Top 5 of 1995!!

Still making progress on these articles, but it's gonna be tight if I want to get through all of them before the end of the year.  As for this one, 1995 was definitely a curious time, as genres were evolving and expanding.  As usual, I should explain that I can't listen to everything, and these lists are pretty subjective to me.  However, after listening to a bunch of albums (including ones I didn't review), I felt these were the five that stood out the most.

5. The Flower Kings - Back in the World of Adventures

I'll admit that third-wave prog rock can be a mixed bag sometimes, as I feel they tend to lean a little too much into jazz fusion for my tastes.  However, Roine Stolt and his buddies really went big for their (kinda) debut album, really capturing the whimsy and mystery of those classic 70s styles.  It's not perfect, but it does establish some decent atmosphere with slick passages and melodies throughout.

4. Paragon - World of Sin

After reviewing it last week, I did wonder if this might not sneak into the Top 5 somewhere.  Compared to the other two I reviewed, this one felt the most complete and consistent, with their wearing their Metal Church influences on their sleeves for their brand of power metal.  While they haven't quite reached their full potential (and the great vocalist Andreas Babuschkin hadn't shown up yet), it's a debut that certainly demands attention.

3. Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side

At this point, Blind Guardian is firing on all cylinders, nailing their peculiar mix of power, folk, and speed metal.  The title track, "Bright Eyes," and "I'm Alive" are highlights for me, and I know this album has plenty of acclaim in the power metal fandom.  It's only below the others as I think they're stronger and have more of the power metal style I prefer, but that I still think this is a great album in the genre.

2. Gamma Ray - Land of the Free

Losing Ralf Scheepers may seem like a big deal, but Kai Hansen really steps up to the mic and discovers that he has a good voice for this concept album about freedom and oppression.  It's also when the band really embraces their power metal sound, helping to establish the genre along with their contemporaries.  The album does get a little clunky here and there, but honestly, these are nit-picks, and certainly not enough to prevent it from getting such a high placing.

1. Stratovarius - Fourth Dimension

While they wouldn't have their iconic lineup just yet, it can't be denied that Stratovarius really starts with this album.  I love "Against the Wind," "Distant Skies," and "We Hold the Key," and the rest of the album isn't too shabby.  Timo Kotipelto's soaring vocals and Timo Tolkki's neo-classical guitars really come together to make some solid stuff, and the first of a string of excellent power metal albums!

Retro Reviews - September 2025!

Here's the other article focusing on 1995, this time clearly decided to power metal debut albums.  While a lot of it was clunky, it was also a lot of fun, not only to hear the promise these bands have, but they all did things just a little differently, making for some decent variety.  Here's what I've been headbanging to lately!

Wizard - Son of Darkness

I wasn't able to find much about the origins of this band, other than they started in the late 80s and were finally able to put together this album in 1995.  It's an eclectic blend of various styles of epic metal, making for an interesting mess.

Similarities to bands like Manowar and Running Wild are obvious, especially on songs like the solid opener "Sign of the Wizard," "Son of Darkness," "Masters of the Seas of Gods," and "Lonely Wolfe."  However, they do have a few songs in the style of European power metal, namely "Death or Glory" and "Enemy Die," which really stood out to me.  Then there's "Rain of Death," which had almost a glam metal vibe (which was a little strange, considering the lyrics are very dark), while "Dawn of Evil" feels like a combination of all these things, plus a bit of doom metal as well.  And if that wasn't enough, they try a classic 80s power ballad with "Lovesong" which feels very bland, like it was there to just have it (and the less said about the last track, the better).

So it's definitely a strange album.  I get the impression that the band just gathered their influences into a pile and emulated them (which isn't a bad way to start, really).  I liked "Death or Glory" and "Lonely Wolfe," and they certainly have the right attitude for this kind of music.  However, I can tell their sound needs some more work to polish out all the clunkiness, and I look forward to seeing how they do that with their later albums.

Nocturnal Rites - In a Time of Blood and Fire

Jarring artwork aside, this is another band who's debut came out in 1995.  Interestingly, they started as a death metal band in the early 90s, but after a few lineup changes, switched to power metal.  I've heard a few of their later songs and liked them, so checking them out was on my list and once again, my articles are giving me this chance to squeeze them in.

Right off, they sound very much like Helloween (with little bits of Dream Evil and HammerFall), though with a stronger neo-classical flair and some dark fantasy lyrics to set them apart.  Unfortunately, the production is a little on the thin side, perhaps a consequence of a small budget, as I wished these songs had more punch to them.  Otherwise, they provide a pretty solid set of double-kicking power metal, with Anders Zackrisson's vocal harmonies really standing out well.  "Sword of Steel" is a good, uptempo opener, the title track has some interesting time-signature switching, and both "Winds of Death" and "Rest in Peace" are epic and satisfying.  The song-writing does get a little clunky, but at this point, power metal was still a pretty new genre, and it's not like there are any terrible songs.

