Sanctuary of Nevermore

A couple of weeks ago I’ve posted My Judas Priest (with Halford) Top 10 List. Now it’s time for my Top 10 with Tim "Ripper" Owens.

This list focuses mainly on the two Priest studio albums recorded with Owens (Jugulator and Demolition). I did add one song from the live album (’98 Live Meltdown), though, because I think he did an amazing job on his version of Rapid Fire. Honestly, I could also have easily added his versions of Diamonds and Rust, The Ripper, and Desert Plans, because he totally killed it on those songs. But, again, I tried to focus on the songs he recorded in studio with the band. But I want to keep on the records that I absolutely dig both the ’98 Live Meltdown album, as well as the Live in London DVD. I’m very glad they’ve put out great recordings that captured his live performances.

After Priest released their flawless classic Painkiller and Halford left the band, I was one of the fans who couldn’t think how the band could possibly move forward. There was a huge legacy left by Halford, and their last album at the time was just insanely amazing.

I remember hearing rumors that Ralph Scheepers (former Gamma Ray singer) was being considered, and even though I thought he was a good singer, I didn’t think he’d work out well in Priest.

Then, here comes the news that they found some unknown guy who sung at a Priest tribute band. I didn’t know what to expect.

Then, Jugulator came out. I was blown away!! The singer sounded amazing, and the band sounded heavier than ever. I can’t think of any other band out of the so-called NWOBHM who released such a heavy album.

That was 1997. Two years before that, Iron Maiden released The X-Factor with Blaze Bailey, and a year later, Virtual XI. While Blaze’s a good singer, he just didn’t work out with Maiden, and the band certainly didn’t sound any heavier (and those albums sounded very weak). The mighty Black Sabbath, also two years before that, had released Forbidden. I’m a huge fan of Black Sabbath with Tony Martin, but that album was not good. Hell, think of Metallica, formerly a Thrash Metal band; in 1997 they release ReLoad, a year after releasing Load. What the heck was that?

And here comes Judas Priest, with guitars and drums sounds heavier than ever, and a singer just out of this world!

Even after he was out of Priest, I kept following him through his music endeavors. He sounds great in the band Charred Walls of the Damned, and his participation in some other tributes is also great. His rendition of Ozzy’s Mr. Crowley is outstanding, his version of Maiden’s Flight of Icarus is very good, and his live performance of Kind Diamond’s Abigail is surprisingly good (considering it’s very hard to do Diamond songs given his unique voice).

Looking forward to hearing more music from this great singer.

#10: Rapid Fire

Even though this song was originally record with Rob Halford I liked it so much with Owens' vocals that I had to add it to this list. It’ll be the only Halford-era song I’ll add here (even though I like others too). This version just came out so powerful. The band sounds heavier than the original recording, and Owens’ is a freakin' blast!!!

#9: One on One

#8: Feed On Me

Tim’s vocals on this song are so reminiscent of Dio’s. I like it!!!

#7: Machine Man

Cool intro riff, solid drumming, great soloing, aggressive tune. ‘nuff said.

#6: Burn in Hell

Metal!!!

#5: Blood Stained

#4: Bullet Train

I don’t care if people say this doesn’t sound like Priest. It sounds like Metal, and that’s enough for me. The band dared to sound more modern at the time, which no other "old school" band had dared to do. I really like the result, and this song is one of the best ones they’ve put out!

#3: Dead Meat

Angry intro. Angry vocals. Badass tune!

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#2: Cathedral Spires

This song is epic! I think this is Owens’ Beyond Realms of Death. Outstanding vocal lines and delivery. Great intro, heavy riffs. Solid piece of music.

#1: Jugulator

For me, this is *the* Tim Owens’ track. I remember a good friend of mine putting on this CD so I could check it out. We had been waiting a while for this. High expectations. First album after the unbelievably good Painkiller, new singer. The intro to the song kicks off, I thought it was weird (simply because it didn’t sound like the classic Priest material), but it was awesome. Then, the song really picks up: violent drumming, riffing, singing. Heavy! Modern! This is no "Breaking the Law", "Living After Midnight", or anything like that: this is Priest flirting with Thrash Metal. Perfect Track!

