The Repo Zone: 1999 - Music Diaries - Forums : Best Ever Albums

Trexasle

Been gone for a while, but for a two reasons.

I am checking out two Albums I never actually heard before.

The First is Crystal Logic By Manilla Road.

The second is actually a Steve Vai Album outside of this Year but...one I want to write about soon anyway.

Repo
BeA Sunflower

Location: Forest Park

Trexasle wrote:

Been gone for a while, but for a two reasons.

I am checking out two Albums I never actually heard before.

The First is Crystal Logic By Manilla Road.

Nice! Psyched to get your take.

Trexasle wrote:

The second is actually a Steve Vai Album outside of this Year but...one I want to write about soon anyway.

No worries. I don't mind if threads go on tangents. Talking about 1983 metal is just a gentle guidepost. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that Steve Vai album I should check out first.

Repo
BeA Sunflower

Location: Forest Park

'83:7 Egypt

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Piece Of Mind by Iron Maiden

It didn’t have to be specifically Egypt. Not exactly. It didn’t even need to be a real place. But… it needed to be FAR away. An alien AND mystical place. Not some kind of alien that killed everybody. Nothing like that. No. These aliens were smarter than all that. After all, I didn’t want to die. I just wanted to be understood.

Like the Lord of The Rings and Dune books, Piece of Mind was pure heavenly escape for a D&D dweeb like me back in 7th grade. If I ever needed a break from the junior high bullying that I endured as a walked down locker alley, I could just slip on my oversized foam head phones, hit the oversized play button on my trusty Walkman, and I. was. gone. Catapulted to a place I belonged. Where the scenery made sense. At least for a few seconds at any rate until some dickwad mouth breather tried to knock my books out of my hand. <eyeroll.>

The Verdict: This is it. The moment Iron Maiden outgrew their NWOBHM denim & leather roots and simply grabbed the garments right off the dude from the dust jacket of some Michael Moorcock fantasy book. The fabric of the blues (and even 70s rock really) has been shorn away, and we are left with just droplets of molten, metallic liquid. Like a Salvador Dali painting taken to the airwaves. Because of my love for rough & raw punk, Maiden’s first two albums will always be my faves (#teamdi’anno), but even I just have to admit that Piece Of Mind is unequivocally Maiden’s masterwork. And exotic and mystical escape rich with enough transportive storytelling magic that it rivals even the great sci fi & fantasy masters that clearly influence it.

Only one <One!> album from 1983 surpasses it.

The Rating: Twisted Evil

Last edited by Repo on 06/28/2022 02:30; edited 1 time in total

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Trexasle wrote:

Steeler

Now you would EXCEPT with Yngwie at the helm of the guitar work the guitar tone and writing would be full of wank…right?….right?

Right?

shockingly, No.

Cold Day In Hell is an EXCELLENT Album Opener, a simple rock tune led by the Ron Keel’s vocal delivery. Great Vocal work by him, and excellent direction overall…which Leads me to my above preclusive. If you’re expecting the Yngwie that overindulges himself on solos and Neo Classical Affectations, you’re going to be shocked. Because Yngwie was all but 16 years old when this album came out, he wasn’t given the creative means to write ANY Form of music, all but one solo passage on this album was written by Rik Fox and Ron Keel himself. While Yngwie was credited for TWO Songs on the album…this was more done for band camaraderie than actual credit due.

The benefit is that we get Yngwie essentially playing good old 80’s California scene heavy metal, and it is shockingly well done. Also, because Yngwie himself doesn’t have control over production, it’s one of the rare albums that he plays guitar on that the vocalist ISN’T Deemphasized. Though one can feel that Yngwie is…sort of limited as a result. As an end result you get a lot of rockers where it just seems that Yngwie wants to do so much more.

Specifically, Hot On Your Heels. Written entirely by Ron Keel himself, but includes an entire 3 minute intro by the Wing nut himself. He clearly fought tooth and nail for that intro and it wasn’t that much of a bad idea either…It’s AMAZING, if a bit too long. Luckily once the actual song starts itself it’s a damn good tune itself as well.

You can also hear it on the one of the two songs he was credited on No Way Out, again with another intro that shows the clear Neo-Classical direction that the kid CLEARLY wanted to go into. The Fury and lust to break out is there but it is restrained by the leadership of Keel who is clearly taking the reins. The combined effect on this song along with the rest of this album is a traditional 80’s metal album that sort of peeks on what it actually intentional is with it’s Neo-Classical aspirations.

This band was not to last though. This was not because of Yngwie, but simple because each of the band members slowly went their separate ways, leading to instability that Ron Keel was not happy with. Leading to the bands break up. For Yngwie’s part he did leave 4 months after the recording of the album…but that’s because he was called to essentially live out a childhood dream.

