Your current “go to” bands

What veteran or old school bands do you still buy their new releases without hesitation? Which bands can do no wrong in your eyes?

Mine is: Testament and Flotsam. They have been on a roll of high quality albums for years!

I also still like Overkill musically, but I haven’t liked Blitz’s lyrics or vocals since the Horrorscope era and some of the late 90’s albums like: The Underground and Below. He just seems to throw words around without much meaning like Rob Zombie. It’s more for the cadence than a story or message. Don’t get me wrong… I’ll still probably continue to buy their new albums.

Judas Priest is also great! But they had a couple turds in the punch bowl. I never liked Nostradamus, and I think Angel of Retribution is overrated. Even Halford’s solo band was better than that album IMO.

Megadeth and Metallica are still good too… but it’s usually a mixed bag. They tend to have a few songs (to half an album) of filler these days. With that said… I have a feeling the new Megadeth will be great! I know Kiko will really shine and the drums will be off the hook!

I have like 20-30 or so bands whose releases are auto-buy for me.

Axxis, Impellitteri, Rage, Skyclad, Testament, Priest, Maiden etc. Those old favourites I am a die hard fan of.

Off the top of my head....Metal Church, Overkill, Testament and Rage

I don't have any automatic-buy bands these days. Well, I say that and then I remember that I'll buy anything with Ski singing on it. But that's it.

I am looking forward to buying new releases from Vio-lence and Dark Angel(???). At least one and maybe more unless this one is a total clunker.

I'll give a listen to singles from new albums from Megadeth, Judas Priest, Testament, Metal Church, etc. but very likely won't buy them.

Exodus, if it's better than the last album, might get a purchase from me. I didn't listen to that one much. It sounded rushed and lacked hooks.

I've been listening more to older bands in other genres these days and learning about interesting chord progressions in other forms of music.

Asphyx is the only band that comes to mind.

Most new stuff has been a let down.

Lari wrote:

I have like 20-30 or so bands whose releases are auto-buy for me.

Axxis, Impellitteri, Rage, Skyclad, Testament, Priest, Maiden etc. Those old favourites I am a die hard fan of.

I thought about this and expanded the post to what I believe are my auto-buys. If these groups were to release an album tomorrow, they can just have my money. I don't sample or anything. Active bands only, of course:

Axxis
Rage
Pink Cream 69
Impellitteri
Skyclad
Iron Maiden / Bruce Dickinson
Blaze Bayley
Judas Priest
Chris Caffery / anything Savatage (but not TSO)
Nightwish
Powerwolf
Helloween / Gamma Ray
Mystic Prophecy
Avantasia
Tokyo Blade
Iced Earth
Testament
Saxon
Blind Guardian
Ayreon

Then a few I'm not so sure how active they are:

Hollow
Angel Dust / Mercury Tide

And of projects, Marius Danielsen's Legend of Valley Doom. Anything under that moniker is automatic purchase.

Plus a shit ton of disbanded groups that are unlikely to ever record anything.

And it's not a definite list. I'm pretty fickle.

Temple of Blood wrote:

I don't have any automatic-buy bands these days.  Well, I say that and then I remember that I'll buy anything with Ski singing on it.  But that's it.

I am looking forward to buying new releases from Vio-lence and Dark Angel(???).  At least one and maybe more unless this one is a total clunker.

I'll give a listen to singles from new albums from Megadeth, Judas Priest, Testament, Metal Church, etc. but very likely won't buy them.

Exodus, if it's better than the last album, might get a purchase from me.  I didn't listen to that one much.  It sounded rushed and lacked hooks.

I've been listening more to older bands in other genres these days and learning about interesting chord progressions in other forms of music.

I’m dying to hear some new Dark Angel and Coroner!

Are they ever gonna release the albums? Gene Hoglan had all of last year to get together with Jim Durkin and finish it. Once he goes back on tour with Testament, he won’t have as much time. A wasted opportunity! Perhaps they have “writer’s block”.
I doubt they will release anything they consider subpar. It has to be a career defining statement.

