5 Metal Compilations I Love

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

Originally I had intended this last post in the 3rd compilation month to be a final review, but I admit that a wave of laziness hit me, and thus I’ve decided to do something a bit easier to finish things off. With three versions of this mini-festival under my belt, I’ve looked at a variety of compilations. From 2017 to this year, I’ve listened to quite a few collections of metal, and thus there are plenty of them I enjoy. So, for your viewing pleasure, here are 5 metal compilations that I love. Enjoy!

1) Ozzy Osbourne: The Ozzman Cometh (Song)

I begin this list with the first metal album I got. By today’s standards it’s heavily outdated, but compared to most of the other compilations on here it is the most organized. From his Black Sabbath days to the Ozzmosis era, you’re treated to a fairly good look at the Blizzard of Ozz’s career. There have been a few more compilations since with increasing material, but it was the Ozzman Cometh were I began to love Ozzy, and to further continue my budding metallic journey.

2) Megadeth: Back To The Start (Song)

The irony of this one is that it is still the only Megadeth album I physically own. I was just so happy to own this when I got it way back in 2006, that I never truly considered getting a proper record from the band (Despite being interested to this very day). On top of that, Mustaine’s seemingly increasing ego in the early 2010s made it frustrating to get into Megadeth any further, so there’s that. Regardless, I still get a kick out of Back To The Start! It may be dated like the album above, but the choices of songs on here are well picked, and the overall package is just fun. Grab this compilation if you can!

3) Kreator: Scenarios Of Violence (Song) ***

I just reviewed this at the start of the month, so I won’t say much here. I will say that there were some nice songs selected for Scenarios Of Violence, and off of some great albums no less: Extreme Aggression, Coma Of Souls, Renewal, etc. A good group of tunes from Kreator......but there is another.

4) Kreator: Voices Of Transgression - A 90s Retrospective (Song)

Scenarios Of Violence was fun, but Voices Of Transgression is a blast! The first compilation I got from Kreator, I found it’s view of the band’s 90s period to be interesting. Not perfect though, as the band was having issues with their record company at the time, and couldn’t include certain things. There was nothing from Coma Of Souls, and only the title track from Renewal was on the record. Voices Of Transgression is definitely a lop-sided affair, and some listeners may be turned off by it’s incomplete look at that decade, but at the same time what you’re presented with on this release is still entertaining!

5) Type-O Negative: The Least Worst Of (Song)

If I was ordering this from 5 to 1, This definitely was going to be at the number one spot. Mostly because I have such a strong love for the band, but also because it’s like a 2nd look into Pete Steele’s state of mind in 2000. You’ve got a mix of songs from almost every single record they had released up to that point (Save for just a single tune from Slow, Deep, and Hard), but it’s the three unreleased tracks from World Coming Down that give the compilation something of a tragic edge. It’s this mix of attitudes that gives The Least Worst Of a unique feel to the total package, and it’s that mix that keeps me paying attention.

And those were 5 metal compilations that I happen to love. Again this list was done out of pure laziness, but I hope that you enjoyed this all the same. Well, June is nearly here, and a new music festival is incoming. So pack your bags & get your passport, cause we’re heading to Japan for this one!



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If you’d like to see my review I mentioned here, then click on the link below for more:

Album Review: Kreator’s Scenarios Of Violence

Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 20: Kentaro Miura R.I.P.

I find myself......conflicted with today's post. As many of you know on May the 6th of this year, iconic manga creator Kentaro Miura passed away at age 54 due to an acute aortic dissection (Read here for details). Mr. Miura was the creator of the critically acclaimed series Berserk, as well as a few others. Much like the death of Osamu Tezuka in 1989, the void created by Mr. Miura's passing is scarring, and will most likely never be healed.

The reason I find myself conflicted with this is that....I'm not a Berserk fan. Never was, and I probably never will be. I think the manga (And by extension the anime) is far too bleak, far too mean, far too nihilistic & cynical, and far too morally grey for it's own good. I get that Dark Fantasy is a genre & that people like it, and that life isn't all sunshine & rainbows (It's not all grey skies & storms either), but there's a fine line between Dark Fantasy and just plain dark. So while I certainly feel sympathy for Mr. Miura and his family in addition to the numerous fans he has, I don't feel much because he was never my thing.

