Morrigan: Diananns Whisper

The final album of German Black Metal act, Morrigan, appeared - after a lengthy delay - in 2013 via Undercover Records on both CD and vinyl: Diananns [sic] Whisper.  A romantic, mystical painting adorns the cover but the Gothic album title feels amateur in its superimposition.  The package is low-fi, kind of what you would expect from the underground anyway.  Moving on to the music...  The aggression is often left aside here in favour of a moody outing, more melodic in many ways, although very much rough around the edges.  This is in no way a polished piece of work, perhaps deliberately so.  The opening six minute composition, 'Shadowwanderer', is melancholic and slow, setting the tone for much of what's to come.  Clearer vocals are clumsy in sound, though suiting the desperate nature of the song itself.  Edging closer to a Black Metal rasp, the band veer into 'Bloodwidow', complete with not-quite-trademark backing vocals reminiscent of some of Quorthon's work of course.  A pleasing heavy vibe accompanies this track.

'Warbitch' (they do like their bitches...) picks up the pace to midway for a heavy metal/traditional Black Metal aura, raw instrumentation throughout, along with a distorted solo to boot.  The nicely titled 'Thy Nasty Reaper' follows this with a much thrashier mood, a bit of early Emperor going on to catch you off guard before the album slips sneakily into '13 Steps at Dawn', a ballad in essence that will make you weep at the pains of existence.  This is of course not the entire track, as it quickly becomes heavier with a Black Metal rasp once again, albeit maintaining its established core melody.  'The Gallic War' is more of the Morrigan same in terms of a bit epic with the choral underlayer going on.  'Maze of the Graves' is faster again, just as gears switch down for the best track of the album, 'The Singing Hangman', atmospheric and full of doom.  The frantic, schizophrenic title track and 'Dustdevils' close the album.

At fifty-five minutes I would say the album is too long, particularly as it doesn't really cover any new ground for the band (other than a higher volume of clean vocal implementation).  Whilst I do love some of Morrigan's material, they explored every ounce of the breadth of obvious limited possibilities across their seven album career.  They achieved some great results, maybe repeating too few themes too often.  Bathory were ever present as an influential spirit, and at least the German band appeared to wear this influence proudly.  It was a shame that they never reached the heights of the brilliant Headcult again.  Diananns Whisper itself was not quite the last we would hear of Morrigan, however.  They appeared in 2014 for a limited edition split vinyl with Blizzard, a German thrash band who are possibly more active than their colleagues.  Morrigan themselves have been seen in a live capacity as recently as 2017 to my knowledge, so there may be more to come from this slightly mysterious and dark two-man act after all.

Morrigan: The Damned

Just a year after putting out Welcome to Samhain Morrigan unleashed what I believe is the superior The Damned in 2007, once again via their regular label Undercover Records.  The album opens with an almost sedate, reasonably melodic 'Teutates Warcult' before ploughing into the Emperor-esque 'Innozenz the 3rd', a very Scandinavian feeling going on here which should please many Black Metal head, in particular the lengthy screams giving Isahn something to be jealous about!  'Guilty' contains some interesting riffs while not really going anywhere interesting, then the nicely titled 'Boiling Blood' again hints at Emperor during its more manic moments, mixing in some pleasing melodies along its frantic path forward.

The hefty title track is melancholic in a manner that Morrigan understand, delivering a aura of hopelessness throughout.  'Carnal Desire' sees Beliar doing his Isahn impression once again, though the music is more relaxed than something the Norwegian would have been involved with back in his revered band's early days.  'The Devil's Kiss' picks up the pace somewhat, feeling urgent and chaotic (in a good way), utilising some nifty riffing along the way.  Final slice of music here is 'Confession'; the longest track on the CD this one does threaten to conclude in a fairly ordinary fashion until it segues into a blast-filled section during its last stretch.

One aspect of The Damned that I find notable is that out of all of Morrigan's opuses, this is probably the one that veers away from the Bathory formula the most, although the influence is undoubtedly still there (indeed, by default if an artist is creating anything close to a conventional Black Metal record then he cannot help but demonstrate something of Bathory in there somewhere).  The Damned is a fairly solid, sonically consistent listening experience, professional in execution and illustrating comfort on the part of the two musicians involved.

Morrigan: Welcome to Samhain

In 2006 Morrigan released Welcome to Samhain via Undercover Records once again.  It was a CD that saw them settled into their acknowledged (to small numbers) Black Metal brand, whilst not at all continuing on the same evolutionary path established by the career-defining Headcult.  Instead it appears to pretend that album never even existed: speed generally gets notched up on Welcome..., the guitars are not as heavy, perhaps more traditionally Black Metal in tone, and the 'epicness' is dialled down to make way for an often more primitive experience.  An odd decision, I would have thought, in the trail of producing one's best creative work.

"Eye of Despair" harks back to the primordial aggression of Celts or its two ancestors, and generally points towards a much shorter song length on average than what Morrigan was otherwise becoming comfortable with prior to this point.  The subsequent track, the title piece, plays to the style that I would say was the Jekyll side of Morrigan's trademark - leisurely, melancholic, choral.  There's no doubting though that if Quorthon had never existed then neither would this (along with a slew of other classic bands and albums over the years!).  Bitches are also back on this CD, with 'Bastard and Bitch', an intense, wintry piece that must surely be aiming towards The Return in its aspirations, particularly if one reads the lyrics (the meaning of which I'm still unsure of, as much as I would like to shed explanatory light), while noisy interlude 'Cranking Battleships' is the sort of waste of space the listener is likely to only allow themselves to hear once.

'Life, Death, and the Hereafter' goes for the heaviness, sandwiched between a particularly pounding riff - this is also the longest piece on the disc.  'Believe in Eternity'  adopts a chaotic 'second wave' approach that reminds one of middle-era Immortal as they became particularly unpredictable for a while (and I guess before they sort of became a parody of themselves and the whole genre): there's a lot of screaming going on here!  'Armour of Honour' has plenty to keep speed fans happy, while 'Roaring Warlike and Victorious' is certainly not as pummelling as its title might suggest, taking on a laid back nature.  Concluding piece 'Poch Mo Hoine' (I'm not sure what this means) may remind one of the eponymous Bathory debut in all respects.

