Considered a heavy metal classic in many a circle, and probably a local pub, this is real metal in its purest form and in Ronnie James Dio, a true metal vocalist. This is the stuff which got many a teenager in the '80s into metal, from its typically glorious cover, to the opening drudgery of 'Stand Up And Shout' you just know this is going to be anthemic, fantastic and tight musically. 'Holy Diver' is a mesmerising epic that builds slowly, Dio's voice an immaculate and distinctive yell, where in one instance he's a full blown metal god on 'Gypsy' and the fire flickering 'Rainbow In The Dark', the next a wizard-like storyteller on 'Don't Talk To Strangers', his mellow tones eventually swept up in the stunning solo's.Whilst the early Dio albums do have that timeless quality, they also bring back a time when trolls lurked outside the window of every inquisitive metal who was eager to search for the monsters in the closet too.8/10
Now this is some serious swagger rock, dressed in fanciful, indie-orientated sleeve and daubed by the rains of Gothic abandonment and desolation, this is hip-shaking, soul-quaking rock 'n' roll, built on AC/DC riffs, and adorned in semi-mystical Doors-esque vocalisations and lyrics, Ian Astbury the man at the helm, wolf child and hippy-love god, produced by Rick Rubin of Slayer fame, and jangling all the way to the Americanised shore.'Wild Flower', classic swaying sex groove, 'Peace Dog' more of a stomping war-chant but 'Lil Devil', sits on the tongue and jives, this is full steam ahead rock n' roll. It's a cauldron of wasted punk, glitter glam and kick-ass fire, and whilst opinion seems to differ on the production values, Rubin here taking the band and sound to more bloated heights, this has an appealing shine and attitude that Brit-rock always welcomes with open arms. Lap it up.8.5/10
Whilst not a necessity, I purchased this on record one boring, rainy Saturday many, many years ago for around £3.50, and it saved my day at the time.It's a ten-track 'best of' record, which in reality, should have been far more adequately prepared, although its saving grace is the wonderfully grim cover depicting hordes of skeletal figures slaughtering a coastal village.There are so many cuts that could've been on here, but what we do get are the usual monsters, from 'Paranoid', to 'War Pigs', to 'Sweet Leaf', 'Iron Man', 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', et al, with the only surprises being 'Tomorrows Dream' and 'Laguna Sunrise', but then again, these kind of albums come along pretty frequently now, but none of the modern day regurgitation's will have the same effect this album had on that dismal Saturday afternoon.8/10
Gloomy, sinister, punky, primal, chaotic, doomy, thrashy, deathly metal. This was the beginning and the end for this band who would go onto become Celtic Frost, but this record, once described by one sceptical reviewer as "horrible"', has to be one of the most influential. It cannot be classed as black metal despite its satanic imagery and creepy atmospheres because the riffs here are everything from warped punk to minimalistic metal, the production is rough, making the record quite a devilish spin, and Tom G. Warriors throaty expressions are also hard to pin down, it's essentially a very dark metal record, but with all the evil clanking of early Venom, a dirty, snarling thrash assault on the senses. An important record should you class yourself as a collector of extreme metal. 7/10
Could Trouble be the greatest metal band of all time ? Well, they certainly could be one of the heaviest, and like Sabbath, Zeppelin and Slayer, have carved their own niche into which a categorisation for their sound is nigh on impossible. To call them 'doom metal' is too simple, and it would be like calling Sabbath 'doom' too, when the reality is, bands such as Trouble are simply natural genius, born into a world where they bestow upon us lucky souls their own brand of bleak fury, dark teachings and crushing us with continuous slabs of molten HEAVY metal.Would Trouble have happened without Sabbath ? Well, that's something we'll never know, but what we do know is that Trouble, hailing from Chicago, have that same magical air and mystery about them which Sabbath exuded so long ago.Trouble began in '79 and at the time of writing this review (2007) remain as consistently brilliant as early Sabbath.'Psalm 9', also known by fans as 'Trouble', despite the bands fourth album actually being self-titled, is a suffocating, bloated earthquake, not droll or sluggish like quicksand, but instead a rising behemoth, not even hinting at what greatness was to come, yet shining oh so darkly in its gargantuan domain.In Eric Wagner there's a more gritty Ozzy, and a more sinister Robert Plant, warning the Earth, yet screaming through the catacombs, breaking the clouds and steamrolling all of God's creations. This is real rock 'n' roll, real heavy, heavy metal, blitzed by 'The Tempter', pounded relentlessly by 'Bastards Will Pay' and stampeded by the Sabbath riffage courtesy of Wartell and Franklin.This is the beginning...8/10
Another piece of black Hell on record, despite the leanings away from the caverns of Hades and diverting to a more mystical stance, this still reeks of evil fumes and dampness, pure Bathory.'Under The Sign..., complete with full-on metal cover, is a heavy, grinding, churning, burning record of Nordic flame, Quorthon gurgling through the fuzzed speakers as the clanking drums rattle like the march of Tolkien's ugly orcs across the bleak wastes. This is still pitch black metal, a scary ride into the musty pits that descend into unthinkable quagmires of rancid, despicable cacophony.Lyric wise it's less of the satanic and slightly more majestic, with only '13 Candles' delving into the darkness, elsewhere there is more of a battle cry, a call to arms, and in 'Of Doom' a hail to the fans, almost in Voivod fashion, but personal fave has to be the monstrous 'Equimathorn', a real spitting gargoyle of a track that crushes all in its wake.Bathory prevail once again.8/10
The cover simply screams 'metaaaaal', and this was the Ozzy album that really enticed me, despite it being bereft of Randy Rhoads who died after 'Diary Of A Madman' (see review for 'Tribute').'Bark...' is a mystical Ozzy classic, sharpened by Jake E. Lee's stunning fret work and the eerie atmospheres of Don Airey's keyboards. Opening track is the title cut, a solid slice of heavy metal theatre, with Ozzy howling like the werewolf he'd become on the cover, as the full moon blazes behind smothering clouds. But this album, just like 'Diary...' is more than just a fancy cover, and despite just offering eight tracks, there's not a weak moment on here, and each track is as memorable as the last.Looking back on the record now you can still feel the cold breeze of night, and hear the precise musicianship of the band. Whereas 'Blizzard...' opened slightly weak with 'I Don't Know' although there's no denying its a rocker of a track, 'Bark...' and 'Diary...' kick in immediately, setting themselves upon the listener with its dark edge, and Ozzy's theatrical yowls.And, 'You're No Different' somehow slows things down, but maintains that airy edge, a classic rock semi-ballad that builds nicely into the chorus, and it was that kind of song that typified Ozzy back then. Whilst metallers on the whole thought they were alienated by society, it's quite strange to see how Ozzy too was considered the dark lord whilst all the time simply writing songs about his own frustrations instead of Devil worship. This is also echoed in his wonderful slow mover 'So Tired', but favourite tracks here have to be 'Rock n' Roll Rebel', the swirling 'Forever', strangely later to appear as 'Centre Of Eternity', and the spooky 'Waiting For Darkness'. The vinyl also featured the ghoulish, creeping 'Spiders' although recent versions of the album feature 'Slow Down'.8.5/10
Considered a heavy metal classic in many a circle, and probably a local pub, this is real metal in its purest form and in Ronnie James Dio, a true metal vocalist. This is the stuff which got many a teenager in the '80s into metal, from its typically glorious cover, to the opening drudgery of 'Stand Up And Shout' you just know this is going to be anthemic, fantastic and tight musically. 'Holy Diver' is a mesmerising epic that builds slowly, Dio's voice an immaculate and distinctive yell, where in one instance he's a full blown metal god on 'Gypsy' and the fire flickering 'Rainbow In The Dark', the next a wizard-like storyteller on 'Don't Talk To Strangers', his mellow tones eventually swept up in the stunning solo's.
