The Black League

 Today in 2001 The Black league released the album Utopia A.D.

Helsinki,Finland Gothic Metal,Stoner Metal

Status:Split-up

Years active: 1998-2014

Taneli Jarva's departure from Sentenced after that band's 1995 release Amok was mourned by many fans, and it can be argued that Sentenced hasn't quite been the same since. Five years later, Jarva returned in a new band, The Black League, with a style that is very much a continuation of the Amok style of dark metal, though in places the band stretches out a bit, such as on the excellent "Winter Winds Sing" and "The Everlasting", both of which would sound at home on Tiamat's A Deeper Kind Of Slumber. While Ichor and its followup Utopia A.D. fit solidly in the old Sentenced mold, the band's third album, 2004's Man's Ruin Revisited, was quite a different beast. Could the title be an homage to the now-defunct stoner rock record label Man's Ruin? Maybe not, and it may be just a coincidence, but this album, unlike its predecessors, isn't a dark metal album, but more a spirited, 70's-influenced hard rock album -- i.e. an album that would have fit perfectly on the Man's Ruin roster back in the day. A largely different lineup continued the progression away from their early style, with albums released in 2005 and 2009 before breaking up in 2014.

Spinefarm Records

Taneli Jarva Vocals, Lyrics

Alexi Ranta Guitars

Maike Valanne Guitars

Mikko "Florida" Laurila Bass

Kimmo "Sir" Luttinen Drums

Guest/Session

Mika Pohjola Keyboards (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13)

Nattu Khan Percussion (tracks 1, 6, 7, 12, 13)

1. Transit Gloria Mundi 02:41

2. Empiria 04:58

3. Voice of God 03:23

4. Day One 05:17

5. To Suffer & to Smile 05:02

6. Tedium Vitae 04:03

7. Harbour of Hatred 05:59

8. The Everlasting - Pt. IV 03:31

9. Rex Talionis 02:23

10. Blue Sky Magic 04:47

11. Citizen Cain 03:59

12. α/Ω, the Desert Song 04:01

13. Utopia Anno Zero 09:48

59:52

Front cover design and metallurgy by Susanna Jarva

Graphic design by Janne Peltonen

with art direction by Taneli Jarva

Live band photos by Pekka Ala-Aho

Transit and Utopia photos by Timo Mankinen

Keyboards on tracks 1/4/5/7/12/13 by Mika Pohjola

Percussion on tracks 1/6/7/12/13 by Nattu Khan alias Jarkko Latho

All music by The Leaguesmen, All lyrics by T. Jarva

Produced by Taneli Jarva

Recording information:

Recorded during the dog days of 2001 (June-August)

Drums recorded at TICO TICO, Kemi, with Ahti Kortelainen

Other instruments at SoundMix, Oulu with Mika Pohjola

Mixed in September 2001 at FINNVOX, Helsinki, by Mikko Karmila

and mastered by Mika Jussila

Eisregen

 Today in 1999 Eisregen released the EP Fleischfestival

Thuringia,Germany Gothic/Black/Death Metal

Status:Active

Years active: 1995-present

German death metal band Eisregen is chiefly notable for singing in their native language rather than English and for being "indexed" by Die Bundesprüfstelle für Jugendgefährdende Medien (i.e., the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons). For example, the band's album Krebskolonie (1998) is prohibited from being played in public for audience members under the age of 18, a fate known as verbreitungsverbot, on account of its lyrics, which were deemed "grausamen, menschenverachtenden, frauenfeindlichen und verrohenden" (i.e., cruel, human-despising, misogynistic, and brutalizing). Other Eisregen albums, including Farbenfinsternis (2001) and Wundwasser (2004), were indexed as well -- actions that severely limited the band's commercial ability while at the same time engendering infamy. In fact, it was in the wake of Wundwasser's indexing that the band enjoyed its best chart debut to date, as Blutbahnen (2007) entered the German album chart at number 32.

Last Episode

Blutkehle Vocals

Yantit Drums

Bursche Lenz Guitars

2T Viola

Der Hölzer Bass

1. Des Heilands Haut (Album Version) 03:59

2. Zeit zu spielen (Version Extrem) 05:41

3. Herzblut 2000 05:03

4. Fleischhaus (Neueinspielung) 04:47

5. Scharlachrotes Kleid (Version Schopfheim) 04:06

23:36

Tracks 2-5 are re-recorded versions from earlier titles.