Most of the cuts on Welcome to Samhain are of a decent quality, although the listener here can't help but feel a little dissatisfied after the double whammy of Celts and Headcult, expectations possibly unfairly higher here.  I felt the same back in 2006 when I first heard it - it has grown on me a little over the years but will always be overshadowed slightly by what came before.

Morrigan: Headcult

Two years after Celts German Black/Epic Metal outfit (back to the twosome of Beliar and Balor following a brief period with a second guitarist) put out what I believe could be their most accomplished piece via Undercover Records in 2005, Headcult.  Whether it was a coincidence that their worshipped deity Bathory nearly twenty years before them also created their masterwork on their fourth outing is a coincidence or not I will leave other listeners to decide.

As on preceding offerings the album takes off with an atmospheric introduction, more potent than before: 'Morrigan's Flight Over Celtic Lands' (as opposed to Oden's ride over Nordland…) segueing into the band's longest track to date, the ten minute monster that is 'Crom Cruach'.  Featuring a great intro 'Where's Rainbows End' is up next, varying the pace in-track quite a lot until it seamlessly glides into what I consider to be the greatest track Morrigan ever recorded, the splendidly titled 'Bloody Blue Faces', driven by a great melody, clean vocals, and a brilliant central riff.  'They Can't Tame the Devil' is an easy going number, back to a Black Metal rasp albeit without aggression, this leading directly into the eight minute title track, a groove orientated, moody piece with both guys firing on all cylinders.  'Talisain' continues the trend of the album, heavy and epic, while 'Beyond the Convent' polishes things further until 'Spell of the Mountain King' tests the patience a little too much as it never really gets going - a shame to conclude such a great album with quite a boring piece.

Headcult eschewed the manic nature of the preceding three albums by avoiding speed pretty much altogether (as Quorthon did with Hammerheart), and there don't seem to be any bitches either...  You're granted with a strong guitar sound throughout, restrained but energetic drumming from Balor, and a more mature approach to the song-writing itself.  It kind of feels like a Viking Metal album more so than Black Metal, although I don't think these Germans really took on the Viking persona at all, veering more so towards fantasy and paganism.  If you have a fondness for the likes of Hammerheart, Twilight of the Gods, and possibly Nordland 1/2, there's a sound chance you'll dig Headcult.

Morrigan: Celts

Morrigan's third album, dating to a 2003 release, just a year after their second platter, opens with atmospheric chanting melancholia, exuding feelings that resemble the resignation of oneself to battle, or perhaps the battle of life itself.  It progresses to the aptly titled 'Giants of Stone', the longest slice of music they had taken on at that point, slow-paced in the mould of something that could almost have appeared on Bathory's Twilight of the Gods album and complete with a fantastic solo that is at once clumsy and emotive.  But Celts may lull the listener into a false sense of comfort, because immediately following is the vicious 'Warstained Iron', re-asserting the Morrigan trend of alternating slow pieces with faster, more violent compositions.

'Mists of Mag Oa Cheo' is further down the trail, mid-paced Black Metal with an epic feel, after which 'Reappearance' delivers more of the same (suffixed with a doomy Quorthon-esque finale).  'Through the Halls of Ice' takes things down a gear or two.  'Staring in the Eyes of Cruchullain' is one of the best tracks on the album, a grinding riff, periodically overlaid acoustics, choral backing vocals, a Hammerheart feel throughout (albeit with the trademark Beliar rasp leading the vocals).  The heaviness and raw grind of the guitars, particularly evident in 'Staring...', I think may have been crafted with the addition of a second guitarist - Baldur (Tobias Fafner) - here, although this was unfortunately the only Morrigan album he would appear on.  'Era Reiks Formore' picks up the aggression once again, with a cool mid-paced middle section.  Whilst not bad as such, chaos-infused 'Cursing the Beheaded' is probably my least favourite on the CD, although it does begin with a strong two minute doom-laden intro demonstrating orchestral leanings before the raw thrash metal assault of the main track.  'Dance of the Leprechauns' is the crown of the platter, a middle-gear fantasy epic which also happens to be ever so slightly folky.  The final proper slice of music continues another Morrigan tradition of creatively using the word 'bitch' somewhere in a title, the sexy and slightly speedy 'Bitchcraft' taking place before Celts finishes as it started with an instrumental outro that finally allows the bludgeoned listener to relax.

A later reissue of the CD by Undercover Records included the excellent 'Dead Forever' as a welcome bonus, a track that Morrigan completed for a 2004 split single with Greek underground Black Metal outfit Nocturnity providing their example for side B.  This is the version of Celts that I own, the cover (pictured) differing in design compared to the original release.

At sixty five minutes (not counting the bonus track, which notches it to seventy two) I would say the album is too long for such an intense experience, and if I had a choice I would have excised 'Cursing the Beheaded' and possibly 'Era Reiks Formore', not because they are bad tracks at all, rather because it would have tightened Celts somewhat - few albums sustain over an hour of music without getting a bit much to sit through in one go.  That, however, is my only real complaint.  Celts is otherwise my second favourite outing of Morrigan, one where they stepped a little away from being mere Bathory clones towards embellishing that classic influence with their own personality to a greater extent.  A solid album, one which Black Metal fans should seek out one way or another.

Morrigan: Enter the Sea of Flames

For their second album, Enter the Sea of Flames, appearing a mere year following the debut (Plague, Waste and Death), Morrigan felt a little tighter, doing more interesting things with the sound rather than simply writing an aural love letter to Bathory.  Although without a doubt that influence is strongly present on Enter... as it would be throughout Morrigan's career.

