All customer reviews by Noemi S.
Posted on: December 16, 2017
A surreal and deafening album
This is the band's second album.
Originally released in 1974, it marked the debut of then-unknown and genial Uli Jon Roth on solo guitar and bassist Francis Buchholz who would remain in the band for years.
Highlighting Uli's killer guitar and Klaus Meine's incomparable vocals, as well as the technical precision the band already possessed, we can highlight 4 songs in the album: "Speedy's Coming", "Drifting Sun", "Fly People Fly" and the title-track "Fly to the Raibow".
Speedy's Coming has become one of the band's greatest classics.
The title-track has almost 10 minutes of duration surprising to all by the success and the accurate technique of the members.
An essential album for those who enjoy good music in general.
Posted on: March 12, 2017
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll: A Perfect Title
Originally released in 1978, this album helped to shape the Heavy Metal as we know it today.
The opening is due to the exciting title track, a true Hard Rock/Metal anthem.
The rest of the album retains the high standard of quality, always with that 70's Hard Rock style, mixed with elements of what would come to be called Power Metal years later. Speaking of which, "Kill the King" can be considered the first song of this style, because it has several of the characteristics that would define the Power Metal, like speed and high vocals, mainly in the second part of the music, where it accelerates a little and the Vocal tone increases greatly.
Other highlights are the cadenced "Lady of the Lake", The engrossing "The Shed (Subtle)", which invites the listener to pound head with an exciting rhythm and the fantastic "Gates of Babylon".
Closing the album, we have the slow and emotional "Rainbow Eyes", which features a beautiful arrangement of strings accompanying the vocals.
Finally, this is one of the most important and influential metal albums of all time. Made by a band that includes two of the greatest musicians in rock history, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist Ronnie James Dio, both in top form.
Posted on: March 4, 2017
A Heavy, obscure, epic and great album!
Originally released in 1995, this almost unnoticed Grave Digger album is heavy, obscure, epic and great.
The album begins with the melancholy and gloomy interlude "Tears of Madness," which in its final seconds is suddenly swallowed by "Shadowmaker," one of the band's heaviest and fastest songs. It's impossible to imagine why the band does not add that song to their set list.
Then comes the best song from the album "The Grave Dancer", where Uwe Lullis shows that he is a true guitar devil, sending a smashing riff of so heavy and cadenced. The chorus of this song then simply forces you to close your fists and shout "I dance on your grave!".
After this killer start, Grave Digger continues with two more good songs, the slow and at the same time heavy "Demon's Day" and the devastating "Warchild".
"Heart of Darkness," the title track of the album is the next, and this song brings together all the attributes of the album in a long 11 minutes: weight allied to speed, an epic refrain and solos optimally performed by the demonic Uwe Lullis.
"Hate," comes in sequence and only opens wings for the greatest song and at the same time with the most headbanger footprint of the album, the classic "Circle of Witches", which to this day is fervently acclaimed in the concerts of the band. Chris Boltendahl shows all his claw with devastating treble, which in sequence ends in an absolutely epic refrain.
"Black Death" finalizes this great album at a very high level.
Posted on: February 22, 2017
A must have album from a mandatory band.
Originally released in 1994, this album is one that has a reason to exist.
After suffering a severe blow with the death of guitarist and founding member Criss Oliva in a car accident, SAVATAGE recovered in style. Handful of Rain was the first album recorded by the band after his death. Criss came to be replaced by the well-known Alex Skolnick (Testament) who played his part very well.
Handful of Rain is a melodic and heavy album in the right dose, ambitious with vocals and arrangements that resemble true operas.
It is a very pleasant album to hear and balanced, showered very tastefully with dramatic, passionate and intense songs with political and everyday themes. "Alone You Breathe" is a tribute to Criss.
An album without labels capable of pleasing to the connoisseur of a good Classic Rock to the most radical Heavy Metal fan.
Special highlight for vocalist Zach Stevens, with variations and a vocal power to cause envy.