For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Judas Priest (Owens)" Play List on YouTube. :)

I have been having a hard time finding new music I like. New music from old bands haven’t been all that great, and new music from new bands sounds mostly like old music from the old bands, so I just end up listening to the old stuff for the most part.

So I look back at the music I purchased in 2015 (not necessarily albums released 2015) and think about which ones I actually cared enough to listened to it quite often during the year. What follows is the list I came up with.

#10: Slipknot (.5: The Gray Chapter)

I’m not even a big fan of Slipknot, but I do like some of their songs, and definitely like their live performance: high energy there! I hesitated in getting their latest album simply because there was more talk about their new masks then about their new music. When I finally broke down and got the album I dug the music.

#9: Nightwish (Endless Forms Most Beautiful)

#8: Soulfly (Archangel)

I like the fact that Soulfly has been getting heavier upon each new album. Max has been very active, putting albums with Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, and Killer be Killed, and most of the music is pretty decent, even more so considering some old bands who struggle to release one album every 5 years or so, and when they do, the album even isn’t that great.

#7: Slayer (Repentless)

As mentioned in my My Slayer Top 10 List, I’m digging the band’s latest release. It’s my favorite one with Bostaph on drums, Gary Holt puts down some good leads on it, and the band overall sounds good to me on this album.

#6: Iron Maiden (Book of Souls)

It took me a few listens, but this album grew on me. There are things I don’t like on it, but overall, it’s a good album. Bruce still sounds awesome! The video for Speed of Light is great.

#5: Gentle Storm (The Diary)

#4: Act of Defiance (Birth and the Burial)

Good debut album by former Megadeth’s lead guitarist and drummer. Not earth-shattering, but it has better (heavier) tunes than what I’ve heard on Megadeth’s last several albums.

#3: Soto (Inside the Vertigo)

I’ve been a fan of Jeff Scott Soto since Malmsteen’s first two solo albums. I’ve always enjoyed Jeff’s voice a lot and have been spinning his latest album quite a bit.

#2: At the Gates (At War with Reality)

#1: Darkane

For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Purchases of 2015" Play List on YouTube. :)

This is another band with way too many good songs to choose from. Since I also like what they’ve done with Tim "Ripper" Owens, I’m creating separate lists for Halford and Owens.

From the start, I knew a Top 5 list of songs that would NOT be on this list:

Don’t get me wrong, those are good songs, and have been part of the band’s setlist for ages. Heck, my teenager band used to play Breaking the Law! It’s just that I got kind of tired of the fact that when the band came out with new albums, they’d play too few songs off the new album, and would focus on those songs I had already listened to quite a bit, and I really wanted to listen to the new stuff.

On another note: I have to say I could easily just put every single song off Painkiller on this list. That is by far my top favorite album by them, and one of my top overall, and every single song on it is great.

There’s really several other songs I could have put on the list (Electric Eye, Rapid Fire, Grinder, United, Delivering the Goods, Freewheel Burning, to name a few more…), but I want to limit it to 10 songs, so here we go...

#10: Ram It Down

This band has always had a thing about to write energetic songs, the type that gets me going!

#9: Halls of Valhalla

#8: Exciter

"Fall to your knees and repent if you please"

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#7: Demonizer

Great song off the album that marked Rob Halford rejoining the band. Great leads, drumming, riffs, and of course, singing.

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#6: Metal Gods

#5: One Shot at Glory

Absolutely love this song! Always have. Simple, yet effective riffs, outstanding solos, solid drumming, great vocal lines.

#4: Victim of Changes

This song came out the year I was born. I was barely here, and this band was already putting out one of the biggest classic albums in Metal history!!

