The Batlord Talks about a Bunch of Metal Cause Why the **** Not
 

Well with TH gone I guess it falls to me to put this site back on track. Imma just do a non-journal about metal cause I don't feel like coming up with a good idea right now. I'll stick to metal of some notoriety at least half the time just so people will care.

First up will be a bunch of trad metal because I'm in the mood after Blizzard of Ozz. Get ready to eat dat ****, mudda****as and I don't know what I'm talking about.

Stay tuned...

Take recs or GTFO.

Perhaps. Hit me.

This album is pretty durn close to Blizzard of Ozz in both quality and content, but there are some actual differences. Blizzard didn't contain much variety beyond a couple ****ty ballads and "Mr. Crowley", whereas this album actually shows more maturity from Randy Rhoads (do the rest of the band matter?), and he branches out into territory beyond anthemic/awesome cheese. His riffs are still a ball of fun, but they allow for moods beyond just "fun".

"Over the Mountain", easily the standout, has a touch of the epic about it, and is even a tad, dare I say it, threatening? Ozzy even steps up to the plate and sounds just a bit more like Sabbath-Ozzy. I guess all he needs are killer riffs with atmosphere to step back and not try to dominate the track with his cornball persona. An Ozzy track I would say deserves legit respect and not just mindless enjoyment, and I suspect it all begins with Randy Rhoads learning to branch out.

"Believer" is another cool track that showcases Randy's ability to marry anthemic riffs with atmosphere. Ozzy is a bit more on point than usual but still kinda holds the song back with his one-dimensional approach. The title track is another that steps beyond the pale and switches between tepid balladry that is surprisingly justified by a bit of hardhitting yet stately metal that seems to presage Iron Maiden's "Hallowed By Thy Name" (though the Ozzy track is definitely made obsolete by the latter).

The drawback of the relative pullback in big dumb fun is that when Ozzy does go more for Blizzard-style schlock it is at times somewhat more restrained as well, so that the highs on Diary can be pretty high, and even one of the two goofy ballads is kind of nice ("You Can't Kill Rock and Roll"), the filler just isn't as fun and makes the album not pop in the same way. I'm honestly not sure which album I'd choose over the other, but I suppose they both have their strengths and weaknesses and I'll just skip the dross on either.

Honestly I'd be curious just what Randy Rhoads could have accomplished had he A.) not died, and B.) not been saddled with a jaded rock star just out to jump on the next musical zeitgeist. I don't think he'd have been suitable with a truly out-there-for-the-time band like Slayer or Candlemass or Bathory, but I think 70s Judas Priest or 70s Scorpions might have been an interesting fit. Hell, maybe if he'd lived he might have been able to put a fire under Ozzy's ass to be something other than a caricature of himself and release something with the aim to equal his output with Sabbath. Nah though he probably still would have released The Ultimate Sin. But I'll still give this album a solid...

7/10

Pretty sure that you dug this once in plug but I'm not sure if you've listened to the whole thing or not.


Endon - Through the Mirror

I have not. Will give it a listen.

At the time of his death Randy was already planning on leaving Ozzy and diving full on into classical guitar bender. It really was a passion for him. Dee is an amazing piece and really a blast to play.

Oh great, he would have been a more tolerable Yngwie. Forget what I said.

No numb nuts. Traditional stuff.

https://megamusic.blob.core.windows....spruce-top.jpg

Over The Mountain is >>>

It might be my entrance music if I was an MMA Fighter or Boxer.

Hype ting.

My mind is unchanged.

This is what Randy was headed for.

I've been a mega-fan of this album since I was fourteen. When I was first discovering metal this was one of the earliest that I ever downloaded track-by-track on Kazaa with my 128k dialup modem and burned to a CD that I still have in my ancient CD book. If I had my real computer working with its actual CD drive I'd say **** the Youtube video and listen to that pirate version for the sake of reconnecting with my teenage self.

This album really is a marvel to be honest. If I'd known who Mutt Lange was at the time I'd have considered it a reason to check out anything he's ever produced, because this is absolutely the highlight of pop metal. Plenty of metal bands have incorporated high class pop elements and soaring choruses, but nothing but this has ever managed to do so with such perfection while maintaining their badass metal cred and showing as much songwriting diversity. If you're making a pop album of any genre it's essential to reach the next level of not just being a collection of singles that you have diverse and recognizable songs in a way that hangs together and doesn't feel contrived.

Hysteria does this, but it also does not at all sound like a rock album, just a pop album with guitars, and lacks that important energy and impact that any rock or metal album needs to be truly relevant. Is Pyromania a showcase of testosterone? Clearly not, but it still has balls enough that seemlessly meld with those pop hooks (and not just choruses) in a way that is nearly unique in the world of metal.

I'm actually on "Too Late for Love", loving the cornball ballad godliness, and waiting with baited breath for "Die Hard the Hunter", one of the absolute epitomes of balls out melodic metal and pop majesty. If Goofle wants to say that metal is boring then I'm sure he at least already considers this album the 1st place exception or will shortly wet himself over the completely unbroken string of bangers.

9/10

I've been trying to get you to listen to this a few times, so let's try again.
It's not really metal, but it also kinda is, in a way, so yeah... Do it.

a sex change?

def leppard rule btw

Glad someone else sees the power and attraction of that album, esp "Die Hard the Hunter", my alltime favourite Leppard track. :beer:

Now, go on, you know you want to!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...S-WILD-CAT.jpg

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Also check out The Marrow by Ehnahre if my stunning review didn't convince you to already.