Immortal - Pure Holocaust (1993)

 Immortal, coming from the North full of rage and frost with the album called Pure Holocaust, the second album of theirs, which I really consider a must-hear if you are into Black Metal, as it is justifiably a benchmark in the Black Metal history.

 From the start till the end, this album is full of rage, power and intensity, keeping a frozen atmosphere, just like the lyrical themes Demonaz chose for the album. Pure Holocaust is an album written on a really fast tempo, with its endless tremolo picking and the triggers burning afire. Pretty disharmonic compositions followed by the misanthropic growls of Abbath come to add to the frozen atmosphere of the album, something that makes it even more raw and intense than the previous album, in which some more melodic and "calm" compositions were used, making the songs bigger in duration.

 The artwork of the album is something I like, showing Demonaz, Abbath and...Erik(?), but the funny thing is that all the songs and lyrics were written and recorded by Abbath and Demonaz, with Abbath on bass, vocals and the drums( ! ) and Demonaz on guitars and lyrics. Erik was only on some shows, something that confuses me on why they chose to put him on the artwork.

 Concluding, Pure Holocaust is a pretty raw and powerful album and in my opinion the best one of Immortal. The lyrics are great, the compositions embrace perfectly the lyrical themes of frost and hatred and the result lead to a masterpiece in the Black Metal scene. What could be considered as a drawback though, is the duration of the album, which is a bit small (33:47), due to the fast tempo of the songs, I guess.

 Make sure to check Pure Holocaust out if you already haven't and better in vinyl, keeping the old ways alive!

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Find info here: Metallum Page

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Fates Warning - The Spectre Within (1985)

 Back again for another review, this time from the U.S metal legends Fates Warning. Me and fellow blogger Ivixor G became addicted to this band not long ago, so we decided to review 2 of their best albums.As you read in the Awaken the Guardian review Fates are known for their melodic and delicate sound and are thus considered pioneers of progressive metal and some of their later albums defined the genre's sound. However with their second album -The Spectre Within- this is not the case. This time we're talking about straightforward, aggressive and raw heavy metal/USPM, although it differs a lot from the work of their contemporaries such as Manowar and Manilla Road.

 The first odd thing about the album is the vocals performed by living legend John Arch. The vocals were really groundbreaking for their time as Arch had an insane vocal range.Everyone needs to check out a live performance of The Apparition. Seriously, that guy doesn't even miss a single note!

 The second odd thing about this album is the sheer technicality that's in it.Guitarist and mastermind Jim Matheos was one of the first to implement time signature changes, unusual song structures and insane solos, that laid the groundwork not only for progressive metal, but modern metal in general. This album definitely showed the band's true potential, something that the absolutely respectable Night on Brocken Couldn't do.

 Just like their later albums the lyrics are a bit cheesy and the message that the band wants to give to the listener remains unclear, but in front of such a musically tremendous album this is just a minor mistake. 

  So if you're either an 80s heavy metal fan, a progressive metal enthusiast or someone who appreciates quality and technicality in metal, you should definitely check The Spectre Within.It sure is a cornerstone in the history of heavy metal and their greatest album in my book.

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Fates Warning - Awaken The Guardian (1986)

 Back from the summer holidays, alive and well, we arrive with some old school stuff, but still progressive and really far away from their time! It's Awaken The Guardian, by Fates Warning, a great album, that drew my attention from the first time I listened to Fata Morgana and Guardian, with its unique high pitched vocals of -who else- John Arch and the progressive compositions made by Jim Matheos and the rest of the band.
 Being prepared of what you are going to listen to from the previous album, called The Spectre Within, you would be probably ready to hear some "hard" stuff, followed by John's voice and those endless technical solos that could blow your mind. On the contrary, though, Awaken the Guardian is a more melodic album, an album much easier to listen to and understand its compositions. Here's where the opinions matter the most, as a lot of people would say that their previous masterpiece was way harder and maybe better than this one. Still those two albums remain the most successful and complete albums of  Fates Warning, at least with John Arch on vocals.
 In more detail, the artwork is pretty much related with the previous album's and you could understand that by reading the lyrics. Talking about the lyrics, I've got to say that most of them are a bit confusing, in a way you could find out about what they want to say and what they want to express, but not the exact idea. In my opinion, the lyrics are a drawback for the album, but that's not an important matter, I still love it!
 Concluding, I got to say that Fates Warning made a great job for this album and this can be easily proven to you just by listening to it. One time is enough, I'm sure that all the Heavy Metal lovers will be back for more of it, as one or more songs of this album will get stuck in your head for days!
Support the band, go see them live or buy their albums, better in vinyl keeping the old ways alive!
Find info here: Metallum Page
Download here (whole discography) : Rockbox