7. Megadeth- Rust in Peace(1990)- Rock/Metal Album Track Ranking Series

One of the big four of thrash metal, the unmistakable Megadeth, makes its debut in my series with its 4th studio album, 'Rust in Peace', so let's see how I ranked and rated its 9 tracks:

9. Dawn Patrol- 7.5(good)

8. Poison Was the Cure- 8(solid)

7. Lucretia- 9.5(fantastic)

6. Take No Prisoners- 9.5

5. Hangar 18- 9.5

4. Five Magics- 9.5

3. Rust in Peace... Polaris- 9.5

2. Tornado of Souls- 10(stellar)

1. Holy Wars... the Punishment Due-10

OVERALL RATING- 9.22

Religios, nuclear threat, warfare, alien conspiracies, and Dave Mustaine's personal struggles create the picture of an album loaded with excepțional tracks, so ranking them was no walk in the park for me.

"Holy Wars... the Punisment Due" with its monster riff, challenging lyrics about religious conflict and technical wizardry takes the winning spot followed very closely by "Tornado of Souls", another outstanding work of art with a remarkable riff, incredible guitar solo and great melody and chorus. Actually, these two songs are my favourite of the entire Megadeth catalogue, and the fact that they are both from "Rust in Peace" says almost all you need to know about how much I love this album.

Ranking most of the other tracks was also a daunting task as I could use a lot of epithetes about them as well, so positions 3-7 are interchangeable. "Rust in Peace...Polaris", with its powerful riffing and lyrics about nuclear warfare that are as relevant today as they were in 1990, takes the 3rd place by an extremely narrow margin, but the fast and furious pace of "Take No Prisoners", the fantastic twin guitarwork of "Hangar 18", the sonic assault of "Five Magics", and the slightly playfully, but equally great banger"Lucretia"  are also serious contenders for that position.

"Dawn Patrol", although not bad, is somewhat weird compared with the rest of the album, but I can accept it as a way for the listener to slow down a bit before finishing the album in great style with "Rust in Peace...Polaris." Because of this track the album's overall rating dropsuri down a little to 9.22, which is still the highest rating of the seven albums analize so far, and I dare predict that it will stay in that honorable leading position for quite a while, as this is undoubtedly one of my favourite albums of all time. 

"Rust in Peace" can definitely be chara terized as a staple of thrash metal. It is Megadeth at its finest, showing its classical line-up(Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza) at the peak of its creativity as it invites the listeners to embark on a thrilling journey full of musical prowess and thought-provoking lyrics. It's a thrash metal masterpiece that you could listen to again and again and still find something new to enjoy!

6. Deep Purple- In Rock(1970)- Rock/Metal Album Track Ranking Series

For the sixth episode of my rating/ranking series I go back in time to the year 1970 when, in addition to Black Sabbath's debut, another huge name from the world of hard rock released a special album, so here's my ranking of the tracks from Deep Purple's fourth studio album, 'In Rock':

7. Livin' Wreck- 8(solid)

6. Hard Lovin' Man- 8.5(very good)

5. Flight of the Rat- 9(great)

4. Into the Fire- 9.5(fantastic)

3. Bloodsucker- 9.5

2. Speed King- 9.5

1. Child in Time- 10(stellar)

OVERALL RATING- 9.14

Only seven songs on this album, but a strong tracklist! The Number 1 spot could only belong to 'Child in Time', a truly timeless masterpiece, one of the most beautiful, dramatic and touching Rock songs ever made! It's a 10-minute ride on a rollercoaster of emotions culminating with the final  fast section and Ian Gillan's haunting screams towards the end.

The next positions on my list belong to hard, dynamic, energetic bangers 'Speed King', 'Bloodsucker' and 'Into the Fire.' They all rock hard and may be seen as early heavy metal tunes, although the band doesn't want to be included in that category, but the influence of a track like 'Speed King' on the birth and evolution of 

genres like speed and thrash metal is undeniable.

The rest of the songs are also quite remarkable, so obviously there is no skippable track, and the album's overall rating- a very high 9.14- places it in the first position among the 6 records I analyzed so far, but a lot more will follow and it's interesting to see how long will Deep Purple manage to keep its leading spot.

Deep Purple's 'In Rock' is a breakthrough album, and a perfect illustration of this legendary British band's influence on the growth of hard rock and heavy metal. The  members of the band at that time- Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice- should have their faces carved forever on the Pantheon of rock music. They definitely earned their place in the hearts of millions of fans with this masterpiece, among other great works!

