Death's Death Metal Distribution Center

Sorry guys I don't have time to post this week so I will continue The Crown "Saga" next week.

Priest's Power Metal Church

This week we're going to focus on a band everyone should know in Power Metal circles, German Heavy/Power Metal band Primal Fear! After lead vocalist Ralf Scheepers auditioned to be frontman for Judas Priest in the '90s and lost out to Tim Owens he decided to form a kickass band. Primal Fear are raw metal, chunky riffs, booming bass, soaring vocals and a brilliant heavy metal feel to them. Sounding similar to bands like Iron Savior, Judas Priest and Iced Earth I strongly recommend them to any new power metal comer. Any of their albums are worth getting bar perhaps New Religion which is their only shitter in my opinion. Jaws of Death is a great place to start as is Black Sun. I've given you some sample songs below to make you understand why these guys fucking rule! Give them a listen.

Lost Metal Gems...

So for the past few weeks I've been completely addicted to Manilla Road's album the Deluge. The addiction culminated last week when I listened to the album 7 consecutive times, never even thinking that I had any desire to listen to anything else at the time (because there was none). I've never encounter a situation like this. This got me to thinking of when I first heard Manilla Road after getting a copy of Crystal Logic and recalled that in that case as well, they were  all I could listen to for weeks straight. I may just be crazy but I really think that this band has been heinously overlook in the annals of metal and just want to make this post to celebrate a band that is just as obscure as the tales Mark Shelton and his band mates have weaved throughout the years:  Enjoy these gems and check them out their albums if you get a chance

The Road Of Kings (Open the Gates)

Astronomica (Open the Gates)

The Veils Of Negative Existence (Crystal Logic)

Shadow in the Black (The Deluge)

Children Of the Night (Mystification)

Mystification (Mystification)

Flaming Metal System (Crystal Logic)*

*: Flaming Metal System was previously unreleased and appears on the Crystal Logic reissue; it was not an original track on that album.

For the love of metal

Man I watched this video on you tube and I felt that this needed to be posted. Just a few guys hanging out for a jam and deciding to play Metallica's classic Fade to Black. I think it's obvious how much fun they're having and how damn good it sounds to, check them out:

The Crown Reform!!!

So Dobermann formally known as the almighty The Crown have changed their name back to The Crown (anything else just didn't seem just right did it?)  The have a new singer by the name of Jonas Stallhammer and from the samples he sounds fucking ferocious (he sounds just like Johan as well).

You can check out the samples at the new official site :http://www.thecrownofficial.com/

So this is some pretty good news to end a shitty week.  So to celebrate here is a vid, headbang till your head hurts :)

DIMEBAG DARRELL Tribute Album: Complete Tracklisting

From Metal-Rules.com:

On December 16th, UK's Metal Hammer magazine will celebrate their 200th issue with the inclusion of a Dimebag Darrell Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN) tribute album. The CD and the magazine also coincides with the five-year anniversary of Dimebag's passing.

The Dimebag Darrell Abbott tribute album will feature the following artists/cuts:

ZAKK WYLDE - 'Suicide Note Pt. 1'
MACHINE HEAD - 'Fucking Hostile'
MALEFICE - 'I'm Broken'
AVENGED SEVENFOLD - 'Walk'
EVILE - 'Cemetery Gates'
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH - 'A New Level'
BIOHAZARD - 'Mouth For War'
SYLOSIS - 'Strength Beyond Strength'
CHIMAIRA - 'Slaughtered'
UNEARTH - 'Sandblasted Skin'
THROWDOWN - 'Becoming'
KIUAS - 'This Love'
THIS IS HELL - 'Rise'

Metal Hammer spoke to Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn about their decision to cover the Vulgar Display Of Power classic, ‘Fucking Hostile’.

“It was either that or ‘Strength Beyond Strength’ from ‘Far Beyond Driven’,” said Flynn. “In the end, we decided that we wanted to do a classic. We chose ‘Fucking Hostile’ because it’s two and a half minutes of pure, raging metal. It’s short, fast and brutal.”

“There’s some real intricate riffing parts in there,” continues Flynn. “We’d jammed it before but we’d never sat down and analysed it properly. I think we did a great job on it.”

Priest's Power Metal Church

Evening to my followers in America where uh hopefully it's still Wednesday!

My recommendation for you this week is a band called Agonizer. They are Finnish and play melodic power metal which is pretty heavy. Their debut album Birth/The End is their only one available. I like this band for their low end riffing, chugging rhythms and powerful style. The introduction song to their album is below, check it out see what you think:



Until next week my friends!

Death's Death Metal Distribution Center

Hey everyone, it's Thursday and tonight I would like to present The Crown.  If you don't know who they are then you need to get out from under your rock and get researching.  The Crown, formally known as The Crown of Thorns until some religious version of that name objected to the use of the same name for the title of a band who produced some of the most unrelenting Death Metal (or Death 'n' Roll if you will) to ever grace my ears.

Nearly everyone who listens to The Crown or has heard them cites Deathrace King as their best and I am tending to agree with them, fast, brutal, technical Death Metal with some great solos and an appearance by the vocal god known as Tompa.  From the moment the first note leaves the speakers you are overtaken by this brilliantly amazing music, Johan the singer has got to be up there with Tompa as one of Swedish Death Metals best or most ferocious vocalists ever.

Johan left not long after Deathrace King was released and guess who filled in for him?  You guessed Tompa and he was in the band long enough to release and album called Crowned In Terror (this was when I first heard about the band, being an avid fan of At The Gates I wanted to know about all that involved the members) which I think was sort of luke warmly received and was duly re-recorded after Possessed 13 which saw the return of Johan back on vocals, I don't think Tompa fitted in too well with the Crown boys.

I actually prefer Tompa's version over Johans as it sounds more raw and a bit more aggressive.  There are some nice finishing touches to Johans version, which by the way is entitled Crowned Unholy, in the way of re-recorded Bass and Vocals (of course) and the intro House of Hades is longer.  I urge you to check both the albums out to decide for yourselves.

The Crown broke up not long after the release of Possessed 13 and Crowned Unholy and formed other bands most notably Johan's band One Man Army and the Undead Quartet, which is pretty fucking groovy if you ask me.

Obviously The Crown have other albums but the three I have mentioned tonight are the ones I recommend, I will talk about Eternal Death, the rest of their disco and history next week.

Let our thoughts be with the Master of Metal

I'm sure most of you will be aware that the metal world was shaken with some very sad news that legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer last week and is undergoing treatment. To remember how great this man is I've posted some videos below, Dio \m/

Mandatory Metallica Saturday