Spheric Universe Experience - The New Eve (SOtD DLVIII)

Spheric Universe Experience is a Progressive Metal band from France.
The New Eve is their fourth album.

Spheric Universe Experience - The Day I Died

Herodias - Antevorta (SOtD DLVII)

Haven't seen many good Doom Metal releases this year. So this is the most welcome exception.
Antevorta is the second release from Herodias, the Rocco family band from the USA.

Herodias - An Exit

Grave Digger - Clash Of The Gods (SOtD DLVI)

Clash Of the Gods is the sixteenth (yes, it's not a mistake, 1 - 6) full-length from the German Heavy Metal band Grave Digger.
Mr. Chris Boltendahl and his boys are not at the level of a Tunes Of War or a Knights Of the Cross, but keep doing some of the best old school Heavy Metal around.

Grave Digger - God of Terror

Ex Deo - Caligvla (SOtD DLV)

Ex Deo is an Epic Melodic Death Metal band from Canada, almost entirely composed of members from the band Kataklysm.
Caligvla is their second full length.

Ex Deo - I, Caligvla

Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes (SOtD DLIV)

Unsung Heroes is the new album from the Extreme Folk Metal band Ensiferum.
This is the fifth full length from the Finnish band.

Ensiferum - In My Sword I Trust

Krampus - Survival Of The Fittest (SOtD DLIII)

Krampus is a new Folk/Melodic Death Metal band from Italy.
They were founded in 2009 and have released their first EP last year. Now they release their first full length record, titled Survival Of The Fittest.

Krampus - Kronos' Heritage

Threshold - March Of Progress (SOtD DLII)

Threshold is one of the nost respected Progressive Metal bands in the UK.
March Of Progress is their nineth album.

Threshold - Ashes

Kobra and the Lotus - Kobra and the Lotus (SOtD DLI)

Kobra and the Lotus is a female fronted Heavy Metal band from Canada.
They have released their self-titled second record.

Kobra and the Lotus - Forever One

Korpiklaani - Manala (SOtD DL)

For those of you following the blog, it's no secret that Korpiklaani is one of my favourite Folk Metal bands.
The Finnish band is extremely productive and has released now their eleventh record, Manala.

Korpiklaani - Rauta

Evoken - Atra Mors (SOtD DXLIX)

Evoken is a Funeral Doom Metal band from the United States.
Atra Mors is their fifth full length.

Evoken - Descent Into Chaotic Dream

King Of Asgard - To North (SOtD DXLVIII)

King Of Asgard is a Viking Black Metal band from Sweden.
To North is their second album.

King of Asgard - The Nine Worlds Burn

Scelerata - The Sniper (SOtD DXLVII)

Scelerata is a Power Metal band from Brazil.
The Sniper is their third release, the first with singer Fabio Juan.

Scelerata - The Sniper

A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays (SOtD DXLVI)

A Forest Of Stars is an Atmospheric Black Metal band from the UK. Considered geniuses by many, and pretentious and empty by an equal amount of people, it's definitely not easy to stay indifferent to their music.
A Shadowplay For Yesterdays is their third album, a complex and emotionally rich work, as you can confirm below, supported by one of the best music videos I have ever seen.

A Forest of Stars - Gatherer of the Pure

Black Majesty - Stargazer (SOtD DXLV)

So we are back from our time machine travel, and back into the present day.
In the almost two months we were away, a lot of interesting records were released, so a couple of interesting weeks are on sight.

We start with the Australian Power Metal band, Black Majesty.
They have released their fifth full length, called Stargazer.
Here is the title song.

Black Majesty - Stargazer

Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast (SOtD DXLIV)

Second Song Of the Day dedicated to one of the most important albums in Metal history.
Iron Maiden's The Number Of The Beast.

Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills

Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast (SOtD DXLIII)

After doing the 10 year old best of and the 20 year old best of, I remembered a landmark record that was released thirty years ago!

In 1982, Iron Maiden released their third full length, called The Number Of the Beast.
This record is so important to me and to so many people out there, that I decided to have a Song Of the Day special weekend entirely dedicated to it.

Here is the first of my picks from that record:

Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name

Stratovarius - Twilight Time (SOtD DXLII)

Twilight Time was the second album from Stratovarius.
This one still with Timo Tolkki doing also the Vocals and with a more Heavy Metal tone, but already with a sound completely identified with the trademark of the Finnish band.

Stratovarius - The Hands Of Time

Therion - Beyond Sanctorum (SOtD DXLI)

4 years before the musical explosion called Theli, Therion already composed some great music, less Symphonic, but some great Death Metal nevertheless.
Beyond Sanctorum was the Swedish band's second album.