After an effects-laden intro we get the groove-driven, slow paced 'Beyond the Green Hills', again featuring a really chunky guitar sound similar to the debut.  This one delivers some clean backing vocals that will once again remind the listener of some of those Quorthon utilised.  Speed is picked up substantially for 'Thy Armageddon', complete with mid-paced interlude and a pummelling finale.  Next things notch down a couple of gears again to bring to mind Hammerheart with 'Thy Ravens Lay', which is good stuff aside from being possibly a tad long.  (Trivia note: as singer Beliar closes the track you would swear it was Quorthon behind the mic...)  Morrigan evidently loved incorporating 'bitch' into their song titles, as can be seen again with mid-to-faster paced 'Come on, Bitch, Be My Victim'.  We are back in Hammerheart territory when 'To Honour the Brave' arrives, then the pace shifts upwards again as 'In Cold Blood' rips your face off, complete with an Under the Sign... style of solo and a 'Pace Til Death' vibe throughout.  'Anam Cara' is epically melancholic prior to the manic album closer and title track.

If there's one criticism I would level at Enter... it's that it can come across as slightly repetitive, although that has less to do with the frequently changing pace of the songs and more to do with the samey guitar tone across most of the album.  It is quite a decent listen and grew on me over a period of a few months (initial reaction wasn't one of astonishment), proving to be a worthy follow-up to Plague, Waste and Death, though better was to come.

Morrigan: Plague, Waste and Death

Morrigan rose sneakily from the ashes of Mayhemic Truth near the turn of the millennium, producing Plague, Waste and Death as their first official album, although when I say official you must remember that Morrigan have always retained the heart of the underground.  They've never scaled to the status of acquiring what you would call a known record label behind them, which is a shame because they've always struck me as a strong, moderately distinctive (despite the influences - see below) Black Metal act, and I enjoy much of what they've output - I feel that with an organisation such as Nuclear Blast or Season of Mist behind them the German outfit could have achieved more.

I've collected all of their albums over the years, some of them not easy to come by - Plague... is my final purchase and completes my collection.  It demonstrates the heavier side of Black Metal, with a solid guitar sound layered with typically rasping vocals.  Since first reading about them some years ago I have been aware that Morrigan are heavily influenced by Bathory, a fact that clearly manifests itself numerous times across their catalogue.  What surprised me about Plague... is just how bloody in-your-face that influence is!  Many of the tracks are a bizarrely close mix of the masterpiece that is Blood, Fire, Death and Black Metal landmark The Return.  For primary example, 'The Arrival of Dana' veers almost too close for comfort between 'A Fine Day to Die' and 'Blood Fire Death' (the title track of the 1988 album), to a point where the musicians must surely have accidentally gotten themselves a bit mixed up during rehearsals.  'Arrival of Dana' is, to be fair, credited as a salute to Quorthon in the liner notes, and having said all that the very reason I got into Morrigan in the first place was because they kind of filled the gap left by Quorthon's unfortunately premature death.

Elsewhere, the face-ripping opening/title track displays echoes of 'Pace Til Death'; the fantastically titled 'This Bitch Will Burn at Night' has shades of 'Born for Burning' of course; 'In Memoriam' will not fail to remind fondly of 'Reap of Evil's infamous demon-speak sequence; 'Straight War' must surely be inspired by 'Dies Irae'; while 'Requiem' has, with its change of pace, more of a Hammerheart vibe.  Aside from a 'Raining Blood'-esque riff 'Ashes to Ashes' edges a bit more towards some of the ripping Under the Sign... material before the album closes with slower 'Where the Angels Keep Silence', again glancing in the general direction of Hammerheart - get the idea?

Are/were Morrigan a carbon copy of Bathory?  To some extent, and on occasions, resoundingly yes!  Having said that their own character shone through during their seven album (not including Mayhemic Truth) career.  And anyway, reasonably effectively aping Bathory in a world sadly missing Quorthon is not necessarily a bad thing for this fan, even if they could never quite match the sheer power of the Swede in his prime.

Raventale: On A Crystal Swing

Raventale are a band (primarily consisting of Astaroth Merc) from the Ukraine that I serendipitously stumbled across a few months ago, getting into their quite brilliant Dark Substance of Dharma album very quickly.  The particular disc under review here is a reissue of their very first album On A Crystal Swing (to give it the English translation - the actual original language title is На хрустальных качелях), whose recording dates back to 2006.  The reissue, which I've listened to quite a few times now, also contains three demo tracks from 2005.  Stylistically On A Crystal Swing is not hugely different to their more recent aforementioned album, but there is more of an emphasis on a doom-like atmosphere.

Opening with a majestic intro, which begins with the sound of ravens naturally, we are soon drifting into the fairly strong Огнём кромсая небеса, a keyboard driven, black metal odyssey of sorts.  Then the album's longest piece Серой тоской пораскинулся лес, which I have mixed feelings about.  On one hand there are some incredibly powerful segments that pull at the soul with a might not often heard in music, however... the main sequence is repeated so much that it actually drains the power out of it.  At 13 minutes 39 seconds, most of which is repetitive, it becomes way too long.  Hence on current listens I tend to switch forward at about the seven-minute mark.  It's a shame because, as I say, there is some stupendously tormenting material built into this track.

The next track, Небес смолистая чернь, is probably my favourite, again with doom-laden vocals, a beautiful keyboard-constructed string effect overlays majestic guitar riffs against a mid to slow paced rhythm section.  After that is a two-minute break from power chords in the shape of Дождя колыбель, which is a piano instrumental piece again backed by a string effect.  That leads nicely into the solid nine-minute closer, На хрустальных качелях.  As mentioned above, the reissue (pictured) contains three additional tracks at the end, which were not present on the now out-of-print former edition.  These are basically variants (shorter too) of the tracks I've talked about above, and interesting enough in their own right to warrant a place on the collector's shelves.

