takes, brother! Completely agree with everything you said EXCEPT for Pentagram'sRelentless being derivative. They were the blueprint! But I hear where you're coming from. I think the big takeaway from me, you and Gowi is that Trouble'sThe Skull is Psalm 9 level (or pretty damn close!)! I'll put up my rankings pretty soon, but honestly my takes are all pretty similar. Land of Mystery is a killer discovery and my number 2/number 3 of the year.
Completely agree with everything you said EXCEPT for Pentagram'sRelentless being derivative.
You're right, it might sound a bit derivative today, but in fact they were the first ones (along with Sabbath) to adopt that sound. Waiting for your top 4 😁 _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
It was a match made in, well, hell to be perfectly honest. Bobby Liebling was a notorious D.C. junkie with an opiod tolerance that could rival William S. Burroughs'. Victor Griffin was a nineteen year old hillbilly from the boondocks of Tennessee where there wasn’t even a music scene. But Victor had a serious Iommi obsession and an inventive streak. On the drop B tuning that made Pentagram the kings of doom in the mid 80s, Victor humbly states…
“Yeah, that was kind of a weird discovery. I had been messing around with a drop D tuning before and kept dropping it lower. When I got down to B, I suddenly realized that when you play a fifth chord on the top two strings, it makes this octave. I’d never heard anything like it. And I don’t know of anybody who actually did anything like that before. Even Sabbath!”
Everyone told Victor that Bobby Liebling was bad news. He was unreliable. A prima-donna. Bobby perhaps says it best himself…
“I was shooting dope like crazy then. I wasn’t smoking crack because it hadn’t been invented yet. At this point all the veins in my arms and leg were gone. [So] I went right out and started shooting dope in my neck! [Laughs] I’m a walking miracle, man. God Let me live twice. “
But after Victor heard Bobby’s 70s demos, his mind was made up. Insisting, “I don’t care – I want this guy to sing.“ And that was that. Bobby was his singer. And together they made Doom history with what I personally consider THE Blueprint of Doom. Leaden, monstrous Sabbath riffs so heavy they suck you down to the ground as Bobby’s Ozzy-like yelps and wails fight against their relentless gravitational pull. It was Sabbath stripped down to the chassis and then tripped out as the ultimate muscle car from Tarantino’s Death Trip. Drop B tuning being the engine that powered the whole damn thing and made them the kings of the strip. (At least for a year. 😉 )
Why are the Italians so bloody good at the macabre?! I need answers. Pronto. Do they all just have super messed up childhoods? Seriously! What the fuck is going on over there. And please, my Italian friends - Keep it up!
Anyways, Black Hole do their Italian heritage loud & proud. These 70s' kids reared on Dario Argento flicks and Goblin soundtracks tracks unleash the synths to create a true mind melding underground cult classic. The whole thing is shrouded with the occult. Like walking in on some bizarre black mass chanting to their demonic lord to rise and come forth. And then the high priest steps forth with Bauhaus' The Sky's Gone Out held high. And so we pray! Because this is 80s Doom meets 80s's Goth where Bauhaus and The Cure influences walk "hand in hand forever we land" with those of Witchfinder General. Take “Land of Mystery”’s warbled bass line for instance. That could easily have been lifted from an old Cure song. Shit, even the guitar solo has that classic Robert Smith's swirling dervish feel to it. Amen!
You know what makes art amazing? Conflict! And Eric Wagner, Trouble’s lead singer, is completely conflicted. Torn and anguished. And I can relate to that so much more than some nebulous one-dimensional evil. That’s also what made Ozzy so compelling. Ozzy clearly had demons. But he definitely didn’t want them! Unlike those weirdos in Venom. (What the hell was wrong with Chronos! For Christ sakes, Jesus is clearly where it's at, brothers & sisters!) Well, the lead singer of Trouble is in the same tribe as Ozzy. When he named the band Trouble, he didn’t mean they were trouble. Like some serial killing cannibals. No, he meant he was troubled! And that’s what makes their albums so damn captivating.
A year after being my number one, here they are dead last. Which just goes to show how stiff the competition was. Because this kicks serious ass. BUT, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of their self-titled debut from the year prior. I’m blaming the production. The hues are a bit too uniform.
Future Attractions (1986):
You guys all busy yourself with Candlemass vs. Wino's Saint Vitus. I'll be chilling to ...
That's a great write up! Glad that you liked Black Hole so much. Never heard of Dwarr though, gotta check that out... _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
A Repo Exclusive: The Ultimate NWOBHM Meets AOR Split LP South Of The Dial: #9 (1981)
I put together a little something special for y'all. The ultimate NWOBHM meets AOR split LP mash-up. Featuring two critical bands of the 1981 NWOBHM scene - Demon & Praying Mantis. Both put out insanely melodic singles and tracks that provide the perfect time capsule of the melding of Hard Rock, NWOBHM and AOR in the early 80s. And for you Power Metal fanatics out there, I have it on good authority that these tracks were mighty influential on that scene that was starting to develop. So get ready to head (just a bit) South Of The Dial!
=============================The A Side =========================================
Ok. So the album cover is a bit of a bait & switch. For those (like me!) who were expecting something akin to Venom. Something evil and from the grave, maybe. Forget about it! These guys had much more in common with the 70s hard rocking stuff you'd find blaring from a biker bar's beer garden. BUT, they did have something that makes them stand out - Dave Hill. Dave Hill sang like the second coming of Roky Erikson (who himself was having a second coming in the early 80s that I'll get to soon enough!) And that's more than enough to catapult these songs South of the Dial...
