The Mosh Pit 9.03.10: The Rise Of Progressive Metal

Posted by Dan Haggerty on 09.03.2010

The year was 1988 and we look at the rise of progressive metal. From it’s origins to it’s reintroduction through thrash, and of course the biggest prog metal album in the 80’s - Operation: Mindcrime. Plus we look at classics from Slayer, Metallica, Vio-lence, Ozzy, Voivod, Pantera, and many more. Click he link for all the details!

Hey there folks, and welcome back. Before I get started I need to apologize for the format last week. When I put the column in last week, I couldn't resist but to edit and change things. Unfortunately that made some formatting errors and a few other gaffs as well. That's what happens when you edit in a small window late at night. Plus, I totally 86'd responses to comments as well So sorry for the issues.

OK. Next issue. I'm now online! Well, I've been online but now I'm actually using the electronic format now to promote by new projects. So check me out on:

Facebook
Twitter [ed. Username: themoshpit]

And why? Well because I have taken the real big step. When I started this I said I was going to publish this stuff. Well, I'm going to do that BUT I'm going to get there by a different route. So I'm happy to announce that I have started my own website that is specifically dedicated to the history of metal. I am currently taking old edited columns and new material to add to the site. Basically, it's this column starting at the beginning of this year but now I can expand upon each year and add new material. Also I can add new albums and integrate the ideas I've had since those columns or your feedback as well. In fact, since I get to categorize things better with this you will get to offer feedback by column or individual album!

But don't worry, I'm not leaving here and all new first run history columns will come here first. This is just my old stuff that I can now add on to, expand upon, and make more accessible. So for those of you who were sad to see the 70's go or the 80's winding down and wanted more, well here you go! I plan on updating albums once a weekday with a column every week. Plus (hopefully) one new classic album a week from those periods. If you get the chance please check it out at: Metal Havok

Feel free to offer criticism. This is still under development as I go. So far we have the 60's columns up and a few albums, along with the introduction of Sabbath.

Sorry, no feed back due to space. I'll have room next week to catch up. And now we're off to the feature, but just for fun here are the bands I couldn't fit this week despite the shorter reviews (no wonder I wanted to expand):

Cloven Hoof
Coroner
Destruction
Exodus
Flotsam and Jetsam
Heretic
Manilla Road
Manowar
Mekong Delta
Nuclear Assault
Overkill
Rage
Razor
Saint Vitus



The History Of Metal: Progressive Metal

Heavy metal was born out of the cultural, technological, and musical trends of the 60's. When Black Sabbath and Deep Purple showed up in 1970 with Black Sabbath and In Rock, a sand was drawn across the spectrum of history to show the point when music evolved "beyond the point of no return" so to speak. In terms of heavy metal that is, for at that point we can go "whoa… that is heavy!"

The music in the 60's evolved into psychedelic rock, and by the end of the 60's blues, folk, and rock elements were getting reintroduced to psychedelic for loud hybrids that gelled into "Iron Man" as it were. But psychedelic rock also evolved into another way we have discussed, and that is also in progressive rock. We've lightly covered the 70's progressive rock era (and frankly deserves it's own series that is right now beyond this project), and in that showed how prog was really the popular older brother of metal in the 70's. Truly, as much as the 80's were the golden era of heavy metal the 70's were the golden era of progressive music. With technical playing and complex structures, untraditional formats and unconventional ideas, rock was reformed out of psych and molded into a rock frame. If you needed to point to the one big influence in prog at this time it would be jazz. Not very surprising if you remember who the biggest prog band of the 70's is and who their influences (and name) comes from. I'd also sight Cream as an early influence if you want a band. Just listen to "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" if you want exhibit A.

So the 70's saw the rise and eventual decline of progressive rock. Jethro Tull, Uriah Heep, Rush, King Crimson, ELP, Pink Floyd, and of course Rush just to name a few. Uriah Heep is a band I have sighted as being also important for the formation of metal, and also deserves a secondary nod for the creation in their 1970 debut of Very ‘eavy… Very ‘umble. this would not only be because of tracks like "Gypsy" but because the band is also for the first progressive metal band. Yes, that is in a 70's context, but outside of one album Rush is also a progressive metal band in the 70's conext – Remember the curve when dealing with the time period!

