Metal Reviews

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FUCK YES!!!! Excellent review, probably the best one I've ever read on this site. You nailed every point I would have mentioned. Truly a well done, well researched review. I agree with you about Break Free, it has probably one of the greatest guitar solo sections of all time, I would place it in my top three. The other song that completely melts my face is No Turning Back, the back and forth riffing in that song is so fucking rockingly heavy. This review has made my day and I hope that it serves as a catalyst to bring more modern metal heads back to the NWOBHM where everything they love about metal began.

Yeah, this is a killer album. You can definitely hear where Kai and Hansi get some of their influence when you listen to Satan. Awesome awesome awesome album and a good review as well. Now Holy Terror can stop wining about the lack of TRU3333 METHUL!!!!!11 joking.

Great job Adam, the review was excellent, an so is this album, "Court In The Act" its on my top 10 metal albums of all time, no matter what genre of Metal you listen you should give this a try, truly a Classic, and by the way the bonus track "Pull The Trigger" its an early Blitzkrieg track where Ross was the singer, although im not sure wich version came first maybe Holy Terror could give us the answer.

I don't think Pull the Trigger can be categorized as either a Satan or a Blitzkrieg song, it's a Brian Ross song. Both bands had demos as early as 1981 and no where is that song to be heard. I figure Ross brought it in a another live song that ended up being recorded as a "B" side song that never made the album proper. So then after Satan ceased to exist he took the song with him to Blitzkrieg and it was added to the track listing. Court in the Act is from '83 and A Time of Changes the Blitzkrieg debut is from 1985. Since Ian Swift from Avenger was the first Satan vocalist covering the duties on the "Into the Fire" demo, the song probably wasnt performed by the group until late 83, so Swift couldnt have written it. So yeah its most likely a Brian Ross song since he's the only vocalist who ever sings it, and wherever he is, that song is. Regardless, it's a great song, it doesnt sound like Tippins/Ramsey guitar work or Proctor/Sirroto work, so most likely he wrote the guitar parts himself, they are in more of a classic rocking vein then either the Satan or Blitzkrieg guys.

Russ Tippins may have helped write the song. I'm not sure, there is very little in the way of evidence to support any theory. I guess I could just email Brian Ross and ask him. Either way the song doesnt show up on an album until 1985.

Very cool album and interesting to see it finally getting reviewed after years of lobbying from Holy_Terror

Good review, the opening riff to Blades of Steel is so cool.

Great album and great review!
I'll never forget the first time I came across this band. It was at Wacken in 2004. We were actually just taking a break from our headbanging when this band I'd never heard of entered the side stage and started that incredible mix of NWOBHM songs. I was blown away. After their gig I went straight to the metal market to look for any of their CDs. I've been an avid fan ever since.

How I love this album. I don't think any other metal album has a better sense of melody than this one. Fuck yeah and great review!

I'll have to check this out, even though I'm not a big NWOBHM fan.

Thank you all for the kind words. HT did a lot of lobbying for this album, but I'd have to say it was justified. What an amazing album!



Well, this isn't your average NWOBHM, so you should definitely still check it out. It's got more than a few elements of thrash thrown in.

I'm listening to this for the first time and I think that's what I like most about it . Pretty great album

Do you like the songwriting at all? B/c I think you would like some of Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian's stuff if you did.

Hmm, I'll have to listen to those bands. I remember hearing Blind Guardian a loooooooooong time ago but it was when my friend was like "OMG LULZ LOTR POWER METAL" so I didn't really take them seriously... but now I just listened to a Rhapsody album last night and thought it was awesome so I'll give them another try... any recommendations for where to start?

Well for Blind Guardian it is hard, b/c they were a completely different band four albums ago. If you like Satan though, start with "Tales from the Twilight World." Like Adam said in the review there is even a Satan cover on that album. If you want to check out Gamma Ray get "Somewhere out in Space" or "Powerplant."

Actually, the cover of Trial by Fire is on Somewhere Far Beyond- I'd reccomend checking out Tales as Ness reccomended or that one if you're starting up with Blind Guardian.

Tales from the Twilight World is your best starting point. That is vintage Blind Guardian that pretty much was the starting point for their signature sound.

Well I'll be...

I'd like to point out that I said in the review that the cover is from Somewhere Far Beyond.

But it's OK NESS I still love you.