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If you are thinking about picking up a copy of Pagan, it is best to assume that you are at least somewhat familiar with Cruachan's sound. Having said that, Cruachan still continues to amaze with their fourth full-length release. They manage to make a return to their metal roots, but still keep the folk sound that defines them so well. As a result, Pagan is very similar to Tuatha Na Gael in a few ways. First and most importantly, there is more of a metal sound to this album (as compared to The Middle Kingdom and Folk-Lore), very similar to the sound of Tuatha Na Gael. However, there is still plenty of folk sound to it. That is probably what makes this release the most versatile: it can please the most diehard metal fans, but also those fans who have grown to love the folk aspect of Cruachan. Second, there are a lot of covers of songs from Tuatha Na Gael (Viking Slayer, which borrows a lot from Return, Erinsong, and The Fall of Gondolin). I am by no means saying that this is a bad thing. All three of these songs are very well done, and probably my three favorites on the CD. Last and somewhat unfortunately, the recording quality is also similar to that of Tuatha Na Gael. Of course, it does add a nice feel to the CD since Cruachan's only other nearly straight metal release sounds similar in this regard. The only thing that bothered me was that there is far less flute music in the songs on Pagan as compared to their other albums. This is due to the fact that the flutist was on-and-off with the group during recording, so they can hardly be blamed, but it still detracts somewhat. I would recommend this release to anybody who is a fan of either end of Cruachan's spectrum. Both the metal side and the folk side are represented significantly and represented well. Additionally, to clear up any confusion, the track list is out of order.
Engine's self-titled debut album featured well-known musicians Ray Alder (vocalist from Fates Warning), Joey Vera (bass player from Fates Warning & Armored Saint), guitarist Bernie Versailles (ex-Agent Steel), & drummer Pete Parada (Face To Face). The diligent foursome return, delivering an abstract album dissimilar from almost every other "metal" release (if you call it metal - which some don't). The debut self-titled album surprised many people - although I don't think the critics were ready for it - and it favoured a lot of attention from the fans even though it wasn't really associated with any of the members various bands. With the arrival of Superholic, I assume everyone is well versed on all things Engine.
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Crawling, lurching and downright dirty old-school death metal with doom elements.
Running Wild's last two releases were good, but this release is just plain amazing! When it comes to quality German speed metal, you can't get much better than this. Amazing riffs, blazing fast guitars, and tight drums all aided by the wonderful vocals of Rock 'N' Rolf. It seems with each release the band keeps getting better and better making this arguably their best album. Thats arguably because Black Hand Inn and Masquarade are also contenders for that postion. One of the best, if not the best track, has to be the opener Riding the Storm with its haunting intro. The guitar work is just superb proving that Rolf is easily one of the most underrated guitarists in the genre. The track Bad to the Bone also porduced the bands second and last music video. The tour was also one of the bands most successful and they even recorded one of their shows for home video release. You haven't seen how good Rolf and the gang are until you have seen them playing these complex guitar structures live! If the album weren't great enough alone, the new remastered version also contains the entire Wild Animal EP as bonus tracks. For die-hard fans its a must because the Wild Animal EP up till this point was almost impossible to find. One song that was included on that EP was a remake of the silly metal anthem Chains & Leather, a song in its original form appeared on the bands sophmore album Branded & Exiled.
Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Although the German band Helloween is considered the earliest pioneer of the genre, Stratovarius is often regarded as crossing from classic power metal to keyboard-heavy modern power metal, influencing numerous bands to emerge during the 1990s.[citation needed] Some of Stratovarius's material, particularly their mid-career albums such as Fourth Dimension can be heard to have some progressive metal elements. While their first two albums (Fright Night and Twilight Time) have some NWOBHM elements.
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