The Best of Metal Blade Vol 2
aka “One Of The Greatest Compilations Ever”
Let’s just say that Metal Blade Records really helped shape my metalness during the mid-80s. For the most part up until about 1989, if it was on Metal Blade Records, there was about a 90%+ chance that you were getting quality metal. There were exceptions of course…like Canada’s Sye. Terrible. Really.
But Metal Blade was great at putting out cool compilations like the Metal Massacre series and the Best of Metal Blade series. Today we take an in depth look at the Best of Metal Blade Vol 2.
1. LIZZY BORDEN “Notorious” – Let’s make something clear here…right now. I’m a Lizzy Borden fan and have been since I first heard them. I’m pretty sure the Give ’em the Axe EP was my indoctrination. My interest was first piqued when I saw a little blurb in Circus Magazine about the band and there was Lizzy standing there with the band on a rooftop with this huge double-bladed axe. They looked totally badass. Great albums overall but I’ve always been a little partial to Menace To Society and especially to this song. Great hooks, cool lyrics, nice production. This song has it all.
2. OMEN “Teeth of the Hydra” – Not my introduction to Omen (thanks Daniel!) but one of my favorite songs by them for sure. JD Kimball’s vocals (RIP) really set this band apart from most metal bands. He could add a tone of despair in his voice that I have never heard too many other singers do. Mustaine had that quality on the first 2 Megadeth albums as well. Something about the way they wail, it’s a bit haunting. While not my favorite of the classic 3 Omen albums, this ranks as one of my top songs from them.
3. FATES WARNING “Prelude to Ruin” – John Arch. You are the man. Fates Warning offered us another treat with Awaken the Guardian. As good of a song as this is, it’s certainly not my favorite from this album.
4. HALLOW’S EVE “Lethal Tendencies” – Yes! Great song from a great album. Sure, not the most technically proficient thrash band, but they delivered it well.
5. SLAYER “Black Magic” – (classic) SLAYER! ’nuff said.
6. DESTRUCTION “Eternal Ban” – see below
7. SODOM “Deathlike Silence” – You know, these 2 songs never did much for me. In general, was never much of a fan of either band. I think the production really ruined them for me on this early stuff. One day I’ll revisit their back catalog again…maybe.
8. SENTINEL BEAST “Dogs of War” – Awful.
9. DETENTE “Holy War” – I always dug Detente. One of the few female fronted metal bands that I could tolerate. This album was pretty good as is this song. Dawn Crosby (RIP) was a rough one. My current guitarist lived with some folks from this band back in those days and the stories and video I’ve seen of them is trippy. Talk about drinkers? wow.
10. HIRAX “Criminal Punishment” – Another band I never got into mainly because I never tried. I don’t dislike this song, but I never really paid much attention to the band. I do respect that Caton is still out there proudly flying the flag of metal.
11. FLOTSAM & JETSAM “Der Fuhrer” – Oh man. One of the greatest thrash songs ever. Period. Everything from this album just rules. But this song…oh man.
12. JUGGERNAUT “Slow Death” – Juggernaut was always hit an miss. This song is no exception. Miss!
13. HERETIC “Whitechapel” – But this song is a hit. It’s perfect. It’s mid-paced fist-pounding metal. Nice shrill-style vocals and it was about Jack the Ripper. What more could one want in a metal song?
14. SAVAGE GRACE “Trial By Fire” – Love it!
15. SOUND BARRIER “Gladiator” – I think I am one of the few who actually like these guys. This is a cool song too.
16. CIRITH UNGOL “Blood & Iron” – Ahhhhh…Cirith Ungol. How I have always held a soft spot in my heart for these guys. There were the old men of metal in LA. very unique band, very dark. Plus they had the best album covers (Michael Whelan).
17. LIZZY BORDEN “Live & Let Die” – I detest Paul McCartney.
18. CITIES “Burn Forever” – Burn burn burn…burn foreveeeeeeeer! Awesome song. The album was pretty good too. Love the vocals on this.
19. EXXPLORER “Run For Tomorrow” – Again, out of my circle of metal metal head friends, I think I was/am the only one who got into these guys. Great vocals.
20. KRANK “Rented Heat” – This is one of those songs like Crazy Night (Loudness) or Balls To the Wall (Accept) that just makes you nod your head to the mid-paced beat and want to put your fist in the air and sing along. Too bad the album was one of the worst things Metal Blade ever put out.
21. DEAF DEALER “The Fugitive” – I adore this song. One of these days I hope to run across this on CD. Hey Kelz, you still have yours?
If I think about it later, I’ll upload this for your listening pleasure.
The Metal Files 
Great compilation! I pretty much echo your statements except for Exxplorer. I could never get into Symphonies of Steel. I still have the cassette somewhere. Maybe one day while mowing the lawn I might revisit this one.
Oh you are welcome for the intro to Omen. I still dig out my gatefold release of Battle Cry and say heeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Daniel
June 9, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I agree – Metal Blade Records truly introduced the masses to great Metal… I still am a fan of Metal Blade and many, many, of their bands… one band back in the mid-80’s from Metal Blade that I could not get into was Bitch. I remember ordering the darn debut album based on the cover photo, without ever hearing the tunes first. (I had to be the only dude in my town to even own that band’s album – back then).
In Metal – Stone
metalodyssey
June 9, 2009 at 7:34 pm
yah i can get with most of these, except that i never got into cirith – dude’s vox drove me bonkers for some reason (covers did rule tho)…and i know you are right as the only one who could tolerate exxplorer (a danile purchase if i ever recall one – i believe i got flots “doomsday” whilst he picked up “symphonies” – at some mall with his mom and chik-fil-a and a music store)…yah, i still got that deaf dealer disc, it’s decent at best, stuff like ‘dead zone’ is righteous but for me the best was that early version/tune they had on metal massacre 4 – i guess it was a different singer and man he ruled…
kelz
June 9, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Kelz that mall was Newmarket Norh in Newport News, Va. That store was Camelot. It’s the place where they had the Hellhammer Lps for a buck and there was like 50 of them in the rack. If I knew then what I know now I would have bought all 50 of them and kept them……..then raked in the cash when Ebay came around………then bought a rake and removed your entrails with it.
Daniel
June 11, 2009 at 1:21 pm
My brother used to have the vinyl version of this. gatefold, two records, however, I don’t recall half the songs (thse second half) listed as being on that version. I remember the first half, however the second vinyl included pandemonium, attacker, tyrant , hirax and others instead of sentinel beast..is it a different comp I am talking about? Do you know. It is the exact same artwork…
IgnacioBrown
May 12, 2010 at 1:53 pm
volume one has all of those on it: http://www.slaytanic.com/albums/bestofmetalblade1.html
Sean (The Metal Files)
May 12, 2010 at 1:59 pm