Whilst not a supreme listen overall, the album strikes me as a very strong debut, symbolising what was to come.  I've since bought all of the Raventale albums, mostly released by underground label Solitude Productions (although this particular one is by Bloodred Distribution).  My intention is to cover all of them over time; in the meantime I'm hoping more music fans discover the skilled beauty of Raventale's refined brand of black metal.

Raventale: Dark Substance of Dharma

I stumbled across Raventale quite by accident recently, whilst browsing Spotify.  I tend to have a trawl through random tracks occasionally in the hope of discovering something great that I've not heard of before, although this is with the intention of buying if I actually like something rather than taking something for nothing (I'm one of those old fashioned individuals who is willing to actually contribute something to an artist who creates work that I'm happy to enjoy...).  Anyway, there was this, which I expected little from given the overwhelming mass of largely derivative Black Metal acts that have appeared over the last quarter of a century.  To be fair to them it's quite difficult not to be derivative if you're a Black Metal act because the genre operates within very narrow parameters by its own definitions and principles.  Raventale, however, somehow managed to catch my attention.  So I bought the CD, Dark Substance of Dharma, which they released in 2015.  It's available to download also (legally) but admittedly I did find the CD very difficult to get hold of, something that adds to its esoteric, underground nature for me, but surely wouldn't do sales much good (this Ukraine act has been going a number of years with plenty of albums behind them it turns out, so I think some improved marketing should be on the cards personally).

Opening track Intra-Mantra is a moody introduction that leads directly into the positively explosive and epic Destroying the Seeds of Karma, I think the track that grabbed me when I initially stumbled on them online.  But this album is no one-hit wonder - the track is immediately followed by the groove-filled riffs of the title track, nicely progressing into some very speedy and again epic metal to monumental effect - between them those two tracks run to over fifteen minutes, but their combined beauty never gets boring.  Following that is the shorter, more chaotic and aggressive Kali's Hunger.  Then we are treated to the unusual Red Laugh's Walking, again a shorter track (this is not a band who creates long, repetitive songs just for the sake of it - looking at you, Maiden and Exodus!) with some urgent riffing mixed in with more mellow segments.  Next up is I am the Black Tara, again returning to epic, fast-paced material with a distinctive melodic edge.  Raventale keep things interesting with tempo changes and a creative drive alongside pleasingly solid production.  ...Black Tara also features quite a beautiful mellow piece of clean guitar giving away hints of Bathory's range of Black and Viking Metal over the years.  The Hecate Enthroned feel is evident on this album, with echoes of the better tracks from Slaughter of Innocence, albeit with a heavier production (something I always thought that album could have benefitted from).  ...Dharma leaves the listener with Last Moon Fermata, a mid-paced closer with some chunky riffs.

I don't frequently buy Black Metal albums these days, even though the genre was a big part of my music history and enjoyment, getting into Bathory early on, then the so-called 2nd wave when all that kicked off at the beginning of the 90s, but I tend to reserve the buying nowadays for stuff that's a bit special.  This is really because there's far too much similar material out there to have hundreds of discs and remain interested.  Raventale is an act that's refreshed my interest and I've listened to this album quite a few times now - thoroughly enjoying its twists, turns, and perceptive approach to Black Metal.  I'm now looking into buying their entire back catalogue (they've released seven albums including this one!).

Anihilated: Created in Hate

1988 was an incredible year for thrash, with essentials being produced by Slayer, Metallica, Artch, Bathory, Holy Terror, Megadeth, Testament as well as a slew of other bands springing up across the globe.  Oddly, almost as soon as its popularity peaked, so did the genre virtually wane and die.  Thankfully the millennium brought with it revived interest and it seems as alive today as it ever was.  Arising from punk origins Anihilated were one of the virtually underground groups that chugged along in the background at the time, and Created in Hate was something I stumbled across on vinyl on one of my many record-store trips back in the day.   Sometimes cheesy, its groovy heaviness was unexpectedly addictive, and I'm pleased that Marquee Records in Brazil have in recent years remastered it for a special CD release.

The music is heavy with a 'bassy' guitar sound and has a distinctness that is refreshing; overall I'm pleased with the audio performance of the remaster.  There's a myriad of fantastic riffs on this disc, songs like Slaughter, and Anihilated exhibit a bucketful of great ideas - for something that on the surface may sound a touch corny and derivative, the album is in reality brimming with delights.  I also appreciate the fact that the song structures vary from the boring and conventional verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus tradition that all too many bands adopt, particularly in today's risk-aversive times.

It's pleasing that the booklet contains both the lyrics and an essay about the band in addition to Created in Hate's inception, helping to put the whole thing into a context that remained unknown for years to me.  The original track list is also suffixed with four additional live tracks.  If you have an interest in 80s thrash at all then this may well prove to be a nice buy for you.  The band also seem to be still going strong, which is great news.

My personal opinion of each track from the original album:
Chase the Dragon **
Slaughter ****
Power is the Path ***
Anihilated ****
Final Dawn ***
Nitemare (instrumental) ***
Aftermath ****
The Seventh Vial ***

Bonus tracks on the CD are live versions of  Slaughter, Final Dawn, Seventh Vial, and Nitemare.

Paradise Lost: Tragic Idol

Sometime around Draconian Times (1995) I'm sad to say I pretty much gave up on the almighty British doom institution that is Paradise Lost, having been into their stuff since Gothic.  Unlike just about everybody else I thought the Draconian album was 'okay' rather than show-stopping, although it did sort of stop the show for me and PL.  I did pick up the One Second album and liked it, but Host left me cold and I stopped buying, even despite them wandering back to metal territory years later.  That changed of recent when I heard a track or two from the latest release Tragic Idol, and took the risk in ordering it.  I've listened to it ten or eleven times now (I think that should be the minimum before anybody passes an opinion on an album, unless it's pop and requires no effort whatsoever to love/hate depending on your propensities).  Some say it's the best disc since Draconian Times, well sod that: this is the best disc since Icon!  Starting off with a doomier cut than you might expect from the boys who once became electro, the album picks up pace with the rather good 'Crucify', moving on to a consistently excellent run of tracks from 'Honesty in Death' through to and including 'Worth Fighting For', with the best on the album being 'Theories...', 'In This We Dwell', 'To The Darkness' (complete with a wonderful guitar solo), and the title track itself.  With a heavy guitar sound reminiscent of the Icon/Draconian period (and Nick Holmes vocals similarly following suit) this is really great stuff from one of Britain's most respectable bands.  For the record my preferred album of theirs is Shades of God so you could guess I do favour the heavier material, but as I say I was open minded enough to accept One Second.  With Tragic Idol you can consider me a fan once again.  I picked up the more expensive CD release by the way, which essentially is much flashier packaging, and the one PL fans themselves would want, whereas more casual buyers will go for the cheaper jewel case edition (or download if you have an aversion to dusting).

