Albums currently kicking your ass

[Dak]

I listened to this twice today. The guitar work, especially the solos, help set this album apart from the competition.

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

A Forest of Stars are unequivocally, awesomely excellent.

 

[EspaDa]

 

[Master_Yoda77]

No fucking equal.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I'd take Battle Cry and Into Battle over it tbh.

 

[no country for old wainds]

ample destruction >>>>>> battle cry >> into battle

imo

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Ample Destruction is too inconsistent. The Crucifix may be the best song between the three albums (though The Dark Rider is strong competition), but there's some kinda average and repetitive overly-NWOBHM stuff like Warfare and Reign of the Tyrants as well.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

There are a lot of relatively boring songs on Battle Cry as well. Into Battle isn't even the best Brocas Helm album...

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Nah. Be My Wench and Prince of Darkness are notably more straight-forward, but they're speed metal-y enough to make up for that. I was trying to keep things 1984, but sure, Black Death is a better album than Ample Destruction as well.

 

[Einherjar86]

A Forest of Stars are unequivocally, awesomely excellent.

So fucking good. An improvement on Opportunistic Thieves of Spring, although that album is also great.

 

[Krow]

Personally, i think thats the worst AFoS album...

 

[no country for old wainds]

Ample Destruction is too inconsistent. The Crucifix may be the best song between the three albums (though The Dark Rider is strong competition), but there's some kinda average and repetitive overly-NWOBHM stuff like Warfare and Reign of the Tyrants as well.

'warfare' might be my favourite on the album along with 'harder than steel', which makes it by extension one of my favourite metal tunes of all time ('the crucifix' is amazing too for sure). the riffs are quite NWOBHM but the way the note is allowed to burn through the verses with conklin (AKA top 5 vocalist of all time) doing the most swaggery performance of his career over the top, each bridged between the ridiculously epic connective melodies, then the sheer axe-swinging bravado of the chorus... nwobhm was never so huge, so powerful - it's more like listening to slayer than saxon for me, same adrenaline rush. then there's that middle section building up so beautifully, and the leads cutting in in the final 20 seconds or so... every development comes so naturally, every decision is perfect. love that song man. i mean i feel like they could write shitty songs with that album's sound and they'd still sound good, but every song on there is pretty damned great, and some are incredible.

i do think the album's slightly front-loaded, but i barely know of any 80s metal albums that are completely consistent front to back, and i've always thought brocas helm in particular are pretty uneven from song to song... i guess i find them a bit messy in general, more a band of great moments than great albums, but maybe that's just me. i'd also argue most of the songs on BATTLE CRY are a notch or two below 'death rider' for example. that album's also a bit front-loaded.

all great bands at their best, anyways.

 

[divine_torture]

The Sword is bad ass! Anyone else like this shit?

 

[KafkaX]

I cant get into the vocals.

Personally I like that album better than Warp Riders, though.

 

[Dak]

I think both those albums are good. Apocryphon felt phoned in though.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

'warfare' might be my favourite on the album along with 'harder than steel', which makes it by extension one of my favourite metal tunes of all time ('the crucifix' is amazing too for sure). the riffs are quite NWOBHM but the way the note is allowed to burn through the verses with conklin (AKA top 5 vocalist of all time) doing the most swaggery performance of his career over the top, each bridged between the ridiculously epic connective melodies, then the sheer axe-swinging bravado of the chorus... nwobhm was never so huge, so powerful - it's more like listening to slayer than saxon for me, same adrenaline rush. then there's that middle section building up so beautifully, and the leads cutting in in the final 20 seconds or so... every development comes so naturally, every decision is perfect. love that song man. i mean i feel like they could write shitty songs with that album's sound and they'd still sound good, but every song on there is pretty damned great, and some are incredible.

i do think the album's slightly front-loaded, but i barely know of any 80s metal albums that are completely consistent front to back, and i've always thought brocas helm in particular are pretty uneven from song to song... i guess i find them a bit messy in general, more a band of great moments than great albums, but maybe that's just me. i'd also argue most of the songs on BATTLE CRY are a notch or two below 'death rider' for example. that album's also a bit front-loaded.

all great bands at their best, anyways.

mah niggah

Just a fucking EP, but this is just as awesome as their demo. That first song has a HUGE Bathory vibe. It's like a wonderful mix of epic Viking-metal Bathory with some 2nd wave black metal.

 

[Draehl]

I cant get into the vocals.

Personally I like that album better than Warp Riders, though.

I really like their first album Age of Winters the best. Especially Winter Wolves, Iron Swan, and Lament of the Aurochs- such lighthearted groove... When I've had too much BM I like to switch over to these guys, Earthless or Ghost... nice change of pace.

 

[ASD]

Loses a bit of steam towards the end but still fantastically weird.

 

[no country for old wainds]

mah niggah

Just a fucking EP, but this is just as awesome as their demo. That first song has a HUGE Bathory vibe. It's like a wonderful mix of epic Viking-metal Bathory with some 2nd wave black metal.

ooh, i really liked the demo. i better get on this.

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

Loses a bit of steam towards the end but still fantastically weird.

My favorite release of theirs.