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METAL ARCHIVIST & OLD SCHOOL METAL HEAD … OBSESSED WITH HEAVY * THRASH * DEATH * BLACK * DOOM * HARD ROCK *
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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GONE … NEVER FORGOTTEN: MARTIN ERIC AIN (18 JULY, 1967 - 21 OCTOBER 2017)
Personally apart from being a Hellhammer/Celtic Frost fan, I had the pleasure of hosting a signing session with Celtic Frost in April 3, 2007, before their show at Fryshuset, Stockholm, Sweden together with Kreator and Watain. They came to my shop early and I had a long interesting conversation with mainly Martin, since he found the stores bookshelf's with occult literature, and he ended picking out two big bags with books for over $1000. One of the nicest ”stars” I ever meet. R.I.P.
Martin Eric Ain (born Martin Erich Stricker; July 18, 1967 – October 21, 2017) was a Swiss musician of American origin best known as the bassist of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. He used the stage name Martin Eric Ain throughout. Ain was born in the United States and spoke English as a first language.
In May 1984, Hellhammer dissolved, but two of its members, guitarist/vocalist Thomas Gabriel Fischer and bassist Martin Eric Ain, went on to form Celtic Frost in June and release their debut, Morbid Tales, in November of that same year. This was followed by Emperor's Return ,To Mega Therion in 1985, arguably their most influential record, which did not feature Ain on bass, but stand-in musician Dominic Steiner. Ain returned after the album was recorded. In 1987, the band released the highly experimental Into the Pandemonium.
After a subsequent North American tour, financial trouble, personal tension between the band members and an ill-fated relationship with their record label led to the dissolution of the band. Six months later, Thomas Gabriel Fischer reformed the band with a new line-up, of which Ain was left out, and went on to record the widely derided Cold Lake in 1988. Ain returned once again for the recording of Vanity/Nemesis in 1990, the band's last original album for several years.
Celtic Frost re-formed in 2001 and released the critically acclaimed Monotheist in 2006, before ultimately disbanding following frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008.
Ain died on October 21, 2017, following a heart attack.
EULOGY
(by Tom G. Warrior)
Some days after Martin Eric Ain's death on 21 October 2017, his girlfriend Steffi Neuhauser asked me to be one of the speakers during the memorial celebration on the day of his funeral. The celebration was held at the main club Martin managed with his partners in Zurich, Switzerland, on 31 October 2017. Each of the handful of speakers, among them Martin's brother Thomas Stricker, was assigned a period of Martin's life to talk about. I was asked to reminisce about Martin's youth and how we came to create music together.
This is a translation of my speech on that day:
The last time I stood here, it was with Celtic Frost, Martin by my side.
To talk about Martin here today is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do; playing on Wacken's main stage is a piece of cake in comparison. It's difficult because my feelings about Martin are of an very personal nature, and because ours was a relationship of many layers, as you all know. But Steffi asked me to address the time when Martin and I first met, and I do not wish to disappoint either her or Martin.
And anyone who knew Martin also knows that were he in my place right now, he would be talking for three hours without interruption.
Martin and I met in 1983 at what was called a "heavy metal disco" in Wallisellen, the village in which he lived. It wasn't actually a metal event, but rather a regular disco held in the parish hall of the local reformed church—a fitting location—where some heavy metal would be played out of sheer pity for the few crazy, leather-clad teenage metal heads that would arrive from the surrounding villages.
Hellhammer had already been around for over a year at that point, and the band members usually went to such events as a clique. As we entered, Martin and his friends immediately caught our attention, and we caught theirs. All of us had found our own unique way of projecting an extreme but also wounded aura. It did not take long for us in Hellhammer to develop a deep, unique connection with Martin and his friends, and we soon began to spend much time together. Martin was 15 at the time, and I was 19.
Martin and his friends began to regularly attend Hellhammer's rehearsals in a bunker in Birchwil, two villages away. They would come by bicycle, over steep hills, in the heat of summer, on the coldest days of winter, and at night, through the pitch-dark forests. They were fanatics, and together we became a new, larger group of like-minded friends.
