Building off of last month’s posting, here is this month’s suggestions.
My music isn’t setting the world afire. But it’s fucking fun. There are worse things to be obsessed with.
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Kairi got out of work later than anticipated and we departed late to the venue. Absurd traffic made us even later. Ultimately, we ended up parking at the middle school and we traipsed through the woods, only emerging from the gates as Megadeth was playing Ride The Lightning. It was ecxeedingly disappointing, particularly after the setlist revealed they played The Mechanix just prior.
The disappointment lingered, but Tornado Of Souls helped elevate my spirits. That it is Kairi’s favorite song by the band is a nice perk. Symphony sucks, as much now as it did then, but Peace Sells and Holy Wars were as good as I could have hoped.
Unfortunately, the brief exposure to Megadeth was not enough, and I certainly hope a full headlining farewell tour will follow.
After the usual turnaround, Iron Maiden arrived, representing my 9th time seeing them (plus Bruce twice!) and first in 14 years.
Ides Of March was tape, but Murders In The Rue Morgue was not. It was a fantastic snapshot at the early days of the band, particularly as it went into Wrathchild, Killers, and Phantom Of The Opera. The band sounded fantastic.
Much like with Metallica, seemingly boring setlists never truly represent a show’s quality. However, seeing Infinite Dreams, one of my favorite songs from possibly my favorite Maiden record, was particularly poignant. Certain setlist entries are more powerful than others. The Trooper offers less potency, but goddamn, the “Ooooh oooh ooh ooh ooooh ooh oh oh ohhhhh,” of that song has never felt lackluster. Ignoring such tracks, there’s no way to turn a blind eye to epics Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, and Seventh Son. Each has its meandering mid-section, but the outros are simply legendary and display what got me into the band in the first place.
If I’m honest: Hallowed rocked. Aces High ruled. Fear Of The Dark was phenomenal. I’m 50. Bruce is the youngest core member, and he’s 68! Yes, parts of the show are by-the-numbers, but goddamn, those numbers aren’t shrinking. And they simply killed it. The new drummer was consistent and solid. Janick was Janick. Dave shredded and Steve is timeless. Having seen Bruce just last year, you hear his limitations, but he tore through the set. I won’t say he sounds better than ever, but he sounds way better than most after 40+ years in the business.
This is a topic I’ve thought of over the years. Many of us can agree on what the Golden-Age records are for bands. For those who were engaged in the ’80s outputs by the major bands, there’s a clear dividing line—often the early 1990s. What if we took ALL those post-heyday records and whittled them down to one super album? What would it contain? My first entry into this list is a WIP one on the mighty Slayer. These are organized by album for ease. Anyhow, it’s just an idea. I don’t know if it’s worth double digits in its counter.
Not sure how official this is, but as of today, it’s postable.
Just things on repeat this summer:
2026 Tracks
Older Songs
Granted, this omits many physical/iPod plays over the course of years. Despite this, it’s a kick-ass list that no one can justifiably deny.
To add to the absurdity, Moonsorrow’s average song length resides at over 10 minutes. My top-played song ever, with 230 scrobbles, is over 26 minutes long. Yeah, I love that band.
Building off of my 2024 list and 2025 countdown, here’s my running list of 2026 releases on the horizon. Oh, as always, can’t forget about the MetalStorm Upcoming Releases page for handy reference!
16 Jan: Kreator: Krushers Of The World
23 Jan: Megadeth: Megadeth
30 Jan: Hällas: Panorama
13 Mar: Lamb Of God: Into Oblivion
20 Mar: Exodus: Goliath
17 Apr: The Moon And The Nightspirit: Seed Of The Formless
24 Apr: At The Gates: The Ghost Of A Future Dead
24 Apr: Drudkh: Thaw
22 May: Dimmu Borgir: Grand Serpent Rising
19 Jun: Einherjer: Lifeblood
26 Jun: Nargaroth: Apocalyptic Steel
18 Sep: Anthrax: Cursum Perficio
18 Sep: Rodrigo Y Gabriela: Our Home
25 Sep: Godflesh: Decay
02 Oct: Amon Amarth: The Allfather Awakens
16 Oct: Insomnium: Netherworlds
23 Oct: Wolves In The Throne Room: Estuary
06 Nov: Saor: Caledonia
20 Nov: Down: Down V
20 Nov: Wayfarer: Riders Of The Setting Sun (zero expectations)
TBA: Sacred Reich: TBA
Hopeful for the following
I saw Queensrÿche three times: in 2000, 2003 and again in 2005. And when Geoff Tate and the band split, I was firmly a member of the QR camp. The divorce was ugly and neither side looked good, however, I never really enjoyed Tate’s solo material and as the years passed, even the band’s continuation failed to inspire much passion. I was fine ending my journey with all of it, especially considering I’d seen all of Operation: Mindcrime during the last of my three concerts.
