I feel lucky today.

Hey folks, it's been a while, and what shall I say... as time goes by so the changes do... You have not a clue what this now shall mean? Don't worry, we'll see... you'll see... just give me some more time and I will give you that clou that you currently don't have. I am currently in a stressy situation so just wait untill next month when I'll have finished my house-moving (and hopefully this will be my last house-moving for a long while then) and hope that all with my new steady internet access will work out out like it should and then... okay, just you wait and see...

So long, and always keep the faith and stick to the iron.

Let them think us beaten, we shall teach them otherwise.

Your dear (Manslaughter) Andy.

IRON AGE: Larry Scott, the first ever "Mister Olympia" also known as ''Larry the Great'' and as the incarnation of the Californian Bodybuilding scene of the 1960's.

Okay folks, back in action again. Finally again... and or even maybe for one of the last times (ever) up here. As I made it clear in the last article some weeks or so ago I am about calling it a day up here and maybe starting something new. Various reasons led me to this decision - even it's currently not 100% sure if I will come up with something new or not which means calling it a day in general (it just feels to me that time is flying by and no matter how often and how hard I may think about that it would be cool do something on music or so again I don't find the right and real attitude, mood, and time to really do so in the end... maybe it's just a temporary episode but maybe it's just me growing old and find myself more satisfied with doing other things these days). Maybe I will explain this reasons or some of them in sort of a final post or so coming soon, who knows, which means: we will see.  My new project is anyhow so far quite a bit currently already in the work and on its way, I just have to figure it out if this will work like I want it to work or not, and it depends on this "I will see..."-thought how soon (and if ever) it will come up in the future (beside the above mentioned "growing old"-stuff).
But for now back again up here on your good old "MANSLAUGHTER THUG LIFE" blog... and beside the fact that it feels already a big bit "nostalgic) it's also incredible how quick and fast time moves on, thinking about that I do or run this blog now for already a bit of over five years in a row... and it's really sort of shocking when I think about what and especially who came and went over this time of sort of over five years... the times are a changing or so they say... I guess they are right...
Okay, that's in general for now, and now back to the topic of this post and this will be all about the IRON AGE posting series, and yes, you're right, after sort of over (?) a half year passed since the last IRON AGE article saw the light of the day and while I was busy up here with doing other things (especially music-related stuff like record reviews) it's really time to finally change this again (even it's for the last time). Even more after this very article here is now for a very, very long, long while already in the making, so it's time to give it finally the breath of life it desperately hungers for. You may or better you should know the deal(and hopefully, of course, you do so), which means: that you know what's now coming up here for you. Yes, you know it, and if not, then just in short two short lines to the point:

(1.) Bodybuilding.

(2.) Larry Scott.

You still need some more input? Really? Oh man, damn it, come on, I mean... but okay, okay, okay, so two short lines more to the point here and now for you:

(3.) Mister Olympia.

(4.) The first ever crowned.

This must be enough , I mean, really, come on, what should you need more right here, right now? Yes, you're right, nothing else, and so now here we go, so let's go, enough of the introducing small talk.

And now, already and just as a little bit of showing what and who we will be talking about (which means what I will be writing on and what you will be reading here and now) right now:

The incarnation of the Californian Bodybuilding ideal of the glory days of old...

- Larry Scott -

...and the first ever crowned IFBB "Mister Olympia" - and the definition of ultimate magnificence.

I. INTRODUCTION: If you ask anyone with a at least small education in Bodybuilding about the one man who should become pretty much to the one and only valid definition of the Californian Bodybuilding scene and ideal then he or she will name you this one man first and ultimately solely: Larry Scott. He became sort of a incarnation of Bodybuilding of his era, and with his looks, his appearance, his shape and physique he clearly became to the leading character and athelete of the Californian Bodybuilding scene and its ideal of the 1960's. His look had been defined to be a thru and thru American look, a typical American look, clean-cut all-American, and with this look, his robust and very well proportioned body and physique and with his arms that had been a couple of one of the biggest, the best, and the most greatest guns ever in the history of this, of our sport, he became to an idol and a role model for millions of other Bodybuilders now and then outta there. And we all shouldn't forget that he was and is also the first ever crowned IFBB "Mister Olympia". And so you see that there are more than enough justified reasons for him to be up here and become a prominent part of this very posting series named (the days of the) IRON AGE up here. Now let us have together a more precise look on him, on Larry the Great.