Re-released by Massacre Records in 2003 with Krebskolonie and a new artwork.

Orange Goblin

 Today in 1997 Orange Goblin released the album Nuclear Guru

London, England Stoner Metal  

Status:Active

Years active: 

1994-1995 (as Our Haunted Kingdom), 1995-present

Orange Goblin are the prototypical Rise Above Records band, as they mix elements of psychedelic stoner rock with Sabbathy doom, similar to labelmates Sheavy (or perhaps Manic Frustration-era Trouble). They keep motoring along, recently releasing their sixth album.

Man's Ruin Records

Martyn Millard Bass

Chris Turner Drums

Joe Hoare Guitars

Ben Ward Vocals

Pete O'Malley Guitars

Side A

1. Nuclear Guru 06:46  

Side B

2. Hand of Doom (Black Sabbath cover) 09:36  

  16:22

Recorded 7 & 8 June at The Square Centre, Nottingham, England.

Mastered at Greg Lee Processing.

On Thorns I Lay

 Today in 1997 On Thorns I Lay released the album Orama

Athens, Attica,Greece Death/Doom Metal (early), Gothic Metal (mid), Hard Rock (later)

Status:Active

Years active: 1992-1993 (as Paralysis), 1993-1995 (as Phlebotomy), 1995-present

Formed in 1992 as Phlebotomy, On Thorns I Lay has, over the course of their first six albums, drifted through various styles of atmospheric metal, with the early albums more traditional doomdeath-influenced and the later material more in the post-goth realm. The vocal styles have similarly varied, from mostly male death vocals up to Orama and female soprano vocals taking over as the major style on the later material, though founder/guitarist Stefanos still contributes vocals on the later albums. The band has a unique, somewhat relaxed style to their songwriting, based more on mood and effect rather than in-your-face riffing. Orama appears to be the majority choice for their best album, though the personal opinion here is that Crystal Tears is a shade better. They left their Greek homeland for Romania some time ago, but have since returned to Greece. After a 12-year absence from the recording scene, they put out Eternal Silence in 2015.

Holy Records

Stefanos Bass, Vocals

Christos Guitars

Roula Keyboards, Vocals (female)

Fotis Drums

Guest/Session

Thanazis Hatzaiagapis Guitars (lead)

Georgia Grammaticos Vocals

1. Atlantis I (6:15)

2. The Song of the Sea (1:39)

3. Oceans (6:34)

4. In Heaven's Island (4:24)

5. Atlantis II (7:06)

6. Atlantis III (2:36)

7. If I Could Fly (5:15)

8. Aura (5:42)

9. The Blue Dream (8:11)

Total Time: 47:45

"Written through the hot greek nights of summer '96. This is the reason that all lyrics speak about seas, oceans and of course lost islands like the dreamy Atlantis.

I hope that they can touch your soul as mine..."

Stefanos Kintzoglou

Layout by Holy Records.

Recording information:

Recorded at Passion Studios (Greece) in December '96 - April '97.

Mixed by George Gregos and On Thorns I Lay in May '97.

Produced by On Thorns I Lay.

Mastered by Digipro (France).

Executive production by Holy Records.

Metallica

 Today in 1997 Metallica released the album ReLoad

Los Angeles/San Francisco, California Thrash Metal, Modern Rock/Metal

Status:Active

Years active: 1981-present

Metallica must be considered one of the most well-known metal bands ever, with their work in the 80's in particular receiving accolades as amongst the finest metal works ever recorded. Formed in 1981 by the duo of James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, their youthful energy quickly gained them an incredible underground following, with their debut Kill 'Em All being one of the most anticipated underground releases of the era. And it did not disappoint -- arguably one of the first true thrash albums, it jumpstarted a thrash scene that would last for years to come. With each succeeding release their popularity grew, and with the release of 1986's Master Of Puppets (one of the most popular thrash albums of all time), it was clear that it would only be a matter of time before true worldwide fame would be theirs. They suffered a tremendous setback when bassist Cliff Burton was killed in a tour bus accident, but even that did not slow them down, as they recruited new bassist Jason Newsted and continued growing with 1988's ... And Justice For All.