A must have album from a mandatory band.
Posted on: February 15, 2017
Grave Digger: Stronger Than Ever
When we talk about sound fidelity and traditionalism, the GRAVE DIGGER is one of the bands that most maintains the sound almost intact over the decades. And by the way, this is far from a hindrance, because "Healed by Metal" is the 18th studio album of the Germans!!!
The only difference, from one album to another, is the inspiration in the compositions. And "Healed by Metal" brings a more inspired band, with more exciting riffs in yet another great work by guitarist Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt.
In the formation, there was only the change of the keyboard player, that is, practically nothing, since the participation of the keys in the albums is very small. JENS BECKER's bass remains heavy and powerful and drummer STEFAN ARNOLD dispenses with comments. CHRIS BOTTENDAHL... well, it's CHRIS BOTTENDAHL, with your voice intact, heavy and powerful!
The big highlight is for the title track, as well as the fast "When Night Falls" with an epic and exciting chorus, the "poisonous" metal "Lawbreaker", the cadenced and mega thrilling "Call for War" and the "Laughting With The Dead ", which is really cool, one of the best on the album.
Another great album from this great band, 33 years after your debut "Heavy Metal Breakdown" (1984) and with the same power and energy.
Posted on: February 12, 2017
Metal from Brazil
This is the third album of the band, if we consider the first EP "Bestial Devastation" (1985). Launched in 1987, it is the first with guitarist Andreas Kisser, who would become the leader of the band to this day.
And let's get down to business.
The album begins with an "Intro" that makes clear reference to the famous musical theme of the film "Psycho" of "Alfred Hitchcock". But the banging starts only when the first riffs of the anthology "From The Past Comes the Storms" begin to sound. In this track, SEPULTURA lavishes weight and creativity. We are hypnotized riff after riff.
The album follows with the excellent "To The Wall" and the powerful "Escape To The Void". Only at the beginning of the maddening solos of "Escape ..." we feel that we are facing a great track. It's almost impossible not to shout "Escape ... To The Void!".
In the following track, the pounding continues to increase. The instrumental "Inquisition Symphony" is the best example of the technical improvement acquired by the group after the entrance of Andreas.
The sixth track, "Screams Behind the Shadows," has a demented start. It's a real beating! And the speed of the album is maintained with the energetic "Septic Schizo".
The guys included one more instrumental on the album: "The Abyss". In it, Andreas reveals his taste for erudite music. And although the "Abyss" style is very different from the other tracks, the song fits well in full-length. The tranquility of this track causes us to be caught by surprise by the track that closes "Schizophrenia". The quick "R.I.P. (Rest In Pain)" was the best possible choice to close the album.
The album marked an era and introduced the Brazilian guys to the rest of the world.
Posted on: February 7, 2017
An album that marked time.
Gutter Ballet is the album with which Savatage entered the nineties. The album changed, musically, the direction of the band forever. Earlier albums such as "Hall of the Mountain King" and "Power of the Night", for example, featured a much more traditional Heavy Metal band with 70's Hard Rock influences. In "Gutter Ballet" the Oliva brothers and producer Paul O'Neill directed the band to more Rock Opera style, so to speak, more sedimented on the next album "Streets - A Rock Opera." Finally, "Gutter Ballet" was consecrated in the "world of Metal" like one of the great discs of the beginning of the new decade, from there the press happened to see the band more seriously.
The album is extremely well recorded and mixed with very consistent songs, heavy guitars, striking bass, drums with surgical precision and exhilarating vocals.
The title track is a great classic of style with a beautiful introduction to the piano, orchestrated passages, exhilarating vocals from Jon Oliva and Chris Oliva's devastating guitar solo.
An album that marked time and showed for many out there how to make a record allying heavy metal with some elements of opera.
Posted on: February 2, 2017
One of the greatest Heavy Metal albums of all time
In May 1983, the man named Ronald James Padavona had accumulated an unparalleled musical curriculum, including many dark bands in the 1960's, playing in the 1970's with Elf and Rainbow, and beginning the 1980's with the creators of Heavy Metal, The Black Sabbath. Finally, at the ripe old age of 41, Ronnie James Dio was finally ready for his solo flight.