Uriah Heep was basically the progressive version of Deep Purple, except they also had more vocalists (obligatory inside Heep joke for critics who compared the band to Purple). Not only was metal the sibling of progressive music due to their similar influences, but even at he beginning the styles were also combined. Rush would come along in a few years and take it up a notch, as well as popularize the concept for the long run as well. But much like Heep declined by the end of the 70's, so did Rush eventually move away from progressive music that was close to metal. By the 80's, Rush was hard rock and looking at an updated 80's sound and all of the old guard progressive bands had retreated. Even Pink Floyd was on the rocks at that point.

Much like heavy metal when approaching the 80's, and just like metal it would take a new generation of progressive bands to bring the form back.

The 80's revival in prog rock would see two general forms. One would be bands playing what was labeled a neo-prog form that was basically 70's prog updated. Pendragon and Twelfth Night come to mind, but my personal favorite and a band I love would be Marillion. While the band has had a long solid run for me the original line up with lead singer Fish produced some of the greatest prog albums to hit vinyl. That is no slouch on the latter material or singer Steve Hogarth who does a fine job, I'm just impartial to the 80's run of the band. The second trend was prog getting married to the 80's "synth era" such as it was in new wave. Bands like Asia come to mind, as well as classic bands updating to that style in Styx and Yes.

As for heavy metal, well the beginning of the 80's was pretty much nonexistent as far as full blown progressive metal. Bands did play progressive elements, naturally since the forms were linked, but it only cropped up in pieces. Iron Maiden would use progressive elements on some songs for examples ("Hallowed By Thy Name" anyone). It made a larger leap forward with the introduction of thrash.

And no, I'm not saying prog influenced thrash (unless you want to make a VERY generic case for the technical part). Obviously Kill ‘Em All and Feel the Fire are not progressive.

No thrash would evolve by including progressive elements. Thrash purists will flat out tell you that Master of Puppets is not a thrash album. But why? Well, the why is because one SOME songs (sorry thrash purists but "Battery" and "Damage Inc." are ass kicking thrash songs by any definition) the band added prog elements. Listen to the change ups, time signatures, interludes, etc of the title track and then you will get what was getting welded onto thrash. There were other elements as well. For instance the Sabbath love in the "chugging" riffs, but prog elements were getting reintroduced.

People, including me at the time, were surprised at just how technical, complex, and dense … And Justice For All was when it came out. It was like the band was trying to prove their chops to some unknown critic (likely themselves). But in retrospect, if you think in terms of prog, you can draw a line through their debut to their fourth album and see the slow evolution to that point. Really, that album was just the next logical step.

And Metallica was just the most popular band doing this. Other thrash bands that would dovetail into prog later in the 80's would be Voivod, Mekong Delta, and Metal Church. Fates Warning is a great example of a power band using elements as well as the mighty Savatage. And lets not forget a young guitar shredder by the name of Marty Friedman had an album called Dragon Kiss that was so technically wild that it would serve as a resume in his introduction to Dave Mustaine. So progressive music was working behind the scenes and creeping back into the metal lexicon. One metal band showed up to re-popularize it however.

Enter Queensryche.

The ‘ryche was a band that started off as a power traditional unit with their self titled debut EP, but by their first full length they entered the arena a prog/power band. Actually, The Warning was an odd if wonderful display of "fussy" art metal and power. There next album Rage For Order reintroduced more traditional and mainstream material, but the band also took some creative neo-art touches within the umbrella of prog. Queensryche was quickly becoming a powerful and complex machine. But it was the introduction of 1988's opus Operation: Mindcrime that the band would become a household name.

On Operation: Mindcrime Queensryche broke the band and landed prog directly back into the popular dialog on music. With an engaging (if ultimately elusive conclusion) story and a combination of progressive and traditional metal elements, the band made in-roads into mainstream music. By the time they released Empire, which was a more mainstream release (it was to Operation:Mindcrime what Rage For Order was to The Warning), the band was getting labeled as "heavy metal's Pink Floyd". No, overall they weren't, but it was good PR and really at that moment in time you can see why. For several albums they were and through the process catapulted progressive metal into the limelight.

