olderalbums
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CAGE – HELL DESTROYER (MTM MUSIC 2007)
Creating a concept album is a tricky business. Getting the story convincing and interesting, while at the same time keeping the songs strong enough to work also independently needs usually a whole lot more work than composing a ‘normal’ album. In the field of heavy metal, the puzzle of successfully getting a concept piece together…
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QUEENSRYCHE – TAKE COVER (RHINO 2007)
A lot of bands have that one record in their career that both elevates them to superstardom and enslaves them at the same time. In the case of Queensryche, in 1988 they released seminal “Operation: Mindcrime” – a concept masterpiece so grand and dangerous in delivery, it placed the band under lock and threw away…
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KING DIAMOND – THE PUPPET MASTER (MASSACRE 2003)
Since 1985 and the demise of Mercyful Fate, King Diamond has released a long string of theatrical albums, of course many remember indisputable classics “Abigail,” “Them” and “The Eye” 20 years back. But truth is the band continued making high quality records all the way through the difficult 1990’s, even when Mercyful Fate reunited and…
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STEVE GRIMMETT – PERSONAL CRISIS (METAL HEAVEN 2007)
As we reviewed the legendary heavy metal album See You In Hell by Grim Reaper last year, and deservingly branded it with a Steel Mill Klassik mark, the new release by ex-Grim Reaper frontman Steve Grimmett should prove an interesting view on what the singer’s been up to lately. As Grim Reaper the band disbanded…
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EMPIRE – CHASING SHADOWS (METAL HEAVEN 2007)
Albums and come to think of it, also bands like these are of the rare breed nowadays – good quality hard rock with supreme musicianship, lyrics and vocals. Of course credible albums are released continuously but truly great ones only appear maybe once or twice a year at the most. That most of them still…
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BROTHER FIRETRIBE – FALSE METAL (SPINEFARM 2006)
It’s time at the Mill to look back a couple of years and Finnish hard rockers Brother Firetribe’s debut album “False Metal.” The whole band actually started a as a bit of humorous side project for guitarist Emppu Vuorinen and vocalist Pekka Heino. The name originated from a Finnish tennis player Veli Paloheimo and title…
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NIGHTWISH – DARK PASSION PLAY (SPINEFARM 2007)
There has been a huge fuss around Nightwish during the last couple of years. Beginning from the newsbreaking sacking of lead singer Tarja Turunen, more or less fiery exchange of comments between various persons more or less involved with the situation, and onto the cloak and dagger secrecy of searching and finding the new vocalist…
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URIAH HEEP – THE MAGICIAN’S BIRTHDAY (MERCURY / BRONZE 1972)
For another Steel Mill KlassiK album feature, let us turn the clock back 36 years and take a look at british rockers Uriah Heep. Already having three, gradually stronger, albums in their catalogue, Heep hit a total motherload of creativity in 1972 resulting in two of the bands most celebrated albums, Demons And Wizards (May…
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SANDALINAS – FLY TO THE SUN (METAL HEAVEN 2008)
Steel Mill’s first anniversary guests Sandalinas have just unleashed a strong second album to a genre that is nowadays actually extremely challenging for new bands. Same I guess as it has always been, although for completely different reasons. 10-15 years ago traditional heavy metal faced almost an universal ban, with every new release more or…
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DIE SO FLUID – NOT EVERYBODY GETS A HAPPY ENDING (PAROLE 2008)
The first time I heard of Die So Fluid was back in 2006. I got a call from one of my friends who asked me to accompany him to go and see this really good british band that was about to throw a gig in the local pub later that week. I had my doubts…