Time to take a small break from the noise and mayhem, and dial it back just a little for a while as we experience the
for the first time in Metal Month. What is it? I'm glad you asked. Actually, I'm not glad, because that shows me you either have not been reading my journal (shame on you!) or have not been paying attention.
This is the section where we look at an oft-overlooked aspect of metal, the metal ballad. Yes, the slow songs, the ones all true metalheads will tell you they skip on the album, but which in reality have them marvelling at the soft interplay of guitar and piano, or the sudden appearance of strings, and wondering how a band who just moments ago were roaring, raging and rocking fit to burst could suddenly be this quiet, engaging, gentle collection of people writing love songs? But it happens, and more often than you would expect. Even Metallica have their ballads. Let's unashamendly wipe a tear from our rime-encrusted eyes and put down the beer can for a second while we check out some of the best.
Let's start with our man Dio, and one of the few, in my opinion, decent tracks on the “Dream evil” album. With a full choir in attendance, this is “All the fools sailed away.”
One of The Batlord's favourites, this is Hammerfall, with a track from their second album “Legacy of kings”, and “Remember yesterday”.
And from the second album by Nightwish, “Oceanborn”, this is “Sleeping sun”
Like I said, even Metallica mellow out on occasion! Here's “The unforgiven”.
And we'll leave it at that for now, closing out with a Danish metal band called, um, Pretty Maids, who are neither pretty nor maids. But this is pretty. Track from their “Spooked” album called “If it can't be love”. See ya next time!
