Unholy Battle Beast

Based out of the hard rock-rich Finnish capital city, Helsinki's Battle Beast specializes in no-holds-barred, mace to the face, vintage European power metal. Originally formed in 2008, the band underwent a few lineup changes before settling on guitarists Anton Kabanen and Juuso Soinio, drummer Pyry Vikki, bass player Eero Sipilä, keyboard player Janne Björkroth, and powerhouse female vocalist Nitte Valo. They inked a record deal with Finnish label Hype Records in 2010 and issued their debut album, Steel, the following year. The record did well regionally, and eventually caught the ear of Nuclear Blast, which reissued the album internationally in 2012.

“The time is drawing near. The newborn BEAST is back with a vengeance, rising from the abyss with fortitude to spew its unrivaled heavy metal fury all over the world!” »Berserker« kicks off with the rapid opener 'Beast In Black'. “As well as the band name, this track was inspired by a character from the »Berserk« manga. And though the lyrics are directly connected to that character they are also speaking in metaphors about something personal. It’s one of the most powerful songs on the album and Kasperi’s guitar solo in this one is probably the best one on the whole album!” With 'Blind And Frozen', a super catchy and massive song follows. “Yannis' interpretation and performance here is nothing short of pure perfection,” the guitar wizard fancies.

Stormhunter is what they generally call those who chase tornadoes in the american south, those who use special cars and special equipment that is custom made for learning everything about those whirlwinds. Stormhunter is also a german heavy/power metal band who has a logo that looks a bit like an extreme metal band’s logo…

Any discussion of the Top 100 '90s Rock Albums will have to include some grunge, and this one is no different. A defining element of that decade, the genre (and the bands that rose to fame playing it) was given credit for revitalizing rock at a badly needed moment. That said, there's far more to the story. Our list of the Top 100 '90s Rock Albums, presented in chronological order, takes in the rich diversity of the period.