Love this (and the other post on Alcatrazz). I love both of those albums dearly, I think it's some of the best work Yngwie has ever been associated with (mostly because it's not just the same thing from Yngwie over and over again) and they're two of the best and most underrated hair metal albums ever. Love to see them getting some appreciation!
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Trexasle

Repo wrote:

No worries. I don't mind if threads go on tangents. Talking about 1983 metal is just a gentle guidepost. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that Steve Vai album I should check out first.

First answer is the obvious answer.

Passion and Warfare.

BUT!

BUT!

Wait until next week as to continue my Yngwie rant...I will consider...

What if a Rock Band was not just granted with ONE Guitar God?

But Two.

After I do Crystal Logic?

Alcatrazz's Disturbing the Peace is next.

This isn't the Non 83, album I wish to write about (Surprisingly it's actually a 90's album.) But it's one I want to touch on BEFORE getting to that album.

Trexasle

With this next review I decided to try my luck with something new. So I decided to look up Two 1983 Albums and wing it both interested me for a few reason.

The First was This Album I am reviewing today, Crystal Logic by Manilla Road.

The second…well…we’ll get back into. Mostly because I both like what I hear on the album…but hate what it led to…Let’s just say Peer Pressure is a bitch.

That said, Let’s get to the fun shit.

Crystal Logic.

And…

“Wait a minute…It’s…It’s Slo It’s Slough Fe-…IT’S FUCKING SLOUGH FEG!”

This was my first words whist talking with Gowi as I listened to the album opener (Not counting the Intro track.) Necropolis. Behind the funky production and differences in lead singer. You can clearly hear where The Lord Weird Slough Feg got their biggest influence from. For the longest while Me being not exactly what one would call a Heavy Metal lifer (I discovered this genre by fucking accident when my father accidentally picked up a goddamn Slayer album when he was crate digging.) I always wondered where Slough Feg (A band I was introduced to with little context from friends.) and a lot of other American Heavy Metal acts got their sound. Lo and Behold listening to this I was able to figure that out Crystal Clear. Catchy chorus, great instrumentation sort of ruined by it’s production, and a singer who while it took time to grow on me did eventually do so.

Eh…it’s Probably just that one song, Openers are usually good energetic songs no way they can keep thi-

(Intro to Flaming Metal System plays.)

…Allright nevermind.

Best Track of the album for me. Jesus Christ what was that intro guitar solo and that guitar tune? I want this and all of this directly into my goddamn veins. This is also when I finally got what the vocalist was doing and Goddamn, he fucking Kills this song, soaring through the track even under what is probably one of the crushing and unique guitar tunes I heard from the time period. This is my first introduction to Mark Shelton as a vocalist and I hope he keep up this style as I listen later to what is considered their Trinity. I think it’s because he did have two albums to grow into this vocal styling, but it seems polished if at times a bit nasally (Keyword is a bit, and unlike Bruce Dickenson can be on some of Maiden’s more Sub-Par tracks, isn’t absolutely distracting as a result.). I think it helps especially on this track he balances it out with a gritty snarl, especially during the Bridge and chorus that compliments the sound so very well. Also finding out he was the principal guitarist is also a bonus as if he was the one who decided on this guitar tune, he earns another fucking medal from me.

Even after my favorite songs passes, this Albums is stellar. Amazing Riffage on Songs like Riddle Master, and Especially Crystal Logic shows that this band knows what exactly they are going for and they are ready to unleash it to the masses….For The Most Part. This Album is great but it has it’s flaws. Specifically The overall Spacey Feel. I know they were heavily influenced by Space Rock, but Along with the production being a bit off for the style they are NOW playing, The Length of the songs can get a bit…off. Not that I am a stickler for shorter song lengths or anything, but a good riff only lasts as long as it does, and with songs like say… Dreams of Eschaton…This song length can be the entire DEATH of it. Which sadly also means the albums at least IMO does leave off on a anticlimactic note even with it’s epiloque track.

Fuck that though, because I loved everything else around this album, and I’ll gladly see what else I can see about this band in terms of history and albums of recommendation.

Repo
BeA Sunflower

Location: Forest Park

Trexasle wrote:

With this next review I decided to try my luck with something new. So I decided to look up Two 1983 Albums and wing it both interested me for a few reason.

The First was This Album I am reviewing today, Crystal Logic by Manilla Road.

That said, Let’s get to the fun shit.

Crystal Logic.

And…

“Wait a minute…It’s…It’s Slo It’s Slough Fe-…IT’S FUCKING SLOUGH FEG!”