Martin soon became an important and extraordinary friend to me. We spent days and especially nights endlessly discussing all kinds of topics, from music to occultism to history to our shared love for H.R. Giger's work. Hellhammer's existence inspired Martin to form a band of his own, "Schizo". At first, they owned literally no equipment, so we in Hellhammer lent them our instruments and rehearsal space. They started out playing cover versions, such as Anvil's Metal On Metal.
In autumn of 1983, Hellhammer needed a new bassist, and both Hellhammer and Martin naturally considered that he might take on this role. But he did not have the confidence to join, in spite of the fact that we talked about it constantly for months. Instead, Martin began to support Hellhammer behind the scenes by submitting quite sophisticated ideas on how Hellhammer could improve image, lyrics, and everything else.
He did not only convey these ideas to us in conversations, he also handed us detailed memos signed "Mart Jeckyl", derived from the two personalities Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. It was absolutely brilliant.
In late 1983, Martin finally joined Hellhammer for about two weeks, but he was plagued by thoughts of not being good enough yet. So one day he came to the rehearsal room and told us: "As a member of Hellhammer, I feel that I, the bassist, am only holding back the band. So I am kicking myself out for the benefit of the band!" And that's exactly what he did.
That was typical Martin. He was truly unique character; all of us here know this.
When Hellhammer recorded the band's third and final demo, Satanic Rites, in a studio in Ramsen in December of 1983, Martin again assisted us in an advisory role. But it was during these sessions when it finally became clear to everyone involved that Martin really did belong with Hellhammer. As we left the studio with the new demo, he finally joined the band permanently. We immediately took photos of the new line-up and sent them with the demo to the prospective record company in West Berlin. This resulted in our first international recording contract.
As Martin joined Hellhammer, he was looking for an correspondingly extreme stage name for himself. He suggested Prowling Abortion. We were both unfettered radicals by now, but my enthusiasm for this suggestion was rather restrained. I wondered whether we might ever have an international career with such a stage name and advised him against it.
He then suggested Slayed Necros, and that seemed to me to be a far superior and more ingenious name. So this became his name in Hellhammer. For his so-called "real person" stage name, he replaced his last name "Stricker" with "Ain" and thus became Martin Eric Ain. It would be the name with which he identified for the rest of his life.
Martin always carried a notebook in which he recorded anything interesting he would see or any ideas he would have: sketches, draft texts, song titles such as Nuns And Whores or Masturbation's Good For You. Further such notebooks were part of his existence until his death.
Many such titles and ideas weren't created by coincidence; instead they undoubtedly signified his rebellion against the environment of his youth, and they also served as a tool to distance himself from his deeply religious mother, whom he considered dominant and who always remained formative figure in his life. Martin's preoccupation with the occult and his mother's arch-enemy Satan was his way of revolting. It was a deeply personal act of liberation. At the same time, his work with Hellhammer set the course for the rest of his life.
All of this set in motion a chain of events that would change our lives forever and launch our careers. Our inexperienced teenage years in Swiss farm villages came to an end.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Monday, October 19, 2026
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MÖTLEY CRUE ”LIVE AT OLYMPEN, LUND, SWEDEN” (FEBRUARY 25, 1986)
Getting the stage ready at Olympen, that was a small concert hall in in the southern part of Sweden. In a town called Lund. Olympen was originally intended to be a handball arena, but instead became a stage for rock concerts between 1971 and 2009. The capacity was approximately 2,500. In the 1970-80's all big metal names performed here like Black Sabbath, Kiss, Mötley Crue, Dio, Iron Maiden etc.
Photo courtesy of Oscar Källman.
Sunday, October 18, 2026
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BLACK SABBATH "AVRO TV STUDIOS, HILVERSUM, NETHERLANDS" (MAY 22, 1970) SOUNDBOARD
This jaw-dropping 40-minute soundboard live tape of songs from Black Sabbath's first album was thought to have been destroyed in a fire.
Three months after the release of their debut album, Black Sabbath travelled to Hilversum in the Netherlands to film a session for the short-lived Dutch TV show Doebidoe.
Broadcast on Nederland 1 – the oldest TV channel in the country – Doebidoe was the predecessor of the long-running Top Pop and featured live performances from the likes of David Bowie (who performed Space Oddity in 1969), Deep Purple and local heroes Golden Earring, who appeared on the show several times.
