Exxplorer - Symphonies Of Steel (1985)

If any of you metalheads out there are loking for some pure metal armageddon, then you can't go wrong with Exxplorer's 'Symphonies of Steel.' Although it doesn't quite match Attack's 'Destinies of War' for all out power metal orgasm, this is still the sort of album that'll have you doning armour when sitting down for dinner. Ther only slight negative on this opus is Lennie' Rizzo's vocal warble which lacks the balls to make this album a real hi-fi metal supernova but his cracked performance is still enough for 'Symphonies...' to be an essential record. It's very much fiery, epic sounding mid '80s metal that you can't get hold of nowadays, this sort of stuff was made for vinyl, check out the blazing twin guitar attack from Ed Lavolpe and Kevin Kennedy who'd been given the apt nickname of 'Koncrete'! 'Symphonies...' is classic metal in the sense that it finds comfort in whatever mood it takes, just check out the wilderbeeest that is the epic 'Objection Overruled: a) Guilty As Charge, b) Phantasmagoria' (yes, that's the actual song title, a hell hath no fury of a track that displays the band as a raging demon as well as subtle creature. Jimmy G. Gardener provides that bone-shuddering bass as well as some vocals. There are some fantastic tracks on offer here, from the cold steel assault of opener 'City Streets' to the thunderous 'X-Termination,' the former displaying some truly memorable thrashing chugs and scything solos. Some albums need to be owned,a nd some are more expensive than others, but alongside 'Destinies of War,' 'Symphonies of Steel' is another of those long lost gems that'll have you rockin' on forever...
8/10