Description: SEALED, NEW CASSETTE TAPE. Imported from Germany's HIGH ROLLER RECORDS. IRON ANGELHellish Crossfire CASSETTE TAPE High Roller Records, screwed pro music cassette, ltd 200, 4 panel j-card Ships safe -- I don't think this band needs an introduction, at least, for people that decently know about speed and thrash metal. In Germany, and in the old school fan base, Iron Angel is widely considered as one of the best 80s speed metal bands. This is an understandable point of view, because these guys were the shit back then. They had a great presence on the German extreme metal scene until they disappeared in 1987 shortly after the release of their second album called "Winds of War", which was a bit different from what I am reviewing here. In their beginnings, Iron Angel released few demos including the "Power Metal Attack" and "Legions of Evil". These releases were so raw and low-fi quality, in the same way as the demos of Sodom or Tormentor (Kreator) were. They still got a record deal with the new-founded Steamhammer label anyway. The band released its famous first unholy record "Hellish Crossfire" in 1985, right in the good time for such evil music. Back in that particular time, these guys were called black metal with Sodom and Destruction. Well, that's how it was tagged in the mid-80s. For me personally, this album is flawless, there is just nothing bad to say about it, I easily consider it to be one of the best speed metal records ever. It's actually one of the German bands that I have the most listens of. So what do we get from this album? Ah, pure awesomeness! However, you might notice that most songs featured on "Hellish Crossfire" are new versions or re-recordings of the demo's material. This is great news, mainly because the demos were rather made in poor quality. The main purpose of the album is the speed, there are no complex song structures or big changes in tempos. They kept it simple and focused on the aggressivity with an evil atmosphere. So the album doesn't begin with any introduction, the first track "The Metallian" gets straight to the point, like most songs on the record actually ... But this one has a great mid-paced guitar riff that climbs till the main killer one we all want starts, and trust me there, you will not be deceived. The chorus is intense as fuck, and the guitars sound so damn good. Within its 10 tracks, the second one, called " Sinner 666" is probably the best example of a killer speed metal song. The vocals of Dirk Schröder are insane, graspy and we can also get some high-pitched screams at times. The fastest and impressive tracks of the album are definitely "The Church of the Lost Souls" and "Heavy Metal Soldiers", they are total blasts, there are very few riffs but let me tell you that those 3 minutes can be a very brutal headbanging experience. Did I mention that every song is catchy as hell? This is especially the case with the classic "Legions of Evil", which features the catchiest chorus on the album. Even if most tracks are in the same musical vein, there are some varieties in "Black Mass" and "Nightmare". They are the longest songs with a clocking time of over 5 minutes, one has the heaviest riffs and the other has the only melodies present on the whole album. As we have the chance to listen to all these songs in good sound quality now, we have to thank the great production work for that. All instruments are nicely mixed and the drumming sound is pretty insane too. On the lyrics department, the guys of Iron Angel pretty much did the same thing as lots of other bands of the 80s, the evil and satanic concepts are clearly the main subjects. Nothing original you may say, but this was the shit back then and it worked really well. However, they also turned their backs on Satan after this record too, like Destruction did after "Infernal Overkill" for example. Finally, I must say that this record is an essential masterpiece that all old school speed and thrash metal fans must know. Let's get our facts straight, if you consider yourself as such, and that you don't know "Hellish Crossfire", you miss out on something seriously. This is literally a genre defining album and as soon as I think about speed metal, this band comes to mind. Even if they are not as known as they deserve to today, it's still worthy of being part of the best releases of Germany. Favourite tracks : Black MassHeavy Metal SoldiersThe Church of the Lost SoulsThe MetallianWife of the Devil
Price: 13.49 USD
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
End Time: 2024-10-03T15:56:48.000Z
Shipping Cost: 6 USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Celtic Frost, Destruction, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Kreator, Metallica, Morbid Angel, Morbid Saint, Napalm Death, Obituary, Sacred Reich, Saxon, Slayer, Sodom, Venom, Diamond Head, exumer, raven, tank, cannibal corpse, bolt thrower, sacrifice, demolition hammer, iron angel
Format: Cassette
Record Label: high roller records
Release Year: 2023
Release Title: hellish crossfire
Color: Clear
Case Condition: Mint (M)
Style: British Metal/NWOBHM, Death Metal, Glam/Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Metalcore, New Metal, Power/Progressive Metal, Progressive Metal, Punk/New Wave, Punk Metal, Speed & Trash Metal, Thrash & Speed, True Metal
Genre: Metal, Rock, Rock 'n' Roll
Inlay Condition: Mint (M)
Cassette Condition: Mint (M)