Metal

After contributing the song "World War III" to Shrapnel Records' U.S. Metal, Vol. 2 compilation, Exciter promptly signed with Shrapnel and recorded their full-length debut, Heavy Metal Maniac, in 1983. Though their debt to Judas Priest was clear for all to see (starting with their name, of course), the album packed a hard-edged ferocity and love for speed that pushed it well beyond the bounds of "classic" heavy metal and into the realms of the then-nascent speed metal movement..

While he'll always be known first and foremost as the prototypical heavy metal frontman of Judas Priest, Rob Halford spent much of the '90s away from the group (before returning in the early 21st century). During this time, the singer certainly didn't go silent, as he launched several projects – the Pantera-esque Fight, the Nine Inch Nails-esque Two, and ultimately, a return to his Priest roots, Halford…

2016 marks the 20th anniversary for Germany-based metal label AFM Records. Being in the business for two decades now and working with the 'who is who' of the scene, the company is proud to present a special compilation of highlights and new tracks, titled '20 Years - Metal Addiction', to celebrate in style. Of course all the big names who were (and are) crucial for the label s evolution during the years are featured here: Doro, U.D.O., Fear Factory, Evergrey, Avantasia, Rhapsody Of Fire, Danzig, Leaves' Eyes, Edguy, Destruction, Masterplan, D-A-D, Ministry and many more. Two brand new, previously unreleased songs by Iron Mask and Eden's Curse perfectly round off this extensive release, which comes up with a total of 52 tracks on 3 CDs.

Fistful of Metal is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Anthrax, released in January 1984 by Megaforce Records in the US and Music for Nations internationally. It includes a cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" which to this day is the only Anthrax recording which does not feature guitarist Scott Ian, as he refused to play the song in protest to the management decision to have the song on the album…

Eagerly anticipated by power metal audiences who embraced Tobias Sammet's first Avantasia project, the aptly titled The Metal Opera, Pt. 2 essentially offers more of the same, in sound, style, and personnel. Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) gets credit for his appearance this time out, following his mystery cameo as "Ernie" on the first record, and a number of the featured vocalists from Pt. 1 reprise their characters on the second installment; new faces include Bob Catley (Magnum) and Oliver Hartmann (At Vance). The music is not a great leap forward; it's simply more state-of-the-art power metal, with the same catchy riffs, larger than life melodies, and complex, orchestration-heavy arrangements. Some might find it a bit less thrashy than its predecessor, but overall the differences are negligible…

An all-star aggregation similar in conception to Ayreon, Avantasia's The Metal Opera naturally spotlights its creator, Tobias Sammet, who wrote all the music and the involved fantasy storyline over the course of a year as a side project from his main gig with the German power metal band Edguy…