MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
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- Thread starter LooseCannon
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Azas
Reflections
+100
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
It's not the strongest 70s-sounding album (muddy isn't cool at all), but the drum sound is like ''solid'' for that era. I enjoy the sound of the guitars, they have a rather ''nice, clean and kind of warm'' sound that suits the music and themes (almost like for the previous album, but weaker).
Speaking of Rainbow and Dio, ARP's new album has some songs that carry a strong Dio vibe - The Enemy Within, Hurricane, Towards The Shore, Higher Call. <NP.
Azas
Reflections
Ram It Down is, to me, the weakest Judas Priest album. Even though I’m not that into their debut either, this one stands out because I sorta actively dislike it. A big part of that comes from what feels like forced intent behind it - the “metal attitude” songs come across as contrived, like the band is just going through the motions.
Maybe there were internal tensions at the time, or outside pressures shaping the direction. On a few tracks, though, you can hear hints of what would later become Painkiller - which is interesting. It’s almost the opposite of Iron Maiden, where on Seventh Son i personally can already hear traces of No Prayer for the Dying. In that sense, Priest rebounded into greatness after a dip, while Maiden, started to decline.
That said, “Blood Red Skies” is absolutely magnificent and majestic.
From what’s been said about the Turbo sessions, songs like “Ram It Down,” “Hard as Iron,” “Love You to Death,” and “Monsters of Rock” were already around, which might explain why that exaggerated “we’re metal” attitude feels even more amplified here. It does seem like they’d lost their direction at that point - maybe the hunger from earlier years was gone, success changed things, and there were pressures from labels or personal issues in the mix.
Nothing unheard of - just another real-life rise, stumble, and comeback story.
Maybe there were internal tensions at the time, or outside pressures shaping the direction. On a few tracks, though, you can hear hints of what would later become Painkiller - which is interesting. It’s almost the opposite of Iron Maiden, where on Seventh Son i personally can already hear traces of No Prayer for the Dying. In that sense, Priest rebounded into greatness after a dip, while Maiden, started to decline.
That said, “Blood Red Skies” is absolutely magnificent and majestic.
From what’s been said about the Turbo sessions, songs like “Ram It Down,” “Hard as Iron,” “Love You to Death,” and “Monsters of Rock” were already around, which might explain why that exaggerated “we’re metal” attitude feels even more amplified here. It does seem like they’d lost their direction at that point - maybe the hunger from earlier years was gone, success changed things, and there were pressures from labels or personal issues in the mix.
Nothing unheard of - just another real-life rise, stumble, and comeback story.
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
Big Big Train - Woodcut (2026)