Blue Öyster Cult -Spectres
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Blue Öyster Cult — Spectres | DeRank™: 0,17

It's not that bad. At this time, BOC had definitely embraced a light and radio-friendly rock/pop-rock sound, but they still had a good knack for pop melody, and the album is a decent effort in its genre, very pleasant to listen to even just in the background. Compared to the previous one, it doesn't have those two or three standout songs, but everything is almost on the same level of enjoyable rock-pop tunes. I don't mind it, aside from a couple of big seagull droppings that wouldn't look out of place in a worst pop chart of the following decade, precursors of crap, so to speak. But it's a nice album. more
judas priest -sin after sin
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judas priest — sin after sin | DeRank™: 0,33

I like it less than Sad Wings, without a doubt, but it's a good album nonetheless, marking the start of the band's '77-'80 period, which is characterized by "Not as beautiful as in Sad Wings, but damn, I really like these metalheads." Compared to its predecessor, it gives up on more fanciful theatricality, greater eclecticism, and a certain "elegance," settling into an alternating pattern of more classically Hard Rock tracks (with a bit of that over-the-top epicness here and there, thankfully not overly annoying) and very, very successful ballads. "Last Rose of Summer" is my favorite on the album; they are often talked about as the forefathers of the typical "heavy metal ballad," but this is an almost "singer-songwriter" song that confirms their remarkable melodic ability. A beautiful song. Just as beautiful is the Baez cover and the melancholic, twilight, warm, and dark melody of "Here Come the Tears," because in my opinion, Judas had the best typical British melodic taste. On the hard side, "Sinner" is a fantastic piece (and this album features Simon Phillips, the best drummer to ever come through their ranks, I mean...) but the others are great too ("Let Us Prey" and "Raw Deal" especially) with clear proto NWOBHM inspirations and nods to Hard Rock classics (Purple, Zeppelin, and the like), both musically and in Halford's vocals, with Bobby Pianta's guiding manuals popping up every so often, as it should be. A nice album. more
Judas Priest -Killing Machine
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Judas Priest — Killing Machine | DeRank™: 0,29

My favorite Judas album after Sad Wings. Beautiful because it returns to the bloodier and rawer territories of Rock/Hard Rock, while still containing some of the more "refined" and melodic aspects here and there, leaving the more airy and epic style of "classic metal" — let’s call it that — which they were progenitors of (and which is still present, see the lovely opening "Deliver the Goods"). There’s a greater urgency and visceral quality in this "Killing Machine," which makes me prefer it slightly over its "brother" released a few months earlier, which is almost equally valid, of course. Here, the only one that doesn't say much to me is "Evening Star"; the rest is explosive. The sequence of three songs from "Burnin' Up" to "Killing Machine" (irresistible) is unbeatable, and they are all among my favorites from the band. In the middle, of course, shines the excellent cover (not easy) of one of the masterpieces that the Green Wizard of English Blues-Rock wrote with Fleetwood Mac (the last one, to be precise), that perfect spellbinding anthem of rock-blues, "The Green Manalishi," which reveals their appreciation for the Green Mac and which will become a classic in their live set. The ballad "Before the Dawn" is also beautiful, confirming their melodic taste, and while it’s just a bit too romantic and sentimental, it’s still very lovely. And then there's the lighter and poppy part with "Take on the World," featuring a stadium anthem (Queen-esque without being as annoying) that sounds almost like a cleaned-up pub song from England. more
Judas Priest -Point Of Entry
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Judas Priest — Point Of Entry | DeRank™: 0,00

I had always skipped this album, going directly to the two that followed. Then I thought, "Why not give it a listen, you never know..." I should have continued to skip it. Terrible album. Pure and hatefully “radio-friendly heavy metal”—the kind that is truly not very heavy and truly not very metal (I call it pop-metal)—but above all, tremendously tacky, sycophantic, and unnecessarily, overwhelmingly over-the-top, gaudy, "epic" (in the worst sense of the term this time). Unfortunately, it’s a genre that quickly goes from enjoyably garish to monstrously bad for me. This one is bad. It has a couple of delightfully tacky moments, but it's bad. Comparing this album to the attitude of a "Killing Machine," as well as to the songs themselves, this album self-destructs. A major misstep for the band, and also the only one I’ve ever listened to, since the next two aren’t my cup of tea, but they’re amusingly tacky-fun, and "Painkiller" is instead a colossal leap in luxury. I don’t know the two from '86-'88 and I don’t want to know them; twice the same nonsense, no thanks. more
judas priest -rocka rolla
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judas priest — rocka rolla | DeRank™: 0,19

