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!