Joacim and Oskar from Hammerfall, a proper metal band. Photo by Ice Maiden
In a recent post, I gave you the 5 albums that changed the way I rock. As we all know, such music was laid to waste thanks to this one-dimensional, angst-ridden slacker by the name of Click GoBangKurt Cobain. Okay, maybe it wasn’t just him - but he was the standard bearer of this avalanche of suckitude.
As the fallout of metal’s implosion rained sadly upon my landscape, I found little solace. Ozzy’s solo stuff? Blah. Pantera? After Cowboys from Hell, I hated Phil’s “singing”. Limp Bizkit? The less said about them, the better.
So I was one sad Minor League Rocker. Until a few magical albums got dropped on me head. Here they are, again in no particular order.
One Crimson Night (Hammerfall) - I could tell immediately that these guys grew up loving the same music I do. They just added a modern sonic sheen - and some occassionally embarrassing “metal for the pure of heart” lyrics. But hey, they’re Swedish. And their riffs are off-the-charts awesome, so I will forgive an awful lot of lyrical shortcomings. I still favor the lineup that included Magnus Rosen and Stefan Elgren - it pains me to see new guitarist Pontus playing a Les Paul. But you can’t have it all, I guess. I am absolutely thrilled that they are a first-class live band - no, they’re better than that! They look and sound like a metal band should, and they treat their audiences like they’re the only people on the planet.
Better Than Raw (Helloween) - I’d almost forgotten about Helloween. Then I wound up in a record store in about 1998 or so. There, Helloween surfaced with this album like a ballistic missile submarine, and launched a full spread of atomic German speed metal. And each of those musical warheads hit the target! I was flummoxed (remember, in ‘98 I barely used teh Interwebz) by the new lead singer, Andi Deris. But he earned his stripes, and I still love this freakin’ album. I absolutely must see Helloween live someday. Some of the albums they released since then haven’t been great, but I bought them anyway to support a deserving band that stuck it out through the Grunge Times. More than any other mentioned here, this album was here for me during a rough time.
Tarja's last album with Nightwish was a monster.
Once (Nightwish) - In an earlier post, I told you how I discovered Nightwish. The Once disc continues to fry my mind with the possibilities of music, regardless of genre. What awesome arrangements! The creativity, huge sounds and precision on display humbles me. I’d prefer to see Nightwish get back to a more guitar-driven sound, but there’s no way I’ll ever fail to appreciate this ambitious giant of an album. Tarja was still onboard for this album, so the classical vibe was more pronounced. I love the new singer, too, because she has a warmth Tarja doesn’t. But Tarja has a grandeur and gravitas that I’ve never seen in any other heavy metal singer, regardless of what chromosomes they have.
Burning Down the Opera (Edguy) - So back in 2005, I was really stoked. I was on my way to watch Hammerfall play! I got there early to check out this Edguy band opening for them. I thought it was a lame name - and I still do. But man, they played a smokin’ set that night. They were full of the joy and verve of playing rock music, with all the warmth and enthusiasm as a bunch of dudes playing to a venue full of longtime friends. They would’ve blown any other act off the stage, but Hammerfall could match them. I bought this live album and still consider it their high point. Then, they were still more power metal. Today, they’re more hard rock. I’d like to see them swing more power metal, but I still like their newer stuff alright.
I’ve heard many great albums since then from some very fine bands: Tarot, The Gathering, Gamma Ray, Drain STH plus many of my old favorite bands. But these four really revived my enthusiasm.
