By Kevin Kirk, The Heavy Metal Shop

Decibel asked me to do this thing awhile ago, but I have finally got around to it. Here’s a top 5 list of CDs that I personally would try to sell you and that you must have in your music collection. These are all CDs that we sell on a regular basis, but I’m just not going to go with the top 5 Hot Metal releases. The Heavy Metal Shop has evolved into more of a classic catalog Metal store over the past few years. We had to with all of the changes in the music industry, with music downloading on the rise and you duplicating your buddies’ CD collection. Selling CDs is more of a fringe-type business now, so we have to be really careful about what new releases we bring in. That last Metallica album was the only time in Heavy Metal Shop history that we have ever returned Metallica product! I’m not going to list Reign In Blood and Number Of The Beast, because you probably already have these, but I am always happy as hell to recommend those titles.

Drive-By Truckers, Southern Rock Opera
I know, it’s not necessarily metal, but man, these guys rock! I have turned some of the most rivet headed headbangers that you will ever meet onto the Drive-By Truckers, and they love the band almost as much as I do. It is hard to describe how great this band is; grab a copy of this record, or better yet, go to one of their colossal 3+ hour shows.

 
Alice Cooper, Killer
This album is the root of everything you are currently listening too. This is hard rock (or early metal) at its finest. “Under My Wheels” — how can you not love the song to death? The original Alice Cooper band rocked!

Motörhead, Rock ‘N’ Roll
This is my favorite Motörhead album, and they have lot of them. This is the one after Orgasmatron, when Filthy came back. This is the one with “Eat The Rich,” “Traitor” and “Stone Deaf In The U.S.A.” And, of course, “Rock ‘N’ Roll.” I was told by a guy at a record distributor that The Heavy Metal Shop is the only store that he knows of that carries more than just the compilations and Ace Of Spades. I love Ace Of Spades, too, but you must own Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Thin Lizzy, Live and Dangerous
I know Thin Lizzy is cool with the scenesters these days, but I certainly ain’t a scenester. I saw Thin Lizzy live in 1979 and they most definitely are one of the greatest bands ever. This live album documents their genius and we are lucky that they left us all with such great music.

AC/DC, Powerage
I have to have an AC/DC album on this list. Powerage is the one. Saw them opening for Aerosmith back in 1978 and they literally stole that show! AC/DC is another big catalog seller at The Heavy Metal Shop. We love it all, Bon Scott, Brian Johnson, it’s all great.

The Heavy Metal Shop has been “peddlin’ evil for 20 years” at 63 Exchange Place, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, (801)-467-7071.

By Staff, Strangeland Records

Ministry, The Last Sucker
Fans of Ministry, especially of the seminal Psalm 69, may approach The Last Sucker with a certain degree of skepticism; they’ve been let down too many times with the last decade’s worth of Ministry output, which, while heavy, didn’t seem to have much direction to it. The Last Sucker, on the other hand, feels more like a sequel to Psalm 69, which is fitting considering that just as the album’s theme is Bush II’s presidency, Psalm 69 expressed its anger, with equal venom, against the presidency of his father. The heavy, unrelenting guitar riffs on the opening track “Let’s Go” force you to shut up and listen to the rest of the album as it lashes out against Bush, Cheney (”The Dick Song”), greed and corruption, and so on. The whole album builds up to the final track, “End of Days Pt.2,” which samples, in its entirety, Eisenhower’s famous 1961 speech against the buildup of the military-industrial complex — it’s chilling to listen to as its accurate depiction of the future borders on the prophetic. It’s nice to know that music can still provide a soundtrack for our times and that it’s not all just sounds to soothe us on the way to the slaughter house. (Ryan Hill – Owner/Manager)

Destroy Destroy Destroy, Devour The Power
What happens when you take Children of Bodom, 3 Inches of Blood, a bit of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, a dash of Amon Amarth and blend it all together with a huge spoonful of AWESOME? You get Destroy Destroy Destroy! On their debut for Metal Blade, these mighty warriors from Tennessee bring the metal fast and furious with an entire horde of orcs, rats and other medieval creatures in close pursuit. The songs are fast and full of enough fist-pumping energy to start a pit in your room/car/cubicle or wherever you’re listening. Great guitar work with plenty of solos and twin harmonies comprise the baseline for the songs, along with some great bass and double-kicks a plenty. Add some lightning fast keys into the battle and the musical assault for storming your next castle is ready. The lyrics deal with typical metal fare: beasts, gods, vermin, mutilated cranial orifices, Geishmal undead, and the like. Nothing says metal more than the Geishmal undead, that’s for sure. Plus, they have a song entitled “Ripped Apart By The Juggernaut Of Fornication”; it doesn’t get any more metal than this! (Ryon Sumner – Street Team Captain)