Exodus should be great! They claim it will be crushing and career defining. We’ll see…

I hate to say it… but I haven’t been too impressed with the albums Metal Church have released since the reunion with Mike Howe. I like them… but they are not as good as the previous stuff they did with him. Blessing and Human Factor are high watermarks.

I think i have about 20 to 30 bands whom i have a blind loyalty for. Here are some instant purchases:

UDO, Accept, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bloodbound, Helloween, Overkill, Testament, Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, Rage, Grave Digger, Iron Savior, Metal Church, Suicidal Angels, Vicious Rumors, LA Guns, Loudness, Primal Fear, Stryper...

Will add more as they come to my mind.

Some more bands: Iced Earth, Tokyo Blade, Mystic Prophecy and Saxon.

Troublezone wrote:

I’m dying to hear some new Dark Angel and Coroner!

Are they ever gonna release the albums? Gene Hoglan had all of last year to get together with Jim Durkin and finish it. Once he goes back on tour with Testament, he won’t have as much time. A wasted opportunity! Perhaps they have “writers block”…
I doubt they will release anything they consider subpar. It has to be a career defining statement.

Exodus should be great! They claim it will be crushing and career defining. We’ll see…

I forgot about Coroner too. Yeah, I'll definitely get that if it ever gets released.

I think with a lot of these bands they are "working on new material", which could mean most anything and not "actively tracking the songs" which shows a progression towards completion.

I agree about Dark Angel. They should've been tracking at home during this shutdown but apparently don't have everything written yet. With shows shut down this was Hoglan's chance to catch up but I think they blew it. I said this on another board and got attacked by multiple people. I don't think this album will actually ever be released, and I think it may be all for the best. Trying to top TDNH might be impossible for them at this point.

Exodus in my eyes really need Hunolt back. His soloing was pretty underrated.

Troublezone wrote:

I hate to say it… but I haven’t been too impressed with the albums Metal Church have released since the reunion with Mike Howe. I like them… but they are not as good as the previous stuff they did with him. Blessing and Human Factor are high watermarks.

The new albums are OK, not really any better than the Munroe albums. I actually like the Munroe albums more, especially the song "Leave Them Behind". The vocals were never the issue so switching singers didn't help anything.

The real problem, as David Wayne said decades ago, is that Vanderhoof's heart really isn't into metal anymore. He's more of a hard rock/classic rock/progressive rock guy these days and just doesn't riff like he used to. It also makes me wonder how much Wells and Marshall contributed before in ways I didn't realize.

Not to mention not having Arrington on drums. A tremendous loss! He's probably impossible to adequately replace.

Temple of Blood wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I’m dying to hear some new Dark Angel and Coroner!

Are they ever gonna release the albums? Gene Hoglan had all of last year to get together with Jim Durkin and finish it. Once he goes back on tour with Testament, he won’t have as much time. A wasted opportunity! Perhaps they have “writers block”…
I doubt they will release anything they consider subpar. It has to be a career defining statement.

Exodus should be great! They claim it will be crushing and career defining. We’ll see…

I forgot about Coroner too.  Yeah, I'll definitely get that if it ever gets released.

I think with a lot of these bands they are "working on new material", which could mean most anything and not "actively tracking the songs" which shows a progression towards     completion.

I agree about Dark Angel.  They should've been tracking at home during this shutdown but apparently don't have everything written yet.  With shows shut down this was Hoglan's chance to catch up but I think they blew it.  I said this on another board and got attacked by multiple people.  I don't think this album will actually ever be released, and I think it may be all for the best.  Trying to top TDNH might be impossible for them at this point.

Exodus in my eyes really need Hunolt back.  His soloing was pretty underrated.

I really do hope the Dark Angel album eventually is released. I don’t think they can top TDNH, but they can maybe match it.

I agree that Exodus should take Rick Hunolt back in the band. His chemistry with Gary Holt was excellent “The H Team”!