Train of Fate

    Here we are at the life station

    Ready for a new destination

    Waiting for the train of fate

    To take us to another state.

    No one knows what is inside

    It might be a hellish ride

    Or it could be a delight

    Full of joy, devoid of fright.

    There's one way to know for sure

    Whether it's a curse or a cure:

    Once the train opens its gate

    Step inside, don't hesitate!

The Light Comes After Rain

           

         

      The light comes after rain

      To soothe sadness and pain

      The clouds start to disperse

       Your ship is back on course.

       Your plight lasted for long

       But you stayed bold and strong

       In times where hope seemed gone

       You still searched for the sun.

      Even in pitch black night

      You never ceased to fight

      Until you changed your fate 

      So smile, your life is great!

      

Ranking Rock/Metal Albums: #5. Judas Priest- British Steel(1980)

Legendary British heavy metal act Judas Priest makes its debut in my ranking series with 'British Steel', the album which marks a shift towards a more commercial sound and achieved chart success, so here is my ranking of the tracks:

9. Metal Gods- 7.5(good)

8. Living After Midnight- 7.5

7. United- 8(solid)

6.You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise- 8.5(very good)

5. The Rage- 8.5

4. Steeler- 9.5(fantastic)

3. Grinder- 9.5

2. Rapid Fire- 9.5

1. Breaking The Law- 9.5

OVERALL RATING: 8.66

'Breaking the Law', one of the major hits of the album, wins a very tight race for the first place thanks to its iconic riff and simple but efective chorus which stick to my mind for a long time after hearing it. It's one of those overplayed hard rock/metal tunes I rarele skip, unlike the other major hit, 'Living After Midnight', another simple song with a catchy chorus, but which, as you can see from my rating, doesn't have the same appeal to me(probably because living after midnight and rockin' till the dawn is not recommended for our health if we do it frequently!).

The next three tracks with a high rating of 9.5, 'Rapid Fire', 'Grinder' and 'Steeler', are also eloquent examples of heavy greatness with sharp riffs, fast pace and the unmistakeable voice of Rob Halford sending listeners to the stratosfera, so ranking them was really tough and the order can change after more auditions.

The second half of my ranking includes mostly mid tempo tracks, which doesn't mean that I don't enjoy listening to them, I just do it to a Lester extent than those from the top 4. Even the often maligned 'United' is quite a likeable tune in my opinion, as I often find myself singing în my mind its chorus.

To summarise, I consider 'British Steel' to be a remarkable album, whose more commercial approach played an important part in raising heavy metal popularity and showing younger bands of that time that you can achieve access by playing fast, loud, energetic music as long as it has enough melody and hooks to attract a wider audience. Rock on wherever you are!

Ranking Rock/Metal Albums: #4. Metallica- Kill'em All(1983)

My rock/metal album ranking/rating series continues with the debut of no other than the biggest band of the planet, Metallica, so here comes my track ranking and rating:

 10. (Anesthesia)- Pulling Teeth- 8(solid)

    9. Phantom Lord- 8

    8. Hit The Lights- 8.5(very good)

    7. Metal Militia- 9(great)

    6. Jump in the Fire- 9

    5. Motorbreath- 9

    4. Seek & Destroy- 9.5(fantastic)

    3. The Four Horsemen- 9.5

    2. No Remorse- 10(stellar)

    1. Whiplash- 10

    OVERALL RATING: 9.05

    The fourth album in my series is also the first one with no song whose rating goes lower than 8, which says a lot about how much I love this album.

    The breakneck pace and crushing inensity of 'Whiplash' have made it my favorite track, although 'No Remorse', with its incredible riffs, outstanding soros and great chorus is also a strong candidate for the first place, and the epicness of 'The Four Horsemen', another absolute banger, has installed it in third position, ahead if mid tempo, anthemic rockers like 'Seek & Destroy' and 'Jump in the Fire'. Anyway, no weak track whatsoever, so my ranking can change at any time, and lower placed tunes can also advance in my hierarchy in the future.

'Kill'em All', with its raw, fierce sound and sheer, youthful energy, remains an essential  album, whose influence on the growth of speed and thrash metal is massive. It will always have its place in my playlists and my heart!

World of Green

          

    I'm searching for a world of green

    Where life is great and air is clean

    Where nature rules over the land

    And all its treasures are at hand.

    A world so strange, so full of fun

    Where stress and worries are all gone

    With thick woods, rivers and vast plains

    Where all creatures are free from chains.