A classic, immature debut album, still somewhat "undecided," but not a bad record for that. Simply put, it's mostly a hard rock album that feels a bit generic, enjoyable but somewhat flat, with very few moments or tracks that really elevate it from the crowd; it stays, rather, in the average realm of any standard hard rock album from those years (with a few nice songs, like "One for the Road"). Then there are the tracks where Judas seek different atmospheres and genres (as they would do on Sad Wings, but with very different results), but even the triptych "Winter/Deep Freeze/Winter Retreat," originally conceived as a single piece divided into three sections, or the final instrumental, the delicate "Caviar and Meths," don’t particularly stand out and leave me completely indifferent. However, there are two tracks on the album that manage to shine well beyond the average quality of the remaining pieces: "Dying to Meet You," distinctly divided into two parts and particularly beautiful in the first half, and the rock ballad "Run of the Mill," with its almost 9 minutes, which is in my opinion the first true great piece by Priest, a classic rock ballad, with a classic long guitar solo, but beautiful, inspired, very well-executed, a fantastic track. Two years later, what will come will come, and it will obviously be a whole different story. more
Judas Priest -Stained Class
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Judas Priest — Stained Class | DeRank™: 0,03

Great album, along with the '78 twin Killing Machine, it completes the podium of my favorite Priest records, though it’s consistently a notch behind Sad Wings. Here, the stylistic variety of the previous two albums (especially the usual big record from '76) is abandoned, and the band solidifies into a hard/heavy rock-metal that, damn it, is practically a primer for all their students of the following decade, Maiden and the lovely NWO gang, etc., as well as the Dio-era Sabbath, in many aspects (and, as always, done better by Judas). The best songs for me are "Fire Burns Below" and the beautiful cover from the stunning second album of Spooky Tooth, "Better By You, Better Than Me," which I may prefer because it stays closer to 70s rock/hard rock territory, even though the beautiful closing track fully embraces the grandiose tones, which can also be perfectly traced in '70s hard rock, and everything connects. The only one that convinces me less is "Saints in Hell"; everything else excites me greatly, nice nice, from the opening duo "Exciter"-"White Heat-Red Hot" to the title track, passing through the third best song of this album, "Beyond the Realms of Death," with some great guitar solos, especially Tipton's. more
Judas Priest -Sad Wings Of Destiny
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Judas Priest — Sad Wings Of Destiny | DeRank™: 0,31

Stunning album, with the band making a significant leap in quality compared to their debut, which was not bad but still quite immature. As far as I'm concerned, it's among the best Hard Rock albums I've ever listened to, and even more so, I consider it one of those albums capable of surpassing the barriers of categorization and the boundaries of genres, an album appreciated beyond one's own "musical current" of belonging. Here, the Judas draw inspiration from this and that (a bit from the usual rock giants of the early '70s - Led/Purple and their ilk, a touch of the best Queen, the finest melodic refined pop/songwriting/electro-acoustic croonerism/a sprinkling of melodic ideas or musical concepts close to a certain "prog" taste of the more "romantic") but they have the merit of blending it into a concoction that is entirely their own, doing so with great inspiration in songwriting, eclecticism, and sophistication, as well as a masterful balance of aggression, melancholy, and dramatic flair. In doing so, they themselves throw collected (and often exaggeratedly misinterpreted) insights from a multitude of other bands from the following decade onward ("Tyrant," for example, is clearly a pre-cursor to Maiden, citing perhaps the most capable disciples, even in beautiful melodic, vocal, and guitar taste). "Victims of Changes" and "Epitaph" (written solely by Tipton - like the theatrical rock gem that is "The Ripper") are my favorites, but there's not a second wasted here. more
Rush -rush
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Rush — rush | DeRank™: 0,48

