UNSUNG CLASSIC: Beneath The Remains--Sepultura

Fans of Sepultura or fans of thrash metal in general know that Sepultura are as important if not more than some of the biggest names in the genre. As all of you might know, in the mid/late eighties there was a term called the 'Big Four of Thrash', which included Metallica(of course, they started this genre), Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. While there can't be any arguments on the first three names..Anthrax never really did it for me, they never sounded real thrash to me ...poppish thrashish heavyish metal at best. For me, Sepultura are the biggest contenders for the fourth spot in the 'Big Four of Thrash', Kreator and Testament also come close though.

Anyway....most people believe the multi-platinum Chaos A.D. to be Sepultura's best album, and new metalheads might even swear by Roots(crap!!!) but none of these can even come close to the straight up thrashtastic in your face savage riffage of Beneath The Remains. The riffs on this one are so insane that it is sometimes also labelled as Reign In Blood II by metalheads. While this is a great compliment, I think it doesn't do justice to this album and Sepultura. If you talk of the number of different riffs used in a single album, this album is second only to Rust In Peace...I think..?? It's just a plain and simple monstrous riff fest which will leave you gasping for breath when it's done. It's one of the TOP 5 Extreme Thrash Albums of all time, IMO. There are absolutely no fillers here but the highlights include the title track, the classic Inner Self, Mass Hypnosis, Slaves of Pain and Hungry. This album along with Schizophrenia and Arise forms the deadly trinity of Sepultura albums...skip all the rest(Chaos A.D. was a decent album though).

Download&Preview Album

Rating: 9.5/10

Essential Power Metal Listening

The easiest way for any "virgin" ear to get into Heavy Metal is Power Metal, other than Metallica's and Iron Maiden's stuff of course. The origin of power metal can be attributed to the mighty Helloween, who started this genre with their album Walls of Jericho. Normally, power metal encompasses dreamland imagery viz. warriors, swords, dragons etc etc. and Tolkienesque lyrics. The music is largely dependant on harmonising guitars, atmospheric synths and high pitched vocals. Though it has the term "power", this genre of metal is the most melodious of all, the choruses especially, which are sung in a grandesque manner most of the time. I'm gonna list ten of my absolute favourite power metal albums here, which, if not actually introduce you to heavy metal, just might broaden your horizon a little bit.

1. Keeper Of The Seven Keys II--Helloween
Inarguably, the greatest power metal album of all time. Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath have given the rhythm/solo performances of their lives, and Michael Kiske proves that when it comes to epic vocals in metal, he is second to none. Highlights include the culty 'I Want Out', the wonderfully melodious 'Dr. Stein' and the 13 minute epic 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys' which was/is the creative pinnacle of Helloween and all of power metal for that matter.

2. Hall Of The Mountain King--Savatage
Savatage are the best power metal band America has ever produced(no offence to the Iced Earth lovers), and this is their masterpiece. Brothers Cris and John Oliva pour their metal hearts out on this gem. The album, though not as polished and technically brilliant as Savatage's later releases and some other albums which are to follow in this list, truly captures the essence of raw 80's heavy metal. Highlights include the sharp '24 Hours Ago', the boombastic 'Legions' and the eternal heavy metal classic 'Hall Of The Mountain King', this song is such an adrenaline rush, it's not funny.

3. Follow The Reaper--Children Of Bodom
Children Of Bodom are not power metal per se(this is their most pwer metal sounding album), they are much more extreme and their sound is closer to melodic death/black metal IMO, but they are categorised as power metal(with harsh vocals) in the music world, that's why they are here. Although included in this list, I must say,especially to the 'virgin' ear....tread softly here, this is some gut thumpingly heavy and shocking music...but very melodious nonetheless. If you haven't listened to any of Children Of Bodom's stuff, you're in for the shock of your life. When it comes to technical ability, these guys are second to none..and I mean NONE. Alexi Laiho, vocalist and lead guitarist, is one of the 10 best guitarists ever!!! This album, though softer and slower than their later mammoth Hate Crew Deathroll, is definitely their best work till date. Highlights include the classic 'Hate Me', the balladesque 'Everytime I Die' and the monster of a rocker in 'Kissing The Shadows', this song has one of the top 5 guitar/keyboard duelling solos ever!

Download&Preview Album

4. Visions--Stratovarius
Stratovarius is one of those bands that never ever release a 'bad" album...never. Although Episode is widely considered to be their greatest effort, I have a soft spot for Visions. A true work of art, so melodious and so powerful and so progressive. They can easily be termed as the Dream Theater of power metal. Highlights include the rocking 'The Kiss Of Judas','Legions' and the classic 'Black Diamond'..all the other songs are great too...not a single filler.

