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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
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│ + Heavy Load - Death Or Glory + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Sep-27-2015 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2013 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........11 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... n/a ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Heavy Load Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Death Or Glory Label : Private CD ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ When you've got a Viking warrior and a fucking ║ │
│║ polar bear throwing down on your album cover, ║ │
│║ then you'd damned well better be ready to throw ║ │
│║ down the gauntlet yourselves and get into the ║ │
│║ fight. While I can't claim that Death or Glory ║ │
│║ is a much heavier evolution of this Swedish ║ │
│║ band's sound than the Metal Conquest EP, it ║ │
│║ brings back a lot of the dramatic dynamics that ║ │
│║ defined their 1978 debut album and fuses them ║ │
│║ into some of the band's best songwriting. In ║ │
│║ fact, if I had to choose a single Heavy Load ║ │
│║ record to recommend that best represented their ║ │
│║ sound, this would be my first selection, a ║ │
│║ strong balance of pure 80s thunder and epic ║ │
│║ arrangements that might have competed in the ║ │
│║ same arena as Battle Hymns or Metal on Metal, if ║ │
│║ not for the limited accessibility the Swedes ║ │
│║ suffered from having to release the music ║ │
│║ themselves. Even today this is quite a rarity, ║ │
│║ and one is almost as likely to find the Japanese ║ │
│║ licensed copies as an original vinyl. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Death or Glory actually dials down a fraction of ║ │
│║ the single minded masculinity of the Metal ║ │
│║ Conquest EP in terms of its sheer sound, and as ║ │
│║ a result the guitar tones here have more of a ║ │
│║ fragility to them which really helps sell the ║ │
│║ blustering leads and the dual melodies (as you ║ │
│║ hear through a track like "Might for Right"). In ║ │
│║ general, though, the musicianship here is simply ║ │
│║ a more interesting experience than anything the ║ │
│║ band had brought out to date. The vocals shift ║ │
│║ back to a bit of the crazier charisma found on ║ │
│║ Full Speed at High Level, only with a lot more ║ │
│║ restraint and refinement which manages never to ║ │
│║ seem as sloppy or disjointed. The drums and bass ║ │
│║ on this record still sound great today, and for ║ │
│║ the first time in Heavy Load's careers, the ║ │
│║ leads really soar through cuts like "Might for ║ │
│║ Right", "Bleeding Streets" or the flashier ║ │
│║ segments in the bridge "Still There is Time", ║ │
│║ which have this raw classical formality to them ║ │
│║ which explodes into a sequence in which the ║ │
│║ noodling winds down into this pure, exotic ║ │
│║ chugging and flexing. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The Swedes retained a bit of their theatrical ║ │
│║ edge with the use of melodic, layered backing ║ │
│║ vocals and song structures that play out almost ║ │
│║ like tributes to the Sagas. In particular, ║ │
│║ "Daybreak Ecstasy" is a notable piece for its 9 ║ │
│║ minutes of escalation, from wintry acoustics and ║ │
│║ choirs to Styrbj÷rn's brief war drum thumping ║ │
│║ into some of the most glorious, imagination ║ │
│║ carving dual melodies on any Heavy Load release. ║ │
│║ This thing is simply PACKED with excellent ║ │
│║ riffing and pacing, and the vocals really howl ║ │
│║ out across the wintry background created through ║ │
│║ the reverb and atmosphere of the guitars. Hot ║ │
│║ damn, when they hit that tremolo riff around the ║ │
│║ 3:00 mark you just wanna find your own ursus ║ │
│║ maritimus and spill its savage blood across the ║ │
│║ snows. The track "Trespasser" is another unsung ║ │
│║ classic here, with more of those choppy, mean ║ │
│║ melodic guitar chugs that would have been huge ║ │
│║ if they were on Kill 'Em All (though the chorus ║ │
│║ here is admittedly a fraction too loud), and a ║ │
│║ few psychotic effects that give it almost this ║ │
│║ Hawkwind meets Diamond Head sci-fi feel that ║ │
│║ jives well with the apocalyptic lyrics. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Seriously, if Heavy Load had released an album ║ │
│║ full of tracks like that, with a little more ║ │
│║ control to the vocal lines, they likely would ║ │
│║ have blown up across Europe. But then, the ║ │
│║ variation present on Death or Glory is far from ║ │
│║ a weakness, and at least 6-7 of its songs rank ║ │
│║ among the best of their entire canon. Even the ║ │
│║ lyrics here are in general quite thoughtful, if ║ │
│║ not complex (like how they manage to create a ║ │
│║ jubilant transcendence out of what is ║ │
│║ essentially a metal groupie tribute in "Heavy ║ │
│║ Metal Angels"). The production of the record ║ │
│║ isn't perfect, with the voices clearly too ║ │
│║ voluminous in spots, but the tight rhythm ║ │
│║ section and the airy atmosphere of the guitars ║ │
│║ still sounds fresh to my ears 30 years later. I ║ │
│║ might be a little biased in its favor, as this ║ │
│║ was the first Heavy Load record I was ever ║ │
│║ exposed to (several years after it came out), ║ │
│║ but all of its many facets combine into what is ║ │
│║ very much mandatory for fans of this era. It was ║ │
│║ no Restless and Wild or Screaming for Vengeance ║ │
│║ in terms of 'hit potential', but holds up ║ │
│║ favorably along the output of acts the world ║ │
│║ over like Anvil, Loudness and Riot. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - heavy metal angels (in metal and leather) [06:44] │
│ 02 - midnight for right [03:21] │
│ 03 - something new [06:01] │
│ 04 - bleeding streets [05:24] │
│ 05 - the guitar is my sword [04:23] │
│ 06 - take me away [04:21] │
│ 07 - trespasser [03:47] │
│ 08 - still there is time [04:22] │
│ 09 - traveller [09:16] │
│ 10 - little lies [06:13] │
│ 11 - daybreak ecstasy [09:16] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [63:08 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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