This was my first words whist talking with Gowi as I listened to the album opener (Not counting the Intro track.) Necropolis. Behind the funky production and differences in lead singer. You can clearly hear where The Lord Weird Slough Feg got their biggest influence from. For the longest while Me being not exactly what one would call a Heavy Metal lifer (I discovered this genre by fucking accident when my father accidentally picked up a goddamn Slayer album when he was crate digging.) I always wondered where Slough Feg (A band I was introduced to with little context from friends.) and a lot of other American Heavy Metal acts got their sound. Lo and Behold listening to this I was able to figure that out Crystal Clear. Catchy chorus, great instrumentation sort of ruined by it’s production, and a singer who while it took time to grow on me did eventually do so.

Eh…it’s Probably just that one song, Openers are usually good energetic songs no way they can keep thi-

(Intro to Flaming Metal System plays.)

…Allright nevermind.

Best Track of the album for me. Jesus Christ what was that intro guitar solo and that guitar tune? I want this and all of this directly into my goddamn veins. This is also when I finally got what the vocalist was doing and Goddamn, he fucking Kills this song, soaring through the track even under what is probably one of the crushing and unique guitar tunes I heard from the time period. This is my first introduction to Mark Shelton as a vocalist and I hope he keep up this style as I listen later to what is considered their Trinity. I think it’s because he did have two albums to grow into this vocal styling, but it seems polished if at times a bit nasally (Keyword is a bit, and unlike Bruce Dickenson can be on some of Maiden’s more Sub-Par tracks, isn’t absolutely distracting as a result.). I think it helps especially on this track he balances it out with a gritty snarl, especially during the Bridge and chorus that compliments the sound so very well. Also finding out he was the principal guitarist is also a bonus as if he was the one who decided on this guitar tune, he earns another fucking medal from me.

Even after my favorite songs passes, this Albums is stellar. Amazing Riffage on Songs like Riddle Master, and Especially Crystal Logic shows that this band knows what exactly they are going for and they are ready to unleash it to the masses….For The Most Part. This Album is great but it has it’s flaws. Specifically The overall Spacey Feel. I know they were heavily influenced by Space Rock, but Along with the production being a bit off for the style they are NOW playing, The Length of the songs can get a bit…off. Not that I am a stickler for shorter song lengths or anything, but a good riff only lasts as long as it does, and with songs like say… Dreams of Eschaton…This song length can be the entire DEATH of it. Which sadly also means the albums at least IMO does leave off on a anticlimactic note even with it’s epiloque track.

Fuck that though, because I loved everything else around this album, and I’ll gladly see what else I can see about this band in terms of history and albums of recommendation.

Psyched you dug it (for the most part)!!! I wrote this a couple of years back...

'83:8 Heavy Metal, Nuggets Style! Just... SOUTH OF THE DIAL!

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Crystal Logic by Manilla Road

In the late 60s, countless bands in america aped the sound of The British Invasion. They did it in their garages. They did it with more passion than talent most of the time and that was part of the charm. Fast forward a decade and the same thing was happening. This time the invasion from England was called the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and tons of American high schoolers once again took to their garages and made something slightly different than their inspiration. A little rawer, a little weirder, and way more primitive. And once again that was the charm. Of these countless regional oddities, Manilla Road are rightly considered one of the best along with other faves of mine, Armored Saint and Cirith Ungol. These bands were metal to the core but still melodic & catchy. The kind of bands that made you dream of a better radio. Just South of the dial.

Quote:

The second…well…we’ll get back into. Mostly because I both like what I hear on the album…but hate what it led to…Let’s just say Peer Pressure is a bitch.

Super curious! Def Leppard?!?! Think

Repo
BeA Sunflower

Location: Forest Park

Repo's Top FIFTEEN Metal Albums of 1983

15.

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Forged In Fire by Anvil

APT PUPILS
The Rise of Speed Metal

Speed Metal. As we’ve discussed earlier, the beginnings of Speed Metal started in the late 70s with Judas Priest (Stained Glass, Killing Machine & British Steel) and then got a steroid injection in 1981 from their apt pupils – Raven & Accept. The importance of Priest on this genre cannot be overstated and in a lot of ways their Painkiller album from 1990 could now be considered the platonic ideal of the entire Speed Metal scene! Meanwhile, back in 1981, both Raven and Accept released two speed metal landmarks with Rock Until You Drop (which has grown on me since I started this project! It’s important, fellas!) and Breaker respectively.