Download&Preview Album

5. Nightfall In Middle Earth--Blind Guardian
No band on this planet tells stories quite like Blind Guardian, with the possible exception of early King Diamond. As you can tell from the title, this album deals with the Tolkien created land of Middle Earth. The lyrics are inspired from one of J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, The Silmarillion. This album is as epic as it gets, passages galore, dreamy atmosphere, thunderous guitars, immmaculate hamonies and godly symphonic choruses. Highlights include 'Into The Storm', 'Mirror Mirror','Nightfall' and the classic 'The Curse Of Feanor'. If you like the thrashier side of power metal though, you should get their album Imaginations From The Other Side.

Download&Preview Album

6. Keeper Of The Seven Keys I--Helloween
The first installment of the Keeper saga, the second greatest effort of the mighty Helloween. Not quite as masterful and epic as the second Keeper but a watershed album in power metal history nonetheless. Higlights include 'Future World', 'I'm Alive', 'A Tale That Wasn't Right' and the mammoth 'Halloween'(sheer metal madness this one).

7. Inhuman Rampage--DragonForce
Released in 2006, how can this be in a list of my absolute favourite power metal albums? Is it that good? YES. I discovered this band only about a year ago, and man! they do have some serious talent. Only three albums old, this band has already given 2 power metal classics in Sonic Firestorm and Inhuman Rampage. Although both these albums are great musically, I would have to give it to Inhuman Rampage for it's sheer speed!. This album is, without a doubt, the fastest I've heard in all my life. How can all the musicians play at such an inhuman speed(no pun intended) is beyond me. Running at 100miles/hr, it's so insane you would have trouble tapping your foot to it. Hermann Li's soloing is something which you have to hear to believe and Sam Totman is not far behind ..I know I've been using a lot of cliches lately..but it's simply out of this world. Highlights include 'Through The Fire & The Flames'(another top 10 solos ever contender), 'Revolution Deathsquad','The Flame Of Youth' and 'Cry For Eternity'.

Download&Preview Album

8. Sonic Firestorm--DragonForce
Oh yes, this has to be here. As I said, Inhuman Rampage is ranked above this for the sheer speed factor, but this album is in no way musically inferior to Inhuman Rampage. In fact, some may prefer this over Inhuman Rampage, as it has a lot of prog influences thrown in and is more melodious. Highlights include 'My Spirit Will Go On','Fury Of The Storm' and 'Soldiers Of The Wasteland'. DragonForce are going to be a household name in a few years time..take my word for it.

Download&Preview Album

9. Rising Force--Yngwie Malmsteen

This is not a power metal album but most of the music in power metal is derived from here. This is what you call neo-classical metal and the legendary Yngwie Malmsteen started it. Make no bones about it, but Yngwie Malmsteen is pretty much responsible for everything you hear in power/progressive metal today, and without taking anything away from the greatness of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, I must say that Yngwie is the REAL man, well, he was for a short period atleast, before he met with a car crash and had to relearn how to play. This is a mind boggling effort from a young Swede who had the hunger to be at the top of his game, and at the top he was! With the exception of the 2 tracks with vocals(who wants vocals in an Yngwie Malmsteen album anyway?) all the songs are excellent. Highlights include the classic 'Black Star', 'Now Your Ships Are Burned','Evil Eye' and the magnificent 'Icarus' Dream Suite Op.4'. Even if you're not a sucker for guitar wizardry and instrumentals you gotta have this for historical value.

10. Something Wicked This Way Comes--Iced Earth

The best album from America's reigning power metal kings. Iced Earth music is on the thrashier and angrier side of power metal with thunderous riffs and baritoned/gruff vocals...the music really kicks serious a**. Although not nearly as great as being called the Master Of Puppets of power metal(most Iced Earth fans will have you believe this) it's still a classic work of art. The guitars are really fierce on this one. Highlights include the bludgeoning 'Burning Times', the ballad in 'Watching Over Me' and the 3 part 'Something Wicked' trilogy.

Download&Preview Album

Shout in the box for RAR/ZIP passwords...cheers!!