Three months after the release of their debut album, Black Sabbath travelled to Hilversum in the Netherlands to film a session for the short-lived Dutch TV show Doebidoe.
Broadcast on Nederland 1 – the oldest TV channel in the country – Doebidoe was the predecessor of the long-running Top Pop and featured live performances from the likes of David Bowie (who performed Space Oddity in 1969), Deep Purple and local heroes Golden Earring, who appeared on the show several times.
The Sabbath session found the band in peak form. They played a 40-minute set, performing blistering, often extended versions of songs from their debut album, including a version of The Wizard featuring different lyrics to the original and a rare live version of Warning. They also mimed a performance of Evil Woman for the broadcast.
Now, the full, broadcast-quality audio from the live tracks – long thought to have been lost – has surfaced. Previously, only a 20-second live clip that surfaced on YouTube in 2013, showing Sabbath performing N.I.B. on Doebidoe (without audio), was evidence that any record of the session had survived, and broadcaster AVRO had claimed the tapes were destroyed in a fire.
The audio appears on an unofficial live album, The Lost 1970 Avro Sessions, released on the mysterious German label Avertigro, named in tribute to the band's record label, Vertigo, and AVRO. The album is available (should any copies remain) as a limited edition of 666 copies.
Now, the full, broadcast-quality audio from the live tracks – long thought to have been lost – has surfaced. Previously, only a 20-second live clip that surfaced on YouTube in 2013, showing Sabbath performing N.I.B. on Doebidoe (without audio), was evidence that any record of the session had survived, and broadcaster AVRO had claimed the tapes were destroyed in a fire.
The audio appears on an unofficial live album, The Lost 1970 Avro Sessions, released on the mysterious German label Avertigro, named in tribute to the band's record label, Vertigo, and AVRO. The album is available (should any copies remain) as a limited edition of 666 copies.
/ Above info text from Louder.com
1) Black Sabbath
2) N.I.B.
3) The Wizard
4) Behind The Wall Of Sleep
5) Sleeping Village / Warning
PATREON / DIGITAL SHOP
You can download it for a couple of $ as mp3 or as a support Patreon
member you can download it for free by clicking the logo down below.
member you can download it for free by clicking the logo down below.
Either way, thank you for your support, it means a lot!
POWERMAD (US/MN) ”NICE DREAMS” [MUSIC VIDEO] 1988
Power/Thrash Metal band from Minneapolis, MN. First time around they were active between 1984-1990.This track is taken from the album "Absolute Power" (1989).
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Saturday, October 17, 2026
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VENOM "LIVE AT DYNAMO 96" [CONCERT] Remastered
Recorded Live at Dynamo Open Air in Holland on May 25, 1996. Remastered by the amazing YouTube channel 'Fabrício Gabriel The Channel'.
SETLIST
01 - 00:00 - Intro
02 - 01:00 - Seven Gates Of Hell
03 - 02:35 - Abaddon Interview
04 - 03:42 - Die Hard
05 - 07:30 - Welcome To Hell
06 - 13:53 - Leave Me In Hell
07 - 18:32 - Countess Bathory
08 - 22:23 - Mantas Interview
09 - 23:00 - Buried Alive
10 - 27:36 - Don't Burn The Witch
11 - 31:26 - In Nomine Satanas
12 - 35:07 - Cronos Interview
13 - 36:23 - Schitzo
14 - 38:27 - Nightmare (Video Clip)
15 - 38:46 - Black Metal
16 - 42:58 - Witching Hour
LINE-UP
Cronos - Bass/Vocals (R.I.P. 2026)
Mantas - Guitars
Abaddon - Drums
W.A.S.P. (METAL SHOCK #119, 1992) < TRANSLATED
Metal Shock was a metal magazine from Italy written in Italian. But here's an interview with Blackie about the new album "The Crimson Idol" translated to English.
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BLACKIE FOR PRESIDENT !
BY BENEDETTA FERRARO
Government elections are taking place everywhere these days, and it's certainly difficult not to be affected, even if only marginally. But what amazes me is that I've interviewed a significant number of artists who talk about politics, demonstrating that the level of interest in the subject has grown significantly in the music world as well. I agree that some musicians have always tried to raise their audiences' awareness of issues like disarmament, environmental protection, AIDS, and so on, as in the case of Bob Dylan, Sting, and Paul Simon, but I was truly surprised to approach the undisputed leader of the WASPs, Blackie Lawless, and talk with him about the many problems American society is experiencing, after about twelve years of Republican rule...