But as much as Queensryche became symbols of popular progressive metal, prog fans will also tell you the band was a healthy mix of many styles. It would take Dream Theater to enter the scene in 1989 with When Dream and Day Unite that full blown progressive metal in all its technical and winding way entered the scene. Queensryche owned mainstream metal, and really was the bridge between underground and casual fans (lord knows I killed the tape in the day), but Dream Theater would be the band to spin prog metal into the next decade.


The Kids Are Alright…

By the 90's, metal was shaking up and changing again. Progressive music and it's influence will do the same. As for progressive metal as a full blown genre, it is just getting started and will ride a wave as it builds into the 90's. It will never be mainstream, but it will come to captivate fans in a sweet spot between mainstream music and the underground – A sort of no mans land between popularity in both worlds and neutral territory. Dream Theater will take off as well Savatage turn into the mother of all concept building bands. Plus soon we'll be getting Symphony X and many more bands that will bring the form to new heights.

As for prog being that brush or texture that bands will use, like the thrash bands… Well, as thrash was a technical and aggressive advance on NWOBHM, it will follow thrash with all forms of popularized metal. It will suffer from what I call the next decades "Overcorrection". Glam ran its course, and was overcorrected by the anti-glam Seattle style of grunge. Thrash will overcorrect by first becoming groove metal (then evolve into nu-metal). And when thrash stripped down the riff and returned to basics, much like punk did to rock in the 70's, prog will go out the window.

So progressive music is no going anywhere and in fact will still produce some great music. But as a supplement to popular forms of music it will take a backseat for the next decade as metal goes down new tracks. But prog bands will now come into being and ride the line behind the scenes, and the style will still brush underground bands. Atheist will introduce prog to death and the two will stay linked in many bands to this day. From Death's eventual turn into progressive elements by the end of their storied run to Opeth basically turning death metal on it's ear, prog and metal will continue to work together just like two headstrong siblings would – sometimes well and sometime explosive, and at other times or points not at all. But in the end you just know the reunion is coming.



***




Spotlight Albums
Noted for history even if it doesn't make the cut


Celtic Frost - Cold Lake




What makes Celtic Frost so universally beloved and/or respected is how far ahead of the curve they were in the music they produced. Here, the mighty Frost pulls a Metallica and reverses the jets to drop behind the curve in the name of a more accessible album. Of course, for Metallica it would pay off. For Celtic Frost it would just blow up in the bands face. Simply put, this is a glam album and it doesn't even do that well. Some people actually like this a lot, so you mileage and all of that. Perhaps if I didn't even hear the other albums first I might agree. Sadly, I didn't and no matter how hard I squint all I see is a shadow of a band that was.



GWAR - Hell-O




How's this for a calling card? Well, if you are a GWAR fan than I'm sure this bucket of sci-horror bolts is part of the greater GWAR-Universe. As for me, this is a first step of an exercise as the band gets ready to blow the door down on their KISS meets Alice Cooper pulp fiction universe. To loose and congested. Good things are on the way however.



Kings X - Out Of The Silent Planet




I remember when this came out, certain circles of critics and DJ's were pushing these dudes as the next Led Zeppelin. Ah… no. Not that Kings X were not going to do some fine albums, because this a good band with a lot to offer. Further, I will also say that a numbr of people really like this album so you might want to check it out. I can understand why, it has a lot of texture and technique to it. For me, it just plods along to much, somehow coming off standoffish.