UNSUNG CLASSIC: Darkness Descends by Dark Angel

The year was 1986; Metallica had unleashed upon mankind a monster known as Master of Puppets(MOP), now widely acclaimed as the greatest metal album of all time. Slayer had come out with Reign In Blood(RIB), which was so extreme!! that it devoured anything in it's way(it still does!), running at the speed of light. Megadeth had released Peace Sells..But Who's Buying?(PSBWB) which catapulted them into metal stratosphere. And then there was this little band called Dark Angel with the release of their second album Darkness Descends. Being overshadowed by MOP is understandable to me; I mean c'mon, it was Metallica, riding on the lightning success of their previous album(pun intended) and MOP had musicianship that still has to be bettered by any band(that's including Metallica), but why this album doesn't get even half as much attention or acclaim as RIB or PSBWB is beyond me. Even Kreator's Pleasure To Kill(PTK) received more acclaim than this one...huh.(I'm not saying PTK was bad, it was a great thrash album).

Anyway...let's talk about Darkness Descends now--First of all, it's way heavier!! than any of the albums mentioned above, heck..it's heavier than most late 80s and early 90s death metal.. Death,Obituary,Morbid Angel et al. The riffing on this album is just savage, brutally fast, falling just a little short of Slayer's RIB, barely!! The bass is much more prominent than RIB and I know I'm leaning towards blasphemy again, but I like the drumming on this album better than Slayer's RIB. So you noticed that I'm only comparing Darkness Descends with RIB and not with MOP or PSBWB eh? Well..as I said...MOP is godly, no comparison, and PSBWB was not even half as extreme as Darkness Descends, RIB or Kreator's PTK...that's why...ok?

This album does not have a single filler, all the songs are great. Even MOP had a filler...anybody remember The Thing That Should Not Be? If you want a slab of ultra heavy technical thrash metal, then this album is for you...listen to the 8 n a half minute epic Black Prophecies to know how it even challenges the musicianship of MOP sometimes...listen to Darkness Descends and Perish In Flames to know how this album runs neck to neck with RIB....if that doesn't satisfy you, listen to the whole album to know what it's like to listen to one of the greatest thrash albums of all time.
Download&Preview Album
BUY IT

Rating: 9.5/10

The Dumbest Blonde On Earth!!!

Ok, now I'm with the law...send her to jail!!!. Ms. Hilton was snapped driving in her $100,000 blue Bentley just days after being handed the jail sentence. "Paris Hilton has taken the meaning of 'dumb blonde' to unimaginable new heights" reads a METRO News Article...LOL. Do read this, it really is funny.

Should Arnold Pardon Paris Hilton?.....

....probably yes. She hasn't committed a crime per se, it's just that she couldn't control her pampered,rich daddy's little girl inner self to disobey the rules of law. Now that was mean:)..I know..couldn't help myself. Anyway, apparently, Paris Hilton's fans have taken it on themselves to get Paris out of the 45 day jail term. They have made an online petition, asking California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to get her out of the jail term. The petition begins "Paris Whitney Hilton is an American celebrity and socialite, she provides hope for people all over the U.S. and the world. She provides beauty and excitement to (most of) our mundane lives"..???? REALLY???...umm..ok...whatever you say. A copy of the petition can be viewed HERE .

What really bugs me though, is that in US, a celebrity/diplomat/politician can't even get away with certain DUI violations whereas in India they kill endangered species, run over people(killing them), eat the poor cow's "chaara", kill an innocent girl in front of hundreds of people etc etc etc and nothing happens??? I mean they don't even spare their presidents. As pointed out by a person on my Delhi post, we keep criticising the west for their impersonal culture etc etc, but there are definitely some things which we can learn from them.

Courtesy: MSNBC

Four Big ONES Now

Just got the news that Dream Theater's Systematic Chaos is scheduled to be released on the 5th of June. So that makes it 4 big releases.Haven't listened to it, so can;t give you a review. But let's hope they truly can salvage themselves and retain their position(as I mentioned in my last post).

Three Big ONES

Come May/June and we are about to witness three big rock/metal releases; Minutes To Midnight--Linkin Park(May 15th), United Abominations--Megadeth(May 15th) and Paradise Lost--Symphony X(June 1st). I have had the good fortune of listening to the promo CDs of all three,the United Abominations disc however, only had 7 demo songs. Anyway, what I'm about to do here is give you a glimpse of what these albums have to offer and help you in spending your money wisely.

Minutes To Midnight

Probably the biggest and most anticipated of the three for most, it was at no.3 on my 'looking forward to'(LFT) list...I'm not gonna explain why. Anyway, the music here is what some might call evolution or some utter crap, I'm with the latter breed. Hybrid Theory and Meteora, though not very innovative and technically groundbreaking did have solid rocking numbers, and were actually fun to listen to. With this album, you feel as if Linkin Park are trying to be the next U2 or something, what's up with the endless number of ballads guys??? Did you forget how to ROCK??? One word review--YUKKKKK!!