Gene Hoglan had a talent for writing disturbing (yet intriguing) lyrics. I’ve never seen any other band do what he did since those two albums with Ron Rinehart. He never was into the typical satanic stuff or cliches (except: The Burning of Sodom). In that sense, he was similar to Chuck Schuldiner. I’m very curious what he would write about nowadays. Would he continue the sexual abuse themes? Go back to the Darkness Descends style? (multiple unrelated topics)
Or try something completely new? He could write something similar to Black Prophecies from a different angle (like biblical). I heard he is a big fan of early “doom” Trouble, and I’m sure Ron Rinehart would pitch in too. Ron has contributed before on a few songs.

AC/DC has always been a "go to" for me ever since I was a kid. They were the first "hard rock" band I got into and every time they put out a new album, bang, I'm on it (on the first day of release if possible).

Judas Priest, pretty much the same story. They've been one of my favorites forever, so of course any new stuff from them goes straight to the top of the shopping list.

Ditto Raven. Been a fan since I was 14, and they're still puttin' out quality stuff.

Stryper has been on a roll for their past couple of records, so they've become a "go-to" for me as well.

Overkill - once again, I've been a fan since high school, and they rarely disappoint. Besides, they're local boys, gotta support them!

Accept has been pretty dependable since they returned with Mark T., I've gotten each of their albums w/him as soon as they become available.

Helloween used to be one, but I lost track of them for a while in the early '00s and fell behind on a few albums. I got caught up on the ones I missed in 2020 and I bought the new one the day after it came out, though, so I guess they count as a "go-to" again

Megadeth is usually a must-buy tho I haven't been truly over the moon for anything they've done since Endgame.

Ditto Iron Maiden. The last couple of records have been sleeping pills (Esp Book of Souls). If and when this new album I've been hearing rumors about materializes, I'm sure I'll pick it up at some point, but it won't be "Oh my god I have to have a first day copy."

Fat Freddy wrote:

AC/DC has always been a "go to" for me ever since I was a kid. They were the first "hard rock" band I got into and every time they put out a new album, bang, I'm on it (on the first day of release if possible).

Judas Priest, pretty much the same story. They've been one of my favorites forever, so of course any new stuff from them goes straight to the top of the shopping list.

Ditto Raven. Been a fan since I was 14, they're still puttin' out quality stuff.

Stryper has been on a roll for their past couple of records, so they've become a "go-to" for me as well.

Overkill - they're local boys, gotta support them!

Accept has been pretty dependable since they returned with Mark T., I've gotten each of their albums w/him as soon as they become available.

Helloween used to be one, but I lost track of them for a while in the early '00s and fell behind on a few albums. I got caught up on the ones I missed in 2020 and I bought the new one the day after it came out, though, so I guess they count as a "go-to" again

Megadeth is usually a must-buy tho I haven't been truly over the moon for anything they've done since Endgame.

Ditto Iron Maiden. The last couple of records have been sleeping pills (Esp Book of Souls). If and when this new album I've been hearing rumors about materializes, I'm sure I'll pick it up at some point, but it won't be "Oh my god I have to have a first day copy."

I knew you would comment on Overkill being your local NJ heroes. I don’t blame you! They are still great musically (DD Verni is a riff writing machine). Too bad they won’t bury the hatchet with Bobby G for another album… (wishful thinking) That would be like Metallica working with Dave Mustaine again.
I just wish Blitz would go back to his Years of Decay and Horrorscope style of lyrics. Most of the new stuff sounds like aggressive Rob Zombie nonsense. If the words fit the cadence, use them!

Fat Freddy wrote:

Megadeth is usually a must-buy tho I haven't been truly over the moon for anything they've done since Endgame.

Ditto Iron Maiden. The last couple of records have been sleeping pills (Esp Book of Souls). If and when this new album I've been hearing rumors about materializes, I'm sure I'll pick it up at some point, but it won't be "Oh my god I have to have a first day copy."

Agreed with all of this.

I really think that Endgame is very, very underrated.