***



Top Metal Albums From 1988

Listed Alphabetically

	Anthrax - State of Euphoria No way I was going to miss Anthrax again! Although the gents from the east are a bit polarizing on this, sounding like punks (musically and due to the shorts), more of the heaviness we loved from Among The Living but slightly more polished (and slightly formulaic near the end). Some see this as a step backwards, but really Ian is still writing great riffs and the beast is still running wild on the streets. Sure, it's like the guys are a little less serious but really all the Anthrax elements are there. Crank her up and let her rip.
	Anvil - Pound For Pound Lips and Reiner are back, and have returned to form after noodling around on the aborted Strength Of Steel. And man, do they return heavy as all hell. Tossing in a thrash vibe to their speed and traditional canon we are summarily treated to songs that go crunch in the middle of the night as well as Reiner's patented kit destroying rhythm section. Not as good as Metal On Metal, but the songs that smoke do so with old school clarity. Toss is a few mandatory porn-metal tracks and you have another fun Anvil album.
	Bathory - Blood Fire Death And with a slight twist off his frosted shoulders and battle rusted axe Quorthon gives us the very first Viking metal album. Truth be told, this album absolutely rules and should be below except for the high esteem I hold the other five. And while are favorite pagan paints pictures for the Norse gods fighting the final fight this also still holds core black metal elements from the man's blasted previous albums. Yep, it's a cusp album and like many we get the best of both worlds. Dark hinterlands are ran up against epic landscapes, and we are fortunate to sit in the light from the battle. Simply a wonderful album with more texture than most objects. Get this album.
	Blind Guardian - Battalions Of Fear And thus Blind Guardian enter the scene. Only, the epic power band of symphonic proportions is more of an evolved Helloween power/speed machine cranking out JRR Tolkien tracks right now. Key thing is, that works and this album is great for it. Hell, I even detect a little thrash hiding in here as well. But no, this is primarily speed metal and it smokes forth with certainty that this band is already one album in to becoming an institution.
	Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is No Law One of the undergrounds best kept secrets, the magnificent Bolt Thrower arrives to deliver a brutal display of thrash and death that is ahead of it's time. I mean, you get brutal vocals and blast beats loaded next to thrash riffs that crank. And is that a little Sabbath I detect in the title track? One thing for sure, the production job hurts the album a little. But hey, this is Bolt Thrower and frankly you can't go wrong with any of their albums. I'm still amazed something this heavy got punched out in '88.
	Britney Fox - Britney Fox Britney Fox's self titled debut is likely one of the best pure glam albums of the late 80's. Of course, if you don't like glam than that doesn't change your mind on this crazy thing. But unlike other bands that were starting to delve into a little late career self parody (Twisted Sister, Crue, and even Bon Jovi) this is actually energized with real belief in the mission. Perhaps the dudes were just hungry. Either way, this is pretty straight forward and has all the trappings, but it delivers them with a touch of European no-nonsense sincerity your convinced this is the state of the world. And really, when you think about it "Girlschool" would be a pretty good place to be. Ahem.
	Cacophony - Go Off! Marty Friedman and Jason Becker release their famous imprint. And what do you have? Well, everything that the guys tossed at the dart board. Power metal, glam metal (?!), speed metal, and prog metal all wrapped up in a twisted mess of a high powered album that rips. No way about it, some half a dozen albums worth of guitar licks gave their life for this one album. No wonder big things were in store for these guys.
	Candlemass - Ancient Dreams Brooding but epic, here the heavy as hell Candlemass strip back the cardiac arrest for a little more melody, line on "Mirror Mirror". But don't worry, the epic skull cave ins are still there via "A Cry From The Crypt". The mad monk is in full operatic glory while Edling has found sweet spot between Sabbath riffs that lumber and a viable hook to hang Messiah's vocals on while they reach the sky. Candlemass can simply do no wrong, and on albums like this you realize your six feet down with the last person to say otherwise.
	Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction Thus the major innovators arrive to the general disgust of all. Heh… Don't know why everyone bitched at Cannibal Corpse when you look at this band's (earlier) covers. DAMM. Hello music scene – Meet grindcore. Grindcore – Meet death metal real soon. Medical science – Meet the fusion of metal and the autopsy room. Somewhere, Slayer looked at these one-two minute brutal piles of flesh that passed as songs and went "Holy fuck… What was that?"
	Cinderella - Long Cold Winter After the left step of their interestingly debut, the band injects some hooks, the blues, and a ballad (all three in hit "Coming Home") into their sound for the ratcheted up Long Cold Winter. "Falling Apart At The Seems" is a pretty bad ass song that owes more to the blues than glam while "Gypsy Road" delivers your made for radio catchy melody. The album isn't excellent or anything, but it is a fun listen that at least makes it into the player once a summer.
