Top 5 of 1986!!

Once again, I have fallen way behind in my Top 5 lists.  This one was supposed to be out at the end of May!  I guess the mid-80s has turned into a rough spot for me (though I do wonder if the heat of summer hasn't been a problem as well).  In any case, at this point, metal had pretty much taken over in a lot of ways, as I mentioned in my Anniversary Article.  While there was some decent rock music as well, I just think the metal stood out more to me when I reviewed this year.

As always, these are just my opinions, and I can't listen to everything, but there are a few albums I should probably mention first.  Ratt and Cinderella had an outside chance of getting in, and some might be puzzled by the lack of thrash metal (except for one).  While I've never been a fan of Slayer (and they're too extreme for this blog), I'm actually not that big on either Master of Puppets or Peace Sells.  I know this is considered a massive year for thrash metal (and for good reason), I don't really get into those specific albums very much.  As for what did make my Top 5, well, keep reading!

5. Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus

Doom metal might have a murky start, with bands like Saint Vitus, Cirith Ungol, and Trouble dabbling in the style, but as far as I'm concerned, Candlemass came singing right out of the gate!  While I don't think it's their best album, it's still a very good one, taking the doomy Sabbath atmosphere and kicking it up to epic levels, they established the Epic Doom Metal template for many bands to follow.

4. Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time

Admittedly, this album is kinda stuck between two great albums, and the band was not as energized for this one due to extensive touring, but even a less-than-par Maiden album can still feature some great melodies and performances.  "Wasted Years" and "Heaven Can Wait" are certainly highlights, but they also brought out a number of epic songs, such as the historically driven "Alexander the Great."

3. Europe - The Final Countdown

Yes, the title track is great, but have you listened to the rest of this album?  I actually find some of the deeper cuts here to be quite strong as well, specifically, "Danger on the Track" and "Heart of Stone."  For slick, synth-driven glam metal, Europe rose above the rest with their theatricality and very catchy melodies that stay stuck in your head for a good while.

2. Sword - Metalized

Once again, this is not THE Sword, but a different Canadian band that plays some very gritty, straight-ahead heavy metal.  While I did review their second and third albums, I find their first one to be the strongest, full of fierce riffs and attitude.  It's just a shame they weren't able to find a big audience back in the day, because this album is great!  In fact, it nearly took the #1 spot.

1. Metal Church - The Dark

Like I mentioned, there was one thrash metal band that stood out to me during this year, and it's Metal Church.  Their debut is also a very good album, but they followed up with an excellent set of melodic thrash, maturing as songwriters and showing how to make some very fierce and powerful music without falling into weird digressions or overly complex structures.  I always feel like I should raising the horns whenever I listen to them!

Retro Reviews - July 2026 Part One!!

I have to concede that summer is the hardest time for me.  I was supposed to be through the year of 1986 at the end of May, but here we are, still reviewing stuff.  This time, I'm mainly wrapping up what I wanted to listen to for 1986 and moving on, as I do want to get through all these Top 5 lists I have planned!  It's a bit of a hodgepodge, mostly of glam metal, but it's what I've been listening to lately.

Ratt - Dancing Undercover

While their debut album Out of the Cellar was an excellent set of pop metal, and Invasion of Your Privacy was a solid follow up, the band decided to toughen up their image a little, dropping the attractive girl on the cover to black-and-white images of themselves.  However, the music is pretty much more of the same solid rockin' that they've rocked before.

There might be a few tweaks here and there in the production, but honestly, the differences are minimal at best.  This album is just straight-ahead 80s hard rock with that glam metal flair for the sensual.  Everyone performs their parts well, and there really isn't a weak track.  They also shake things up a little with a bluesy groove on a few songs, mostly on "7th Avenue" and "Take a Chance," but otherwise, this is peak MTV material.