Troublezone wrote:

Gene Hoglan had a talent for writing disturbing (yet intriguing) lyrics. I’ve never seen any other band do what he did since those two albums with Ron Rinehart. He never was into the typical satanic stuff or cliches (except: The Burning of Sodom). In that sense, he was similar to Chuck Schuldiner. I’m very curious what he would write about nowadays. Would he continue the sexual abuse themes? Go back to the Darkness Descends style? (multiple unrelated topics)
Or try something completely new? He could write something similar to Black Prophecies from a different angle (like biblical). I heard he is a big fan of early “doom” Trouble, and I’m sure Ron Rinehart would pitch in too. Ron has contributed before on a few songs.

I also love Hoglan's lyrical style and am curious to see what he would come up with next. Hoglan has really had no lyrical output since the early 90s! My understanding is that Ron wrote no lyrics for DA and I suspect he will write none these days either. As nice as it would be to have Ron contribute his Christianity to the mix, I think that's not going to happen. Far more likely is that Hoglan writes more atheist/Christian-bashing lyrics and Ron sings them anyway. Ron has continued to sing those old songs live since the band reformed.

The Cult “ Electric “.
Something about that release. Love it.
This is when I’m in my car.
The other is American Prayer / DOORS / the live version of Roadhouse Blues.
“ Ladies and gentlemen - from Los Angels California - the Doors ! “

Glower wrote:

The Cult “ Electric “.
Something about that release. Love it.
This is when I’m in my car.
The other is American Prayer / DOORS / the live version of Roadhouse Blues.
“ Ladies and gentlemen - from Los Angels California - the Doors ! “

Someone didn't read the OP.

Saxon
Judas Priest
Iron Maiden
Jorn
Crashdiet
L A Guns
W.A.S.P.
Burning Witches
Alunah
Whitesnake
Green Lung
Dokken
And before the break up definitely ratt,motley Crue, Rush and Van Halen

Temple of Blood wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Gene Hoglan had a talent for writing disturbing (yet intriguing) lyrics. I’ve never seen any other band do what he did since those two albums with Ron Rinehart. He never was into the typical satanic stuff or cliches (except: The Burning of Sodom). In that sense, he was similar to Chuck Schuldiner. I’m very curious what he would write about nowadays. Would he continue the sexual abuse themes? Go back to the Darkness Descends style? (multiple unrelated topics)
Or try something completely new? He could write something similar to Black Prophecies from a different angle (like biblical). I heard he is a big fan of early “doom” Trouble, and I’m sure Ron Rinehart would pitch in too. Ron has contributed before on a few songs.

I also love Hoglan's lyrical style and am curious to see what he would come up with next.  Hoglan has really had no lyrical output since the early 90s!  My understanding is that Ron wrote no lyrics for DA and I suspect he will write none these days either.  As nice as it would be to have Ron contribute his Christianity to the mix, I think that's not going to happen.  Far more likely is that Hoglan writes more atheist/Christian-bashing lyrics and Ron sings them anyway.  Ron has continued to sing those old songs live since the band reformed.

Actually Ron is credited as a writer on “Never to Rise Again” from Leave Scars and a few songs on TDNH. “The Title Track”, An Ancient Inherited Shame, Trauma and Catharsis, and A Subtle Induction.

It’s unclear what his writing credit merits… but I’m certain he contributed some lyrical lines. The rest could be vocal melodies.

My point is that he did help on the records he made and he is very respected by Gene as a person and singer. I also think Gene is less controlling than he was 30 years ago. He’s had no problem just being the drummer for other bands and not leading his own group.

Look at the discography and track listing to verify the credits…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Angel_(band)

Burning Witches is a wild choice Tulsa !

Troublezone wrote:

Actually Ron is credited as a writer on “Never to Rise Again” from Leave Scars and a few songs on TDNH. “The Title Track”, An Ancient Inherited Shame, Trauma and Catharsis, and A Subtle Induction.

It’s unclear what his writing credit merits… but I’m certain he contributed some lyrical lines. The rest could be vocal melodies.

My point is that he did help on the records he made and he is very respected by Gene as a person and singer. I also think Gene is less controlling than he was 30 years ago. He’s had no problem just being the drummer for other bands and not leading his own group.

Look at the discography and track listing to verify the credits…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Angel_(band)

Interesting! Thanks for the info.

Blind Guardian
Falconer (are they still a band?)
Alter Bridge
Impellitteri