#3: Beyond the Realms of Death

The pace of this song, the simplicity of the powerful riffs, the vocals… and then, Glenn Tipton’s solo. That solo is such a thing of beauty!

#2: The Ripper

#1: Painkiller

What is there to say about this song? This is simply one of the best, most perfect songs ever written in Metal music history. Scott Travis has put his name among the greatest metal drummers with the intro to this song. Glenn Tipton has delivered one the most badass guitar solos in Metal ever. This song is an avalanche of awesomeness. This song is pure metal! I’ve listened to it over a million times, and will continue to do so. Metal Perfection!!

For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Judas Priest (Halford)" Play List on YouTube. :)

There are Slayer albums that I simply like the whole thing, first through last track: Seasons in the Abyss, South of Heaven, Reign in Blood. It's kind of hard picking a few songs out of those. But, in keeping the spirit of my lists, I'm picking the songs that for whatever reason come up to my mind with more intensity.

It's worth mentioning that I always like some tracks off Christ Illusion and World Painted Blood, but I have spent way more time of my life listening to all albums up to Decade of Aggression, and that's why those are the core of my list. I also have to say I like Decade of Aggression a lot, but I decided not to add live versions to my lists. I may create separate list for live tracks that I like...

Anyway, like this fan says… SLAAAAAAYYYEEERRRRR!!!!

#10: Repentless

The latest Slayer album was a pleasant surprise for me. Without Lombardo and Hanneman, I wasn't sure how the band would sound. To my surprise, I really like what they've put out. I've been listening to the entire album several times since I got it, and the title track is a true Slayer one!

#9: Seasons in the Abyss

Dave Lombardo's monster drum fills shinning even on slower songs. This is another one of those songs that brings back good memories.

#8: South of Heaven

The first Slayer tune I ever played on the guitar. I remember being so proud for learning it all by ear. :)

#7: Dead Skin Mask

#6: Hell Awaits

Such a great opener!

#5: Black Magic

My head won’t stop!

#4: Silent Scream

Typical Slayer track: great riff and double bass!

#3: Angel of Death

What can we say about this one? It's just simply... SLLLLAAAAAYYYEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

#2: Raining Blood

This song pretty much defines Slayer. Absolute classic!

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#1: War Ensemble

Thunderous drumming, great thrash metal riffs, high energy! Another song that brings me back great memories. Lots of headbanging to this one back in the day. Watched this video over and over. This is the type of track I listen to whenever I need an extra energy boost.

For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Slayer" Play List on YouTube. :)

Black Sabbath, the band that created heavy metal, and Dio, one of the best and most powerful voices of all time. This combination just had to put out excellent albums and performances!

In this list I focused on studio recordings (except for Children of the Sea, which I couldn’t find it on YouTube), that’s why I’ve left anything from Live Evil out. Note, however, that that album is one of my top favorite live albums. I’ve listened to it a LOT in my life, and I think Dio’s rendition of songs originally recorded by Ozzy was just superb. His versions of N.I.B. and Black Sabbath are among my favorites.

I’ve also included something from the band Heaven and Hell on the list, since it’s really the same band that recorded Mob Rules, Dehumanizer, and Live Evil, but with a different name.

Dio was one special person who could make *any* band sound amazing. Look at Rainbow, Black Sabbath, his own solo band, and any collaboration he has done with other musicians.

I could spend a lot of time talking about Black Sabbath with Dio, but words have no meaning in the face of their music, so just enjoy it!

#10: Neon Knights

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#9: Die Young

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#8: Computer God

Geezer Buttler and Tony Iommi are such great songwriters… and then you add Dio to the mix… heavy, powerful music comes out of it!

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#7: Falling off the Edge of the World

#6: Time Machine

The voice… the melodies… the guitar tone… the riffs… simply great! This song takes me back to 1992, around the time when I was getting my some of my first tattoos on my back.

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#5: The Sign of the Southern Cross

Tons of heaviness on this one!!