There are a few standouts, like the singles "Dance" and "Body Talk," the latter of which had some interesting chord progressions in the chorus.  I also liked "One Good Lover" and "Looking for Love," mostly for being a little faster than the others.  I'm discovering that I really like this band, largely because they're so consistent, at least across their first three albums.  I read some reviews saying that this album was darker and heavier, like getting into thrash metal territory, but I don't really hear it.  I'll probably end up listening to all their albums eventually, so we'll see if they can stay strong as the years go on.

Cinderella - Nightsongs

Coming from Philadelphia, Cinderella was another glam metal band that was able to catch a quick road to success thanks to the 80s being the best time for this kind of music.  While they weren't the biggest of the decade, they were able to find decent success with this debut album, thanks to some strong singles.

While this is certainly a solid chunk of hard rock, I admit I was only familiar with the big songs.  Now that I'm digging into them, I'm hearing some interesting things.  First of all, singer Tom Keifer sounds a lot like AC/DC's Brian Johnson, and many of the songs feature bluesy riffs similar to the Australian band.  Combined with the glam metal, it gives the band this strong foundation to build on, making for some very catchy songs.  Another surprise was the little touches of Dio that I heard.  They would often show up in the chorus or in ways that Keifer would sing a line, and some of the lyrics had some 80s Dio attitude as well.  Overall, it's an interesting blend that takes the standard pop metal sound and elevates it a little.  The only real problem I had was that many of the songs' endings were very similar, often repeating the chorus into a fade-out.  It's not awful, but it did make some of the songs feel a little too formulaic at times.

As is typical for this era, the singles are the best songs.  "Nobody's Fool" is this slow-burning power ballad that put the band on the spot, "Somebody Save Me" gets a bit dramatic, and "Shake Me" has that AC/DC charm.  I also liked "Hell on Wheels" for its uptempo boogie style.  I understand it was hard for rock bands to stand out at this time, as glam metal and MTV were big business affairs, but I do think this debut showed a band that had a little more than just fashionable clothes to their name.

Victory - Don't Get Mad...Get Even

While I've enjoyed some of their later releases, I decided to dig back into their history and check out their earlier material.  Their debut album (which I didn't review) was a decent collection of 80s rock songs that featured some solid production but little originality.  However, the following year, they picked up Herman Frank on guitars.  He had left Accept and worked with a few other German bands, but in 1986, he joined Victory and stuck around for quite some time.

So to say that they sound a bit more like Accept is mostly true, however, they retain their pop metal sensibilities, especially with some very clean production.  Frank has brought some more metal-like chugging riffs, and his solos certainly add to his robust collection of excellent fret work.  The album starts with "The Check's in the Mail," featuring a rather AC/DC-like sardonic bite, and "Not Me" has this interesting, slower groove riff that tries to sound tough.  I don't think it quite succeeds, but it's a catchy song nonetheless.  "Arsonist of the Heart" is a very curious ballad, not really going for an anthemic height but something more subdued, "Hit and Run" picks up the double-kicking drums for a shred fest, "She's Back" is more more of a cinematic, AOR-style song, and the closer "Running Wild," while not a Judas Priest cover, definitely features a lot of their rockin' energy.  The album never feels like it's stuck in one idea without it feeling jarring or schizophrenic as it jams through its setlist.  

I do think this is quite the improvement over their first album, mostly with the songwriting having more meat to it.  However at the same time, I don't know if it really stands out from the rest of the year in terms of catchy, melodic metal.  This really won't blow anyone away, but at the same time, there really aren't any weaknesses, either.  Just solid, well-executed (and very shiny) heavy metal.

Ozzy Osbourne - No Rest for the Wicked

After the slump that was The Ulimate Sin, a duet with Lita Ford, and two years, it was time for another lineup change.  While bassist Bob Daisley rejoins as drummer Randy Castillo returns from the last album, this album would be the debut of Zakk Wylde.  He had gotten an audition tape to Ozzy who wasn't sure at first, but was later convinced to take him on board.  Helping to write every song, Wylde gave the band quite a strong shot in the arm, as this album has some very good energy.