The rise of Metallica to superstardom culminated in 1991 with the release of their self-titled album, also famously known as the Black Album. While the momentum of the past decade insured its success (and successful it was, reaching Number 1 and selling over seven million copies in the US alone), a chasm started to develop between the hardened early thrash fans and the mainstream audience that welcomed the "new" Metallica. This chasm was widened with 1996's Load, which saw the band further delving into mainstream hard rock and greatly lessening their thrash roots. Indeed, many early fans gave up on the band completely, but their mainstream popularity had risen to true superstar status by this time, and they are still regarded as one of the most popular metal bands of all time. After spending several years touring and recording miscellaneous projects such as the S&M band + orchestra collaboration, they released the somewhat controversial St. Anger in 2003, and later, in 2008, with new bassist Robert Trujillo solidly in place, came Death Magnetic, which appears to welcome at least a partial return to their thrashier roots. More recently they've recorded Lulu, a collaboration with Lou Reed (thus not really considered a Metallica album per se) that has drawn divided reviews at best.

Vertigo Records

James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Carpe Diem Baby"

Kirk Hammett – lead and rhythm guitar

Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion

Jason Newsted – bass guitar

Additional musicians

Marianne Faithfull – additional vocals on "The Memory Remains"

Bernardo Bigalli – violin on "Low Man's Lyric"

David Miles – hurdy gurdy on "Low Man's Lyric"

Jim McGillveray – percussion

1. Fuel (4:29)

2. The Memory Remains (4:39)

3. Devil's Dance (5:18)

4. The Unforgiven II (6:35)

5. Better Than You (5:22)

6. Slither (5:13)

7. Carpe Diem Baby (6:12)

8. Bad Seed (4:05)

9. Where the Wild Things Are (6:54)

10. Prince Charming (6:05)

11. Low Man's Lyric (7:37)

12. Attitude (5:16)

13. Fixxxer (8:14)

A collection of songs that never made it onto "Load", almost more of a compilation album rather than a full-length.

Trivia: Metallica wanted to release "Load" as a double album but were forced to scrap that idea because of problems recording so many songs at one time. So as a result, only 14 songs made the final cut on "Load" while Metallica decided to save the rest for their next album, thus the birth of "ReLoad".

The cover of the album is original artwork depicting urine and blood. It is one of three photographic studies by Andres Serrano created in 1990 by mingling the artist's own urine and bovine blood between two sheets of plexiglass

ReLoad is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on November 18, 1997 through Elektra Records. It is a sequel or counterpart to the band's previous album, Load, and also the final Metallica album of the 20th century. ReLoad debuted #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week. Only six of the thirteen songs have ever been played live. They include "Fuel", "The Memory Remains", "Devil's Dance", "The Unforgiven II", "Low Man's Lyric", and "Carpe Diem Baby". There are also occasional jam sessions of songs including "Bad Seed", "Better Than You" and "Fixxxer". ReLoad is currently certified triple platinum by the RIAA. It was the final Metallica studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted, though it was not his last release with the band. ReLoad also marked the second and the last appearance of a new Metallica logo on an album, until the release of Garage Inc.

This was the second album to feature most, if not all, songs in E♭ tuning, with "Bad Seed" being played in D♭ tuning and "Devil's Dance" in D tuning. D tuning was earlier used for "Sad but True" on Metallica and later used for "Sabbra Cadabra" and Whiskey in the Jar" from Garage Inc.

Manowar

 Today in 1997 Manowar released the Live album Hell on Wheels

Auburn, New York Heavy/Power Metal

Status:Active

Years active: 1980-present

After almost thirty years in the business, Manowar continues to rally around their "Death To False Metal" battle cry. Though their over-the-top image and lyrics occasionally come across as slightly cheesy, their determination to stand by their beliefs is commendable, and the fact of the matter is that songs such as "Blood Of My Enemies", "Guyana", "Battle Hymns", and "Defender" rank as among the most brilliant, majestic metal songs ever recorded by any band. It's amazing that, after all this time, Manowar still has a sound that really isn't like anyone else, highlighted by Eric Adam's excellent vocals and a pounding rhythm section led by bassist (and chief songwriter) Joey DeMaio. While Manowar fanatics will doubtless argue that all of their albums are equally outstanding and brilliant, the opinion here is that their early work, particularly the first four albums, are far superior to their later albums, with the 1984 pair of Hail To England and Sign Of The Hammer being their best works. They've mainly stuck to releasing live albums and DVDs over the last decade, along with two studio albums in 2002 and 2007, and they're clearly still a major metal force in Europe.