First album for Rush, by the way without Peart on drums (played by one John Rutsey); practically a duo (Lee-Lifeson) + 1. A very conventional hard rock album, played by two musicians with unquestionable high technical skill (already here it's a pleasure to hear Geddy's bass, not so much to hear his voice that's like a chicken being strangled) but very green when it comes to ideas, personal style, and songwriting. Sometimes they venture into territories that seem like lesser apocryphal Led Zeppelin in tone (definitely) minor, and Lee seems to be an awkward cross between Plant and a car alarm siren; in other songs (I’m thinking of his singing in "Finding My Way") he instead comes off as a spiritual guide for future generations of sharp-beaked hard/metal poultry, and it’s hard rock that is very much rooted in those coordinates (and without reaching the level of the best hard 'n' roll of bands like, I don't know, AC/DC from the immediately following years). It’s not a bad album, no, in fact there are nice things to be found in "Here Again" (a good Hard-Rock-Blues track which is indeed a lesser apocryphal of Led but more than respectable) or in the long instrumental introduction of "Before and After," where Lee prefers to let his bass sing for a couple of minutes, a very commendable choice, thank you. A fundamental piece was missing for the birth of the "true" Canadian trio, this is a decent but lukewarm introduction. more
Guns N' Roses
Mazzucca
Mazzucca

Guns N' Roses | DeRank™: -0,48

Maurizio Ganz & Rozez more
Tom Waits -Foreign Affairs
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Tom Waits — Foreign Affairs | DeRank™: 2,46

Being squeezed between two albums that I consider the two best of early Waits (pre-Trombonepescespada, in short), one sometimes forgets, as I have myself, how beautiful "Foreign Affairs" is; indeed, it is probably the album in which Waits most explicitly expresses, up to that point, all the load of inspirations and cultural baggage he has carried throughout his life and in his songs: the love for the authors and figures of Beat literature, which always echo in his songwriting, the old folk songs of various origins, the old black-and-white crime-noir films ("Potter's Field" with arrangements and music by Bob Alcivar is a spoken recitation that more than ever transports us into one of those old films, with lyrics that become noir literature, a small masterpiece even to be read while listening); then, it's called "minor," but even here, Waits, lightening his ogre-like voice compared to the tones of "Small Change," for a more elegant and refined album than its predecessor, needs very little to create masterpieces: a shaving cream brand becomes a shattered dream of escape towards a city that will never be reached, a sweet lullaby turns into a heart-wrenching toast to memories and recollections; then gems like the elegant duet (another novelty) with Bette Midler. Being squeezed between two masterpieces does not prevent "Foreign Affairs" from being a very, very beautiful album. more
Raffaello
rafssru
rafssru

Raffaello | DeRank™: 0,00

0. Gigi D'Alessio in comparison is Pino Daniele! more
Stephan Micus -Implosions
vasbam
vasbam

Stephan Micus — Implosions | DeRank™: 0,00

Masterpiece in my opinion. more
Osanna
rafssru
rafssru

Osanna | DeRank™: 0,00

A Hosanna to the Hosannas, Palepoli above all, but to be known at least as far as Suddance. more
Jay
nicpagano3000
nicpagano3000

nicpagano3000: Jay Traccia 01 in Jay N/A - 4 january 1974

A delicate and highly refined arabesque. Two minutes and forty-five seconds of absolute vocal virtuosity. more
Little Simz
MatteoPaolino29
MatteoPaolino29

Little Simz | DeRank™: 0,00

In my opinion, leaving aside Lauryn Hill, Simbi, despite her young age, can be considered the greatest rapper of all time.
Her music blends orchestral Hip Hop (with deep old school references) with Neo-Soul, Kuti-style Afrobeat with Jazz, and R&B sprinkled with Trap and Electronica.
With her masterpieces (particularly "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert"), she has brought a breath of fresh air, modernity, class, and profound truth to the genre.
What can be said about her live performances... An authentic stage animal!
Energy, temperament, character, personality.
GODDESS. more
Timo Tolkki
SandRock
SandRock

Timo Tolkki | DeRank™: 0,00

Guitarist not necessarily counted among the innovators, but possessing a decent technique in the power/neoclassical realm and a compositional orientation that, combined with the talents of capable bandmates, has produced some good genre albums, especially in the '90s. As happens to many musicians in the heavy metal area, he has always remained within certain boundaries, so if you like it, you like it, and if you don't, it’s hard to change your mind. How many hard and heavy artists can be accused of stylistic stagnation? Many too many... more
Non ti riconosco più
albix73
albix73

albix73: Non ti riconosco più Traccia 03 in Non ti riconosco più Album - 1971

It's how a romantic song should be, melodic yet not trivial... more
Budka Suflera -Cien wielkiej góry
Stevenstar66
Albu
Great debut album from this Polish band of the 70s more
Budka Suflera -Przechodniem bylem miedzy wami
Stevenstar66
Band highly appreciated in Germany and Poland, excellent 70s sound. more