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#4: TV Crimes

This song reminds me when Dio got back with Sabbath in the early 90’s, and they’ve put out this great album. Good times!

#3: Children of the Sea

According to Dio, the very first song he wrote with Sabbath. A classic one!

#2: Bible Black

"Oh, wait, this isn’t a Black Sabbath song!", one might say. Well, c’mon, it sure is! It’s the very same band who recorded both Mob Rules and Dehumanizer. I’m glad that they got back together and recorded this album. It was a solid record, with all of the elements that made their previous albums together strong, and Dio's voice sounded as powerful as usual, despite of his age at the time of recording (about 65 years old).

#1: Heaven and Hell

For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Black Sabbath (with Dio)" Play List on YouTube. :)

I’m a member of that crowd who thinks it was actually a good thing Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica, as we ended up with two great bands!

I think all albums released by Megadeth all the way up to Rust in Peace were great. Countdown to Extinction had good songs, but I don’t like how both the drums as well as the guitar tones have lost their power. The same with Youthanasia. The following albums were really weak, and then Mustaine gets an injury, comes back from it, and releases a couple of decent albums: The System has Failed, United Abominations, End Game, Thirteen. All of those albums have songs that I could do without, but they have also good stuff. Super Collider was a horrid album, and now I’m looking forward to hearing there new album, Dystopia. I really hope Mustaine has made good use of a great drummer (Lamb of God’s Chris Adler) and a great guitarist (Angra’s Kiko Loureiro).

With all of that being said, I can’t stress enough how much Peace Sells and Rust in Peace are by far my favorite albums by this band. In the last 25 years I’ve listed to this albums a million times, and still listen to them quite frequently. They both bring me back great memories from my teenage days, they are Thrash Metal masterpieces, and are albums I always listen to in their entirety. In fact, it was really hard picking songs off those albums for this Top 10 list: I like all of the songs on them!!

#10: Kick the Chair

After the band got the taste of releasing "hit songs", I knew I shouldn’t expect an album in the same caliber of Peace Sells or Rust in Peace. However, after Mustaine came back from his arm injury, he has managed to put out some good songs, such as Kick the Chair. This is the type of song I expect to hear from Megadeth.

#9: Head Crusher

This is another example of a song off a more recent album that I really enjoyed. Again, it’s the type of song I expect from this band: fast, good lead work, catchy chorus.

#8: Sleepwalker

The main reason why I like this song is because I played it a LOT on the X-Box (Rock Band). Playing the drums to it was a lot of fun!

#7: Black Swan

#6: Take No Prisoners

#5: The Conjuring

This is the song Dave Mustaine refuses to play live again. Total bummer, as this is one of the band’s best songs!

#4: Devils Island

#3: Rust In Peace… Polaris

#2: Tornado of Souls

#1: Holy Wars

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For your convenience, I’ve also created a "Top 10 Megadeth" Play List on youtube. :)

I have listened to a LOT of Black Sabbath in my whole life. I remember listening to them as far back as when I was 11 years old or so. Having only one brother who’s 11 years older than me, and who listened to this kind of music, I grew up listening to it too.

Impossible to create a single Top 10 list for Black Sabbath. Not only the band has release something like 200 songs, but they have also gone through some many line-up changes. Even though Tony Iommi, the main songwriter, has always been the band’s keystone, each incarnation of the band has produce unique high quality work. The music sounded slightly different, as it was tailored to the person singing on it. Iommi himself said, and I quote: "The biggest difference of course is in the way they sing; Ronnie likes to sing across my riffs while Ozzy follows the riff. Ronnie also has quite a different way of writing."

I’ve never been one of those fans who say "Black Sabbath is only Black Sabbath with Ozzy Osbourne". Quite the contrary: I enjoy work produced by all the line-ups. So I decided to split my Black Sabbath: one list for each singer who has been with the band in more than one album (Ozzy, Dio, Tony Martin), and will also have a list to cover the other singers (mainly, Gillan and Hughes).