Demon (the A-side)
Full Moon (intro)
Night Of The Demon
Into The Nightmare
Father Of Time
Liar
Big Love
So “Don’t Break the Circle”, wear a mask and for God's sakes watch this Demon goodness…
I have to admit something. I have a soft spot for cheesy late 70s/early 80s AOR. Bands like REO Speedwagon, 38. Special and Night Ranger. And damn if Praying Mantis don’t scratch that itch particularly hard with tracks like “Children Of The Earth, “Lovers To The Grave”, and “Running Tomorrow.” They would have been massive karaoke hits if we all just lived a bit more South of The Dial ...
Praying Mantis (the B-side)
Running For Tomorrow
Rich City Kids
Lovers to the Grave
Children Of The Earth
Paying Mantis
Here’s a killer clip of them playing one of these "hits" here…
My second set of inductees into my Metal Hall Of Fame (HOF). Metal albums that became part of the cultural fabric of their day and have stood the test of time. If you think I’m missing something, I want to hear about it! If you think something doesn't belong? Again. Bring it on! (Pretty please. )
In a lot of ways, 1981 was the year of the sequels. The surprising thing was just how good these sequels were though. Diary is actually better than Blizzard. Killers is better than Iron Maiden's self-titled debut, and Mob Rules is every bit as good as Heaven & Hell!
This is ranked (in order) by how much I love them. But, they're all obviously awesome or they wouldn't be here. As always, let me know what you think!
C'mon Dave, give 'em a break! Even MORE sleazy punk metal as only Diamond Dave and his crew of idiot savants could deliver. The last truly great Van Halen album as with Diver Down they just got completely lazy and 1984 (as good as it is!) was something else altogether.
One of the few cases where the sequel surpasses the original. That's right. Diary is better than Blizzard of Oz. Tragically, the last we would hear from the great, inimitable Randy Rhodes who married neo-classical and metal like no one else ever had or would again.
Inarguably one of the best sleaze albums of all time and the rightful descendants of the the New York Dolls. This is glam rock at its finest. I don't often listen to Motley Crue, but when I do, it's (almost) always this!
The platonic ideal of Hard Rock, NWOBHM and AOR. If Back In Black was the party album of choice in 1980 then this was the one for 1981. Def Leppard's best and perhaps the best hard rock album of the entire 80s!
They took Motorhead and Priest licks & riffs, ripped them to shreds, chewed them apart, stretched them too thin and then spat them out from the grave. They were filthy, putrid, and vile. The metal world would never be the same.
Awesome chart of course but where are Denim and Leather, Breaker, The Nightcomers and Fire Down Under? I know, I know: HR 😈
And I suppose you already know I'm not a fan of Def Leppard.
But I should put my prejudice against Mötley Cruë (sorry always have my accents wrong) aside and listen to at least their first albums.
And you can't go wrong with Iron Maiden of course and I have to admit more and more that that Venom album was a new wind in metalland.
My dad likes Killers the best too. It's easily top 5, maybe top 3 for me. People often don't give Paul Di'Anno enough credit, and especially Killers since it doesn't have any big hits except for Wrathchild. Great writeups for others too!
Edit: also completely agree, Diary is better than the debut! It doesn't have Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution and Revelation (Mother Earth), but it's more consistent and the title track may be my favourite Ozzy solo track. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Awesome chart of course but where are Denim and Leather,Breaker, The Nightcomers and Fire Down Under? I know, I know: HR 😈
And I suppose you already know I'm not a fan of Def Leppard.
But I should put my prejudice against Mötley Cruë (sorry always have my accents wrong) aside and listen to at least their first albums.
And you can't go wrong with Iron Maiden of course and I have to admit more and more that that Venom album was a new wind in metalland.
Thanks, brother! Me & my kids are camping! Beautiful site.
🤣 KIller choices for HR, my friend! And I completely agree. All of them belong in the Highly Recommended (HR) category! I would also put Y&T's Earthshaker there.
Riot in particular deserves more limelight and have not gotten the kudos they deserve as groundbreakers in the early metal scene. Likely because they were from New York and not England. Listen to Rock City from 19977 and tell me they did not foreshadow the entire NWOBHM scene. Hell, the legendary NWOBHM band Cloven Hoof even made them honorary Brits years later, in a secret knighting ceremony, just so they could be retroactively classified as NWOBHM. A move I support & champion ONE THOUSAND PERCENT!
So to help rectify this and place them in their rightful spot in NWOBHM history, Riot will be the next artist I feature in my Rank 'EM! series. I highly encourage you guys to listen to Rock City (1977), Narita (1979) and of course Fire Down Under (1981) in the meantime. 😁 You get extra credit if you check out Thundersteel (1988)! lol.
Ok. Back to camping! 😎
Last edited by Repo on 07/29/2020 17:11; edited 3 times in total
]My dad likes Killers the best too. It's easily top 5, maybe top 3 for me. People often don't give Paul Di'Anno enough credit, and especially Killers since it doesn't have any big hits except for Wrathchild. Great writeups for others too!
Edit: also completely agree, Diary is better than the debut! It doesn't have Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution and Revelation (Mother Earth), but it's more consistent and the title track may be my favourite Ozzy solo track.
lol. Us old people know where's it at! Tell him he has good taste for me! 🤣
Thanks, brother!!!
My thinking exactly! Diary is simply more consistent than Blizzard with not a single weak track. it's impossible for me to listen to "No Bone Movies" without laughing.
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