II. THE EARLY YEARS: Larry Scott or Larry "the Legend" Scott or Larry "the Great" Scott, how he was also named, was born at the 12th of October of the year 1938 in Blackfoot, Idaho/U.S.A. to his parents a son. Already as  kid and a teenager he showed some potential in doing sports, so he was back then known as a already very well versed gymnast, before with becoming and then being sixteen years old in 1954 he started to conquer as a Bodybuilder. His parents had a own dump that they ran back then and when he was doing his work and duty by working in the family business he found an old Bodybuilding magazine with the great old school Bodybuilder George Paine on the cover of it, showcasing a triceps-pose from the side. He found it, saw it, grabbed it, and he was fixed. It was something totally new to him, something that he had never ever seen before. To Larry Scott the triceps of George Paine looked like shredded and ripped bananas in their most ever massive form. He wanted this for himself, and he wanted it badly. And so he even couldn't be stopped by the fact or circumstances that he had no access to proper weight lifting euqipment. Because instead of this he had a old tractor axle, and when he scrolled through the pages of the magazine he saw pictures of George Paine who did exercises that probably helped building up his impressive arms, and with his hunger and firy will as well as his creative artisanal skills he soon started to work out with his tractor axle like the pictures showed him the way (as far as he could adopt the exercises with his improvised training device). And they showed him good. Just with his improvised training device and his also pretty improvised exercises he managed to catch good worthy pumps after pumps and he build up his arms to 32cm ambit, pretty impressive and big guns already. This great results pushed him further on to work and train harder and harder, with the one aim to come off as big, strong, and massive as only anyhow possible. So he was on a quest, and he started to make his way, his way to forever immortalized ultimate magnificence.

III. "CALIFORNIA, HERE I COME!": Larry Scott trained every day and he always trained hard right from the start. His enthusiasm was nearly too much for his body's own growth potential at some times. Soon enough he exchanged his good old tractor axle with/to real weights, dumbbells, and barbells when he joined the local "YMCA". He also enthusiastically read all the issues of Joe Weider's own "Muscle Builder" magazine, and it added to his motivation and his imagination what all could be possible if he just sticked to his hard and honest working approach. Pretty soon it was and happened that Larry Scott came to the conclusion that if he wanted to really make steps ahead in Bodybuilding he had to move to California, California that already back then was sort of the Mecca of Bodybuilding. And so he started working on doing finally so. But just by wanting and planning to do so the job wouldn't be done, he needed something to make some money to make his living from with and that Larry Scott knew all too well, and so he started to work and graduate in the Californian Electronic-Technique industry beside his living as a Bodybuilder. California offered Larry Scott all that he wanted at this point in his life, he could study and work in his job and industry and at the same time he could work hard for becoming a better and stronger Bodybuilder. With this in his mind he one day entered a train and moved on to the shores of California. And there it all should really beginn...