Testament - Complete Studio Albums Review

Hailing from the famed Bay Area of California in the mid eighties, Testament originally spawned from Hell's depths as 'The Legacy' before the superior name was selected. They also had a couple of different vocalists before Chuck Billy joined - one being Steve Souza, who later went on to grace most of the Exodus albums with his Bon-Scott-Meets-Thrash take on vocals. Of course Billy's voice has become a symbol of the band having been present on every album, and one of the most distinctive in metal - I haven't heard anyone else who sounds like him, whether he's yelling, growling, or singing (depening on which track you're listening to). The other consistent factor in Testament has been Eric Peterson, who I feel is somewhat underrated despite being one of the best riff-writers on the scene, someone who can write powerful metal whilst periodically and selectively combining elements of great melody (he's also been the driving force behind black metal/thrash band DragonLord). Having established themselves within a few albums as one of the most respected bands in thrash, the band survived the difficult nineties period as thrash effectively died (albeit temporarily) by exploring various horizons within the 'confines' (term used very loosely) of metal. There was a painfully long break from studio recording between 1999 until 2008 (although they remained hard workers on the live circuits), bouts of people coming and going from the group, and cancer (which Billy thankfully survived), but - with a new album (Dark Roots of Earth) on the way in the next few months - on they battle carrying the flag of thrash on deservedly proud shoulders.

The Legacy (1987) Opting for a reflection of their origins in the album's title, their debut is a great example of thrash in its peak - aggressive, almost messy riffing accompanied by Chuck Billy's near yelling style creates a maelstrom of violent aural pleasure. Relatively short and sweet (unlike many of today's mammoth running times) the album has a consistent quality that makes it a great listen. Aside from the inherent aggression though was a notable level of occasionally surprising melody injected here and there, adding a little variety and suggesting there was more to the band than many thrash acts at the time. Testament had announced their arrival on the scene and their debut disc remains an enjoyable listen to this day, and a fine example of what was happening in metal at the time (i.e. thrash ruled). Highlights include the immortal 'Apocalyptic City', and the explosive opener 'Over The Wall'.

The New Order (1988) Sparing little time to relax the second album follows neatly in the pawprints of the first, boasting a similar sound though possibly more refined this time around. Again the disc grants listeners a consistent thrash assault, with breathers in periodic instrumental sections that celebrate the weird, though these bits don't entirely work in my opinion. Nevertheless, The New Order again gave us many bonafide Testament classic tracks and another great album. By this point their reputation was cemented and if I recall correctly I think this also may have been the era when the press considered the band to be a contender for expanding the 'Big Four' to 'Five', something that never officially happened for whatever that's worth (well they could have been on that recent Big Four tour for one thing, but that's another story). One surprising cover appearing on the CD that was not on the original vinyl is a groovy version of 'Nobody's Fault' originally penned by Aerosmith. Highlights of the second album include almost every track, but if I had to pick it would be 'Trial By Fire', the no-sh*t stormer 'Into The Pit', and the double attack of 'Disciples of the Watch' and 'The Preacher'. One can't f**k with stuff this good.

Practice What You Preach (1989) Shifting gear somewhat the third album is generally quite slower than the preceding two, with a quieter guitar sound and groove replacing aggression. I still have mixed feelings about this approach to this day, but admittedly it's a fairly enjoyable listen. It also introduced the idea of Testament expanding the boundaries of thrash metal (as had Metallica) with softer material, most notably 'The Ballad': corny title but nice combination of melody and mounting pace nonetheless. Testament were clearly not a band who were going to leave the goal posts in the same place for every release. Highlights include the aforementioned 'The Ballad', the title track, and 'Envy Life'.

Souls of Black (1990) Refusing to reduce their non-stop work ethic (four albums in four years in unheard of nowadays) the band pumped out their fourth outing just as they were supporting the now legendary 'Clash of the Titans' tour with Slayer and Megadeth (plus Suicidal Tendencies opening the show), a spectacle I had the privilege of witnessing at Birmingham's NEC at the time. Ironically as thrash had reached its peak, the show also unwittingly symbolised the end of an era as the whole scene began a slide into decline. Souls of Black seems to divide fans - I personally love the loud, raw guitar sound, however, the material is admittedly less consistent than before (probably a symptom of them having to push this release out too quickly for its own good). Great tracks are broken up with misfires such as the title track, the album intro, and 'Absence of Light', but there is worthy material here even if the album has possibly not worn as well as the first few. Highlights include 'Seven Days of May', 'The Legacy' and 'Falling Fast'.

The Ritual (1992) At last giving themselves a bit more a break I think the band had time to reflect on direction as thrash was dying in the early nineties. What they returned with was a metal album less agressive, more polished, and possibly more skillfully executed. Many of the tracks have a great drum pace and the production overall is pleasing. Continuing with the idea of putting 'ballads' on their albums there is also the stellar 'Return to Serenity', which works well. The Ritual is a great album that often gets forgotten about as people are more inclined to remember the first few, and arguably this is one of their best. Highlights include 'Electric Crown', 'Return to Serenity', the pounding 'Agony', and the head-banging 'Let Go of My World'.