The importance of this band is huge. They’ve created Heavy Metal as we know it. Heavy, eerie, intense. Pretty much every metal riff out there can be traced down to the work of Black Sabbath. At one point, a new wave of metal showed up, called Thrash Metal, which made huge use of powerful riffs played with downstroke picking, much like Sabbath’s "Symptom of the Universe". Then, bands started to down tune their guitars to sound heavier, much like Sabbath’s "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". Then, bands started to add musical instruments that aren’t usually associated with metal, much like Sabbath’s "The Wizard". This band was always ahead of their time, and paved the road for all metal bands that came after them, regarding of the ridiculous number of sub-genres created (melodic, death, speed, gothic, etc.).

I’ve also been a huge fan of metal bands that have two guitarists. Black Sabbath, however, is unique in the sense that Geezer Butler is such a powerful player, that his bass lines are always pounding our ears while Iommy goes on a guitar solo. Geezer compensates for the missing rhythm guitar.

Ozzy isn’t exactly a good singer (my personal opinion); he’s always been limited in his range and technique, but his voice contributed a lot to the eerie sound of the band, and he deserves every bit of credit for being one of the founders of this music genre.

On November 11 of 2011 (11-11-11), something interesting happened to me: I wake up, pick up my iPhone looking for the time. This is what I see:

Shortly after, I see it on the news that the four original members of Black Sabbath are getting together to record an album and tour. That for me was huge. I felt so inspired by it I had to go up to my office/home studio and record my own version of one of my favorite songs by them: Symptom of the Universe! You can out my full story on that and checkout the song and video here.

It is very unfortunate that the band had political issues and Bill Ward decided to fold from this reunion. His style was very unique. When I think ACDC or Ramones, I think of easy 4:4 drum beats. When I think Black Sabbath with Bill Ward, I think quite the opposite. He used to play weird rhythms that fit perfectly with the band’s music.

When the album 13 came out, I was bummed by Bill not being on it, but regardless, there were still 3/4 of the original band in there, and they didn’t let me down. I enjoy the album a lot. It sounds like old Black Sabbath, but recorded in recent times. The songwriting is there, the bass and guitar tones are there. Damn, by the time I started listening to the band, Ozzy was long gone, so I was happy to somehow follow the process of the band putting out one more album like that, and making it so that the album was #1 all over the globe.

So here we go: my Top 10 Black Sabbath list with Ozzy on vocals!

(rest assured that I could have easily added at least another 10 songs to this list, but I need to keep it within 10…)...

#10: End of the Beginning

This is the beginning of the list... or the end, considering that we're beginning at the end of the list... I'm glad that the band managed to get back together and put out a great farewell album. It'd have been even better if Bill Ward was on it, but oh well... anyway, I do like the album 13 a lot, it does sound like old Sabbath, and hearing Tony's guitar riffs and tone followed by Geezer's pulsing bass is always great! This band is the essence of Metal! No Sabbath, no Metal!!

#9: Snowblind

Good old Sabbath! Songs from around this time takes me back to when I was 10 years old or so… this is the core of what I listened to growing up!

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#8: Faires Wear Boots

Just pure goodness!

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#7: Sweat Leaf

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#6: The Wizard

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#5: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

This song has it all… that opening riff grabs you by the balls right from the start. Then it goes into an acoustic piece, and when you’re feeling all relaxed, here comes that heavy main riff again! Finally, that breakdown riff that takes us to the end of the song. That stuff is heavy! I used to play this song live with Descent Into Madness, and it was a lot of fun!

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#4: War Pigs

This song is 45 years old, but its lyrics are still just as relevant as it was back then. The music itself is classic, and the guitar solo is just the way I like it: sounds like a little song within a song, with memorable melodies I feel like singing to.

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#3: N.I.B.

Many Metallica fans praise Cliff Burton for his work such as on the intro to For Whom The Bell Tolls, or Anesthesia. His style, the distorted tone of his bass and wah pedal. Unfortunately, many of those fans aren’t aware of where Cliff got those things from. They should find their answer in this song: Geezer Butler!!

