Traditional Metal

[rms]

I wonder what it's like to live in an existence where you have to pretend things are metal or that Manilla Road isn't the most influential underground band in order to feud with other posters on heavy metal forums

 

[Omni]

Feel free to actually explain how Gatekeeper isn't a metal band if you actually believe such a ludicrous thing.

We both already know that Manilla Road is not the most influential underground metal band ever, or at least I hope that you actually know that. I'm nearly positive that you do, but I suppose it's possible that you are actually stupid enough to think that Manilla Road compares to, or even eclipses, bands that actually influenced the entire genre in the 1980s.

 

[rms]

no interest, last reply was a laugh but you are you and that is still obvious

 

[Krow]

I bought the Gatekeeper album the same time I got Midnight Force from Hoove Childe. I definitely preferred Midnight Force.

It wasn’t bad but I think I listened to it about 3 times in the car and never have listened to the mp3s I made after that.

 

[CiG]

I bought the Gatekeeper album the same time I got Midnight Force from Hoove Childe. I definitely preferred Midnight Force.

And "Killer" is an insanely catchy opening track too.

Killer! Killer!
Nothing is safe, even you.
Killer! Killer!
Just one mistake and you're through.
Killer! Killer!
No one escapes his knife,
Now say goodbye to your life!

 

[CiG]

What did everybody think about the latest Chevalier? Did a quick search and the only result related to this new EP is @Dazed and Brutal saying he plans to check it out at some point.

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

What did everybody think about the latest Chevalier? Did a quick search and the only result related to this new EP is @Dazed and Brutal saying he plans to check it out at some point.

Hell yea! All their material is finely forged steel! I think they are leading the pack in terms of the recent wave of demo worship heavy metal bands. You'd figure that kind of thing would be trite this deep into this decade, but they prove that quality songwriting and a delicate blend of influences can still produce something worthy. I still haven't tracked down anything as cacophonous and chaotically controlled as their two demos. They manage to carry melodies like Brocas Helm and bear teeth like the best German speed/thrash records with tasteful nods to King Diamond (looking at you Portrait ).

Some other good recent demos





















Just blew my whole load here

 

[CiG]

Do you just call anything a demo or something?

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

Do you just call anything a demo or something?

lol, some of them are demos! I have them all on cassette and never thought much of it to be honest. I see little point of parsing the difference when the bands are clearly retrofitting their sound to like 80's era demos.

 

[CiG]

Witchtower is a literal studio full length lmao I just thought it was funny, I was expecting to be bombarded with actual demos. The Freeways and Stone Dagger tapes are gold btw, for me the best of the bunch. But the rest rule too.

 

[CiG]

 

[Storrsson]

Epic/traditional metal pushed to the limits.

Holy hell, my fucking album's on here before I am :\

I'm big on trad metal in general, but I prefer that more "mythical & magical" sound from the early-mid '80s. So Eternal Champion are well up there for me, as are Wytch Hazel. I like Pagan Altar's newer stuff as well - has anyone heard anything that comes close to that kind of sound?

Other than that, most of the trad metal I listen to is from the '80s/early '90s still. Loads of forgotten stuff to get through. There are a lot of really good bands coming out nowadays, but a lot of them seem to fall for me into the "good but not amazing" category, which is a shame - I don't have the time to go through each one and find out which bands really stand out, so I tend to overlook them. If anyone's got a list of releases from the past 10 years or so that trump all the others (excluding Eternal Champion), then I'll have a peruse.

Recent bands that I've come to know that do pretty well on the trad metal front: Iron Kingdom from Canada, Toledo Steel from UK, aforementioned Wytch Hazel, Amulet, and yes, Gatekeeper are good, but I echo some other people's concerns about the sound of their newer album - again, I haven't had time to go through it with the fine-tooth comb yet, but the production immediately strikes me as something of a stumbling block as far as my own taste is concerned, since it's a little "flat" or "clean" sounding. Giving it a spin now, and it's musically very good, but the drums, guitars and vox sound like they were recorded and mixed in different studios...

Anybody into Cromlech (Canada)? They just put out a track on a split. Very well thought out composition. Their debut "Ave Mortis" was one hell of an album.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

Yeah definitely agreeing with Omni on that one. Blade of Cimmeria rules, but Ninefold Muse and Oncoming Ice are clearly the best songs on the album. That 2nd track that you hate so much is a re-recording off of their first demo and yeah, it does feel a little bad compared to that opener but the rest of the album definitely rips.

I literally remember nothing from that Midnight Force record when I listened to it.

 

[CiG]

Holy shit welcome aboard @Storrsson, your music rules. Firstly perhaps give this thread a gander if you want to get clued in on some good new metal, I update it quite frequently.

Secondly I'd be happy to make a list of 20 or 30 of my favourite traditional/epic/classic metal albums from the last decade. I'll have a good think about it and then tag you.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

If you want Pagan Altar-esque stuff and you haven't heard Cauchemar yet, you should get on that.

 

[Omni]

I've mentioned it a few times before, but the recent reissue of Angel of Mercy's The Avatar is worth seeking out if you're after something different. It's got a pretty diverse set of songs, with influences from early NWOBHM and 1970s rock. I think that it would appeal to people who like niche NWOBHM, Manilla Road, Pagan Altar and a lot of the other GMD canon trad bands while not really being the same thing as any of that. There are definitely flaws, but the best moments really stand out.



I'm also glad to see @Storrsson on board here. Keep up the good work.

