For any fans of Spanish speaking Heavy Metal, Kraken’s debut is a must listen. Not just because of its great musical qualities, but also how it represented a shining light in the darkest hours for Colombia. RIP Elkin Ramirez, one of the greats of Colombian metal.
Arcane heavy metal is currently one of my favorite genres of music as it’s clouded in mystery but never never fails to deliver catchy riffs and powerful, idiosyncratic vocals. Cultists like Cauchemar, Atlantean Kodex or Realmbuilder all brought something different but substantial to this loose genre and this full length coming out from The Crypt explores some undiscovered themes with style and panache.
I’m sure that there are complaints that I could find about Traveller if I fought hard enough to; I’ve seen some criticisms of the drum production, and I’ve heard that certain tracks are perceived as being a bit less good. I’m too in love to hear any of them; to me, Traveller is perfect, and my only fault with it is that it’s never been reissued and I can’t afford it on vinyl. Traveller is the triumphant attack of heavy metal in every form that I’ve ever wanted heavy metal to be, and it always will be.
Mercyful Fate are great. The End, ~fin~.
Cyprus-based traditional heavy metal band Mirror are just coming off the release of their sophomore album, Pyramid of Terror, which we ranked #4 in our Best Traditional Metal Releases of Spring 2019 article. With the sheer quality of both albums, these Cypriots are proving themselves to be one of the most capable modern bands in the genre.
The history of Satan is a long and complicated one. Originally formed in 1979, they were musically among the cutting edge of the NWOBHM, but were inundated with quite a few lineup changes, most notably as far as their vocalists go. They ended up changing their name several times over the 80’s – first as Satan, then as the band who did today’s album (Blind Fury), back to Satan for an EP and an album, and then to Pariah for a couple more thrash albums at the end of the 80’s.
It’s pretty widely agreed upon that traditional metal was in its prime during the 80s, with relatively massive, mainstream appeal. While traditional metal is most certainly no longer in its heyday, there has been a recent revival of the sound in the past decade that has led some to call it the “New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal”. There has been a huge influx of bands in this style and it seems like each year this is only growing. With the sheer density of high quality releases, 2019 is well on track to be perhaps the best year for traditional heavy metal since the 80s. Let’s hit pause and take a look at the best releases of the first 3 months!