"Reality speaks of unemployment, hunger, crime, and drugs. These aspects are all closely connected to each other when a head of state destroys the economy of a country: I am referring to Reagan and his presidency. He destroyed what were the hopes of a nation; he is a true evil because, by robbing people of their dreams, he then deprived them of their ambitions and their ideals... And people without ideals take refuge in drugs, and to obtain drugs they turn to crime. This explains why Reagan is the poster child of human perfidy."
Blackie, how did you develop this interest in politics?
"I've always been an honest person. Those who know me well know that for me honesty is the basis of everything. False people disgust me; if someone tells me something that isn't true, it's over, I lose trust and I never want to see that person again... This honesty makes me feel a bit like a crusader on a mission: at thirty-five I've seen a lot of things, they even tried to kill me a couple of times and I assure you it was anything but a pleasant experience. My wish now would be to lend a hand to all those who haven't had the same luck as me and help them rebuild their lives, giving them hope!"
He stares at me and then adds, "Any minute I expect the Pope to walk into this room and give us all his blessing!" We burst out laughing: it's true, this is Blackie Lawless from the '90s, a very eloquent man who feels the time has come to prove that the rock scene isn't populated solely by men with brains in their pants. I ask him how he'd like to change the current state of affairs...
"Unfortunately, in politics, if you're honest, sooner or later you end up like a martyr. Despite this, there's a desperate need for change, and as far as I'm concerned, I feel like I could, in my own small way, do something, since I've been gifted with the ability to know and communicate! On the other hand, I know that entering the world of politics could lead to self-destruction. Look at all the scandals they've brought out about Bill Clinton (the Democratic candidate); that guy could be the perfect politician, but now public opinion has been overwhelmed by all those stories about Clinton's alleged affair with his secretary. But do we really think it's that important, in order to govern a country, who you sleep with? As for me, I've always done everything out in the open: I could be the perfect candidate!" And who would vote for you?
"Those who buy my records today will be the ones who tomorrow, with their vote, could change the future of the world! But first of all we must try to change people's attitude; the average American citizen is fat and lazy, he believes that everything is owed to him...
Because he comes from a very economically developed country, but he doesn't understand the real state of things! You see, if Americans traveled the world and asked people what other people think of this supremacy, then they would realize that they are not superior but that, in reality, they only live immersed in this shitty cultural arrogance... Other nations have a very low opinion of the United States, and they are right!
Blackie, you're not going to tell me that during these three years of absence from the scene, all your attention has been directed exclusively to politics!
"No, you're welcome! If people don't hear from you for a while, they automatically think you've moved to a rehab center or that you're having a good time. In my case, however, it was different: I built a recording studio just outside Los Angeles and completed the album that I'm promoting right now, which is called 'The Crimson Idol'."
Why did you feel the need to have your own recording studio?
"I want to tell you something that might clarify the reason for this choice. At the door of the-
There's a plaque in the studio that says, 'This is a place where creativity reigns.' From this, you should understand how stupid it is to pay a lot of money every hour for the use of a studio and expect to come out with great ideas. I have a mania for working too much! I need to live in the studio, and I want to do so without watching the clock too much and without spending a lot of money.
So the new LP is coming out soon; tell me a little about this long-awaited return of WASP...
"'The Crimson Idol' is a kind of rock opera: it tells the story of a fictional character, Jonathan Steel, with whom many people, including me, could identify. Jonathan tries to escape into music, learns to play the guitar, forms a band and one day becomes famous and rich... He returns to his parents, hoping they will welcome him with open arms in the 'prodigal son' style, but nothing! There will be no reaction from them. The underlying theme is a kind of parable aimed at opening the eyes of all those who intend to pursue the path of show business, and the moral could be: 'Be careful what you wish for because one day it all could come true!' It's a bit like saying: yes, we all go to the beach to swim and have fun, but if there are sharks in the sea, well, I'd like someone to save my life!"