 

[CiG]

My favourite traditional/power/classic/epic metal releases 2008 to 2018, probably missed a whole bunch and I didn't include anything too obvious:

Aircraft - Demo 2015 (some of the coolest almost-off-the-rails heavy metal ever)
Aircraft - Maximum Destruktion
Aktor - Paranoia
Allagash - Canadian Encounters
Ancient Empire - Ancient Empire
Ancient Empire - Other World
Ancient Empire - The Tower
Angel Sword - The Midwinter Tapes
Angel Sword - Rebels Beyond the Pale
Axe Battler - The Wrath of My Steel
Barrow Wight - Kings in Sauron's Service
Borrowed Time - Fog in the Valley
Candle - Demo 2016
Candle - The Keeper's Curse
Cast Iron - Leather & Metal
Chevalier - A Call to Arms
Christian Mistress - Agony & Opium
Christian Mistress - Possession
Convent Guilt - Guns for Hire
Crimson Dawn - Chronicles of an Undead Hunter
Dark Forest - Dark Forest
Dark Forest - Dawn of Infinity
Dark Forest - The Awakening
Dark Forest - Beyond the Veil
Deathman - 3 Track Heavy Metal Tape
Demon Bitch - Hellfriends
Eisenhand - Demonstration Tape
Eldorado / Scalare - City of Gold / Caught by an Evil Spell (especially Eldorado's side)
Freeways - Cold Front
Gentry Lord - Signals from the Mystiverse
Ghost Tower - Head of Night
Griftegård - Solemn • Sacred • Severe
Hellwell - Beyond the Boundaries of Sin
Hellwell - Behind the Demon's Eyes
Herzel - Unis Dans la Gloire
Hrom - Blesk
Hrom - Legends of Powerheart part I
Ice Sword - Dragon Magic
Ice War - Ice War
Illegal Bodies - Mindflayers
Iron Dogs - Cold Bitch
Iron Dogs - Free and Wild
Ironflame - Lightning Strikes the Crown
Iron Griffin - Iron Griffin
Iron Kobra - Battlesword
Ironsword - None but the Brave
Johnny Touch - Inner City Wolves
Khan - Barbarian Warriors (seriously one of my favourite metal demo tapes ever)
Legendry - Mists of Time
Legendry - Dungeon Crawler
Legionnaire - Dawn of Genesis
Lord Fist - Green Eyleen
Lunar Shadow - Far from Light
Luzifer - Rise
Luzifer - Black Knight
Malokarpatan - Nordkarpatenland
Manacle - No Fear to Persevere...
Mausoleum Gate - Gateways for the Wicked
Mausoleum Gate - Mausoleum Gate
Mausoleum Gate - Into a Dark Divinity
Metal Grave - The Eternal Flame of Deception
Midnight Priest - The Priest is Back
Moros Nyx - Rite of Rebellion
The Oath - The Oath
Outcast - Outcast (Australian traditional metal MLP)
Possessed Steel - Possessed Steel
Possessed Steel - Order of the Moon
Pulver - Pulver
Quayde LaHüe - Day of the Oppressor
Quicksand Dream - Beheading Tyrants
Ravensire - Iron Will
Ravensire - We March Forward
Ravensire - The Cycle Never Ends
Realmbuilder - Summon the Stone Throwers
Realmbuilder - Fortifications of the Pale Architect
Realmbuilder - Blue Flame Cavalry
Sacral Rage - Illusions in Infinite Void
Savage Machine - Abandon Earth
Skelator - Give Me Metal or Give Me Death
Skelator - Time of the Sword Rulers
Skelator - Death to All Nations
Skelator - Agents of Power
Sons of Iniquity - Hang 'em High
Spell - The Full Moon Sessions
Stallion's Mane - Stallion's Mane
Stone Dagger - The Siege of Jerusalem
Storrmbringer - Among the Flames of War
Tales of Medusa - Triumphant Serenade
Tanith - Citadel
Tarot - The Warrior's Spell
Tarot - Reflections
Terminal - Heavy Metal Lokomotiva
Terminal - Satanski Naročila
Terminal - Zadnji Izlet
Terminus - Into Exile...
Terminus - The Reaper's Spiral
Teuton - Full On Power
Thorzel - Thorzel
Traveler - Demo 2018
Trial - The Primordial Temple
Tungsten Axe - Swedish Iron
Tyfon's Doom - Emperor's Path
Vendel - Vendel (aka Slayed Not Enslaved)
Vultures Vengeance - Where the Time Dwelt In
White Magician - The Pledge
Witch Blade - Oskuldernas Eld
Witchtower - Return to the Witches' Castle
The Wizar'd - Infernal Wizardry
The Wizar'd - Pathways into Darkness
The Wizar'd - Ancient Tome of Arcane Knowledge
Wrathblade - God of the Deep Unleashed
Züül - Out of Time
Züül - To the Frontlines

This got pretty autistic but I hope it helps anybody who bothers to search up any of these releases.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

I've mentioned it a few times before, but the recent reissue of Angel of Mercy's The Avatar is worth seeking out if you're after something different. It's got a pretty diverse set of songs, with influences from early NWOBHM and 1970s rock. I think that it would appeal to people who like niche NWOBHM, Manilla Road, Pagan Altar and a lot of the other GMD canon trad bands while not really being the same thing as any of that. There are definitely flaws, but the best moments really stand out.

This is so up my alley, some elements like the vocal inflections even remind me of the Mistreater EP. Thanks for this.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

This album's probably a bit too much of a homogeneous suite to make my '85 list, but holy fuck what an opener:

 

[Storrsson]

Cheers for the list, CiG, I'll start with that and then work my way back through this thread

Liking Aircraft so far! Need to work on getting a sound like this. Probably requires reel-to-reel etc.