Our favorite NWATM (new wave of American thrash metal) band, by far, is Warbringer, who conjure the savage spirit of mid ’80s Exodus and Slayer and filter it through a screen modern rage. There’s no question that these guys can play, but another reason they’re so good is because they know their ’80s metal as singer John Kevill proves with a list of his favorite 10 metal albums of all time. And while you might not agree with the absence of Metallica, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, you’ve got to admire his taste in thrash and death metal.
Warbringer Singer John Kevill’s 10 Favorite metal Albums:
10) Obituary- Cause of Death
Probably my favorite album by these guys. To me, this style of death metal sounds like being bludgeoned in the face by cavemen or something. Plus, vocalist John Tardy is totally one of a kind; nobody “arrrargh”s like him. He remind me of a zombified pizza guy. Honestly, I think this is way more brutal than anything by any modern ultra-triggered brutal death metal band.
9) Morbid Saint- Spectrum of Death
Some of the most flat out vicious thrash I’ve ever heard. Nonstop aggression. The sound is razor-sharp and messy at the same time, and its all riffs all the time! Special mention to Pat Lind’s vocals, which sound like voices in a crazy person’s head gone all berserk.
8 ) Burzum - Filosofem
Love to put on this band to trance out to. I picked this album because it has probably my favorite Burzum songs on it, “Dunkelheit” and “Jesus Tod,” but I think the two discs before it are just as good. Listening to this is like getting lost in some dark swirling mist or something. Excellent atmosphere.
7) Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond
Probably my favorite power metal band, I like this album best because it’s got the epicness of their later sound but is still very speed and riff-oriented like their earlier stuff. Love the way this band puts songs together. The verses will twist and turn all over before resolving in one of those awesomely anthemic Blind Guardian choruses. This is one of the first bands that really got me into metal and I’ve never really gotten sick of them.
6) Hammer- Contract with Hell
Not too many people know this one, but I’d prolly count this as my favorite NWOBHM album. The songs have a good variety, from almost speed metal to 80s bar-rock/classic metal. There’s even a nice epic part at the end. One of the few metal albums I really like the keyboards on, too. Great stuff from start to finish.
5) Judas Priest- Painkiller
Tough to pick a favorite from the metal gods, but this is the one where they take everything about their style and turn it to 11 — for an entire album! Every song on this one is killer and completely over the top. I might choose this album as the very definition of metalness. Godly solos, too. No other album has guitars that scream quite as much.
4) Demolition Hammer- Epidemic of Violence
BRUTAL! This one is a nice middle ground between the crushingness of death metal and the sheer ferocity of aggressive thrash. Great riffs, great vocals, and one of the heaviest drummers ever. This album eats alive most albums that try to be heavy.
3) Slayer- Reign In Blood
Yeah, everybody puts this one on best of lists, but I honestly think this is just about the best thing ever. No matter how many times I hear it, I’m still really impressed by how well all the riffs fit together and how good the vocal lines are. Even those complete chaotic nonsense solos totally fit. I see this as being way more aggressive, intense, and well written than anything else any of the “Big four” ever put out. Not just the first and last songs, the whole thing!
2) Manilla Road - Crystal Logic
It took me a long time to get into this band, but something about them kept me coming back and listening to them more. Traditional metal with a pretty unique style to it without really abandoning any of the genre’s conventions. This album in particular has a sort of magic to it that’s totally mystical and majestic and has a real sense of wonder about it.
1) Bathory - Twilight of the Gods
For me, there’s just nothing out there that captures the same massive, majestic feel that Quorthon had on the viking-era Bathory stuff. It’s like the song of the mountains and woods, themselves. So many great moments on this album: The beginning buildup to the title track, the acoustics at the start of “Blood and Iron” going into those huge, lumbering riffs, the ethereal chants on “Under the Runes.” In my mind nothing else really comes close to this one.