Ok, but explain to me the lineup situation for WASP, now that guitarist Chris Holmes is no longer part of it!
"Chris left and our relationship ended pretty badly! However, it was the natural solution to a situation that had dragged on for a long time. Since he got married, he had completely lost interest in the band. I, on the other hand, had confidently expected a certain contribution from him, but it never arrived, so I decided not to pursue it further: he chose his interests, I favored mine, he preferred his private life, I chose my band."
And what about his performance in the film "The Decline of Western Civilization"? Were you sorry to see him in that state? Drunk, in the pool, he looked completely ridiculous...
"Yes, that scene was very embarrassing; you see, no matter what I say, it will never hurt him as much as that sequence did; that scene gave a complete idea of the state Chris is in.
I have to say that after this long chat with Blackie Lawless, I came away with a completely different opinion than the one I had formed from watching him in promotional videos or reading the interviews he gave a few years ago. I hate to use the term "maturing," but in this case, something like that must have happened to Blackie. He's been around for years, starting out with the legendary New York Dolls, and now he's still the charismatic leader of one of the most famous metal bands, which, despite the ups and downs, he's managed to keep alive and well. Blackie is an artist who, at thirty-five, considers himself lucky to have an audience that loves and listens to him, and this makes him feel a certain responsibility that goes beyond the artistic product... I find this extremely fascinating, and I feel like saying: Blackie is welcome in this environment, where sex, drugs, and parties seem to be the most important things.
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BLACKIE FOR PRESIDENT !
BY BENEDETTA FERRARO
Government elections are taking place everywhere these days, and it's certainly difficult not to be affected, even if only marginally. But what amazes me is that I've interviewed a significant number of artists who talk about politics, demonstrating that the level of interest in the subject has grown significantly in the music world as well. I agree that some musicians have always tried to raise their audiences' awareness of issues like disarmament, environmental protection, AIDS, and so on, as in the case of Bob Dylan, Sting, and Paul Simon, but I was truly surprised to approach the undisputed leader of the WASPs, Blackie Lawless, and talk with him about the many problems American society is experiencing, after about twelve years of Republican rule...
"Reality speaks of unemployment, hunger, crime, and drugs. These aspects are all closely connected to each other when a head of state destroys the economy of a country: I am referring to Reagan and his presidency. He destroyed what were the hopes of a nation; he is a true evil because, by robbing people of their dreams, he then deprived them of their ambitions and their ideals... And people without ideals take refuge in drugs, and to obtain drugs they turn to crime. This explains why Reagan is the poster child of human perfidy."
Blackie, how did you develop this interest in politics?
"I've always been an honest person. Those who know me well know that for me honesty is the basis of everything. False people disgust me; if someone tells me something that isn't true, it's over, I lose trust and I never want to see that person again... This honesty makes me feel a bit like a crusader on a mission: at thirty-five I've seen a lot of things, they even tried to kill me a couple of times and I assure you it was anything but a pleasant experience. My wish now would be to lend a hand to all those who haven't had the same luck as me and help them rebuild their lives, giving them hope!"
He stares at me and then adds, "Any minute I expect the Pope to walk into this room and give us all his blessing!" We burst out laughing: it's true, this is Blackie Lawless from the '90s, a very eloquent man who feels the time has come to prove that the rock scene isn't populated solely by men with brains in their pants. I ask him how he'd like to change the current state of affairs...
"Unfortunately, in politics, if you're honest, sooner or later you end up like a martyr. Despite this, there's a desperate need for change, and as far as I'm concerned, I feel like I could, in my own small way, do something, since I've been gifted with the ability to know and communicate! On the other hand, I know that entering the world of politics could lead to self-destruction. Look at all the scandals they've brought out about Bill Clinton (the Democratic candidate); that guy could be the perfect politician, but now public opinion has been overwhelmed by all those stories about Clinton's alleged affair with his secretary. But do we really think it's that important, in order to govern a country, who you sleep with? As for me, I've always done everything out in the open: I could be the perfect candidate!" And who would vote for you?
"Those who buy my records today will be the ones who tomorrow, with their vote, could change the future of the world! But first of all we must try to change people's attitude; the average American citizen is fat and lazy, he believes that everything is owed to him...
