Trip down memory lane

Let’s take a walk down memory lane to the not so distant past. Let’s say early 2000’s Metal that you were jamming to that is almost like being in the heyday of metal. I know a lot of the thrash bands coming out was like a resurgence of the 80’s. I was loving it! Stuff like Gama Bomb, Municipal Waste, Hyades, Hatchet, stuff like that. Post videos or just list the stuff that you was into at the time.

That Cellador song is awesome. I have it on one of those metal compilation cds that came with the UK Metal Hammer mag.

Need to check out more of their material.

Gilbert wrote:

That Cellador song is awesome. I have it on one of those metal compilation cds that came with the UK Metal Hammer mag.

Need to check out more of their material.

That whole album is great. Sadly Michael Grimeo who sang on their first album left the band and in my opinion they’ve never sounded that good since. He always reminded me of Michael Kiske vocal wise.

Good choices GrandNational! It’s hard to believe that the new wave of thrash metal is 20 years old.

The year 2000 I was in the navy (coastal artillery). On an island. I remember I got on a leave early in the spring, and the new Stratovarius CD had just been released. I already loved Visions, which came out in 1997 and while I didn't own Destiny yet, I knew the hit song SOS because it was played everywhere, so I thought why not - so I picked up Infinite. It had everything. A great Derek Riggs album cover, huge epics and many catchy songs and massive guitar solos. It became the soundtrack of our crew. My commanding officer walked in one time as well, noticed the CD and just asked "oh hell yeah, the new Stratovarius! Is that good?!"

The other big album during my service was, for some reason, Rainbow's Down to Earth.

I got off in June or July and quickly got a job. Somebody at work hyped Nightwish, and me being a veteran of the metal festival scene just told him they're not that special - a Stratovarius clone with a better looking lead singer. I had seen them many times, but saw nothing special. However, I was also a regular at our local public library. They had a great music section. I borrowed a ton of shit from there, and discovered many great bands, incl. Slayer, Saxon, Savatage, Judas Priest. I usually borrowed like 10-20 CDs and briefly listened through the less interesting ones (why not, free CDs), and one time I had the brand spanking new Nightwish CD Wishmaster on the pile. I put it on and BOOOM, just like that I understood what I had missed out on previously. When I actually paid attention, they blew me away. They blew all the other bands away. Summer of 2000 is when I became a fan. I had that CD for 2 weeks before I had to return it because it had reservations, and I picked up my own copy and I also bought Oceanborn.

Another new release I remember sampling (library) and liking in the summer of 2000 was Californication by the Chili Peppers, but there was something that made it wear out fast and I never picked up my own copy until at least a decade later. 22 years later I own 2 (two!) Chili Peppers CDs so I've become a casual fan.

2000 was also when I got a Metal-Is sampler with Blaze Bayley's Silicon Messiah (the song) and an interview with Iron Maiden. I am now a massive Blaze solo fan.

Brave New World was also obviously a big event that year. I remember downloading a crappy Real Audio sample of Wicker Man in advance. Internet was a little different back then.

Unrelated, but I picked up Stratovarius' Destiny the next year as a gift to my girlfriend (future ex-wife), just so I could have copy. Sneaky selfish.

I was a broke newlywed firefighter cadet so I was listening to all the stuff I'd had for years/decades...but I splurged on:

Iron Maiden - Brave New World


If only they still wrote songs like this.