Low (1994) Hardening the music up a notch Low is a lovely album of well produced metal with an awesome guitar sound and some brilliant slices of music, again one of their best albums in my opinion. Testament managed to keep their 'legacy' (sorry) alive during the nineties with quality metal that kept their fanbase interested, proving that they didn't need 'thrash' itself (as a sub-genre) to be particularly thriving for them to survive. Ending with the unnecessary 'Last Call' there are plenty of pounding tracks to delight in on Low including the brash opening title piece, the sharp riff machine that is 'Hail Mary', 'P.C.' and the face ripping 'Ride'.

Demonic (1997) Unpredictably their '97 album opened with the near death metal-sounding 'Demonic Refusal', with growling vocals from Chuck Billy as if he was getting some long term hatred out of his system. However, the more downbeat direction of the album is less convincing and it seemed as if they were trying to be something else, possibly tapping into other metal territories in a bid to maintain credibility. It wasn't necessary for a band such as this, and whilst Demonic isn't a bad record it is, in my opinion, the least satisfying of everything the band have done to date - this is the album I'm least likely to revisit when picking a Testament CD to indulge. Highlights would include the aforementioned opener, along with 'Hatreds Rise'.

The Gathering (1999) Back to the Testament we know from the Low era though having the traces of occasional death metal leanings left in their blood, The Gathering featured a few personnel changes that resulted in a tight thrash offering, this being in no small measure due to the presence of one Dave Lombardo on drums, probably the best drummer in thrash. Having seemingly found solid ground and the sound which suits them most, it would unfortunately be a very long time before Testament were back in the studio for a proper album, though they did re-record some of their earlier tracks for a minor release (First Strike Still Deadly) to break up the time. Aside from a bit of a dull lag during the second half this is another strong disc from the Bay Area lads. Highlights of The Gathering include 'True Believer' and the brutal monster that is 'Legions of the Dead'.

The Formation of Damnation (2008) After the longest break of their career (though they were still touring as noted above) I thought we had seen the last of Testament studio albums, hypothesising that the band had used up all of their worthwhile ideas over the course of their first eight albums. Then Formation... appeared and all was well with the world again. Almost something of a reunion album it picked up most of the 'classic' members of the band from the earlier years to create the traditional Testament that we came to love; Formation... doesn't disappoint, though it certainly doesn't surprise either. What we get is a solid album of formidable, well executed thrash metal, not outstaying its welcome while proving that this band are still relevant and unique in sound. Highlights include the triple attack of 'More Than Meets The Eye', 'The Evil Has Landed' and the title track. Hopes are high for their next outing.

Bathory - Complete Studio Albums Review

In the early eighties it seems that metal musicians were keen to dip their toes into uncharted waters, and metal fans were clearly keen to listen. We'd already seen the New Wave of British Heavy Metal take on world domination and thrash metal was kicking off to become pretty big by the end of the decade, while death metal itself was just around the corner with the likes of Death, Onslaught, et al. Somewhere in the dark depths of Sweden (actually, Stockholm) a lover of punk and metal decided to try his hand at putting together his own rough and ready form of metal: an ingenious mix of punk and the likes of Motorhead, wrapped up with the darker ambience of Black Sabbath alongside the theatrical sensibilities (to an extent) of Kiss. Adopting a stage name that would be with with him for the rest of his life, 'Quorthon' created Bathory and recorded a handful of tracks that got him noticed in the fledgling Swedish metal scene, landing the band an appearance on the Scandinavian Metal Attack compilation with 'Sacrifice' and 'The Return of Darkness and Evil'. Immediately attracting attention of open-minded fans due to the innately evil sound of the material and its then innovative approach to metal, Bathory received the opportunity to record their first full length album.

Bathory (1984) Utilising a dirty and rough-around-the-edges sound and recorded for a few hundred pounds, the debut album would inadvertently define an entire genre. 'Black Metal' had already been a term coined before, most notably across the cover of the Venom album of the same name, but the nasty sound of the eponymous first album would become the blueprint for similarly minded bands (Scandinavian and otherwise) years later when the scene really kicked off in the nineties as thrash became less fashionable - the animalistic vocal style was something pretty fresh, and the guitar sound uncannily raw. What was once a harsh listen doesn't sound so unapproachable nowadays as bands have become faster and more extreme right up to ridiculous horizons. There is a consistent quality to the songs - a simplistic structure exuding an air of the occult (something Quorthon would later distance himself from). Guitars are tinny, drums grate on the ears a little, but the production accidentally became successful in its representation of something altogether more nasty than anything thrash really had to offer at the time. Highlights include 'Raise the Dead', 'Armageddon' and 'In Conspiracy With Satan'. The basic but sinister album cover artwork became an emblem for the band from this point onwards.

The Return (1985) The guitars became noticeably heavier with the second album, though drum pace - while slightly faster overall - was still a bit shaky. Lyrics were sadistic and the album truly took the occult feel of the first album to darker territory, earning the band wider recognition. I use the term 'band' quite loosely, because it was never clear album to album actually who else Quorthon had working with him. Guitars, vocals and songwriting was always his area exclusively, and the impression is that bassists/drummers came and went along the years (only a couple of times being listed in album credits) until it seemed he was doing pretty much everything himself. One person that was synonymous with the band right from the first album was Quorthon's father, who also adopted a nickname - Boss. He was involved in production duties on most of the albums, and helped the main man refine his vision. Highlights from The Return include the groove-laden 'Born For Burning' and the nasty-as-hell 'Reap of Evil', which features a section that to this day sends a chill through my blood. Back in 1985 the LP was one of the most evil sounding things on the planet.

Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1986) At this point Quorthon was creating an altogether more professional sound and beginning to use synthesisers to enhance the effect, again something as a record that fits quite nicely in the evolution of black metal as a genre. The fast tracks were getting really fast, but the man was also discovering something that would take on more of a presence later on - the slower, more epic material. Vocals were positively inhuman and this stuff was still exceptionally focussed on Satanic atmosphere and extremity of sound. Highlights include the face-ripping 'Equimanthorn', and the horror-movie-like 'Call From The Grave'. It's worth noting here that most of the albums would conclude with a short piece that symbolised the band crawling back into the caves until the next time around - it became iconic for Bathory generally and reassurance that we would have more to come, until (ironically, as it was used again) the final album of course.