    But sadly my quest's an illusion

    So far there's only one conclusion:

    The green gets thinner every day

    Instead our planet turns to gray!

    We still have time to help the Earth

    To generate the green's rebirth

    So let us act for our own sake

    Cause the world's future is at stake!

   

  

Ranking Rock/Metal Albums: #3. Iron Maiden- The Number of the Beast(1982)

The mighty Iron Maiden makes its debut in Episode 3 of my series dedicated to rock and metal albums with 'The Number of the Beast', Bruce Dickinson's introduction to the band, so here is my ranking of the songs:

8. Invaders- 7(OK)

7. Gangland- 7

6. Run To The Hills- 8.5(very good)

5. The Number of the Beast- 9(great)

4. The Prisoner- 9

3. Children of the Damned- 9

2. 22 Acacia Avenue- 9.5(fantastic)

1. Hallowed Be Thy Name- 10(stellar)

OVERALL RATING: 8.62

'Hallowed Be Thy Name', a 7-minute long masterpiece with mind-blowing guitarwork and the fabulous voice of Bruce Dickinson impersonating a man who is meditating on his life as he  is about to be sent to the gallows, is simply Maiden at its finest hour and one of my favorite tunes of all time. 

'22 Acacia Avenue' occupies the second place maybe because it's more complex and interesting than the two well-known singles of the album, the title track and 'Run To The Hills', while ' Children of the Damned', a slower, ballady, beautiful track, also managed to reach of my top 3 ahead of the aforementioned hits, which, along with 'The Prisoner', are obviously not bad either. On the contrary, they are catchy tunes with singalong choruses that also got high ratings from me.

There are, however, two tracks, 'Invaders' and 'Gangland', which I don't find bad, but which don't excite me either. It was quite hard for me to decide which one of these two tracks should take the last spot, but I finally chose 'Invaders' because I think it was a weaker chorus than 'Gangland'.

To summarise, 'The Number of the Beast' is definitely a classic Iron Maiden album, just like basically all their works from the 80s, and even if it has a couple of less impressive songs, I still enjoy it a lot and I frequently listen to it with great pleasure!

Ranking Rock/Metal Albums: #2. AC/DC- Back in Black(1980)

The second episode of my rock/metal albums  exploration is dedicated to the classical 'Back in Black', the first AC/DC album after the premature death of Bon Scott and the introduction of Brian Johson as the new lead singer, so here is ranking and rating of the 10 tracks:

10. Givin the Dog a Bone- 7.5(good)

   9. Shake a Leg- 8(solid)

   8. Have a Drink on Me- 8.5(very good)

   7. Shoot to Thrill- 8.5

   6. You Shook Me All Night Long- 8.5

   5. What Do You Do For Money Honey- 9(great)

   4. Let Me Put My Love Into You- 9

   3. Rock'n'Roll Ain't Noise Pollution- 9

   2. Back In Black- 9.5(fantastic)

   1. Hells Bells- 10(stellar)   

    OVERALL RATING: 8.75

 I don't think there's anything left to say about the greatness of 'Hells Bells' and ' Back in Black', two touching tributes to the late Bon Scott, and undoubtedly some of the most memorable songs in the AC/DC catalogue. ' Rock'n'Roll Ain't Noise Pollution', a slower anthem whose message is as relevant as it was in 1980, gets the bronze medal from me, and as for the big hit 'You Shook Me All Night Long', I generally skip it when it appears in my playlists because of the overplayed factor, but if I listen to it once in a while I enjoy its feel good vibe.

As a conclusion, 'Back in Black' is undoubtedly one of the greatest hard rock albums ever made, a fantastic tribute to the one and only Bon Scott and at the same time of the Brian Johnson era, which continues to this day. Rock on wherever you are!

Time

 

                        

        

   Time flows like a river

    Carving its own path

    Each day can deliver

    Peace, joy, doom or wrath.

    Past is gone forever

    There's no turning back

     On its tough endeavour

     Time stays on its track.

     It's a long and arduous trip

     In which we are all involved

     Passengers on a large ship

     Full of problems to be solved.

    

    Sometimes there are gruelling hours

    Full of pain, hardships and fright

    When we gather all our powers

    To maintain the boat's course right.

    Once the obstacles removed

    And the river's calm and cool

    Our lives may be improved

    Yet we're still slaves of time's rule!

   #SebastianOnciu #poetry #creativewriting  #time #river #flow