Monster Magnet, Superjudge
Superjudge is aclassic stoner/space metal release that’s usually overshadowed by the later more commercially successful Monster Magnet albums. Released in the middle of grunge breaking into the mainstream, Dave Wyndorf and company produced a masterpiece or a record that was buried by flannel shirts and teen angst. Blending together the best of metal, 70’s psychedelia and space rock, every song hits with a wall of fuzz, down-tuned bass, Ed Mundell’s almost constant soloing and Dave’s haunting/trippy vocals. It’ll take you back to the early days of Sabbath and Hawkwind, what metal used to be before it started getting flooded with ‘core bands. From the opening guitar of “Twin Cyclops” until the final softer “Black Balloon,” this album is like a long mid-tempo flight through space, round the planets and back with some sleazy Stacia flight attendants serving shots of Absinthe to ensure you’ll enjoy the trip. Add into the mix two great covers (re-imaginations of the originals is a better description), Hawkwind’s “Brainstorm” and Willie Dixon’s “Evil,” and you have the perfect album for drinking or smoking away a Saturday night. (Ryon Sumner – Street Team Captain)

Behold…The Arctopus, Skullgrid
I’ve recently had conversations with other local metalheads and band members, and many of them are becoming bored with metal these days. It seems that there’s a lot of rehashing being done. This is not the case with Behold…The Arctopus. Their newest album, Skullgrid, is something completely new and totally addictive. It’s innovative and never boring. I bought it two weeks ago and it hasn’t left my stereo since. These guys are expert musicians and have a real feel for what is new and untried in metal. I’d highly suggest it to anyone. (Dan Boyd – Supervisor)

Strangeland Records is located at 7203 Columbia Pike (Second Floor), Annandale, VA 22003, (703) 750-1571 / 1-877-505-3282. Free shipping on all orders over $20!

By Mark and Jay, Metal Haven

Skeletonwitch, Beyond the Permafrost
My favorite new album of the year and one of my favorite bands live. Check them out if you get the chance: razor sharp guitars, double axe attack and speed like from the old days of Exodus, Forbidden and Nuclear Assault. You can even hear guitar harmonies reminiscent of Mercryful Fate and Thin Lizzy. The singing is fantastic, changing from high scream wails to guttural belches. Quick and furious songs throughout; no time to catch your breath. This album scorches from start to finish and doesn’t let up. (Mark)

Marduk, Rom 5:12
Crisp, raging installment from the gut. A mammoth record with moving change, forcing acceptance. An album that rises up to expectations. (Jay)

Dekapitator, The Storm Before the Calm
Best thrash album since King’s Evil! Non-stop thrashing holocaust from the get go. Total old-school Bay Area sound with modern day production, a shred fest with ripping guitars and great old school sounding vocals. “Deathstrike Command” is an instant classic and you have to love the sound of a bomb hatch opening…now thats METAL. This is a must-have. (Mark)

West Wall , Blitzkrieg Symphony # 1
War on all fronts is declared with this exceptional DM release. Dark musical assissinations by guitar and doom. Commanding cult brilliance from beginning to end. (Jay)

Obituary, Xecutioner’s Return
Great title, especially since they were known as “Xecutioner” when they started in ‘85. Too bad this wasn’t the Obituary comeback album instead of Frozen in Time, because this new album blows that one away. Maybe it’s new guitarist Ralph Santolla, adding that extra little crunch on guitar, but John Tardy sounds as good as ever on vocals. This album shows that the old school brothers can still bang it out with the kids. If you miss the classic Florida DM sound, definitely give this album a shot. (Mark)

Go bother Mark and Jay with questions about death metal and Enuff Z’Nuff at Metal Haven’s new retail location at 2003 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60618.