On the other hand, I also have nothing but respect for Kentaro Miura! As much as I'm not a fan of Berserk, I cannot deny the power & legacy it managed to obtain. I cannot deny that he can create a world that just grabs your attention, and never let's go unless it wants too. Hell, it's because of Mr. Miura's mastery of Dark Fantasy that inspired Hidetaka Miyazaki to create Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, the Dark Souls trilogy, Sekiro, and by extension the "Souls-Like" genre of RPGs. He made something I don't like, but I none the less tip my hat at just how influential this titan of Manga is. So, I salute you, Mr. Kentaro Miura. May the heavens above be impressed with your creativity & work!

And that was my two cents on the passing Mr. Kentaro Miura. Though he was never my cup of tea, I cannot take away any enjoyment or delight that others make have gotten from his work. Well, come back Monday for the conclusion to the 3rd ever Compilation Month. See you then!

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I wonder how well Mr. Miura would be able to kill this guy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPlWnCE4Edo&t=29s

Album Review: Kreator's Scenarios Of Violence

Welcome back to Compilation Month fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

We began the month with Capitol Punishment from Megadeth, and while it was a little strange, it was also fun as well. Today’s review is a return to a band I’ve taken a look at way back in 2017 during the first Compilation Month, and one I hinted at with Capitol Punishment. Kreator has returned everybody, and the subject of today’s review is just as fascinating as what I looked at 4 years ago. So, without further delay, let’s take a look at Scenarios of Violence, and see if it’s as good as the other compilation I looked at.

Background
Much like Voices of Transgression, I had a difficult time searching for information about this compilation. Apart from some snipits on wikipedia & other sites, I really can’t tell you anything about this album. This is one of the few times that the music will tell you what’s going on more than any website. Hell, even Kreator’s own site doesn’t have a sliver of info!

Basic Description
Fun but Flawed part 2.

Right away, I got some big Voices of Transgression vibes in just the first few tracks, which is ironic given that it came out 4 years after this one did. At the end of the day, Scenarios of Violence is just a nice collection of songs brought together, and a few surprises thrown in for good measure. In the case of this release, we got 2 previously unreleased tracks, as well as 2 live ones fro the Dynamo Club in Eindhoven, Netherlands in 1988. Slightly better than VoT’s 3 previously unreleased tunes, but not by much.

Best Track
Suicide By Swamps is just the weirdest song in Kreator’s library. There’s not much in the way of Millie’s patented thrash-like howling, as almost all of the singing comes in the form of ethereal-like whispering. The instrumentation goes between loud & thunderous, to strange & just as ethereal as the vocals. The bit with tribal drums at the beginning just adds to the overall weirdness of the song, but I guess it’s said weirdness that attracts me to it in the first place.

Suicide By Swamps

Worst Track
If there’s 1 thing both this & Voices of Transgression have in common, it would have to be that the tracklisting is somewhat disorganized. The songs on here are placed rather haphazardly, but like the previously mentioned compilation, things are organized better on Scenarios of Violence. I think what makes things a little less irritating is that the band wasn’t necessarily trying to capture a period of time in their career. It’s biggest issue, however, is finding a physical copy. I listened to Scenarios of Violence on Youtube, as there aren’t any CDs on Amazon. Your best bet is to either download it or buy the MP3s off of Amazon. There are a small few over in Ebay, but I’ve never used that site.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:

Scenarios of Violence

Overall Impression & Rating
Scenarios of Violence is a fun compilation of music. It might be scattershot in terms of song placement, but because there wasn’t necessarily a timeframe Kreator was capturing, I think they were able to get away with it here. It’s definitely a challenge to find physically, but if by fate the metal gods grant you some good forture, grab it if you have the chance!

Scenarios of Violence gets a 7.5 to 8 out of 10.

And that was my look at Kreator’s first compilation. Just slightly better than the one that would come in 2000, it’s a nice window into what the band was like at the time. Well, I got one more collection of songs to listen to, so join me towards the end of the month. See you then!


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If you’re curious about my Voices of Transgression review, then click on the link below:

Album Review: Kreator's Voices of Transgression (A 90s Retrospective)

Album Review: Megadeth's Capitol Punishment - The Megadeth Years

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and welcome.....to Compilation Month 3!

I know it’s a month late this time, but we return yet again to the world of metal compilations. We’ve looks at a lot of fascinating collections of songs in prior years, and 2021 will be no exception. In fact, things might be more interesting in this still sadly plague-ridden year. To start things off this time around, I’m actually going to be reviewing a compilation I mentioned in 2019. A compilation from a band I’ve taken a look at twice so far on this blog. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my review for Megadeth’s Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years. Let’s begin!

