Happy 1997

It's a short list of albums this month on the Year a Month project.

Judas Priest: Jugulator - When I first started this project 3 years ago, I didn't think I would like Judas Priest, and I hated Rob Halford's vocals. Over the years, he has grown on me like a screechy fungus; and today I'm listening to the first Judas Priest album without him. I don't dislike Ripper Owens, and the rest of the band has the same groove metal flavor I love. But Priest just isn't the same without Halford.

Megadeth: Cryptic Writings - This is a post-Youthanasia album, and Youthanasia seems to be some kind of sell-out turning point for Megadeth. There are a few tracks that sound like the old angry  band, like Vortex, but there are others that seem to be trying to capture a mainstream audience by way of being washed out and sissified. Where Metallica goes, Dave Mustaine follows, I guess.

Overkill: From the Underground and Below - I was struck by how much the drums and guitars on this album sounded like Metallica's style, at least in terms of rhythm. The vocals are totally different, of course, since Blitz Ellsworth sounds like he's gargling a glass of water and is starting to choke. I'm not a big fan of Overkill's vocals; but the guitars make up for it.