By Dominick Fernow, owner.

Inquisition, Nefarious Dismal Orations
Inquisition are a two-piece with roots in Colombia as a thrash band in the late ’80s/early ’90s, then they relocated to the US and started playing black metal. This is totally devastating fast-paced and pummeling, but it’s not war metal. The guitars are very shrill, with a lot of open chords ringing out and the drums are just total machine-gun drumming. It creates this obliterating, trancelike atmosphere. The vocals are extremely strange and people either love them or hate them. It’s somewhere between a scream and a growl, and it almost sounds like liquid being squeezed out of the body. It’s very odd and ominous and inhuman. Their mix of simplistic, descending melody and fierce, raw aggression makes this sinister but somehow affirming atmosphere. And the art is great—they have an old-school metal art style. They’re deeply involved in Satanism, and they’re one of the few bands that manages to portray that image in a unique way while holding on to the tradition.

Akitsa, Sang Nordique
This is almost like underwater black metal. It’s simple and there’s a great young, almost punk atmosphere to it—just grime and grit and gravel. It’s like what you want a punk band to sound like but they rarely do. Their vocals are some of the most aggressive screeching and desperate wailing, but almost in an anthemic way, like old oi! vocals.

Circle of Ouroboros, Shores
This is an interesting case because I think a lot of people would argue that this isn’t even a black metal record. A lot of the time, the “black” part of black metal is more in reference to the ideology and motivation and lifestyle behind the music and not only the sounds. There’s a surface conception that black metal only sounds like Darkthrone or Burzum; actually, it’s hugely diverse in terms of the sounds, but what really defines it is the ideology. This record almost sounds like a British post-punk band, and in fact they do a Joy Division cover (“She’s Lost Control”). It’s a midpaced, depressive, downtrodden sound somewhere between necro and post-punk. The more I discuss black metal with those involved, the more Joy Division fans I meet.

Lifelover, Pulver
A masterpiece of perversion. It’s a group with members of other Swedish black metal icons, but it’s a mix of metal, post-punk, clean and sorrowful guitars, and again a really heavy Joy Division feel. It still has a kind of folk sensibility to some of the music, at times drifting into a deranged carnival atmosphere. The subject matter ranges from drugs to sexual fetishes to insanity. It’s extremely potent; it doesn’t give you answers, it raises a lot of questions.

Air Conditioning, Dead Rails
A lot of people who come in and ask me for black metal are specifically looking for extremely noisy, rough, raw, obfuscated, dense music played on rock instruments. That’s why I include this, not because it’s black metal but I think there’s a link there in terms of its sound and it being abstract, trancelike, monolithic…just destroyed-sounding.

Hospital Productions is the place for obscure black metal and noise in New York City, and it’s as underground as it gets since you actually have to climb down a ladder into the basement of a reggae record store to get to it. But there’s no kvlter-than-thou bullshit here—Fernow, aka power electronics act Prurient, is more than happy to discuss and recommend if you ask.

Top five bestsellers at Celebrated Summer Records, Towson MD. By Tony Pence, owner.

1. THE VICIOUS, Alienated CD/LP
These Swedes use razor-sharp guitars and amazing melodies to create instantly catchy punk that’s amazingly bleak and as desperate as the end of a noose.

2. COFFINS, The Other Side of Blasphemy CD
Japanese doom/death/sludge that sounds like the end of the world at the burning hand of flowing lava. I’m not even kidding.

3. GOVERNMENT WARNING, No Moderation CD/LP
Fast as hell without being a blur, catchy and memorable without being poppy and hardcore as you can get without being moronic or thuggish. This is a perfect continuation of the best ‘80s hardcore had to offer.

4. HERESY, Face up to It reissue LP/CD
In the ’80s these Brits took early US hardcore and sped it up 1000 times, grew crazy dreadlocks and put pure energy into playing live with the likes of Napalm Death and Larm. A perfect hardcore record.

5. THE ERGS, Upstairs Downstairs CD/LP
New Jersey gave us Adrenalin OD and now this: Amazing pop-punk that owes more to ALL and the Minutemen then to The Ramones, yet still has perfect choruses and all the broken-hearted lyrics you need. They are so good that they have a jazz record, a hardcore record and a country record all coming out this year on top of this rager.