Universal Music Group

- Eric Adams / Vocals

- Karl Logan / Guitar

- Joey DeMaio / Bass Guitar

- Scott Colombus (R.I.P. 2011)/ Drums

Disc 1

1. Manowar (5:25)

2. Kings of Metal (3:35)

3. Kill With Power (3:31)

4. Sign of the Hammer (4:53)

5. My Spirit Lives On (4:27)

6. Piano Interlude (1:31)

7. Courage (4:17)

8. Spirit Horse of the Cherokee (5:09)

9. Blood of My Enemies (4:24)

10. Hail and Kill (8:19)

11. Warriors of the World (3:01)

Total Time: 48:38

Disc 2

1. Wheels of Fire (4:36)

2. Metal Warriors (3:49)

3. Army of the Immortals (4:53)

4. Black Arrows (10:17)

5. Fighting the World (4:26)

6. Thor (The Powerhead) (5:09)

7. King (5:00)

8. The Gods Made Heavy Metal (5:34)

9. Black Wind, Fire and Steel (7:26)

10. Return of the Warlord (4:42)

11. Carry On (3:09)

12. Battle Hymn (12:40)

Total Time: 71:46

'Warriors of the world' is actually not a song, but a gathering of fan crowds shoutings

Hell on Wheels is the ninth album by heavy metal band Manowar and is also the band's first live album

Lux Occulta

 Today in 1997 Lux Occulta released the album Dionysos

Dukla (early), Cracow (later),Poland Black Metal (early), Extreme Avant-garde Metal (later)

Status:Active

Years active: 1994-2002, 2011-present

Lux Occulta had a relatively short run in the late nineties, but remains the clear BNR favorite among Polish metal bands. Formed in late 1994, they reached their peak with 1999's My Guardian Anger, where they harnessed their highly original brand of frenzied, technical black metal, most notable for some brilliant keyboard and drum work. The followup, 2001's The Mother And The Enemy, went off the rails a bit, clearly showing a band in conflict, as the album featured several tracks in the mold of their previous works but also tracks that branched out in bizarre directions, such as the odd but ultra-cool Portishead-styled trip-hop of "Midnight Crisis" and "Yet Another Armageddon", and the industrial death march of "Gambit". To some these alternate tracks made no sense whatsoever, though to these ears they were a fresh addition and a great contrast to their more traditional works. Unfortunately it was this lack of direction that most likely led to the band's demise soon after Mother's release. As late as 2007 a revamped lineup was still in existence, but all was quiet until 2012, when formal work commenced on a new album, now set for a spring 2014 release.

Pagan Records

Jaroslaw "Jaro.Slav." Szubrycht: Vocals

Kastor: Guitar

Vogg (from Polish death metal band Decapitated): Guitar

U.Reck: Keyboards

Martin (also from Decapitated): Bass

Additional Musicians

Jackie: Bass

Kriss: Drums

Flute: Marcin Rumiñski

Female Vocals: Anna Wesolowska, Wizenna Nowotarska

1. The Birth of the Race (7:40)

2. Blessed Be the Rain (7:25)

3. Chalice of Lunar Blood (8:48)

4. Nocturnal Dithyramb (6:42)

5. Ecstasy and Terror (9:19)

6. Upwards to Conquer Heaven (6:51)

Total Time: 46:46

CD and tape format.

Re-released as Digi-CD in 2001 by Metal Mind Productions with "The Forgotten Arts" demo as a bonus.

Recording information:

Recorded during July 1997 at Selani Studio.

Dionysos is the second album by the Polish symphonic black metal band Lux Occulta (Latin for "Hidden Light"). The 2002 re-release of the album by Metal Mind includes the band's demo The Forgotten Arts, which can also be found on the band's Maior Arcana compilation, in its entirety as bonus material. Unlike the version on Maior Arcana, the version appended to this album retains the same running order as on the original release