And so, with everything he had learned over the years about the complex politics of a band and watching talented musicians around the world, Dio began to set up his own band. Recruited Jimmy Bain, an experienced Scottish bass player and his former Rainbow partner, a previously unknown Irish guitar prodigy named Vivian Campbell and brought from Black Sabbath his american compatriot, drummer Vinnie Appice. Together they created the celebrated songs that make up this debut album.
Keeping the line well Heavy Metal started in Rainbow and perfected in Black Sabbath, Dio offers us a lesson in perfectionism in this album. Everything is perfect here: the melody, the weight, the variation of the compositions, the quality of the recording and mixing. As well as superb musicians, at the height of their forms and creativity.
All songs are of above average quality. "Rainbow In The Dark" became an anthem and, along with the title track "Holy Diver", "Stand Up And Shout" and "Don't Talk To Strangers" were mandatory at their shows.
The album was warmly embraced by the specialized metal press and by the thousands of fans around the world.
And, more than 30 years later, "Holy Diver" still stands the test of time as, possibly, Ronnie's greatest moment and certainly one of the greatest Heavy Metal albums of all time.
Posted on: February 1, 2017
An indispensable album!!!
Originally released in 1985, "Metal Heart" is the band's sixth album and one of the best of their career, composing the sacred trilogy along with "Restless and Wild" (1982) and the classic "Balls To The Wall" (1983).
The title track opens the album magnificently. The guitarist Wolf Hoffman has a classical background and made that influence very clear in "Metal Heart", which features excerpts from two famous pieces: Tchaikovsky's "Slavonic March" in the introduction and Beethoven's "Für Elise", which appears extraordinarily in the guitar solo.
The album follows cohesion with more "Metal" tracks and some that became classics of the band and performed in the concerts during the 80's and even today as "Up To The Limit", "Screaming For A Love Bite", "Dogs On Leads" .
Finally, "Bound To Fail" takes up the masterful mood of "Metal Heart". The composition begins with a beautiful guitar solo with classical touches and passes to an energetic riff, another great interpretation of Udo and with an epic choir that closes the album with mastery. This choir at the end of this song is used by the band at the close of the concerts to this day.
Posted on: January 28, 2017
The Return Of The Reaper
After a few years away from the music, Chris Boltendahl returns with his band to the metallic scene in great style with this heavy and fast album of 1993.
Keeping guitarist Uve Lullis (who recorded the album "Stronger Than Ever (1987)" when the band changed its name only to "Digger" and adopted a more commercial sound), the new line-up includes the efficient bassist Tommi Gollich and the well-known drummer Jörg Michael.
The album opens with the short and macabre introduction "Tribute To The Death". What follows is an overwhelming barrage of powerful and blatant riffs on the title track and in all the others! With simple solos, plenty of weight, fast drums with many double pedal, and of course, the original vocals of Boltendhal. It takes only 10 seconds (or less) of audition to know that is Chris singing.
In an album as regular as this, it is very difficult to point out highlights. Particularly, my first best impressions when I heard the album in the first time were "The Reaper", "Shadows Of A Moonless Night", "Wedding Day" (with a killer riff that shakes your head even if you do not want to), "Spy Of Mas'on "," Under My Flag "and the epic" Legions Of The Lost - Part 2 ". But in the final analysis, all are killer.
The guitarist Uwe Lulis is of an astonishing efficiency, creating really heavy riffs and that superbly translate the sonority of pure heavy metal. Bassist Tomi Göttlich goes in the same line of efficiency, but keeping the discretion, as befits a good line of metallic bass. The super drummer Jörg Michael gives his usual show of great technique and precision.
Lastly, Chris Boltendhal, lead singer, founding member, lead songwriter and creative mentor of the band ... well, everyone knows he's THE OWN Grave Digger.