Blood Fire Death (1988) The fourth album is significant, both in terms of the band's career, and for metal generally in my opinion. Taking the black metal elements of the first three albums, utilising injections of the more epic side that Quorthon had discovered with 'Enter the Eternal Fire' on Under the Sign..., and combining them with a slightly (I do mean slightly) more accessible thrash metal assault, Blood Fire Death Quorthon's vocals still mean but more natural this time around. The brutal triple attack that follows laid down some of the finest material in speed metal before or since, 'Holocaust' in particular boasting one of the most aggressive and hate-filled riffs ever. Slowing down again for the history lesson 'For All Those Who Died' (about witch-burnings), riffing is again quite monumental. The final fast track of the album leads into the most epic track of Bathory's career at that point - the title track. The label at the time (Under One Flag) recognised a special record here and released Blood Fire Death as a gatefold LP, the interior heralding a photograph of the band for the first time, standing in the Swedish forests brandishing swords, the infamously tall Quorthon towering above his colleagues. Highlights include 'Golden Walls of Heaven', 'A Fine Day to Die', and 'Holocaust', along with pretty much everything else (except the odd lyrical turn of 'Pace Til Death') on this wonderful platter.

Hammerheart (1990) Just as Quorthon had defined a genre with the first few albums, he did so again with the fifth and sixth releases. It wasn't apparent at the time, but what comprised Hammerheart would form the beginnings of what would become known as viking metal (although there are traces further back than this, notably in the likes of Manowar's chest-beating traditional heavy metal). Again, boasting stunning cover imagery from a classic painting that Quorthon had seen in the Manchester City art gallery, the vinyl record (now on the Noise label as sales had been going up) was also a majestic gatefold - this time with no band photograph (the main man later reported that this was not something he was in favour of anyway, more so an idea pushed forward by the record label at the time). For the first time the music was slowed down throughout, and pretty heavy - the epic feel of the last album's title track was taken through its logical evolution here, and any Satanic lyrics were replaced by a celebration of what once was Viking culture before the invasion of other religions turned most of the western world into what we know today. Vocal style again shifted further toward a more natural edge, at one point Quorthon singing completely clean for 'Song to Hall up High' (whilst still slightly rough around the edges, there was clearly great potential for the man as a vocalist that would only infrequently manifest itself later on unfortunately). The album represents one of the pinnacles of the band's career; highlights include 'Home of Once Brave' and 'Shores in Flames', though this is generally a great listen throughout.

Twilight of the Gods (1991) Taking the viking metal idea onwards to what he thought would be the conclusion of the band, this album is similarly heavy for the most part, the guitars less raw, and vocals much more clean throughout. There is also more acoustic work and Quorthon demonstrated quite a gift for this technique on the opening title track alongside 'Blood And Iron', with long passages of near classical material. Album track lengths had reached their zenith too, with the title track hitting a whopping fourteen minutes, though variable enough to remain interesting. Quorthon's new vocal style proved to be somewhat schizophrenic, deep and stirring on some tracks, elsewhere it wavers into tonal mess - quite odd and a factor that would plague much of what came afterwards. There are some brilliant melodies and riffs on the album, resulting in something of a (very) flawed masterpiece. Putting a cease on the band there was no traditional outro here, but fan interest would eventually bring Quorthon back into the studio a few years later. Highlights in include the title track and 'Blood and Iron'.

Requiem (1994) Deliberately stripping things down to 'basics' Requiem is nothing like the preceding two albums - aggressive, fast, lyrically very nasty indeed, this is an idiosyncratic combination of black, death and thrash metal. Plus, back to nasty vocals that are generally effective. Running not much more than half an hour, this was a disappointing album at the time, not least because the packaging was lacklustre (no lyrics or anything), but has since grown on me to become an enjoyable listen. Highlights include the grinding closer 'Apocalypse', the killer beat-driven 'Suffocate' and the heavy as f**k 'War Machine'.

Octagon (1995) Again angry and lyrically intense, Octagon is a mean, heavy thrash attack that unfortunately doesn't work for enough of the relatively short running time. Clearly Quorthon wanted rawness on Octagon but it sounds messy, and vocally it is a bumpy ride to say the least. Aside from a handful of tracks this was the first Bathory album that I could say that I didn't actually like very much at all. However, there are some highlights, and they include the violent 'Psychopath', the pounding 'War Supply', and 'Born to Die'. The album finishes interestingly with a decent cover of one of Quorthon's favourite bands (Kiss).

Blood on Ice (1996) Back in the eighties when Quorthon was still producing black metal classics he simultaneously began work on a more epic record in the vein of what would become Hammerheart and Twilight... At the time he felt it was an unsuitable follow up to the likes of Under the Sign and Blood Fire Death and so shelved it. Given the popularity of the aforementioned fifth and sixth records he went back and finished the viking metal album that also happened to be concept orientated - a Conan-esque story of a warrior's bloody adventure. A little cliched nowadays the album nevertheless has some brilliant music on it, including clean vocals, acoustic sections and accessible melodies alongside the choral-like backing tracks that Quorthon had developed a feel for back on the fourth album. Epic it is, although its final act consists of a couple of embarrassing tracks that bring down the overall impact of the record as a whole. Ignoring the last couple of tracks (which I usually do by omitting altogether) this is a good album. Highlights include 'The Sword', 'The Stallion', 'The Woodwoman' and 'The Lake', forming together an excellent centre section. Quorthon opted to include a lengthy history of the band in the liner notes and actually attracted unwanted attention as a result, many fans actually preferring the mystique that had exuded from Bathory since the early days.