The next vital band in the genre were metal documentary stars and all-around good guys - Anvil. They released two crucial, if not quite seminal, albums in the early 80s with Metal on Metal and Forged In Fire. Metal on Metal was the second best Speed Metal album of 1982 (right behind Accept’s Restless & Wild) and thus a major influence on the burgeoning Thrash Metal scene. However, Forged in Fire saw Anvil taking a quantum leap in both songwriting and power (equivalent actually to the leap they took from their debut LP Hard ‘N’ Heavy (which is a really fun & dumb metal album btw!!!) to Metal On Metal. But I digress! Forged In Fire is definitely the pinnacle of their oeuvre. They would leap no further. Instead they would churn out consistently good Speed Metal albums to drink Molson Bradors and other cheap Canadien lagers to at the local pub for the rest of their lives. Which honestly is good enough for me! I ain't picky! EVERYTHING they recorded in the 80s is worth a listen BUT especially don't sleep on 1988's Pound For Pound! Fantastic stuff!

14.

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Heavy Metal Maniac by Exciter

Swiper, Stop Swiping

Well that didn’t take long. Anvil were quickly dethroned as the speed metal champs of the Great White North only a year into their reign. They gave it a good fight. Upping their own metal game with Forged In Fire but that was no match for Exciter. Many still consider Heavy Metal Maniac the quintessential speed metal album. The bench post by which all speed metal is gauged & tallied. It’s basic, brutal no holds barred metal with zero commercial aspirations. It is Priest and Maiden on steroids. All bulked out and full of brawn. You could even call it simple minded, but that would just make you a killjoy. A compact & tight brick of a band that just wanted to rock out, drink some beer and have fun. So not that far removed from Anvil! lol. Kind of makes me want to move to Canada (editor's note: Now more than ever! Brick wall

). The older I get, the more I appreciate that approach to life. Don’t over think things. Drink a few beers on a Saturday night with friends. And, of course, rock out!

13.

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Court In The Act by Satan (UK)

The Cusp
aka Damn those Bra Clasps!

You’re almost there. Your fumbling for the those impossible back clasps of her bra while also trying to get your own undies down. You can just about taste the deliciousness down under. You’re right there. At the cusp. In heavy metal history, this moment would be 1983. When the NWOBHM was transitioning into the Thrash that was promised to us just a few years back with Diamond Head and Angel Witch. The dates were paid for. The wine was drunk. And now you were on the couch. Kisses were no longer kisses. They were now dank & heady & dripping with the promise of sweet release.

Well no other album captures this metaphorical moment in metal history better than Satan's Court In The Act whose punny title gives you a hint of just how much their lead singer LOVES his Monty Python. Sure it's a bit clumsy and the songwriting is a tad embarrassing looking back, but damn, when you're at the nursing home many years hence this is the stuff that will have you laughing up nostalgia gems with the all the other geezers on the grass there next to ya.

The Verdict: K.K. Downing/Tipton(Priest). Murray/Smith(Maiden). And Ramsey/Tippins (Satan). These are the three best dual guitars of the NWOBHM. And for that reason alone, Court In The Act is worthy of worship. The guitar interplay of Ramsey & Tippins is downright drool worthy. While the song-writing takes it it down one notch from "Classic" status (a lot of this terrain was done better by Priest, Maiden, Diamond Head, Angel Witch & PLUS that very same year with Metallica's Kill 'Em All. Plus, the production is a mess. BUT, there's no way I cannot HIGHLY Recommend it. It's just one of those cusp records that perfectly captures 80s metal coming of age.

12.

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Fire In The Brain by Oz

Kill 'Em All's Finnish Doppelganger

Metallica's Kill 'Em All changed everything. NWOBHM was out. Old news. Yesterday's papers. Speed Metal was our new master. Thus hooked, we got our trusty ten speeds and dashed off to the nearest dealer of these newly discovered dark arts. Searching the racks for albums covers that looked evil enough. Fast enough.

Luckily, 1983 had a ton of other contenders (see Exciter, Anvil, Satan, and, of course, Slayer), But, NONE sounded as close to Kill 'Em All as Oz's Fire In The Brain. The guitar tone, production, sequencing, and even the song titles. It's essentially Kill 'Em All's European Doppelganger.

11.

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Born Again by Black Sabbath

The Mindfuck

You need to throw it away. <BURN IT!> All of it. All your preconceived notions of what Black Sabbath is & what they should be. Build yourself a little bonfire. I don't care where. <DO IT!> Set it ablaze. Get close and light a cigarette. <Just ONE won’t hurt,!>

Ok! RU READY? Because here. <RIGHT HERE!> IS the most dangerous Sabbath album of them all!!! A total straight-up fucking MINDFUCK.

to be continued...

Repo
BeA Sunflower

Location: Forest Park

Gowi wrote:

1983 was interesting for metal. We’re still picking things up and there are obviously important records here. Just for starters we have these things that have been talked to death:

Accept – Balls to the Wall

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Balls To The Wall by Accept

Great album! BUT, does anyone else have a soft spot for Russian Roulette from 1986? Think