Overall, it's an unpolished album while showing a lot of promise.  The band clearly has some good energy and are talented, but I feel like they're held back by the production and some awkward transitions.  Like Wizard, I'm very interested to see where they go from here, as they have the pieces for making some great power metal.

Paragon - World of Sin

After enjoying their last two releases, I decided to go back to the beginning for this band as well.  While this line up would only last for this album, as band-founder and guitarist Martin Christian would be the only one to carry the torch forward, this is a solid enough debut to get Paragon rolling.

While I was expecting to compare their work to Accept as I have done before, this album definitely leans into melodic thrash metal, occasionally giving me Megadeth or Metal Church vibes.  Once again, the riffs are chunky, providing some good head-banging, and Christian's solos feature quality shredding and melodies.  Kay Carstens is a decent singer, having a nice mix of grit and melody, which works with these lyrics, which are pretty apocalyptic and violent.

In all honestly, though, this stuff isn't that much of a surprise, as their recent albums feel like a blend of heavy, power, and thrash metal styles.  The title track and "Into the Black" are solid, uptempo slabs of Accept-inspired metal, while "Beyond the Void" is more somber and doomy, but maintains its brooding energy well.  Finally, the closer "Bring the Hammer Down" is a fun bit of heavy/power metal.  If there is a problem, it's that the music feels not quite as punchy as it could.  The production is fine, but they aren't quite the sledgehammer of sound I've come to expect with their recent albums.  Still, I enjoyed quite a bit of this album, and, once again, look forward to the rest of their discography.

Iron Savior - Condition Red

In between all these power metal debuts, I decided to add this one in my continuing quest to listen through Iron Savior's discography.  This one is notable for being the first without co-founder Kai Hansen, so the crew carry on without him, putting together an excellent album of power metal.

This time the story starts when the Iron Savior's creator wanted to merge with his creation, but was denied.  After being sent into space from the initial war, he spent his time making a new Savior, but his desire for revenge corrupted him and it, turning it into the Protector, and he begins ruling other planets with an iron fist.  He also gains the ability to control others with his mind, but he discovers he can't control those who originally came from Earth.  In his wrath, he goes to war with Earth itself, and so humanity and the Iron Savior have another epic fight on their hands.  Honestly, it's pretty typical and in line with everything they've done so far, but it certainly makes for a decent story to inspire some triumphant tunes.

Musically, this is business as usual, but I'm really starting to hear the band become more of what I'm used to.  Piet's gritty voice is really becoming part of the band's character, and the riffs are deliciously chunky.  The album starts off great with "Titans of Our Time," and "Ironbound" carries that uptempo energy further.  Meanwhile, they channel their influences Judas Priest quite a bit, especially on "Protector," which sounds a lot like "Electric Eye," and I doubt that's on accident.  The album's energy carries on with great tracks like "Walls of Fire," "No Heroes," and "Paradise."  I think this might be their best album so far (not counting the more recent ones I reviewed), as it has plenty of epic melodies, energized double-kicking bass drums, and grandiose atmosphere.

Retro Reviews - August 2025 Part Two!

Finally moving on from 1990, this is the first of two Retro Review articles I plan on dedicating to 1995, as it turns out there's quite a bit I wanted to catch up on.  This one will feature a quartet of rock bands, one of which I haven't really listened to before (sorta)!  Here's what I've been checking out lately!

Candlebox - Lucy

When I reviewed this band's debut album, I found it to be some pretty decent, if standard, grunge rock for the era, but it was enough to break them out.  This album follows up by going for a bit of a harsher, darker feel, and yet they sound more like Pearl Jam than ever!

Once again, this feels like the right album to come out in 1995, where grunge was becoming much more familiar, so bands needed to really push themselves to stand out.  Here, Candlebox aims for something more atmospheric in their alternative angst, like a series of a short, trance-like journeys.  Once the song starts, it generally locks into that groove and doesn't change much other than adding or taking away layers for verses and choruses.  Kevin Martin's wailing is right in the flow, fitting with the grooves and tones very well, and it's easy to get lost in these songs.  Unfortunately, that also means that the album tends to drone on, especially the two "Butterfly" songs.  As it turns out, this one didn't do as well as their first, and I wonder if this is why.

That doesn't mean there aren't some stand outs.  They made singles out of "Simple Lessons," "Best Friend," and "Understanding," and those were probably the best choices.  "Bothered" did have some chunky riffs though, and it was much more aggressive than the rest.  Otherwise, it feels like more standard grunge again, and with the darker tone, perhaps not as strong as their debut.  While the album is decent for what it is, it's certainly hard to recommend unless you have strong nostalgia for this era of rock music.