Now, it should be said that I don’t have a full recollection of that evening, with Doug fully to blame. And as Tate announced a goodbye to one of my top-20 albums ever, playing the entire record, I felt no hesitation plunking down a few bucks and driving yet again up to Silver Spring. Before we get to this night, however, I’d like to reminisce some decades.
I walked all the way to Looney Tunes to purchase Operation: Mindcrime and another record (maybe an Anthrax tape). The two-mile walk, which Google tells me takes 45 minutes, was a common occurrance in subsequent years, but at the time, I was a mere 12 years old. On the way back, I stopped at my school and some kid stole my money. What odd memories we retain. And as it came out before I was 16, I still remember a majority of the lyrics. Thus, tonight, I sang much far more than normal. I was not alone. Even the taped intros had the crowd reciting from memory, “Dr. Hamilton, Dr. J. Hamilton.” “Sleep well, you bastard.”
The band has its own light system and immediately I was impressed by the absolute clarity of things. They sounded utterly fantastic. All three (!) guitarists played rhythms, leads and interludes perfectly – almost astonishingly so. The production was reminiscent of Def Leppard or Ghost, virtually-perfect recreations of the studio creations. Unfortunately, it loses all that punch that I love about live shows and it felt manufactured – meticulously crafted for authenticity and not the gritty live performance. Tate’s vocals were phenomenal, but often buried lower in the mix with loud backing vocals lifting it all up. It’s hardly dismissive, it’s far better than some of the botch jobs I’ve seen online by Jon Bon Jovi or David Lee Roth, etc. We’re all getting older, but he did a remarkable job.
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Spying on t-shirts from recent tours and it’s evident: this band plays a LOT of shows. I estimated about 100 in 2024 alone. City upon city. Geoff Tate mentioned he’s played in 66 countries. Say what you will, but that’s dedication.
He kept the between-song banter limited and played the role as frontman well, sporting a no-sleeved jacket, black cowboy hat and his trademark, thick-framed glasses. It almost felt like Mindcrime was rushed through, and Tate appeared to enjoy the Mindcrime 2 songs more, the three chosen truly showcased his skills, perhaps more than them being the best selections. But make no mistake, seeing a great rendition of the concept album that shaped my youth was just awesome.
The two songs with keyboardist/vocalist were fantastic, and the entire choreographed evening did what it intended: offer a strong sense of nostalgia presented in a lengthy and highly-curated package.
There were three songs from Mindcrime’s sequel, another trio from Empire and a pair of classics rounded out the night. None hit the highs of the main draw. The sound of Empire felt more than ever like that transitional, early ’90s time period. The classics were solid and the evening as a whole was fun. Unless Queensrÿche comes back with something worth seeing – and with a more-authentic live experience – I’m happy closing this chapter of my top-20 record…a mere 37 years after I first got into the band.
After his landmark solo records of the late 1990s, I haven’t been quite as enamored with Bruce Dickinson’s last two albums. Each had its own highlights, but I’ll always go back to Accident and Chemical if given a choice.
Despite my less-enthusiastic take on these efforts, Bruce hasn’t done a US tour since I (saw him in 1998) and going tonight was a bit of a no-brainer. I got to the venue with time to spare, had a beverage and headed in, getting comfortably close, but not as near as I normally would like. The aging crowd didn’t move altogether too much, so where I landed is about where I stayed for the duration. During my half-hour wait, I gazed upon the crowd curiously; spying all the tropes of metal fandom.
With the instrumental intro beginning things, he kicked off into Accident Of Birth, a spectacular start. There are pockets of unfamiliarity in his catalogue, and though these selections were pretty good, it also meant diminished enthusiasm for sections. It didn’t help that things were generally quite slow. Even Laughing In The Hiding Bush, never my favorite, felt weak.
The air-conditioned venue was actually quite cold, never an issue for me, but Bruce was not fond and he commented on it several times, in addition to a few subdued political jabs. Nothing too forceful, but they garnered a smirk from many.
Chemical, Flash Of The Blade and the killer cover of Frankenstein were highlights from the middle of the evening. The first sounded beautiful and Bruce’s voice was as strong as ever. The sole Maiden cover would’ve been a great surprise had it not been spoiled – but the solo section in the middle was just spectacular as was Frankenstein. The band was having fun and I loved every minute of it.
Wrapping things up, we got three hits from my favorite two albums and this represented the best part of the evening. All were just awesome even if they were slower and packed less of a punch than most metal shows. Things were clear and all musicians were top notch.
Following a brief moment backstage, we were treated to the expected Tears Of The Dragon complete with an enthusiastic sing-along. I was unfamiliar with the next Balls To Picasso song, to my dismay, but this led into the finale. Bruce spoke about recording the next album and thanked the crowd before diving into The Tower, one of his best and a suitable closing to a wonderful evening. I zipped out swiftly and Google routed me on what seemed a long, out-of-the-way path home. I woke not feeling terrible the next day, can’t complain about that!!! Setlist and photos/videos to follow.