Once again, Ozzy straddles the line between glam and traditional metal.  While the riffs and subject matter are often gritty, there are still plenty of poppy choruses and vocal harmonies to fit in with MTV and mainstream rock radio.  The production is a massive improvement over the last album, especially with Castillo's drumming which is powerful without being overwhelming.  Naturally, Wylde gets his moments to shine, playing some very electric solos (and his iconic pinch bends), and his riffs really push these songs forward.  John Sinclair's keyboards also provide some extra cinematic layers on the songs in a way that isn't  messy.  The album is not perfect, of course.  "Crazy Babies," which was one of the singles, has some strange riffs and this talk-style chorus, and "Fire in the Sky" is trying to be this somber ballad, but goes on for way too long.

Still, this is quite the improvement over The Ultimate Sin, largely because of how energized it feels.  They kick off with "Miracle Man" and "Devil's Daughter," starting the album with a lot of impact.  "Bloodbath in Paradise" is classic spooky Ozzy, talking about the Manson Family murders like they're a slasher film, and despite the subject matter, I can't deny that "Demon Alcohol" is a fun song.  Overall, I was surprised by how much of this I enjoyed.  Zakk Wylde's introduction to the world makes for a pretty entertaining Ozzy album!

New Releases 2026 Part One!

Well this certainly took much longer than I wanted it to.  There are plenty of albums coming out this year that have me intrigued, but I'm just not getting to them (so far; still plenty of year left).  I mean, my first one here was the talk of the internet at the beginning of the year, and I'm just now publishing my thoughts on it.  (I've never been particularly great at being timely!).  Eventually I pulled together enough reviews to fill out an article, but I have to warn you, none of these are impressing me much.  Here's what I've been checking out lately.

Megadeth - Megadeth

Of all the most anticipated albums to kick off the year, this was pretty much unavoidable.  Not only was it going to be the band's last album, but it featured a Metallica cover (one of the few Mustaine helped write).  However, I'm not really a big Megadeth fan.  I've listened to their first five, as well as Dystopia and The Sick, The Dying... and The Dead!, but overall, they're kind of hit-and-miss for me.  I also know I'm way behind on reviewing this, as it's been out for months now, but I figured I'd give their swan song a listen, as I was pretty curious.

My first thought is that the songwriting is even more stripped down than Dystopia was, perhaps as much as Countdown to Extinction.  Most Megadeth fans will find very little that's new or surprising, and perhaps might get frustrated with how familiar it is.   While there are a few fun thrashy blast-fests, much of the album plods along as Mustaine sings about his observations and frustrations.  The opener "Tipping Point" and "Let There Be Shred" are highlights for being some energetic thrash tracks, and "Made to Kill" feels like it could have been on Rust in Peace, with its meter changes and dynamics.  "The Last Note" also has some decent energy as he reflects upon his career before ending the album.  And then there's the Metallica cover.  It's alright.  It's a bit of a weird choice, too, as I understand the song changed after Dave was kicked out of the band, so playing this final version is strange.  While the performance is fine (and has Megadeth's typical tightness), the main problem is Dave's voice.

And this is where I address the elephant in the room.  I get that getting older isn't for wimps, and throat cancer is no joke, surely affecting his voice, but it feels really weak and rough on this album.  Much of his snarling charisma is gone, and while it's not bad on every song, it is something that gets a little hard to ignore.  And with "Ride the Lighting," compared to James Hetfield's roaring bark, Mustaine's voice feels so weak and kinda drags the song down.  If he had covered it just 10 or even 5 years earlier, it would have sounded better.  I don't mean to be a jerk about this, as I've heard that his voice has been failing for a while, and I hope he's able to keep it working through the farewell tours he wants to do.  But when Mustaine's singing was such an iconic part of this band's sound, it's a little depressing to hear it struggle so much.