IV. FROM BEING THE APPRENTICE TO BECOMING THE MASTER OF THE IRON: Larry Scott moved to California, made his plans and dreams come true. He had no car, but his school (for Electronic-Technique) was near by where he lived so that he could make it to there by walking, and he had dreams of and plans for making it big. And so on every front Larry Scott did his best to make it big - and how he did. He trained back then at "Bert Goodrich's Health Club", and this gym was only ca. around a mile from where he lived back then, so also nothing but a easy walk to go there and do what needed to be done. The "Bert Goodrich's Health Club" Gym was filled by sportsmen and athletes of all size and kind, but it was in particular the big, massive, muscular, and strong Lou Degni who was caught by Larry Scotts attention by far the most. For Larry Lous chest and back were the most incredible and the by far most imposing things or sights that he had ever seen so far in his life. With a 74cm ambit of his waist, arms with 48cm ambit, the chest and back of a giant, and seemingly centimeter deep carved abs Lou Degni was sort of all Larry Scott at this point in his life ever wanted to become, ever wanted to be. And even Larry Scott was the new guy in "Bert Goodrich's Health Club" and also only weighing around 68kg at this time no one else than Lou Degni himself soon should take notice of him, because of his quick and big progress' he made, and pretty soon the both should become training partners. Pretty soon after Larry Scott and Lou Degni joined forces in the Gym together it was Lou Degni who was offered a role in a Italian movie production and he had to leave the city for it. Later on Lou Degni should become sort of famous under his pseudonym or artist name of Mark Forest for playing in many sword and sandal films of that time. After the training partnership with Lou Degni broke due to him starting his movie career Larry Scoot soon decided to leave "Bert Goodrich's Health Club" to join the legendary "Vince's Gym" that was run by no one else than the infamous Vince Gironda, a legend of his very own. Especially in the 1950's and 1960's the gym of Vince Gironda, the "Vince's Gym", had a phenomenal good and strong reputation, not at least for bringing up and out many Bodybuilding champs. It had been Vince Gironda to whom all the Hollywood agents and movie makers send their actors to get in shape for their movies. It was sort of a fact that there would be no man with more knowledge of training/working out and nutrition than Vince Gironda. And so, you see, Larry Scott moved to the right place, at the right time - and to the right man. And Vince Gironda had a huge influence on Larry Scott and his future development, on his training, his nutrition, and also on his posing and on the way he posed or should pose up on stage. So it was Vince Gironda who, for example, teached Larry Scott also to pose between his poses, because, so he said to him, it would be more important what he did between the poses than what he does at or with or in his actual poses. And he was right with this. Vince liked the young athlete that Larry Scott was back then right from the start, even in Vinces eyes he wasn't one of the genetical gifted Bodybuilders. (But at least in this point opinions can surely differ a bit - if not maybe even a lot.) Anyhow, he liked him and so Vince Gironda helped Larry Scott out and cultivated his training and nutrition. Untill this certain point in time nutrition was just sort of side-thought in the head and mind of Larry Scott, something that Vince Gironda changed drastically and everlasting, and this was also the time when Larry Scott started to use protein supplements. It was also during this time period that Larry Scott should develop his fantastic arms, very much due to his excessive practise of the strict Preacher Curls, an excercise he was introduced to by Vince Gironda, and that should become so stronly linked with Larry Scott that the excercise very soon should become named after him the Scott Curl - and this is also so still today. After a few years of being trained and coached by Vince Gironda it was time for Larry Scott to take the next steps and enter a stage with competing at one of the big Californian Bodybuilding Championships. He already won back then in 1959 the "Mr. Idaho", but he knew very well that a competition in California was something very different. But anyhow in 1960 he competed at the AAU "Mr. Los Angeles" and he scored in on place no. # three, and in the same year he also won the AAU "Mr. California" and also gained the "Most Muscular Award" on this very show as well. Great kick off for his career. In 1961 he became the "Mr. Pacific Coast" after winning the AAU "Mr. Pacific Coast" championship, and just one year later in 1962 he became the IFBB "Mr. America". Over the distance of the next two years Larry Scott managed to let his victory streak grow on with winning the medium category of the IFBB "Mr. Universe" in 1963, and with taking the overall victory of this championship one year later in 1964. It really happened, the apprentice turned into the master, the master of the iron, and it was time that the king received his crown and take place on his throne.