United Abominations

Megadeth being my 2nd most favourite band ever, it might come as a surprise to you when I say that it was no.2 on my LFT list. The System Has Failed had not actually quenched my thirst for vintage Megadeth thrash. The album was above average by any standards but it just wasn't good enough to be Megadeth. Anyway, let's get on to the album in question. I dunno what the rest of the 4 songs on the album sound like, but even if they sound crap, the demos of the seven that I've already listened to make this album good Megadeth stuff, not excellent but very good. The opener Sleepwalker is such a hard hitting song with such an infectious riff...the rest of them are good too. One word review--Buy It

Paradise Lost

Now this is what I was waiting for, much more than the Megadeth album. Let me explain why. Megadeth gave their last excellent album in 1992(countdown to extinction)..the albums that followed ranged from above average(Youthanasia) to crap(Risk). Symphony X however, with the exception of their debut album, have given albums ranging from very good(twilight in olympus,odyssey) to excellent(the divine wings of tragedy, v-the new mythology suite) through the ninetines. With Paradise Lost, Symphony X do not disappoint at all. It's a very well structured album with trademark Symphony X riffing, harmonising, dobule bass mayhem, keyboard madness and the immaculate Michael Romeo solos. It doesn't quite have the variety of The Divine Wings Of Tragedy but it's still an excellent album and more grandiose than most of their other efforts, with the exception of V-A New Mythology Suite. All tracks are bludgeoning headbangers, and the title track is a ballad...(they have one on every album). What can I say...it's definitely the best metal ballad I've heard in a long long loooooooooooooooooong time. One word review---If you don't buy it, you're going to hell.

P.S.--If Dream Theater don't salvage themselves from the ordinariness of Train Of Thought or the debacle of Octavarium pretty soon, I'm giving their spot of my favourtie progressive metal band to Symphony X.

Ta Ra Rum Pum

I had planned, and was pretty excited actually that I'll be watching Spiderman 3 over the weekend. But..it was not meant to be..thanks to my little cousin Jagrat(10 yrs old) who said "bhaiyya, abhi mujhe ye America waali English nahi samajh mein aati hai". So we decided on Ta Ra Rum Pum...the latest flick from the oh-so-prolific house of Yashraj. Saif is a pit-crew member who turns into a star racer and Rani is a well educated pianist who falls for Saif's charms.

First half is a typical love story--Poor guy meets rich babe.....the guy charms her...the guy then makes it big...he gets rich n famous....they decide to get married...the babe's father doesn't approve...they get married...have two kids.It is largely uninspiring and actually drags a lot. Saif and Rani's courtship and then the marriage is so so silly!! One of the worst romantic build-ups I've seen in recent times. Javed Jaffery's character, in the first half, looks like a rehash of his Salaam Namaste days with his not-so-good Indianized English. I even fell asleep a couple of times during some songs and silly sequences. Rani just couldn't pull off the "babe" attitude and looked very uncomfortable. The restaurant scene, where she is drunk...is laughable(not because it's funny). Saif also hams his way through the better part of the first half.

This is where the bad stuff ends though, and it's ironical because this is when the story turns bad. Saif has an accident and he loses the confidence to win again. The family now has to abandon their house and their lifestyle because they have no money. The family scenes where Saif and Rani try to cheer up the children, and the bonding between all of them is just brilliant!!! Both the lead actors more than make up for their first half's hamming in the second half. Javed Jaffery also comes into tremendous form as the guy torn between friendship and family responsibility. Both the children, aka Champ and Princess also deliver commendable performances. One more thing I'd like to add, is that, when it comes to emoting...no actress can touch Rani, as of now. The second half, in fact, is so grippingly emotional that I'm tempted to say this movie is a Must-Watch(only once though). And last, but not the least....the main attraction....the car races!! Truly amazing stuff...the final race is such an awesome adrenaline rush!!, which makes this movie's climax one of the best I've seen in recent times. You know who's gonna win, but that still doesn't stop you from getting butterflies in the stomach and then clapping and cheering when the Hero finally wins..it took me down the memory lane to Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. Though still flawed in a lot of departments, esp. the music, the emotional scenes between the main characters, the immaculately picturized car races and connection you develop with the protagonists are what make Ta Ra Rum Pum an excellent entertainer.