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#2: Symptom of the Universe

For me, this is the birth of Thrash Metal. Period. That intro riff is the essence. So simple and yet so powerful. This song never gets old for me. The first half of the song is heavy and powerful as it needs to be, and then there comes the second half, acoustic, laid-back… one could never see it coming. This song is simply perfect.

#1: Black Sabbath

…and THIS is what’s known as Heavy Metal. Metal songs don't need to be always fast, don’t need screaming, don’t need overly distorted guitars, don’t need complex arrangements. This song proves it. It is at least 45 years old, and it’s still as heavy and relevant today as it was when released. Well, maybe even more relevant, since it has served as the basis to an entire genre of music. I always compare this song to the movie The Exorcist. When I listen to this song and when I watch that movie I think how it was when they first came out… the shocking effect they had on people. For sure the creators didn’t know they were creating classics that would stand the test of time so strongly. Black Sabbath, the song, the album, the band… always eerie, always heavy, always unique, always ahead of their time.

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For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Black Sabbath (with Ozzy)" Play List on YouTube. :)

Sepultura is the biggest heavy metal band in Brazil. They were the first Brazilian metal band to conquer the World. They have certainly deserved it.

I think the first album I’ve listened by them was Schizophrenia, and was blown away; at the time, I couldn’t think a Brazilian band could make that type of music so well. I only got to listen to their EP, Bestial Devastation, and first album, Morbid Visions, at a later point. I did get to Beneath the Remains soon, though, and that album certainly cemented the band’s position in my favorite bands list. As far as Thrash Metal goes, they were up there along side the Big 4 for me (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax).

The band was then booked to play the second ever Rock in Rio, in 1991. That was huge for a Brazilian metal band, and I was very proud of them. That year, the band put out Arise, another great album (Arise and Beneath the Remains are still my top 2 albums by them). It was the year also when they played a free gig, at an open space, for 40,000 people. I was there. That was iconic: Praça Charles Miller

I also got to see them playing live at Hollywood Rock 94 and at Olympia, both in Sao Paulo, when they were touring in support of Chaos A.D. By that time, they were already huge.

Still in 94 the band spent a couple of hours at the Woodstock Rock Store in Sao Paulo for some autographs. There was a LOT of people there! Me included. Managed to get the autographs of the classic lineup on two posters, which I still have very well kept with some of my other collectibles.

You’ll notice that my list doesn’t include any song from the album Roots (their best commercial effort). The reason for that is simply because I do not like the direction they’ve taken in that album. Too much tribal stuff. I liked the way they sound between Schizophrenia and Arise, which some people may argue they just sounded too much like Slayer and the like, but for me they had their own sound. Chaos A.D. was still good, but there was already quite a bit of Brazilian influences there. With Roots, things just went downhill for me.

I’m not too much of a fan of the albums that came out after Max left. I think it got better with Kairos, where they removed a lot of the tribal stuff, and I like many things on The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart. However, I just don’t like Derek Green’s voice. I have to say I really liked the drumming on that last album: Eloy Casagrande is an awesome drummer!

So here is the list...

#10: Manipulation of Tragedy

I think the band’s current drummer, Eloy Casagrande, is a monster. He’s one of those guys who can play any style of music, but when he plays metal he plays it really heavy; no regards to his drumheads! I also like the fact that he writes interesting beats in which music can be written on top of. This song, Manipulation of Tragedy, is a good example of that. He wrote the main beats and then the band wrote the other pieces based on it. Very cool, I think.

#9: Propaganda

#8: Territory

One of the coolest drum intros played written by Iggor. War for Territory!!!

#7: Slaves of Pain

This entire album is great. Slaves of Pain is one of my favorite songs on it. Just raw Thrash Metal, the way old Sepultura used to make.

#6: Refuse/Resist

#5: Beneath the Remains

THIS is what Sepultura was all about for me. Thrash Metal at it’s best!