Background
Taken from Wikipedia:

“The title of the album is an allusion to the band's persistent difficulties with their record label, Capitol Records. Megadeth ultimately left Capitol and signed with Sanctuary Records, but were contractually obliged to release one further album with Capitol, hence the greatest hits compilation. With the exception of material from the band's debut album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!, which was released on Combat Records rather than Capitol, the compilation contains songs from all Megadeth's previously released albums at the time, in reverse-chronological order. In addition to the new track "Kill the King", Capitol insisted on the inclusion of "Dread and the Fugitive Mind", a track recorded for the album The World Needs a Hero, then in the production stage. The band agreed simply to release themselves from their obligations to Capitol, but the enmity between band and label was memorialized in the title of the album, intended to demonstrate that working with Capitol was a form of punishment. It is out of print. As of December 2005, Capitol Punishment had sold 200,000 copies in the U.S.”

Reception for the most part was positive. Nick Lancaster of Drowned in Sound complained that there were more tracks from albums like Cryptic Writings and Risk instead of their earlier release. He also took a laser-focused aim at the inclusion of the "ludicrously moronic Crush 'Em", but said that "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" and "Kill the King" were a return to form. In a similar view, Steve Huey of AllMusic also criticized the compilation for focusing more on commercial material at the expense of the band's earlier work, as well as soundtrack songs like  "Go To Hell", "Angry Again" and "99 Ways to Die".

Basic Description
A fantastic thrash medley......that’s just a tiny bit weird.

I find some intriguing parallels between this compilation & Back To The Start in 2019 (Read Here). Mainly, the selection of songs picked for this are fantastic! With one notable exception (See the “Worst Track” section), you’re given a clear picture into Megadeth’s history from the year 2000 to 1986. You saw that correctly: the tracklisting on Capitol Punishment was ordered backwards rather than forwards. It goes from the then modern material, all the way to their earliest days. To make things weirder, this compilation opens up with completely new material, and while that does add to the character of the release it just comes across like record company interference. Yet for the faults presented, Capitol Punishment is a good compilation. There’s more of a casual vibe here, but the music presented is some of Megadeth’s best! Though I’d argue that the compilation the band would release in 2006 has a better selection, Capitol Punishment has some value to it.

Best Track
I said it back in 2019 when I reviewed Back To The Start, and I’ll be repeating myself here, but Kill The King hits like a Mack truck. Sound-wise not that much different than it’s appearance in 2006, this track is the perfect middle finger to any corrupt figure of power. Drums that sound like machinegun fire, guitars that shock the system, and Dave’s patented raspy singing, all come together to create something that is just Thrash magic.

Kill The King

A nice 2nd place track would just so happen to be the tune from their newest album that would come out a year later, Dread and the Fugitive Mind. Gone is any of that commercial feel from the band’s late 90s material, and it seems as if Megadeth went back to their old-school mentality. While the production & sound feel very modern for it’s time, the overall vibe & fell are distinctively Megadeth. I can definitely see why Capitol Records wanted this song on the compilation, as it certainly planted a seed or two in listeners’s minds about what was to come.

Dread and the Fugitive Mind

Perhaps the final positive thing I can say doesn’t come from the music itself, but from the song organization. Whereas Back To The Start is more disorganized & you don’t have a solid picture of their history, Capitol Punishment is perfect in it’s display of the band’s history. You get a good look into their past, and it all leads up to what was current in 2000. Definitely a plus!

Worst Track
Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years is a great compilation of song. From their earliest years to the then current material, you get a pretty clear picture of their history. Like I said above, what’s weird is the ordering: instead of going from old to new, they went from new to old. It’s not bad per se, as the tracklisting is clear & precise, but I find it strange that they decided to start with newer songs instead of old. Also, I find the slight emphasis on tunes from Cryptic Writings odd, and opening this compilation with new tunes also seems odd. Perhaps the most damning negative point about Capitol Punishment is that there is nothing from their first album represented on here, but in Capitol Records’s defense,  Killing Is My Business was released on Combat Records & not them.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:

Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years

Overall Impression & Rating
Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years is a fun selection of songs. The ordering of tracks from new to old (Excluding the openers) is easily a strange decision, and the slight emphasis on one record is equally strange. You get the feeling that there was some record company interference, but regardless the compilation is a lot of fun. Capitol Punishment may be for more casual Megadeth fans, but there’s still plenty of material on here that it would satisfy just about anybody that gets there hands on this. Take a listen, and hear for yourself.

Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years gets 7.5 to 8 out of 10.

And that was Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years. Not quite as essential as the compilation that would appear 6 years later, but there’s still a great bushel of song to listen to. With that out of the way, Come back in the middle of May, when some old Germanic friends come by for a visit. See you then!