AC/DC - Ballbreaker

After the massive success that was The Razors Edge (and a quick little single for a Schwarzenegger film), it took them five years to put together another album, bringing back Phil Rudd on drums.  They decided to bring in Rick Rubin as the producer this time, after working with him on "Big Gun," making sure that this album is business as usual for the band.

I know I've mentioned this before, but reviewing AC/DC albums can be rough.  Their style is so distilled and direct that, unless there's some major mistake, their albums end up being generally fine.  While I don't think this is as good as the one that came before, they continue with their bluesy brand of hard rock.  "Hard as a Rock" kicks things off with some solid, mid-tempo rocking, "Boogieman" has a good 6/8 blues groove, and "Hail Caesar" is an interesting piece of social satire.  Many of these songs often have a build-up in intensity toward the end, making them pretty anthemic.  They're also an uptick in the raunchy lyrics, but with an album title like that, I suppose it's not a surprise.

So once again, we have another decent chunk of hard rock from a band who has long since mastered their craft and were (and still are, honestly) content to keep trucking along, album to album.  This album doesn't have the iconic tracks like their others, but at the same time, it sticks to what works, and that isn't a bad thing.

Spock's Beard - The Light

While I've heard a song or two, most of what I know about Spock's Beard is the one Pattern-Seeking Animals album I reviewed.  (Apparently, they have five albums now!  When did that happen?)  Anyways, this legendary third-wave prog rock band started with the Morse brothers, Alan (guitars) and Neal (vocals, keyboards).  It was originally just supposed to be the two of them, but by the time they got recording, they had picked up Dave Meros on bass and Nick D'Virgilio on drums.  The result is some pretty iconic third-wave prog rock, even if it is maybe trying a little too hard.

The album starts with "The Light," which has been the band's signature song since it came out, and I can see why.  It's a very dramatic piece with a lot of changes, including one that's full-on Latin fusion.  Dream Theater's influence is notable, though Spock's Beard is certainly not metal, but the songwriting of shifting between sections does have that feel.  In fact, these sudden transitions is pretty consistent through the album.  As a result, it does make it a rather unpredictable listen, but at the same time, I do wonder if it isn't too much.  They have plenty of neat little ideas, but instead of giving any of them time to expand, it's off to the next section.  I think I would have liked to hear them explore these ideas more, but I suppose this isn't that kind of band, and they do have some neat little callbacks.  The big epic "The Water" is much the same way, going over 23 minutes and several genres and styles.  However, it does come together like a Pink Floyd song, featuring a small choir of female singers to croon and wail along.  "On the Edge" is probably the most consistent song, but it is also only 6 minutes long, the shortest on this four-song album.

It's definitely an interesting collection of music, taking the prog rock that inspires them and making it relevant in a later decade, and I think they sorta make it work.  Again, I am bugged by the constant transitions (I wonder if this is where Haken gets it from), but that could be a matter of taste.  The material is performed well by all members, and establishes a solid baseline to build on from here for more prog rock adventures.

Glass Hammer - Perelandra

I checked out this band's first album a few years ago, and while it may have had some peculiar synths, it had some decent songs about Aragorn's adventures around Middle-Earth.  Two years later, they come back with another album, now about the works of C.S. Lewis (which I admit I am not as familiar with).  This time, they draw upon a wider prog palette, making them more in line with their third-wave peers like Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings.

Right off, the synths are better, and I think the production, while still not perfect, has improved as well, making these songs sound very lush and Yes-like at times.  This is most apparent in their first full song (after the strange intro track) "Time Marches On."  I felt there was a significant increase in Wakeman-like synth runs and Squire-like basslines compared to the previous album.  Of course, their ELP influence is still around, mainly on the instrumental pieces like "Felix the Cat" and the title track.  The rest of the album is a little all-over-the-place, but it all flows pretty well.  "That Hideous Strength" is probably the biggest jump in style, with it's near-industrial vibes, making me think of Pink Floyd at its darkest.  I have to say the keyboard work is probably the highlight, though I have no idea which parts are by Fred Schendel or Steve Babb, as I understand they're both jamming on the synths along with all the other instruments they play.

This is quite the improvement over Journey of the Dunadan, largely because it feels more consistent, though I do think the shorter tracks are a bit odd.  "Time Marches Out" is a great starter, and "Heaven" serves as a solid closer, getting rather triumphant after the defeat of evil in the previous tracks.  While I don't know if they've reached any kind of peak with this album, I can definitely hear them starting to put the pieces together to become their own thing, and look forward to when I can take the time to listen to more of their work.