Because he comes from a very economically developed country, but he doesn't understand the real state of things! You see, if Americans traveled the world and asked people what other people think of this supremacy, then they would realize that they are not superior but that, in reality, they only live immersed in this shitty cultural arrogance... Other nations have a very low opinion of the United States, and they are right!
Blackie, you're not going to tell me that during these three years of absence from the scene, all your attention has been directed exclusively to politics!
"No, you're welcome! If people don't hear from you for a while, they automatically think you've moved to a rehab center or that you're having a good time. In my case, however, it was different: I built a recording studio just outside Los Angeles and completed the album that I'm promoting right now, which is called 'The Crimson Idol'."
Why did you feel the need to have your own recording studio?
"I want to tell you something that might clarify the reason for this choice. At the door of the-
There's a plaque in the studio that says, 'This is a place where creativity reigns.' From this, you should understand how stupid it is to pay a lot of money every hour for the use of a studio and expect to come out with great ideas. I have a mania for working too much! I need to live in the studio, and I want to do so without watching the clock too much and without spending a lot of money.
So the new LP is coming out soon; tell me a little about this long-awaited return of WASP...
"'The Crimson Idol' is a kind of rock opera: it tells the story of a fictional character, Jonathan Steel, with whom many people, including me, could identify. Jonathan tries to escape into music, learns to play the guitar, forms a band and one day becomes famous and rich... He returns to his parents, hoping they will welcome him with open arms in the 'prodigal son' style, but nothing! There will be no reaction from them. The underlying theme is a kind of parable aimed at opening the eyes of all those who intend to pursue the path of show business, and the moral could be: 'Be careful what you wish for because one day it all could come true!' It's a bit like saying: yes, we all go to the beach to swim and have fun, but if there are sharks in the sea, well, I'd like someone to save my life!"
Ok, but explain to me the lineup situation for WASP, now that guitarist Chris Holmes is no longer part of it!
"Chris left and our relationship ended pretty badly! However, it was the natural solution to a situation that had dragged on for a long time. Since he got married, he had completely lost interest in the band. I, on the other hand, had confidently expected a certain contribution from him, but it never arrived, so I decided not to pursue it further: he chose his interests, I favored mine, he preferred his private life, I chose my band."
And what about his performance in the film "The Decline of Western Civilization"? Were you sorry to see him in that state? Drunk, in the pool, he looked completely ridiculous...
"Yes, that scene was very embarrassing; you see, no matter what I say, it will never hurt him as much as that sequence did; that scene gave a complete idea of the state Chris is in.
I have to say that after this long chat with Blackie Lawless, I came away with a completely different opinion than the one I had formed from watching him in promotional videos or reading the interviews he gave a few years ago. I hate to use the term "maturing," but in this case, something like that must have happened to Blackie. He's been around for years, starting out with the legendary New York Dolls, and now he's still the charismatic leader of one of the most famous metal bands, which, despite the ups and downs, he's managed to keep alive and well. Blackie is an artist who, at thirty-five, considers himself lucky to have an audience that loves and listens to him, and this makes him feel a certain responsibility that goes beyond the artistic product... I find this extremely fascinating, and I feel like saying: Blackie is welcome in this environment, where sex, drugs, and parties seem to be the most important things.
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THE ALBUMS THAT MADE ME ...
I have seen these all over social media, and thought I should give it a try. I immediately failed doing just one ... so I decided to make different ones from each "wake up" period of my life. The first one I made was when I discovered Metal at all, then one when I discovered Thrash Metal, Death Metal and the first wave of Black metal. And last, when the second wave of Black Metal hit and the records that made me all fire and flames!
THE BIG WAKE UP!
I have told this story before, but my introduction to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal was that my (dagmamma) daycare's son had recorded a TV show called Casablanca where they had a segment of Kiss, and showed me the day after. Life was never the same afterwards. Every single coin I earned went to the local record store discovering new albums. Black Sabbath that today is one of my all-time favorite bands and I collect everything I can with, was in a down period at this point in history, so that was a later discovery for me. The same with Manowar, non of my friends listened to them at the time and Swedish media hardly covered them so that was also a later discovery. Anyway, these are the ones that made me ...
THE HEAVIER & FASTER WAKE UP!