There is something to be said about going out on your own terms, though, and for Megadeth, this farewell is about as Megadeth as it gets, for better or worse.  I'm sure the guitar nerds will enjoy picking these solos and riffs apart as they always do, but otherwise, it's honestly more of the same.  I don't think it's a bad album, overall, but it does feel like a simplified version of the band's sound, which makes for perhaps a bit of an underwhelming last album.

Lovebites - Outstanding Power

Well, I asked for another full album and here it is!  Their last one was quite a blast, and it made it into my Top 5 for that year, and since then, they released an EP that was also pretty solid.  Keeping the same lineup as before, the band seems to be trying to expand their sound beyond power metal, but I don't know if it's really working for them.

Things start off well enough with "The Castaway," but then they go right into thrash metal mode with "Silence the Void" and later on again with "Reaper's Lullaby."  They proved they could do this well on Lovebites II with "Where's Identity," so I'm pleased to hear them do this again.  However, they also try some symphonic metal ideas with "Forbidden Thirst" and "Dream of King," but feel like they might be stretching a little too far from their base with these, especially the syncopated riffing in the latter song.  Other experiments include the AOR-like "Wheels of Fire," a classic metal approach for "Out of Control," and some uptempo rock for "Blazing Halo."  Then they go all-in on the extremely sentimental power ballad "Eternally," which really didn't need to be seven minutes long.  These tracks had some good moments, but it does make the album feel uneven and inconsistent (and your mileage may vary with these genre shifts).  Fortunately, they do bring back the power metal on "Phoenix Rises Again," and the closer "One Will Remain."

I kinda hate to say it, but this is a bit of a disappointment.  After the incredible Electric Pentagram and the worthy follow-up Judgement Day, I was ready to sail with them into the power metal seas.  However, after listening to all this variation, I'm wondering if the band is having a bit of an identity crisis.  While I do like some of the ideas, especially the faster, thrashier songs (I think "Silence the Void" is the best track here), this album doesn't feel as strong as what they've done before and leaves me worried about what they might try next.  

Yes - Aurora

Once again my favorite band has put out another album.  I admit it has been tough to get into their recent material.  The Quest had a decent start but eventually settled into a soft rock pace that I found lack luster.  This was followed up with Mirror to the Sky, which I thought was an improvement, but still struggled in the rock department.  After that one, I had a bit of hope that it was at least an upward trend as they explored this new era of their sound.  When this album was teased at the end of last year, I tried to keep my expectations low, but as the singles were released, I felt underwhelmed.  Now, after listening to it a few times these past few weeks, I think it's about time I gave up on this version of the band recovering the legacy of their rock prowess.

To be clear, this is by no means a bad album, just kind of inoffensive.  It meanders a long from song to song, providing some decent atmosphere, and the increase in symphonic sections shows their theatrical pretensions.  They do have a few interesting shake-ups, with "Outside the Box" messing around with synths and vocal harmonies, "Countermovement" was a decent epic song with some curious twists and references, "Jambustin" is a playful, quirky song that almost works, and "All Hands on Deck" sounds like they're channeling Deep Purple, of all things.  The opening title track is probably the best at embracing the band's current positive mood, which resonates throughout the album.  Overall, it's nice to listen to.

Unfortunately, it's just not very memorable.  Even with their experimentation, there is this intention of a slower, easier pace without really having any impact on me as a listener.  At least The Quest and Mirror to the Sky had tracks that felt like complete ideas or had some energy, but here, they are content to stick to this laidback version of their style, perfect for their Cruise to the Edge events.  It was after I listened to this album the second time I finally had to come to terms that this current lineup just has no desire to bring back the rock music side of their sound, something that Jon Anderson did very well with the Band Geeks.  I understand this album has its fans, but I am not one of them.  It's such a shame, too, because I know these musicians are very talented, but they don't seem to interested in putting their mastery into what I'm interested in.  Maybe in the future, they'll remember to be a rock band, but for now, this is just another disappointment.