HEADBANGERS HELL : My Favorites of 2015

[Vader]

ENSLAVED ~ IN TIMES



What can I say about Enslaved other then I absolutely friggin' dig this band. While some people seem to want to hold their apparent love for the Floyd and progressive rock against them I myself marvel at the smooth transitions, the interplay and the masterly meshing of the two musical styles : Progressive Rock & Black Metal : that unfold on so many Enslaved albums. In Times is no exception. In fact I can't get enough of this album .... the contrast between the harsh bitter Blackened soul that is Enslaved in their fury and the dreaming hopeful light of spirit that they beautifully convey in their gentler moments leaves me mesmerized and longing for more epic,sonic journeys.... many a time I have pushed play again right after the disk came to its conclusion. Masterful !!


My Rating : 10/10

 

[Vader]

IRON MAIDEN ~ BOOK OF SOULS




This Is an incredible Iron Maiden release that took me by total surprise. I admit to enjoying all of the Bruce Dickinson "comeback" albums to various degrees. I have not however been blown away like this by Maiden in quite sometime. I personally rate this mega 2 album extravaganza just behind their first 7 releases. IMO Maiden haven't created a grand opus on this scale since 7th Son. The Mighty Maiden indeed !!


My rating : 9.7/10

 

[Vader]

LUCIFER ~ LUCIFER I



Traditional Doom Amazingly fronted by female vocal phenomenon Johanna Sodonis (ex The Oath ) with influences of greats like Black Sabbath , Blue Oyster Cult , Pentagram with possibly even some 70s era Heart adding to the sonic palate. Old school and modern era combine to create something awesome . I love this album it has a 70s Hard Rock vibe yet is still heavy enough to be a metal album through and through and even though the musicality of the album is stallar it is Johanna who steals the spotlight with her soaring, soulful, haunting vocal performance.. The occult vibe ( also greatly due to Johanna ) weaves an element of mysticism and mystery that adds to the warmth & charm of this great album.


My rating : 9.5/10

 

[Vader]

KAMELOT ~ HAVEN





I've always been a big fan of Kamelot since I first discovered them when they released "The Fourth Legacy". Karma, The Black Halo, even Ghost Opera In fact all of the Kamelot discography have spent their time in my CD player but then things changed for me with Poetry For The Poisoned. I all but lost interest in Symphonic Metal after pretty much resigning myself to past fan status. Khans departure all but sealed it for me. So I was more then just pleasantly surprised with Silverthorn which I really like but not to the degree of the older material.

Haven has surpassed anything I could have hoped for .... the return to the dramatic, bombastic, emotional, dark, riff orientated Kamelot of my youth. This release is sure to get many more plays in the future. Kamelot when on do this style of music far better then anyone...Haven is spot on !


My Rating: 9.5/10

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Haven is right up there for me, as far as 2015 and in general. It surpassed Silverthorn as my 3rd favorite Kamelot album. Poetry For The Poisoned felt like it had no energy, maybe a sign Roy was ready to go.

Iron Maiden - The Book Of Souls (yet to order this one, but it'll happen soon. Heard enough to know it's a classic)
Xandria - Fire & Ashes (short but sweet, it should hold me till the next proper release)
Draconian - Sovran (just ordered the CD yesterday, but the tracks I've heard are freakin' awesome)

Draconian-Rivers Between Us

 

[Vader]

By the look of the cover and the title of this band and album I thought at first that this was going to be a Black Metal album. But what It actually Is a melodic Epic Doom album but alas fear not my metal brethren by melodic I don't mean to say that it lacks balls, edge or attitude.
In fact it has the bite of some poor soul recently infected with lycanthropy. It bites tears and rips in a very doomy , gloomy manner that only the eternally damned can . Sorrowful, damned and powerful !!! It at times reminds me of Tony Martian era Black Sabbath... at other times the vocals can recall RDJ ...but this is no clone. Its much more then that. Whatever else this is it is EPIC. Awesome and killer also come to mind. And I do mean dripping bloody claws level killer. I WANT MORE...

My Rating: 9.2/10

 

[Vader]

Saw these guys open for Motorhead on their Thieves tour. Mike Pike and company ripped it up. I was completely unaware of HOF at that time but that soon changed.
I'm sure just about anyone reading this list is quite aware of the furious, pounding, sonic assault that High On Fire subject their victims ears to.

Thrashy, sludgey, stoner doom is how I describe the noisey brash metallic thunder contained on this release. In other words things are still as they always were and hopefully always will be. This release is a bit more varied than their previous platters but it's still remains HOF to the bone ...which is a good thing....did I say good thing ? I meant a great thing. As usual High On Fire deliever the goods with gruff vocals, high octane, riffing intensity and machine gun bashing, rapid fire drumming...batton down the hatches and head for cover theres a hurricane a brewing.


My Rating: 9/10

 

[Vader]

I have seen people around the web saying that this album is a disappointment to them but to
each there own. Sure there are more laid back vocals on here then on some Manilla Road releases and a bit of acoustic guitar and so forth but I still hear a very talented Metal band who is maybe stretching their wings here and there.This is still a great Epic True Metal adventure from the master innovators of the sub genre. Manilla Road are an underground legend and one of my all time favorites.

I can deal with the thin production as my system is able to phatten up the sound to a proper Metal roar with a bit of adjustment and so it's not a problem for me. There is still a hellva lot of thunderous drum fills and shredding guitar licks that us Shark fans have grown accustomed to. And the songwriting is key for me ... Great group of songs.
Long live the Road may they travel ever on.


BTW, I am only rating the first disk as I never listen to disk two which was just an extras to my mind anyway.

My Rating : 8.8/10

 

[Vader]

A year full of old school surprises for me. John Bush gets pushed out of Anthrax and comes back ripping years later with Joey Vera and company with a ****ing vengeance. I wasn't really expecting much from Armored Saint at this point, TBH.

Their last album La Raza left me limp and drowsy. ..and that was like what .... a hundred years ago or more ? Oh yee of little faith, Armored Saint returns to form on this one and I had resigned not even to bother with this. One of my favorite and one the most underrated bands of the 80s
comes back kicking like a mule. Give me both hooves plz !!!

My Rating : 8.8/10

 

[Vader]

Ya yes, Marduk they of the Brutal Black War Metal..

I myself have been with Marduk off and on for nearly 20 years now. In fact, Marduk (along
with Dark Funeral & Enthroned ) Is the band that got me to let down my guard and get into the more Brutal raw aspects of Black Metal.Those Of The Unlight and the Legion era admittedly are my favorites and I may be a bit basis since the departure of Legion. I do own Plague Angel on vinyl ( dig it) but TBH I have basically ignored Marduk in the new era. I think all that is about to change....

This is a WWII based album that I feel really conveys the bloodly, horrific war in a dreary and dreadful yet highly entertaining manner. It's almost a guilty pleasure to be enjoying such an awful, gory, evil historical event in such an electricity charged ecstatic manner. The guitars cut like razor.sharp bayonet blades, the drums pound
like a mortar fire barrage from the fearsome ****'s themselves, while the vocals scream like both blood lust possessed demons on a mega-killing spree and the dying victims of their wrath. It made me grateful to be safely decades away from the
bloody era. This is what War Metal should be ....consider my interest in Marduk reinstated !!! Aaaarrrggghhhh !!!!

My Rating: 8.7/10