#85 - Rain - Psycho Motel - Welcome to the World (1997)

OK, I am guitly of being an Adrian Smith fan. Is Rain really that great a track? Well to me it is, remember back in 1997, there was not much for Iron Maiden fans to celebrate. The X Factor was a decent album and so was Dickinson's Skunkworks, but both were two years old already. The second Psycho Motel album, Welcome to the World, was the best thing Maiden related "since Seventh Son" (If I had a dime for every time I read that I'd be wealthy, but I digress).

Rain is a short fast rocker, with a good melody, solo, and a killer riff, especially in that part after the solo. A recommended album for Adrian Smith fans.

#86 - I am the Wooden Doors - Agalloch - The Mantle (2002)

For those not familiar with Washington state's Agalloch, they are an American rock band. Sub-genres are hard to apply, though I have heard black metal, folk metal, avant-garde, post rock and a couple of others.

For me The Mantle is a masterpiece and the above track is just one of several stand out numbers. This track in particular is great how it blends the black metal style vocals, but has an acoustic guitar over the whole piece; even the guitar solo is acoustic. This is one of my favorite albums of all time.

#87 - Life in Still Water - Fates Warning - Parallels (1991)

Parallels may not the best Fates Warning album, but this track is their finest in my opinion. It manages to perfectly bridge Fates Warning's metal side and prog side, and as such achieves the closest to perfection they can possibly achieve.

#88 - Breaking the Silence - Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)

Operation Mindcrime is one of my favorite albums of all time, and the best concept album of all time. But it is still a collection of songs, and they are all good songs at that. I am sure if I expanded this list to 500 or so, there would be about 7 or 8 from this album.

Anyway, Breaking the Silence is toward the end of the album, and it reflects some of the pent up anger and hostility in the character. The riffs and solos are great. I was always amazed how this album and this song in particular was able to be so metal and so prog at the same time.

Great stuff

#89 - Crazy Nights - Tygers of Pan Tang - Crazy Nights (1981)

I first heard this a long time ago. Probably 1984 or so, from a borrowed record from a friend of a friend. I really liked it and eventually found the record on import, as this NWOBHM outfit probably did not have great distribution in the USA. The band featured John Sykes on guitar, and the riffs here are great. Unfortunately, this was Sykes' second and last album with The Tygers and they soon faded away into obscurity. This album and the one before it are two great NWOBHM releases and are among the finest albums of the movement.

The song highlighted here is the title track from Crazy Nights and while to me it stands out in the crowd, it is only one of many great tracks as there are no real stinkers present on any of the two 1981 Tygers albums.

#90 - Who's Watching You - Vain - No Respect (1989)

Glam has never been a sub genre I ever liked. However, this album, and this track in particular are quite good. Granted the lyrics are horrible, and one read of the lyric sheet will have any self respecting metal fan reaching for their copy of Powerslave. Given that though, the playing on this record is really good. I guess Vain was more in the model of Ratt, where the guitar player was skilled, and sort of gave the band a small amount of musical credibility.

Of course, this came out at the end of glam's popularity, and thus Vain is a mere footnote in the book of 80's metal, but if you see this one in the used section or cut out bin, pick it up.

#91 - Anguish and Fear - Yngwie Malmsteen - Marching Out (1985)

This song is probably the best song on a damn good album. This album and Anguish and Fear in particular get a boost from a great association. In college, I was in a fraternity, and while we were not your stereotypical preppy frat boys, we still had parties and the main focus of the parties was to get girls.

To that end, one of the bedrooms in the house was treated as a de facto "dance club", where one of the brothers would play dance music and the like. However, at the end of the evening, after most of the girls left, some metal CD's found their way into the sound system. On one particular evening, Marching Out hit the stereo, and that will forever stick out in my mind.

#92 - Don't Hold Back - Riot - Fire Down Under (1981)

I first heard this song on the Pam Merli metal show on WYSP in Philadelphia back in the ealy 1980's. I would tape the shows on my boom box and listen to the tapes over and over again. This one track always stood out among all the other "underground" (ie Raven, TT Quick, etc.) stuff at the time.