Destroyer of Worlds (1999) The wait for the next Bathory album at the time seemed like absolutely forever - nowadays three years seems nothing when we're used to picking up Metallica albums every five years or so. In the meantime a couple of releases were announced but never materialised (for example, Nemesis, which was most likely just retitled for this release rather than dropped altogether). The wait, unfortunately, was not worth it. Destroyer... is in my opinion the nadir of the band's career, being a wayward hodgepodge of reasonable ideas and those that bomb completely. Vocal delivery is again very mixed here, risible almost throughout. For every decent track, there is one that stinks, as much as I hate to say it. Highlights there are though, and these include 'Ode', 'Lake of Fire', the heavy and raw 'Bleeding', plus the title track itself is not bad. Lyrically the album is more concerned with social and politic topics. Destroyer... would have been a terrible conclusion for the band, however, things were about to pick up in an unprecedented manner.

Nordland (2002) Unexpected was a return to viking metal, and not only that (after a few misfires preceding it) was the fact that it was a brilliant return to viking metal! Opening intro and title track are plodding and didn't initially show massive hope, but following that is a surprisingly rousing combination of the melodic, the acoustic, and the heavy, supported by the main man's clean vocal style throughout most of the tracks and all wrapped up in classic viking atmosphere. A fast piece ('Broken Sword') keeps things interesting too. Nordland is up there with the best Bathory albums, and an enticing listen to this day. Highlights include the stunning 'Foreverdark Woods', where Quorthon did his unique amalgamation of heavy guitars and beautiful acoustics alongside some fantastic singing, 'Mother Earth Father Thunder', the amazing 'Great Hall Awaits a Fallen Brother, which features an almost black metal guitar sound surprisingly, and the stirring outro 'Heimfard'. Aside from the odd dysfunctional component ('Dragon's Breath'), Nordland is an essential disc.

Nordland II (2003) Months later the sequel brought us another viking album, slightly differing in feel given Quorthon's propensity this time around for a rougher vocal approach. Initially feeling let down somewhat, the majority of the album has grown on me over the years, though it lacks the overall power of its predecessor. A handful of tracks don't work at all, but those that do are strong and enjoyable. Highlights include the folk-metal excursion 'Sea Wolf', the lovely ode to Scandinavian shores 'Vinland', while 'The Land' and 'Death and Resurrection of a Northern Son' are nice listens too. Seemingly intending to go on with Bathory, the disc concludes with the traditional outro that had adorned many of the earlier albums. Tragically it was not to be, as Quorthon died a year or so later with reported heart problems.

Other stuff: Quorthon also released two hard-rock/less-metal orientated 'solo' albums under his stage name. Generally alienating the Bathory fans I think these are mixed but underrated as pieces of music. Utilising overly obvious sampled sound effects on occasions, the music itself is proficiently played and often well sung with plenty of good tracks between them (one track - 'Boy' - I reckon was heavy enough for some of the Bathory albums). As the band's popularity peaked (around Hammerheart) a video was recorded to 'One Road to Asa Bay' - an interesting curiosity, it does little to boost the band's image really (probably not helped by the fact that there were problems gathering the footage together after the technician did a runner with the masters). He also recorded a video interview for MTV around 1990, where he came across appearing awkward and uncomfortable - much better are video interviews he recorded for fanzines and the like, where he was clearly revealed to be an articulate and sentient person willing to give time for those that love his work. There were three Jubileum Bathory albums which were aimed at introducing new fans to the existing music whilst providing old fans with some rare unreleased material. The best of this material goes back to the early days of the band with the likes of 'Witchcraft' and 'You Don't Move Me...', the latter showing off a little of the band's punk origins. Quorthon also recorded a few covers under both the Quorthon and Bathory monikers for Black Mark (the label on which he resided for most of his career) compilation albums, for example a slow, epic version of 'Ace of Spades' (!), a pretty accurate take on Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs', plus tracks that celebrated his appreciation of The Beatles ('I'm only Sleeping') and Sex Pistols ('God Save The Queen') as well as Kiss of course.

Despite less than perfect output, the rocky path of Quorthon and Bathory has become semi-legendary in the world of extreme and heavy metal. Somehow he elevated the band to near godlike status in an Internet-less era, without any live touring whatsoever, and missing the backing of big labels from the nineties onwards. He was a fan-appreciating musician, taking time to individually respond to mail throughout his career (indeed, he wrote me personally a very lengthy and thoughtful email once in response to a couple of questions I sent off to him). The man is responsible for almost single-handedly creating two entire sub-genres of metal - black and viking - themselves spawning countless great bands who have since spawned more great bands. Outright copycat acts have followed in his wake also - the underground Morrigan is worth checking out for those who like anything written about in this article, the best album of whom is the stupendous Headcult - at times you would have thought Quorthon was alive and well listening to this and some of their other stuff! The importance of such a legacy can't be downplayed, and alongside some of the misfires that were produced on-route, there are many more classic songs that are still enjoyable to this day. Like the stuff or not, it's hard to imagine the contemporary metal world if Bathory had never been born.

Upcoming Judas Priest Complete Albums Collection

Actually it's not "complete", but very much desirable nonetheless: At some point in the future Columbia/Epic/Legacy Records are allegedly releasing a 17 CD boxed set of all studio/live albums of Judas Priest featuring Rob Halford on vocals, right from the 1974 Rocka Rolla through to the very mixed bag that was Nostradamus plus the Touch of Evil live album that followed it a year later. Obviously this won't include Jugulator and Demolition, effectively eschewing the Ripper Owen years under the carpet.  I only have a few of their albums on vinyl and CD, so am very likely to pick this up (if it ever actually appears).

*Update* This was released in the US in June, indeed a 17 CD boxed set (missing previously released rare non-album stuff and anything to do with Ripper, so not "complete", but pretty comprehensive none the less).  The albums themselves are contained within cardboard 'LP' replica covers, all housed within a cardboard box.  Also, it's listed as 'limited edition', though as with all LEs nowadays, that could mean one hundred or one hundred thousand...