To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, Nuclear Blast Records has released one of the most action packed collections of music that I have ever come across in all of my years as a fan of Heavy Metal music. I guess I should have expected something of this sort from a label that has been a leader in delivering some of the most interesting and powerful bands on the independent scene across the two decades since their formation back in 1987. The company was started back then by Markus Staiger and actually began as more of a label that focused on Hardcore Punk. Eventually they moved away from this as their focused and opened the doors for all shapes and sizes of Metal genres and since then offered the slavering fan healthy doses of Black Metal, Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal, Death Metal, and your good Old School Traditional stuff as well as Thrash Metal. The aspect of bringing all parties to the table and proving that they could and did work together well made for some of the most exciting concert tours seen and if the past is any sign of what the future hold for us, then I suggest you buckle your seatbelts.
Over the span of four separate CD's, Nuclear Blast Records has assembled what can only be thought of as necessary Metal primer for any existing fan of some of these bands as it is with this that we find just how close a lot of the groups work in their overall style. We find the innovation of Meshuggah and the fun of Edguy walking side by side with the darkness of Dimmu Borgir and the exuberance of Sonata Arctica. The Soprano Prog-Metal of After Forever against the brooding Candlemass and the solemn power of Amorphis with the rage of Malevolent Creation. Having supported a number of these acts as a fan of their Metal styles I can only say that if you are someone who is debating giving this type of music a chance then this collection is a must have item to help you make your decision quickly and wisely. It covers a lot of ground and with seventy tracks in total you could certainly do a lot worse. All you need to do is load it on your music player of choice and choose "play all". Given the wide variety of groups you are presented with on this piece you don't even need to press shuffle because it does it for you free of charge. Perhaps you are one of those listeners like me who looked over the selections and said, "oh I have this one, that one, and this one too", and if so that's great because you know exactly where I am coming from. The downside is that if you know of the bands and don't have much background in them, this collection is definitely going to spark your interest up enough to start you hitting your Amazon.com and I-Tunes accounts to load up your collection. It might be a good time to start planning how to get that necessary overtime at work or do those extra chores around the house for your family or neighbors.
I had to say that I liked this collection very much in how it reminded me again about what I really enjoy on the label and how I can't wait to see what some of these bands come out with next. Markus, congratulations on a successful twenty years. I hope to one day toast a beer with you but for now, I think I will just crack one open and crank up the stereo. Horns up!!!!
CD1: Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse – Dimmu Borgir, One By One – Immortal, Scrutinized – Hypocrisy, The Glorious Dead – Gorefest, Manipulator Of Souls – Kataklysm, I Bow To None – Benediction, Shrunken And Mumified Bitch – Pungent Stench, Sanctus Perversum – Belphegor, The Language Of Shadows – Nile, Scavenger Of Human Sorrow – Death, Assassiin Squad – Malevolent Creation, The Butcher Strikes Back – Desctruction, Cities Of The Dead – Dew Scented, Legions Unleashed – Graveworm, Riot Act – Exodus, The Devil Incarnate – Death Angel, Warriors – I.
CD2: Psychic Suicide – Sonic Syndicate, The Price We Pay – Clawfinger, Only For The Weak – In Flames, Future Breed Machine – Meshuggah, Exile – Soilwork, Project Hoax – The Destiny Program, The Illusionist – Scar Symmetry, Counterbalance – Threat Signal, Ghost – Mnemic, Destroy – Ektomorf, Warriors – Agnostic Front, Eradication – All Shall Perish, God In The Frame – Bleed The Sky, Solitary Confinement – Darkane, Trust Is Overrated – The Duskfall, So Grim So True So Real – One Man Army & The Undead Quartet, Hate Me1 – Children Of Bodom, Winter Madness – Wintersun.
CD3: Hammerfall – Hammerfall, New Protection – Ride The Sky, King Of Fools – Edguy, The New Order – Blind Guardian, Caleb – Sonata Arctica, Master Of Illusion – Gotthard, Full Moon – Rage, Valhalla – Grave Digger, Immortal – Helloween, Why Are We Here – Stratovarius, Before The Skies Comes Down – Tarot, Face In The Mirror – Thunderstone, Conspiracy In Mind – Communic, Slipstream – Threshold, Of Stars And Smoke – Candlemass, Corpsecycle – Cathedral.
CD4: Transitory – After Forever, Complicate It – Tapping The Vein, Never Enough – Epica, Voices In A Dream – Echoes Of Eternity, The Other Side – Sirenia, Greatest Fight On Earth – Deathstars, Vaklyrie's New Ride – Samael, In The Name Of The Future – The Kovenant, The White Swan – Amorphis, Der Mitternachtslowe – Therion, Revolution – Crematory, For The World To Sing – Farmer Boys, Addiction Pole – Pyogenesis, Ordinary Life – Liquido, Serial Killer – Chrome Division, Riders On The Storm – Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Meine Seele Brennt – Subway To Sally, Wir Werden Alle Sterben – Knorkator, Mission Erfullt – Such A Surge.
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