My next big wake up was the discovery of Thrash Metal and later Death Metal. I bought all of these albums by chance. I hadn't heard a single one of them before, it was all because of cool cover art, read about them in magazines or seeing band pictures. I loved them all at first hearing ... and I remember buying Slayers "Hell Awaits" from a bargain bin at OBS Stormarknad (a big supermarket) and when I put it on, it was so fast that I thought I accidentally had but the vinyl on 45 instead of 33 speed. Aaaah, memories!
THE 3RD AWAKENING!
All of a sudden churches started to burn in my neighbour country of Norway and that was the signal for me to deep dive in what was happening and its music. This time around I had started to work, so it wasn't the same as when you were a kid and maybe bought one each month. So it's a little bit harder to make a Top 9 list ... but these are the ones I always get back to.
I could have added more than just one album with several bands, but I decided to only choose one by each artist. Watain, Dissection, Mortuary Drape would definitely had several albums on the list. I wanted to squeeze in so many more albums. Rotting Christ's "Non Serviam", Root "Hell Symphony", Impaled Nazarene "Ugra-Karma", Triumphator "Wings Of Antichrist" and many others. Also, EP's that I have played to death, like Grotesque "Incantation", Ofermod "Mystérion Tés Anomias" or Malign's "Fireborn".
IRON MAIDEN "FEAR OF THE DARK" ALBUM REVIEW (METAL SHOCK #119, 1992) < TRANSLATED
Metal Shock was a metal magazine from Italy written in Italian. But here's a review translated to English.
TOP METAL ALBUM
Despite the age-old faith in Steve Harris and his bandmates, few would have bet that the successor to the inconsistent "No Prayer For The Dying" would be so positive in terms of creativity and impetuosity. Even before delving into the merits, it's worth identifying the key reason for this transformation, which unequivocally brings Iron Maiden back to a heavier sound, much closer to "The Number Of..." or "Piece Of Mind" than the various LPs of the second phase of their discography (beginning with "Live After Death"). On the occasion of "No Prayer...", we had raised some doubts about the possibility of Janick Gers coexisting with Dave Murray, not because of technical incompatibility, but rather because Maiden had remained unchanged in lineup over time, apart from the change of vocalist that occurred after "Killers".
But Gers, who had failed to make a substantial change of pace in the previous episode, this time takes over, combining his musical and guitar roots, undoubtedly Zeppelin-esque, in a metallic context but always faithful to the historic Maiden sound. The result is a perfect example of modern heavy metal. With two years and an album delayed, the prophecies that Bruce Dickinson had launched on the eve of "No Prayer" have come true, when he announced a return to the classics. The beauty of "Fear Of The Dark" is the ability of the five Englishmen to create a bridge with the past, without denying the sound and compositional research of albums like "Somewhere In Time" and "Seventh Son...". From the first notes you will know that you are once again in front of the Iron Maiden of always, those who never betray their ideals and their sound. "Afraid To Shoot Strangers" is the best example of this genesis: the song opens with a long intro where Steve Harris' bass plays a very prominent role but which, at the same time, recalls the long rides of the past.
Then suddenly Maiden find themselves pedaling madly to dizzying rhythms... And the song becomes a sort of '90s "Hallowed By The Name", a cascade of notes and a breathtaking solo. When Bruce and co. step on the gas with "Be Quick Or Be Dead", the impression is that the speed of the singer-songwriter could still have a bright future after having been set aside for a long time. "Wasting Love" is fun, a true ballad even if in pure Maiden style. Mid-tempos reign supreme in "Childhood End's", "The Apparition" and "Chains Of Misery" where Gers's rhythmic versatility emerges, finally seeming to find a combination that makes a sure impact with Murray and, above all, influence Harris who seems to benefit from this broadening of horizons.
It's truly time to give a few words of recognition to Bruce Dickinson's vocal contribution, never so incisive and inspired. Evidently, last year's not-so-successful solo project must have given the young British performer renewed energy. "Childhood End's" is magnificent, as is Gers's monstrous solo on "The Fugitive" and the epic choral performance of "Fear Is the Key." In a time of great crisis in terms of record releases, "Fear of the Dark" is the right banner to point to in the defense of a sound that is still far from extinction. (Paolo Maiorino)
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