By Taliesin A. Govannon
As a dedicated fan of obscure albums by mainstream (and
decidedly not mainstream) bands, I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to
throw in my 666 cents worth on this whole "lost albums" thing. Needless to
say, my choices are a *wee* bit different than what's come before...
Opeth - 'Morningrise'
These masters of Progressive metal didn't have much of a
learning curve. By the time their second album, 'Morningrise', came out,
they were already on the top of their game. Sure, their newest albums
'Damnation' and 'Deliverance' are masterpieces, but this one (which was the
first Opeth album I bought) hold a special place in my black-leather heavy
metal heart. The opening track, "Advent", opens with a blistering double
bass-drum pattern and possibly one of the best guitar riffs of the 90's.
Later in the track, however, the band drops down to an acoustic, harmony
vocal section that could out-space the most stoned Pink Floyd song. This is
one thing I love about this band...they realize that the best way to make
the heavy parts sound *really* heavy is to make sure there's some mellow
parts to give some contrast to the piece. Today's black and death metal
bands could really stand to think about this. Let's face it: by the
time you've heard your fifth straight barrage of constant speed riffing on
lesser albums, they start losing their heaviness and just get dull. Well,
"dull" is a word that has never (and hopefully will never) described Opeth.
And the Prog music freak in me also loves the 20 minute songs.
Mercyful Fate - 'Melissa'
We all know about King Diamond, but for me his finest hour
was on the first two Mercyful Fate LP's. 'Melissa' was their first, and I
still maintain that this was the second best Heavy Metal album of the 80's
(the first place finisher comes next). It's got it all...driving rhythms,
great guitar, and menacingly *evil* lyrics and atmosphere. This album was
designed to show all of those retarded Christian evangelicals (sitting in
their churches spinning Led Zeppelin records backwards trying to find a
naughty word) what *truly* satanic music sounded like. Some say rock n roll
has always been the Devil's music. Well, this album is the soundtrack to the
Devil's bar-b-que, and you can almost smell the sinners roasting. "Evil",
"At The Sound Of The Demon Bell", "Black Funeral", and the thirteen-minute
epic "Satan's Fall" are all standouts, and the guitar solo at the beginning
of "Melissa" is one of my favorite solos of all time. Before Marduk, Impaled
Nazarine, or Cradle of Filth were even imagined in some teenagers wet
nightmare, there was Mercyful Fate. Check them out!
Black Sabbath - 'Born Again'
Some may think me a heretic, but my favourite era of Black
Sabbath does *not* include Ozzy Osbourne. Sure, I love the Ozzy stuff, but I
think the band really hit their stride when Ronnie James Dio joined. That
said, my favorite Sabbath album (and my favorite heavy metal album of the
80's) is *not* with Dio, but with his successor, Ian Gillan. The Deep Purple
vocalist was only on board for one album, but what an album! This is
possibly the heaviest Sabbath album ever, and definitely the most evil.
(The irony here is obvious...the most evil lyrics on any Sabbath album were
sung by the same guy who played Jesus in 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. Gotta
love that!). Also, the original instrumental line up of Sabbath reunited,
with Bill Ward coming back on board on drums. If you love heavy metal, then
you must hear this album!
Gary Moore - 'Victims of the Future'
One of the single greatest crimes in rock history is how the
American market overlooked this guitarist in his prime. While 'Victims of
the Future' catapulted Gary Moore to super-stardom in the UK and Europe (to
the point of selling out Wembly Stadium), he remained relatively unknown in
the states until he switched to his current blues-only format. Sure, his
blues albums are good, but come nowhere near his rocking past. Every track
on here is a keeper, from the title opus to the rhythmic final cut "Law of
the Jungle" (which was the LP's title in the UK). "Murder in the Skies", a
song about the Soviet downing of a Korean jetliner, has a killer hook in the
pre-chorus (this album is so loaded with killer hooks that they're spread
all over the songs, not just in the chorus), while the guitar solo in
"Shapes of Things (a cover of the Jeff Beck version of the Yardbirds'
classic) was once voted one of the ten best guitar solos of all time in
'Guitar For The Practicing Musician' magazine. This heathen Hippy says check
it out.
Diamond Head - 'Lightning To The Nations'
Before Metallica, there was Dimond Head. Actually, Metallica
ripped off so much from this band I still think that the guys in Diamond
Head should get royalties from the first four Metallica albums. It's no
accident that every time Metallica covers a Dimond Head song, the uninformed
assume it's by the Bay Area thrashers (so far, Metallica has covered "Am I
Evil", "Helpless", "The Prince", and "It's Electric"...all from this album).
Unlike others who found out about this great band from the cover songs, I
was listening to this album (on import vinyl) back in '81 (at the ripe old
age of 11). Possibly the finest hour of the New Wave Of British Heavy
Metal (or NWOBHM for short), this album, by inspiring the Metallicats to
form a band, has indirectly changed the face of metal worldwide. Of course,
Diamond Head never cut their hair, turned on their fans, and then released
an album so bad that people don't want to waste their time downloading it,
so I guess the influence only goes so far.
Thin Lizzy - 'Thunder and Lightening'
Thin Lizzy is one of my favorite bands of all time, and
causes me to be eternally pissed off at the US radio industry. I mean, this
band had over 15 albums, and yet if you listen to American radio you'd think
that the group released only one album with three songs on it! "The Boys Are
Back In Town", "Cowboy Song", and "Jailbreak" are just a starting point,
folks, not the highest accomplishments of the band. "Thunder and Lightening"
was the band's last album, which is a shame because guitarist John Sykes had
injected some needed youthful energy into Thin Lizzy. Listen to this, and
you realize that Sykes' contributions to Whitesnake were just extensions of
his incredible fretboard work here. Vocalist/Bassist Phil Lynott wrote some
great pieces for this album, and his lyrics are as stirring as ever. Do
yourself a favor...turn off the damn classic rock radio and buy this album.
You won't be disappointed.
Kiss - 'Music From The Elder'
Ask any Kiss fan what their favorite Kiss album is, and
they'll probably say anything *but* this one. That is, unless you come
across one of the secret Kiss heretics, like me. I loved this album when it
was new, and I still love it now. Of course, I love concept albums, but
that's another story. A tale about finding an archetypical hero to be a
champion against evil, Music From The Elder shows that Kiss actually had
some bitchin musicianship behind the greasepaint. Of course, great
musicianship rarely translates into great sales in this country, and the
album flopped. Still, if you like mythology, epic arrangements, and
inspired songwriting, but never thought that you'd find it on a Kiss record,
then this one's for you.
