By Avinash Mittur In 1987, an album like “Appetite for Destruction” was the last thing anyone expected a heavy rock band to release. MTV and the airwaves were littered with hair metal, and bands like Metallica and Slayer were taking the underground by storm. Guns N’ Roses, a bluesy, gritty, meat and potatoes rock outfit, …
Continue reading “Retrospective: Guns N’ Roses’ “Appetite for Destruction” Turns 25″
By Avinash Mittur For many heavy metal bands, the nineties was a time of crisis and despair. For stoner and sludge metal though, this was the golden age of the down-tuned riff, and some of the greatest and most pioneering music in the style was born. One of the greatest stoner metal bands of the …
Continue reading “Retrospective: Two Decades Of Kyuss’ “Blues For The Red Sun””
By Avinash Mittur In 2012, Exodus is one of the heaviest thrash metal groups currently active. The last eight years have seen the band releasing the most mature, brutal and violent material of their career. When one thinks of their original frontman Paul Baloff though, it’s hard not to imagine the big guy being an …
Continue reading “Retrospective: Exodus’ “Another Lesson In Violence” Still Kills After 15 Years”
By Aniruddh “Andrew” Bansal Progressive metal titans Dream Theater have been around since 1985, originally under the name Majesty for a couple of years, before they changed it to Dream Theater and released their debut album “When Dream And Day Unite” in 1989. 23 years and a few lineup changes later, they now have an …
Continue reading “Retrospective: Dream Theater’s “Images And Words” Turns 20″
By Avinash Mittur Blind Guardian are frequently lauded as one of the greatest and most influential power metal acts and it’s tough to make a strong argument against that assertion. The band’s amazingly aggressive songwriting along with Hansi Kursch’s extremely versatile vocal abilities is a winning combination that continues to produce great songs to this …
Continue reading “Retrospective: Blind Guardian’s “Somewhere Far Beyond” Now Two Decades Old”
By Avinash Mittur Thirty-five years ago on April 23, 1977, Judas Priest unleashed their third studio album, Sin After Sin. As many know, Priest’s studio output during the 1970s is considered to be some of the most influential heavy metal ever recorded. Even though it has its flaws, Sin After Sin made a major contribution …
Continue reading “Retrospective: Judas Priest’s “Sin After Sin” Turns 35″