	Danzig - Danzig So in the middle of glam and thrash, image and aggression, comes Danzig in the front door looking like he spent the previous 8 years from the 70's taking the Misfits on a long motorcycle ride. 70's rock mixed with lumbering blues strolls on out of the speakers in need of a shave, packed by that bass snarl that makes Glen just that damn good. Only a few talented people can carry a song with his voice as a lead instrument and Danzig is one of the rare souls who can do it in metal. It's like Elvis went bad and started beating on people in that ghetto. Hand on tight, for it's all sideburns and black leathered demon chicks from here on in.
	Death - Leprosy Death's sophomore platter is more evil and gritty death music that takes thrash down to it's raw bleeding soul this brutalizes it. Even chuck's voice is out of sorts still. But man, there is no denying those riffs hiding under the dirty production even if the guitars come off like they have loose wires flying everywhere. We're still early in death metal here and this is another critical full release that is part of the formation, even if we're slight ajar and bleeding from trying to fit in. Pretty brutal stuff and historical, even if a fun brash blast despite the disease. Wash hands thoroughly after listening.
	Fates Warning - No Exit Basically Fates Warning was the only band matching Queensryche or such dedicated prog at this point, and that hasn't changed on record number three. Although, instead of the power or traditional metal of the ‘ryche you get some thrash here as well as classical inspiration. Truly on fun mix more bands should have done. Toss in the 21 epic song that takes up all of side two (basically upping the ante on Rush from the 70's) and you have another pulverizing pile of prog from Fates Warning.
	Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys II Helloween return one short year later to deliver part two of what was suppose to be a double LP concept album. For once, the separation might have been a benefit since you can hear the slight evolution of the band. While the speed is there it is falling back for the euro-power metal that Helloween is now officially making famous. The songs either rock the heel out or soar like an anthem gone hunting. Most songs do both at the same time. Save Us indeed. This is a great power metal album that points to the future of power metal and an essential cornerstone of metal. If I made a 100 albums metalheads should here list, this would be on it.
	Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son A concept album based upon the prophetic powers of a man with a light brush on the nature of the human entity. This would also appear as an accessible album with the atmospheric keyboards or the catchy earworm "Can I Play With Madness". But again, that is misleading as the epic title track or straight metallic "Only The Good Die Young" quickly dispel the myth again. Add in twin assault and mind chopping "The Evil That Men Do" and the ballad-y textures of "Prophecy", and you have a Maiden album that is divergent but still quintessentially them. From here things start to get dicey however…
	Judas Priest - Ram It Down The forgotten 80's album from Priest, Ram It down is a solid album with a few killer tunes. After feeling burned by Turbo, time has helped with this album to allow it to stand on it's own outside of the context of when it was released. It a little to late 80's arena metal that was starting to wear thin, but behind the safe writing is a great guitar tone, some really heavy tracks, and intense screams. Sure, cover of "Jonny B Good" sucks, but he title track is pure speed heaven (hell?) packing a solo that is one of the band's best in years. "Hard As Iron" is killer speed Priest too. But "Blood Red Skies" steals the show with an awesome Rob vocal performance. So we have an average 80's Priest album saved by a few wicked tracks. Works for me.
	King Diamond - "Them" He of the corpsepaint and falsetto vox is back with more horror movie metal to melt the brain. More tales for the house no one should enter, King pointing the way to power metal and unleashing Andy LaRocque to do just that. And man, that guy shred an axe apart. You are either on board the Diamond ghost ship or not, but either way you can't help but salute the cutting edge nature of the music and story. Plus, something so evil never sounded so clean. Helloween isn't doing power this sterling. Then again, Kai wasn't sending people screaming for cover either. Someday Hollywood needs to discover and bring these albums to the big screen. Fun fact: Future Motorhead drummer Mickey Dee makes his debut here.
	Kix - Blow My Fuse Can't put my finger on it, but I like this paint by numbers glam album. Probably has to do with the energy not to mention the sincere hooks. Sort of like Manowar for the MTV pop scene. The band just plows through these tracks but it feels like some time was at least put into it. Maybe it's the fact these guys are actually seven years experienced in the game at this point. Red light, green light indeed. Chock it up to guilty pleasure, but the hard rock infused spandex is a fun ride that actually sees spring play in the car.
	Megadeth - So Far, So Good… So What? Big Dave returns after the critical Peace Sells opus and offers up more polished plunder that is pointing to the next batch of albums to come. New band members, still rough production, but the music is cleaner and Mustaine seems to be now at easy as ringleader to the drugged up frash mess that is Megadeth. But the music pours out and we again win for what great thrash it is. Outside of the cover song this pumps with power dare I say direction. Prepare yourself however, as the man is now cleared to write one of the greatest metal albums ever.