While the album art is horrible, this is a really good album, with Don't Hold Back as my personal favorie on the album. Unfortunately, 1981 was the high water mark for Riot. Guy Speranza was replaced b Rhett Forrester, and while the latter is a decent vocalist, the band were never the same, as fame and fortune continued to elude them.

#93 - Fighting the World - Manowar - Fighting the World (1987)

Stripes on a tiger don't wash away, Manowar's made of steel not clay.

That is one of my favorite line from any song. This track is a metal anthem, and I usually do not like metal anthems. This song is the exception. Manowar is an easy target, and they are very laughable at times, but this is one of the greatest tunes of all time. Extremely infectious and it really does get you waving the proverbial metal flag when you listen to it.

Interlude

My wife had our third son earlier this week, so I am out of commission for a couple of days. All are well, but with the two older boys under my sole control, things are busy!

#94 - Holy Wars (The Punishment Due) - Megadeth - Rust in Peace (1990)

This is quite a good album, with a few great tracks on it, but the first song is my favorite. I particularly enjoy the accoustic guitar after the chorus. Good stuff.

#95 - Stranger in a Strange Land - Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (1986)

This is the first of many Iron Maiden songs on the list. Stranger in a Strange Land is featured here for the playing of Adrian Smith. There are no accolades or superlatives that I can bestow upon the playing, writing and performing of Mr. Smith that are enough. This guy has it all, and this song is one example of many.

Somewhere in Time is a great record. On Powerslave, you first understood that Adrian was the better player between he and Dave Murray, but on Somewhere in Time, it was obvious, especially when you considered song writing. I am not slamming Murray; I think he's great as The Thin Line Between Love and Hate almost made this list, purely for Davey's playing. It's just that Adrian is better, and this song is an early example of that.

#96 - Worlds Are Comin' Through - Brainstorm - Liquid Monster (2005)

Liquid Monster, the new album from Brainstorm…OK, seriously. German metal outfit Brainstorm has a history of churning out competent but not brilliant Euro Metal. Not really speedy, but not as geigh as Power Metal, I guess you'd call it traditional metal. Whatever the sub-genre, Brainstorm does have an interesting little niche in the metal world, and hopefully this album was a stepping-stone toward a more consistent release. This is the first track on the album, and it shows the potential these guys have. It is the standout track here for sure. As the album progresses, it looses steam and eventually becomes quite dull and ordinary, but this track is awesome, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

#97 - Iron Tusk - Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)

Iron Tusk falls in the center of Mastodon's highly acclaimed Leviathan. This album crosses the sub genres and delivers a complex heavy album, worthy of its praise. The song Iron Tusk in particular is my personal favorite here. The drumming is sick, the guitars are wailing and the pace is furious.

I saw Mastodon in the summer of 2005 opening for Maiden, but really did not see much of their show due to circumstances beyond my control; plus the venue had crappy sound, so it would have been tough to enjoy the show. I do recall this tune in the set, as it does stand out. A recommended album for fans of extreme metal.

#98 - Conquistador - Saxon - Metalhead (2000)

Since 1984, Saxon has not really done much. Their albums (and there have been plenty of them) have ranged from dreadful (Destiny) to competent. And while I certainly enjoy these more recent albums, none of them are really that great. None of them stand out as brilliant. However, this one song seems to rise above the crowd. It has a nice acoustic intro, followed by great riffing. Even Biff has that "old sound" to his voice; and without the slick modern day production, Conquistador would be right at home on Wheels of Steel or Strong Arm of the Law.

It is really one of Saxon's finest moments, from any era.

#99 - Satan's Fall - Mercyful Fate - Melissa (1983)

From Mercyful Fate's debut album, this is the centerpiece of that classic album. Clocking in over eleven minutes, Satan's Fall is powerful and epic. Mercyful Fate is one of those bands who peaked early, with their first and second albums being their best. Satan's Fall is only one of many great tunes on these two albums; but for me it is one of their best.

When I first heard this album, and this track in particular, I was blown away at the intensity of it, I could not believe how dark this whole album was, and I was in awe of the mood of the whole thing. I am unsure if you can call it black metal, because it sounds nothing like today's black metal, but I call it a great metal song, from a great metal album.

# 100 - Doctor Doctor - U.F.O. - Phenomenon (1974)

OK - a couple of points. I decided to do one hundred, because I couldn't cut it to forty and include everything I wanted to, so it is a top hundred.

