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SWORD– METALIZED
1986 Aquarius/Capitol Records
The year: 1986. The band: Sword. There were many classic Metal albums that came out in that glorious year. Among them was the masterpiece by Canada's Sword, METALIZED. This album is a true gem of '80s Metal! Once in a while a band captures the renegade spirit, attitude and power that Metal embodies, all the while forging new bounderies and still giving a nod to the old school. Sword combined Black Sabbath's sledge-hammer sound with in-your-face drums and vocals. And hell yeah, the guitars are there too! This album is not sophisticated, its' just balls-out heavy rock. METALIZED has ten songs, none of them being filler. Every song kills. The mood of this album is dark, but not depressing. It's actually upbeat and very catchy, but in a snarling kind of way– exactly what you want it to be. Just kick-ass power rock. No ballads, either.

The band was formed around the Hughes brothers, Rick (vocals) and Dan (drums). Mike Larock on bass and Mike Plant on guitar filled out the line-up. Mike Plant's guitars are great on this album, they have the perfect tone. I love the intro he does for "Runaway" -- the song takes a whole different turn after the intro. His fills are great throughout the album, nothing flashy, but really cool. And the drums are sharp and heavy. Rick Hughes' yelps and howls really give the album the swagger and attitude that kick you in the ass... He sounds like he's on the verge of going insane, and he's screaming at the top of his lungs for your enjoyment! The band was able to get a deal with Roadracer, a subsidiary of Roadrunner Records and released a second album, SWEET DREAMS, in 1988. While this album is not quite as great as METALIZED, it still has some classic material on it, including my favorite Sword tune "Life On The Sharp Edge." Both albums are well worth your time and investment, if you can find them.
DISCOGRAPHY:
METALIZED (1986) Aquarius/Capitol
SWEET DREAMS (1988) Aquarius/Roadracer
by Dr. Metal