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#4: Desperate Cry

#3: Dead Embryonic Cells

Again, the band at its best (for me, that is)!

#2: Arise

This stuff for me just never gets old! I remember when this album came out, and I just couldn't get enough of it.

#1 Inner Self

For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Sepultura" Play List on YouTube. :)

Iron Maiden is one of the bands I’ve listened to the most since my pre-teenage years. I have all of their albums, and still listen to all of them once in a while (even the ones that aren’t so great). So I had to make this top 10 list. Not an easy task, though: there’s about 200 songs to choose from, not including B-Sides and interesting covers they’ve done across the years (like the great cover of Jethro Tull’s Cross-Eyed Mary).

Obviously I couldn’t even pick one song off each album, otherwise this wouldn’t be a top 10 list anymore… so, as with my previous top 10 lists, I’ve focused on songs I’ve listened to a LOT over the years, and which somehow bring me great memories back.

When I started playing electric guitar, around age 14, I used to play lots of Maiden songs, or at least many riffs and licks here there. It was fun. Most bands I’ve played with at a later point also played some Maiden covers in the set list: The Trooper and Powerslave were the main ones.

I’ll never forget the first Maiden gig I’ve been to: it was 1992, when they played in Sao Paulo, when promoting the Fear of the Dark album. Great show!

Something I always catch myself discussing with my music buddies is: Nico McBrain or Clive Burr? I think they’re both great drummers, of course. Nico is more technical and has always created interesting things, like the intro to Where Eagles Dare. However, Clive was my favorite. I just liked his tone better, and how heavy he played. He also created one of my favorite drum intros in The Prisoner.

As far as guitarists, Dave Murray’s signature solos have always caught my attention. We can always know which solos are his. Adrian’s solos are also great (and for me, the most memorable is the one on Wasted Years), but he also has the talent to write great songs. Janick Gers… I don’t know… I’m not too keen on his solos and I don’t like his tone, but he did contribute writing some good songs.

Regarding the singers, I liked Paul DiAnno raw voice and delivery, but Bruce Dickinson is just out of this World; he was amazing when he first joined the band, and he still sings unbelievably well (for me, he’s the one still singing the best out of his generation). Blaze Bailey just didn’t work out well for Maiden, but I do like him a lot in his solo albums.

Without further ado, here’s my Top 10 Iron Maiden List...

#10: No Prayer for the Dying

I think this is such an underrated album. The band's previous two albums had synth guitars and some other prog elements (and both albums were great), and then they decided to go back to recording an album with a more raw sound. I think it worked out great. It's also an album that brings me back great memories. It's kind of hard for me to pick one song out of this album, as I like many, so I decided to choose the title track. Good lyrics, great singing, good melodies on the guitars...

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#9: Children of the Damned

Such a powerful song… Bruce Dickinson’s voice shines as usual.

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#8: Killers

I’ve listened to the first two Maiden albums so much when I was a kid, it’s kind of hard for me to pick songs out of those. I’ll pick Killers as it’s one that always got my head moving. Great tune. It’s worth pointing out Bruce Dickinson’s audition singing this song. A thing of beauty!

#7: Hallowed be thy name

This song is epic. Just listen to it… pay attention to the lyrics and vocal delivery. I always relate it to the beginning of the book The Pillars of the Earth. Different stories, but both starting off with a prisoner going to the gallows. On the song, we hear the story through the prisoner’s point of view; on the book, we get the story through somebody else’s point of view. Just great stuff… that’s all!

#6: Be Quick or Be Dead

#5: The Prisoner

"…I’m not a number, I’m a free man! Hahahahahaha…." Air drumming… go!! Seriously, I did a lot of air drumming to this song back in the day.

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#4: Phantom of the Opera

I think this song, right in their first album, indicated where the band's songwriting would go and shine as they matured, even more so after Bruce joined. I've always loved this song. I used to play it a lot on my guitar back in the day, and have always enjoyed the original version, with DiAnno, as well as any version with Bruce. This is a perfect Maiden track!