Therion - The Way

Amorphis - The Karelian Isthmus (SOtD DXL)

The Karelian Isthmus was the first full length from Amorphis.
For those of you familiar with the Melodic Death Metal of the posterior releases of the Finnish band, this record will sound much more raw and aggressive. But when listening carefully, most of the elements that made Amorphis one of the more important bands in the creation of what is today the Melodic Death Metal genre, are already there.

Amorphis - Intro: Karelia / The Gathering

Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark (SOtD DXXXIX)

Another big classic that was released in 1992 was Iron Maiden's nineth album, Fear Of the Dark.
It has three of my favourite Maiden songs: the starter Be Quick Or Be Dead, the ballad Wasted Years, and of course the title song Fear Of the Dark.

Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark

Manowar - The Triumph Of Steel (SOtD DXXXVIII)

Yes, I know, second Manowar song in a week...
It's not my fault that these guys are so full of themselves, but at the same time have composed some of the best Metal ballads of the last 30 years!

10 years prior to Warriors Of the World, they had launched The Triumph Of Steel, their seventh album.
How can a song so soft be so epic?

Manowar - Master of the Wind

Running Wild - Pile Of Skulls (SOtD DXXXVII)

Pile Of Skulls was the seventh album from Running Wild.
They are a German Heavy Metal band, fully dedicated to the piracy theme. Were founded in 1976 and is still front-lined by Rolf Kasparek, in spite several complete renewals of the bands other members, and also a two year split in between.
They were the most famous Pirate Metal band and only now have some serious rivals in the British band Alestorm.
[Alestorm has homaged Running Wild's legacy in Pirate Metal by mentioning them in one of their songs.]

Running Wild - Chamber of Lies / Whirlwind

Megadeth - Countdown To Extinction (SOtD DXXXVI)

Countdown To Extinction was the fifth full length from Megadeth.
To me is, without a doubt, the best album from the American Trash/Heavy Metal band.

Megadeth - Symphony Of Destruction

Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond (SOtD DXXXV)

Somewhere Far Beyond was the fourth release from Blind Guardian.
The first of the German Power Metal band's brilliant albums trilogy, together with Imaginations From The Other Side and Nightfall In Middle-Earth.
It's unbelievable how I couldn't find a decent video of the songs of this album in YouTube. So I had to put a video of a live performance.

Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

Dream Theater - Images And Words (SOtD DXXXIV)

Hope you have enjoyed my top 40 albums from 2002.
When I was finnishing this top 40, I started remmebering some about some releases from 1992, some serious landmarks in Metal history, so I decided to do a few Songs Of the Day with stuff from 20 years ago.

And no place better to start with, than the most acclaimed album from one of the most acclaimed bands.
Images And Words was the second release from Dream Theater. An amazing Progressive Metal record.
I had an headache just to choose which song to put here. Ended up putting this one because this instrumental intro is so out of this world. Since it was the intro in the CD, as soon as you started listening to this record you knew it would be special.

Dream Theater - Pull Me Under

In Flames - Reroute To Remain (SOtD DXXXIII)

Reroute To Remain was the sixth full length of In Flames.
I remember waiting eagerly for the release of this album, and to think about the huge task the Swedish Gothenburg Metal band would have to compose the successor of Clayman, probably my favourite Gothenburg Metal album.
And although it didn't reach Clayman's level, it also wasn't a deception in any way.

In Flames - Reroute to Remain

Sinergy - Suicide By My Side (SOtD DXXXII)

The Suicide By My Side album in 2002 was the last release from the Finnish Heavy/Power Metal band Sinergy.
Although they were only considered officially disbanded when in 2011 Kimberly Goss stated publicly that her career as a musician was over, and that she would focus on her family and her duties as vocal teacher at the School of Rock Camp in Napperville, it was obvious that, since in 2004 she had divorced from Alexi Laiho, the band was over.

Sinergy - Spit On Your Grave

Manowar - Warriors Of The World (SOtD DXXXI)

Warriors Of The World was the ninth full length from Manowar.
To many fans, this was the release that marked the beginning of the American Heavy Metal band's decline.
It's true that this album is not as packed of amazing songs as some of the previous ones, but no album that includes one of the most epic metal ballads of all times can be set as less than great.

Manowar - Swords In The Wind

Pain - Nothing Remains The Same (SOtD DXXX)

Nothing Remains The Same was the third full length from Pain, the one-man project from Peter Tägtgren.
This Gothic Industrial Metal band is the main side project of the Swedish musician and producer, but to me is where he best expresses his geniality as a composer.

Pain - Shut your mouth

Dragonland - Holy War (SOtD DXXIX)

Holy War is the second album from Dragonland.
Keyboards, epic riffs, and even some acoustic guitar, are some of the special ingredients of the recipe for the Symphonic Power Metal of the Swedish band, that can be heard in this 2002 album and still in their 2011 album Under the Grey Banner

Dragonland - Calm Before the Storm