The Good--Excellent screenplay(2nd half), Great performances by Saif, Rani and Javed & the car races.

The Bad--Uninspiring first half and below average music(except for the title track).No repeat value

Overall Rating--***1/2

Of SINS, SHADOWS.... and DELHI

Where have all the courteous and happy people gone??

I have been asking myself this question ever since I came to Delhi. Let me start by telling you a little story from this morning.

I was at the other end of the road at the metro station near my house, and I was about to cross the road. I could see an old man on an LML scooter far far away. I started walking...the man sped up.....the road was about 35 feet wide...but the man seemed bent on hitting me. Anyway...considering the situation..I stopped dead where I was. But no no no...Mr. John LML Abraham still had to come at me, and he did. He took off his helmet, from his looks I could tell he must have been about 64-65 years old, and he says "behenchod!! dikhta nahi hai tere ko". Now I am from Allahabad, and since the day I could fathom ten Hindi words, I have been hearing abuses all around me. But...I was shocked!!....here is a man who could very well have been the father of a teenager when I was born, and yet, he has no reservations whatsoever to throw such an abuse at me? I tried to reason with him, talking politely....addressing him as uncle...but he kept raising his voice...and kept using the eternal Delhi abuse(mentioned above) frequently. It was too much, finally, I walked up close to him and scared the shitlights out of him(I'm not getting into the details as that's not the point of this write-up).
As if this wasn't enough!!!!....let's carry on with the story shall we----
I got on the metro train and took the corner seat as I always do; it's very comfortable to just place my head on the side-glass and listen to my iPod through the half an hour journey. Five minutes into the journey, and a FAT!!! girl(sorry, but I'm pissed) comes in. She must have been a bout 19-20 years old, she was perspiring, coz of the FAT!!! I'm sure...neway I offered her my seat. She sat and then looked away..no thank you..nothing. Now I don't expect a thank you whenever I offer my seat to anybody, but you should know that, except for a few old men, no woman...old or young has ever thanked me for offering her my seat. Anyway, apparently, she also had to get down at my stop and she got up. I was already at the door, holding the side rest with my left hand....this girl comes close to me and says "please move your hand"... I told her that I had to get off too....she says "move your hand" in a raised voice...I, having lost the better part of my temper already with the old man, asked her humbly that what was her problem...and she says "I'm getting late and I want to move 1 step further to the gate"......can you believe that? And then, much to my surprise, I started laughing...as did a lot of others who were listening to our conversation....and there ended this story. Did I move my hand??????.......:)

Speaking of Metro, if you wanna learn what metro, or even bus and railway manners are..take a visit to Kolkata. Acts of vacating your seats for the elderly and the women are almost always a given in that city, but what's even better, is that the people who are already sitting, offer to carry the luggage of the ones standing. On a DTC bus...you see the bad tempered, ill mannered conductor and the hordes of frustrated men who are just waiting for some "brave guy" to start eve-teasing and then they all jump in. In Kolkata...you see the aggressive(but still polite) conductor who calls you 'dada' and the many men who will get the bus stopped..bash up the eve-teaser and throw him out of the bus.

What is more disturbing, is that these acts of arrogance, rage etc permeate through all levels of the society. An auto rickshaw driver is as arrogant as an MNC executive, and a healthy wealthy businessman is as bad mouthed and criminal minded as a local goon. People don't seem to respect anything, and I don't know for what god forsaken reason these people are always angry!! You look at a guy(maybe on the road,the bus,the train) and he'll give you look which says "stop staring at me you dumb fuck or I'll kill you"....you look and smile at a girl and you'll get a look which says "stop staring at me you pervert..or I'll have you arrested"...if she's the aggressive type...you might actually be arrested...lol. I have been to London, I have been to Tokyo and I have been to Atlanta.....all big cosmopolitan cities with a very fast life....but...people smile there. You feel happy being surrounded by happy people. In London, old men, 70-80 years old, used to take off their hat and say good morning to me. Now that's what great cities are about. If a single pedestrian is on the zebra crossing, the whole traffic stops at a good 10 yards away from the crossing....in Delhi though, it's a miracle no one dies of a heart attack when the crazy drivers come at 100 miles/hr towards you. The bicycle guy trying to overtake the rickshaw...the rickshaw trying to overtake the auto...the auto trying to overtake the car..the car trying to ovetake the truck...and for what??........for a chance to be the closest one to the RED LIGHT STOP LINE.