#3: Powerslave

The drum fill in the intro, the vocals, Dave Murray’s mid-section solo (one of my favorites to play on the guitar!). Another epic song. I remember playing this song both with my teenage band, as well as with my US band (Descent Into Madness) a couple of years ago. Always fun!

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#2: Prowler

#1: Wasted Years

Everything about this song is perfect for me. The intro, Adrian’s solo, lyrics ("…you never miss it til it's gone away…"), vocal delivery, the pace of the song… even the video for it is cool! I remember listening to it a lot back in the day, and I remember going nuts when any local band played a cover of it. For me, just an awesome song… "don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years!".

For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Iron Maiden" Play List on YouTube. :)

Angra is one of the most famous metal bands from Brazil (probably the second, right after Sepultura). I remember liking a lot another Brazilian band named Viper (which will be the topic for another Top 10 list…) when I was a teenager. At the time I heard Viper’s singer, Andre Matos had left the band to pursue his music degree. Some years later, I heard he was forming a new band: Angra.

When their first album, Angels Cry, came out in 1993, I was surprised at how good it sounded. The songwriting was really good, production was great, great guitar playing, great solos, and good mix of Brazilian music into heavy metal. It was definitely above any other Brazilian band (other than Sepultura, of course). I went to one of their first gigs during that tour, at a place called Aeroanta, in Sao Paulo. Small place, small stage, lots of people, great show. At end, I overhead somebody say: "We have our Helloween!". I thought that was funny, but indeed, Angra did sound as a band at the same level as the German band Helloween.

I think the band sounded good once they got a new singer (Edu Falaschi) and a new drummer (Aquiles Priester), and release two great albums (Rebirth and Temple of Shadows). Recently, they’ve released a new album, Secret Garden, with Fabio Lione on vocals. I really wished the band would explore Lione’s powerful opera voice (which I don’t remember him using on Rhapsody), but unfortunately, that didn’t seem to happen. Anyway, the album was still decent.

Even though I don’t listen to Angra a lot these days, it still brings me back some good memories, so it deserves a Top 10 list. :)

#10: Stand Away (live with Fabio Lione)

I love this version of this song, mainly because of Fabio Lione's belting on it. His voice here is outstanding, and I wish there was a version of this song with just his voice, and not Taria's (her mispronunciation of words annoys me). Anyway, Fabio is such a great singer, and he seems to be such a genuinely nice guy, I felt I needed to start this list with what I consider his best work in Angra this far.

#9: Petrified Eyes

After putting out an album that heavily used Brazilian influences (Holy Land), Angra decided to take away most of the Brazilian beats and go back to a more direct metal sound on his Fireworks album. I think that worked out well in this song.

#8: Carolina IV

I believe at some point Angra, Sepultura​ and Soulfly​ overused Brazilian influences in their music. I do like how Angra used it in this concept album that covers a little bit of Brazilian history, though. Here it made sense. I think this song has a good balance between metal, classical and Brazilian rhythms.

#7: Acid Rain

#6: Winds of Destination

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#5: Angels and Demons

The thing I like the most in this song is the drums... the whole section starting at 1:30 is badass!

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#4: Rebirth

I like a lot the whole first section of this song, as well as its epic chorus.

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#3: Nova Era

I dig how the band came back strong after replacing losing key band members. This is a song that greatly shows off this new era (at the time).

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#2: Nothing to Say

This song has a good balance between metal and Brazilian music elements. The drumming at the intro is metal, but, with totally based on a Brazilian rhythm. I also like the guitar riffs on this song, namely the one that intro that follows the drums, as well as the one starting at 0:37.

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#1: Carry On

Certainly the band’s biggest classic. Cool opening riff, great arrangement, great guitar solos, just the right energy.

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For your convenience, I’ve created a "Top 10 Angra" Play List on YouTube. :)