	Ozzy Osbourne - No Rest For The Wicked For me this is the dark horse of the catalog. Depending on who you ask, it is generally accepted Ozzy's real run of solo music was Blizzard of Ozz to No More Tears, and somewhere in that mix Wicked gets lost in the shuffle. Even Ozzy has issues with the album, likely for the same reason I like it – This is the most straight forward metallic and serious display of sounds from the man, the album sounding like Ozzy is a bit pissed on and pissed off, net result is a decidedly no nonsense delivery. Add in new axe man Zakk's desire to make this album heavy and not be the guy to "fuck up Ozzy" and you get an album that stands to the side of the rest of the catalog, puffing its chest out every time I start to think Osbourne can't be treated seriously. From "Miracle Man" to "Demon Alcohol", outside of one toss away track this just rocks.
	Pantera - Power Metal We still haven't gotten to Cowboys From Hell yet, but the band is starting to drive that way. They due so by stopping off for something that is closer to Maiden however, for just as the title says this is indeed power metal. But damn if that power is not kicked up several notches before being run through a stack of marshals. One doesn't wonder where all that power and energy will come from, Diamond Darrel (still) and co. are already starting to tool their sound now. Only there is no groove and little thrash in sight. In fact the riffs are more LA then Bay Area and to be honest Phil is likely shooting a career best vocal duty here. Like I said, it's power metal and will surprise you, but the band does a great job of it and delivers more wattage then most city grids can handle. Hang on because the Pantera ride is just starting.
	Sabbat - History Of Time To Come Great Britain adds to the growing list of countries contribution to thrash as Sabbat pulls up to the curb with this really great classic. Riffs galore, thrash breaks, and really a thespian bent on lyrical content makes this one of the critical underappreciated favs of the underground thrash scene. But wait, we get euro-protopower as well! Well, not power metal but more of a dark and butt ugly goth tinge that doesn't suck like modern goth. Sort of Rage meets German thrash, with a hint of Gamma Ray in the studio end. Crank the mother up and let the plaster crack on this evil slab.
	Soundgarden - Ultramega OK As with glam, I debated with putting grunge in here because really it isn't metal. And yet, it is a child of metal as those Sabbath riffs will attest. Plus, there is no denying the psychedelic roots as well, sort of a Blue Cheer meets MC5 then stumbles through Ozzy era Sabbath, before cooling off with battery acid. Caustic, corrosive, jumbled mess of face melting signals that make one wonder if the last decade didn't even happen.
	Tankard - Morning After Check the watch and hide the breakables, it's time for the next Tankard release. All those glam bands making albums about partying and having fun? Pfft… They may sing about it but Tankard was actually doing it. Beer and silliness ensues and the band blitzkriegs the senses (obligatory German reference) with such classic party night gone wrong classics such as "Shit Faced" and "The Morning After". Hell, I just need a drink thinking about it. Thrash never sounded so out of control or loose, the secret of the guys in beating their mainstream counterparts at their own game while still ripping it up musically.
	Tarot - Follow Me Into Madness If you ever wondered what Nightwish might sound like if they dropped the goth, orchestration, prog, and well all the extras here you go! Color me crazy, but on average I like Tarot's catalog much more than their popular counterpart as well. Marco Hietala has the best of both worlds – Success with Nightwish and able to go epic with that, then stick to great fundamentals here. If album opener "Descendants Of Power" don't send you into involuntary headbanging then check your pulse my friends, for that song SMOKES. This is a sophomore album that is years ahead of the age of the band.
	Testament - New World Order The violent frenetics that made The Legacy such a wonderful handful of combustion is put under a sheen of thoughtful engineering and we get Testaments sophomore release that is the fan (and band) favorite. "Disciples Of The Watch" is a pure thrash classic that owns, standing with the bloodiest Slayer carnage. Skolinck proves he is the man with great guitar history lessons here, for example check his solo on "A Trial By Fire". Don't go anywhere though as Testament is just getting warmed up, pumping them out well into the 90's to include the much maligned (but I like) death metal cross over albums.
	Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Odyssey Enter Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, which really is a perfect match for Yngwie. Although, because this is Yngwie much of what Turner could bring to the table doesn't make it since our favorite guitar god does what he wants. It's what makes his albums amazing, but also limits him at times to. Either way, a good album with the usual shred and gothic cathedrals, although a slight step backwards from Marching Out or Trilogy; still a solid Malmsteen metal mash up of power and fret board frenetics.