Second - the list is only metal (i.e. no Rush).

So, I have broken the rules already since this song is not really metal, and the list is only metal. But, this song is here not really for itself anyway. Like many great songs, its greatness is partially due to an association with something else.

Any Iron Maiden fan reading this understands.

Picture the scene; you are in a crowded concert venue waiting for Iron Maiden to hit the stage. There is the usual milling about, you hear some music through the house PA, the air may even be a little smoky. Then suddenly you hear the eerie guitar intro to Doctor Doctor, and you realize you are only moments away from the main event.

I always get chills whenever I hear this song, and even though it's greatness if due to an association with another band, the song itself is still awesome, and a perfect begining to this list.

Top 40 - T-Bone Style (cue Casey Casem cursing sound byte)

VH1 recently did a show counting down the top 40 metal songs of all time, their list is below:

40-Breaking the Law -Judas Priest
39-I'm Eighteen - Alice Cooper
38-Balls to the Wall -Accept
37-Smoke on the Water -Deep Purple
36-Wait and Bleed -Slipknot
35-Metal Health -Quiet Riot
34-Paranoid -Black Sabbath
33-High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night) -Def Leppard
32-Thunder Kiss '65 -White Zombie
31-Rock You Like a Hurricane -Scorpions
30-Epic -Faith No More
29-Caught in a Mosh -Anthrax
28-The Beautiful People -Marilyn Manson
27-Run to the Hills -Iron Maiden
26-Refuse/Resist -Sepultura
25-Cowboys From Hell -Pantera
24-Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap -AC/DC
23-Freak on a Leash -Korn
22-Enter Sandman -Metallica
21-Paradise City -Guns N' Roses
20-I Wanna Rock -Twisted Sister
19-Man in the Box -Alice in Chains
18-Slave to the Grind -Skid Row
17-Live Wire [Kick A** '91 Remix] [Mix] -Mötley Crüe
16-Walk -Pantera
15-Bulls on Parade -Rage Against the Machine
14-Toxicity -System of a Down
13-Rainbow in the Dark -Dio
12-Bring the Noise -Anthrax
11-Peace Sells -Megadeth
10-Ace of Spades -Motörhead
9-Crazy Train -Ozzy Osbourne
8-Raining Blood -Slayer
7-The Number of the Beast -Iron Maiden
6-Detroit Rock City -Kiss
5-You've Got Another Thing Comin' -Judas Priest
4-Back in Black -AC/DC
3-Master of Puppets -Metallica
2-Welcome to the Jungle -Guns N' Roses
1-Iron Man -Black Sabbath

While this list is not a total insult to us tr00 metal fans, there are some on this list that are just plain silly. Appetite for Destruction is a really good record, but it is not metal. Anyway, to right their wrong in my own warped little universe, I have decided that I am going to do my own countdown of the top 40 metal songs of all time. While the VH1 list has some good tunes in there, only one song in their illustrious top 40 will be on my top 40 (hint: it is NOT Bring the Noize).

The Gay Nineties (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

(and I mean gay like the kids say gay)

The top tens are temporarily dead. I tried doing a top 10 for 1992, but there were so many bad albums that I lost interest. I mean Dream Theater's Images and Words is one of the greatest albums of all time, and would far and away be the number one album of that year. Also, there were a couple of other good albums that year like Running Wild's Pile of Skulls Alice in Chains' Dirt. Maiden's Fear of the Dark has some bright spots and Sabbath's Dehumanizer was listenable.

Outside of that I really can think of one good album from 1992. What would be number 6? Triumph of Steel by Manowar? No thanks. I'll pass.

Anyway, I plan to pick up the top tens again, but I will certainly skip 1992 and probably 1993 as well.

Primordial - The Coffin Ships

Every once in a while, a song comes along that is so awesome that you feel your head is going to explode. Primordial's song "The Coffin Ships" from their album The Gathering Wilderness is one of the best songs I have ever heard. It is dark and epic and it has so much feeling to it, words cannot do it justice.

The song is about the Irish emigration during the famines of the 19th century. I recommend this to anyone reading this blog. This may be the song of the decade.