And I won't even get started on the condition of young guys in Delhi, and their perceptions of women. It really really depresses me to see the state of kids in Delhi. Shouting..screaming...drunk driving....teasing girls..sometimes even ladies who might be the age of their mothers. The older men are no better either.....I have witnessed it....60 year old men staring at 16 year old girls like vultures. I'm not saying that this kind of behaviour is only seen in Delhi......but when you're in the capital...supposedly a modern city....a cosmopolitan city...the city of opportunities....you don't expect to see these things....well...you don't wish to. What is the so called "efficient" Delhi police doing......they'd rather have the roads blocked with half an hour traffic jams and book chalaans worth 18 Lakhs in a single day than catch those who are disrespecting the vanity of women. They'd rather beat up poor kids not wearing helmets to death than diligently patroling for miscreants and rapists. They'd rather harrass the people by blocking various entrances to the New/Old Delhi stations than scanning scrutinizing vehicles entering crime prone areas.
Why the anger?Why the frustration?Why the arrogance?Why the total disrespect for fellow citizens?Why the total disrespect for law? It is our capital...a city we should be proud of..a city of good people...of helpful people...of smiling faces. Is it because of the heat? Certainly not. Is it because of the fast life? I don't think so....Mumbai,Kolkata,Hyderabad, Bangalore have very fast lives too. I wish I had more time to add all the stuff still inside me, but work is calling. If anybody knows the answers to my questions....please let me know. Meanwhile, I request all of you to make Delhi what it should be.....not 'the best city in India to stay'(as per the India Today survey) but the 'best city in India to LIVE in'. Adios for now

UNSUNG CLASSIC: Abigail--King Diamond

Sorry, was on a 5 day holiday with my wife, but here I am, back again with another unsung classic.

Call it an offshoot or the significant other of Merciful Fate; the fact of the matter is, King Diamond, in his solo career, gave more memorable music than Merciful Fate could ever dream of. I know, blasphemy!! but that is my honest opinion. I don't deny the fact that Melissa and Don't Break The Oath are responsible for pioneering and revolutionising black metal, along with Venom's aptly titled Black Metal, but when I listen to them today...they sound dated. One could argue that they were released way back in 81,83,84...and it's also partially true. What do you have to say to Ride The Lightning(84) or Back In Black(80) or even Slayer's Show No Mercy(83)though. Do these sound dated at all?....no way. Neway..getting back to the point..King Diamond, in his prolific solo career of 13 albums,has given the metal world much to cherish..Fatal Portrait,Abigail,Them,Conspiracy,House Of God & Puppet Master. But it is Abigail that stands hands and shoulders above the rest of them. The music on this album, or any other KG album for that matter, is not strictly black metal. I like to call it as Heavy Horror Metal:). KG albums almost always have a story behind them, horror stories!! Abigail also has a story; The story of Abigail Williams, the little girl(supposedly evil!!) who was killed in her mother's womb and then buried in the house. How she's resurrected, and then killed again by the black horsemen is what the story is all about. I just gave you the jist of it, if you're intrigued, you must listen to the album and read the booklet that comes with it:). As with any other concept album, Abigail can be enjoyed best when you listen to it through and through; each song has something to add to the story and the atmosphere. King Diamond's vocals can be an acquired taste...as for me..I just love them...those falsettos are to die for..right up there with Rob Halford..maybe even better. the guitar work on this album is simply AMAZING...I would say this album has one of the 10 best rhythm/solo performances in rock/metal history(released in 1987, now that's saying a lot...isn't it). The dual guitar attack ranks right up there with Iron Maiden. Some Maiden and Priest influences can be found in the music...but it has a very special identity of its own nonetheless..and its definitely thrashier than anything Maiden or Priest have recorded. The overall atmosphere of the album is very dark, and you can feel it right from the chilling opener in Funeral. Although there really are no standout tracks...as each track is as classy as heavy metal can get, but for the sake of checkout tips, I'm gonna say..listen to A Mansion In The Darkness,Omens,The 7th Day of July 1777,,,,,,...you know what screw it!!...I really think you should listen to all of 'em;). Each song is a masterpiece on it's own. Word Of Caution: If you only listen to nu-metal and metalcore, a la Unearth,Killswitch Engage,Linkin Park,Disturbed,KoRN,StaticX etc. you might find it hard to like this. Before giving this a try get into Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Accept, Helloween etc. This is not music with groovy hooks and catchy 2 and a half note riffs, but metal technicality and virtuosity at it's very best.

Download&Preview Album

BUY IT

Rating: 9.5/10