The Best Metal Albums From 1988

Here are my top 5 albums. Let me know what yours are!




Metallica - … And Justice For All




Oh, it is so tempting to call this "Ride the Lightning v3.0". Again, we have 8 tracks that follow the same fundamental pattern – Opening speed/thrasher, title track, crunchy riff monster, ballad (leads into dazzling solo instrumental), and all the way to the album closing speed monster. But this is also very different; the band moving away from their previous sound enough to create another album all together, the simple track formula a welcome help for the Metallica fan to navigate this cold and complex platter for progressive metal massacre.

The first thing that knocks you upside your head in the production, or more accurately the lack thereof; it's as if the band wanted to immortalize the black and white era Blue Oyster Cult sound. This is further enhanced by the second thing that you notice - The lack of bass. It's there, only pushed back into the mix to appear nonexistent. The net result is an album that comes across cold and clinical, like the sanitized steel in a surgeon's room. Stark and jarring, it may take a bit to swallow for the metal fan use to traditional fare, but trust me when I say this album is worth the time to digest. After all these years, I still return to this album and its reveals a little more to me, like some giant progressive riddle of the ages.

And the music is thrash but more. It is a riff monster that chugs but in reality is totally progressive in structure. This thing rumbles through textures and turns over complex riffs and song structures, each song a long distance haul of musical madness. Only two songs come in under six minutes, with two breaking nine minutes and two more passing seven. You could accuse the band of pure musical and metal masturbation with the lengths they go, but it all is wrapped into songs that flow well thanks to good writing, leaving you believing that this was the only way these stories could be told. Thus we have a winner.

"Blackened" is the thrash anchor while "Dyers Eve" is arguably the fastest (and greatest) pure speed metal song the band has ever done. "One" is your token ballad and break out hit thanks to the creepy video. "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" crunches and rips, collecting the ends of your sanity, simply an awesome face battering machine. Special note goes to instrumental "To Live Is To Die", which is the bands tribute song to Cliff Burton. Nice touch, and good song, but I still can't figure out why a tribute song to a great bass player doesn't have any notable bass work on it. Maybe it's me, but you would think the instrument would have been highlighted more.





Voivod - Dimension Hatröss




Holy shit on a stick, Voivod has arrived and are melting faces in the process. A mighty kick in the crotch where thrash meets progressive metal meets Death. But no Leprosy here although captures the primal urgency of punk better than punk, ties it to a metal death rattle, then hangs them on sci-fi tales from an alternative future where life is bent. Aggression meets atmosphere, a bridge between earlier album and later albums and like many cusp records the concoction is a victory to the listener.

Pretty much this is the awesome mirror universe (complete with Spock beard) of a thrash album. It's everything that came before and after thrash in the underground, tossed together to make something that sounds like it but is it's own animal. Snake's vox is one with the axes, not singing over or with so much as snarling addition, while Piggy proves he's one of the most underrated lead men in metal. Time and signature changes dance over simple notes structures to complex cord harmonies. Whoa, I'm not sure but one might suspect those protons to collide and the music in fact did come from the other side. The lack of production only seems to confirm the other worldliness of the whole over amped affair.

I think what I like about this is that there is nothing safe about it. The album goes for it and more importantly, the band is delivering confidence that the mash of worlds in the music and lyrics will demonstrate each vital track. Fans, old and just made, agreed the band delivered as well realizes that Voivod just became a force to be reckoned with.


Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare




If you thought thrash was starting to phase out of '88, well Vio-lence is here to set you straight. And by set you straight, I mean kick your ass until your head involuntarily sees the way they want. But don't worry, at 256 bpm you'll be numb in no time.

About the only criticism one can find is the vocals of Sean Killian. A lot of fussing has been had at his yelps when this came out. To bad those people didn't see death growls coming. Anyway, who cares when Phil Demmel is on guitar and delivering some of the best and most technical riffs to get slapped onto vinyl on this and most years. :Serial Killer" and "Phobophobia" for example are riff monsters that open up and kill friend or foe alike. Toss in the speed and (ahem) violence and really you got Slayer reverence at the speed of a shoot out. That's not surprising as Vio-lence are the immediate kings of the second wave of thrash bands coming out of the coasts here in '88 so they have had excellent bands to learn from.

Phil Demmel will eventually go on to be in Machine Head, which makes sense since the other guitarist here is also Robb Flynn. But you thrash and death fans who don't like Machine Head… well, don't let your image of the maligned groove band get in the way. This is thrash and 100% killer riff delivering war machine. In fact, with all respect to those MH fans, this album is flat out the best album those two guitarists ever appeared on. It is that good. A certified classic and by all rights should have gone crazy at the cash counter. Would be number one this year for me, but you'll understand when you see which two bands come next…


Slayer - South Of Heaven




I've often rocked back and forth between this and Reign In Blood being my favorite Slayer slabs, but truth be told it is likely a mood thing. For pure straight forward aggression you go for the bad-day-at-work brutality of Reign while for riffs and a more realized thrash monster you go here. Yes, I'll say it right now that this is the better developed album. Reign just kicks so much ass you don't dare tell it otherwise.

The evidence is that despite the fact the band is moving slower here the songs are still just as heavy, and if anything because your getting each blow fully the effect is more damaging. Lets be real here – "Live Undead" assaults your senses until you have been skull-fucked to death. There is no compromise or release from your eyes being melted here people! Just sit back and hope the investigators will remember to check the dental records when they find you later.

Or maybe you can escape the melting death, but then you stumble into "Mandatory Suicide" which does in fact threaten to impale you. No, seriously… "Spikes Impale You!" Sure, you get reprieves in the catchy speed thrash classic "Behind The Crooked Cross", but then later you get beat to death under Slayer's most underrated thrash classic "Cleanse The Soul". Hell, and I mean HELL, they even rip apart Judas Priest with proper tribute in "Dissident Aggressor". I repeat – They covered Judas Priest and stood toe to toe with the fucking metal gods.

Be scared, be very scared. Don't take any chances – just pick up this album and keep it fed someplace safe. It's better to keep it in front of you!



Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime




And here we have it. The album that somehow bridged the underground and mainstream and made concept albums cool again. Repeatedly this album not only sits at the poll position of every prog or concept album list that deals with metal, but it makes many of the Top 25 all time metal album lists as well. And can you really blame people? From the haunting beginning of the nurse setting up the story ("Sleep well… you bastard!"), to that awesome military drum beat that launches the album full bore, through the political pounding anthems, to the haunting plight of a man caught between love and revolution, to the mental meltdown of that man, from the power drenched slip into insanity, all the way to a final military metal drumbeat that repeats the beginning to the point we realize why out hero can't sleep… because he is a bastard.

But is he? This album is your straight forward story in the concept sense of the word, but one of the more brilliant things the ‘Ryche did was keep the story just ambiguous enough so you can fill in the details. Did he shoot Mary? Was it someone else? Are the political points something the band is railing against, or are they the typical talking points of dangerous revolutionaries? The more you really think about this album, the more questions you get. But yet the story is clear: Young impressionable lad gets wrapped up, and warped by some sinister dude who uses people as political pawns. He does this by keeping them warped by drugs. Our hero has a personality crisis when his criminal life, glossed over by political propaganda that, like a cult, makes him think that he is not a criminal, is forced to act against a woman he loves. Further, this woman is another apparent victim of the system like him – She is supposed to be what the revolution is fighting for. Who is right? Wrong? Mary does die and our hero feels responsible (but did he do it?) and when faced against his life and crimes he snaps. He looks into a mirror and sees the eyes of a stranger.

This album smokes front to back, while keeping the progressive penchant for a few contemplative an atmospheric pieces. The interludes don't feel like they are random or pointless, and help forward the story as well. That is what good prog does to interludes – Makes them feel essential and not random. When you're done, you've rocked out for an hour and feel like you have seen a great movie as well. Plus, for you people who love a good track to burn onto your CD, there are a few tracks that stand alone perfectly fine as great singles.

Hands down, this is one of the greatest heavy metal concept albums released. It stays metal and rocks the hell out while telling a great story that doesn't get old after two listens. The interludes do their job and don't feel like filler, and you can easily listen to this album front to back over and over again. Prog and metal have reunited, and the result is brilliance.


***


Next year we crawl into a few coffee houses in the northwest corner of the country...