V. BEING THE "MISTER OLYMPIA": The situation in the 1950's and 1960's was sort of a confused or confusing one in the world of professional Bodybuilding, with various federations fighting amongst each other who would be the leading no. # one in the world and what competition would crown the one and only best Bodybuilder in/of the world, and it was in and out of this particular situation that the Weider Brothers and their IFBB installed the "Mister Olympia" as their very own competition to make it clear that the IFBB would be the solely home of the elité Bodybuilders and that the "Mister Olympia" alone would crown the very best Bodybuilder worldwide. (And like we see it today and if "you" now may like it or not this was an all out success.) So when in 1965 the first ever "Mister Olympia" took place the IFBB managed to put a proper line up together and no one else than Larry Scott was a part of it - and he should with all justifications beat all his rivals and he succeeded on what should become the biggest stage of them all, he succeeded at and became the first ever "Mister Olympia" and when he won the title he was given a real crown encrusted with "jewels" - but no money (after back then out of and with Bodybuilding there was simply no real money to make, especially not for the athletes). In 1966 Larry Scott managed to repeat his golden triumph and he won also the second edition of the IFBB "Mister Olympia", again in tremendous shape and in a dominant way. In 1966 there was no crown handed to him but instead of this a check about 1.000 U.S. $ and asked if he would miss his crown he answered more or less in the way that he would have also rather taken the 1.000 $ instead of the crown the year before. But you see, to make your living out of and with Bodybuilding alone (as a sports man) was still something anything but really possible. This and a new priority-setting compared with the thought that he had reached all what he only could reach as a active Bodybuilding athlete let Larry Scott finally to the decision to end his career more or less straight after his second "Mister Olympia" triumph, and to move on to new shores and finally to move ahead in a monetary or fiscal sense, not at least because he had bills to pay. But anyhow, the unrivaled superstar had left the building, point and fact.

VI. BESIDE AND AFTER BEING THE "MISTER OLYMPIA": Larry Scott worked beside and after his Bodybuilding career in the movie business and he acted roles for example in "MUSCLE BEACH PARTY" together with Frankie Avalon and Anette Funichello where he was to be seen as "Rock", a Bodybuilder of the infamous Beach-Gang of Jack Fanny who was played by Don Rickles in the movie. He was also very often hired as a Fitness Photo Model, and especially the shootings he did with Pat Milo are today often called art for good reasons. And also he worked as an author for all the famous "WEIDER" publications of his time - and he wrote excusively for the magazines of the Weider Brothers. After his active career he worked for several companies to develop and sell work out machines, nutrition supplements, and first PC based work out/training schedule programmings. Finally he should start working for a big insurance company, and in 1991 he wrote and released his highly reputated Bodybuilding book "LOADED GUNS". He made a brief (and not really succesful) comeback in 1979 before forever retiring from competition in 1980. And in 1999 he was introduced into the "JOE WEIDER BODYBUILDING HALL OF FAME".
He lived his latter years together with his second wife in Salt Lake City, Utah/U.S.A. where he finally ran his personal training and nutrition company, "LARRY SCOTT FITNESS & NUTRITION", and together with his wife Rachel Scott he had five children, three of them, Susan, Erin and Nathan are still alive, while Derek and Michael sadly died long befor their time in 1992 respectively 1993. Larry Scott himself died on March the 8th, 2014 at the age of 75 years of complications from the Alzheimer's disease he was suffering through.
REST IN PEACE, Larry "the Great" Scott, you will always be remembered and never forgotten.
Keep on lifting in heaven, like we keep on pumping down here. R.I.P. /// Andy

So, okay folks, that's now all for this post, and all of us showing our heartfelt respect and honour to one of the greatest champs the stages of every sort of iron sports have ever seen: Larry Scott. I hope you enjoyed the reading through and of this article and that you had been entertained and maybe also at least a little bit educated by it. The rest you can read above in the introduction words to/of this very post/article... that pretty much is nothing else than the last ever and truly final real post up here... so I hope you've enjoyed it... That's it for now and pretty much also that's it up here in general... anyhow... and for now and so long, as usual, an honest "Thank you!" for your interest and for reading this article goes out to you from me. Cheers, your dear (Manslaughter-) Andy.

I finally have a steady internet access and the problems with it fixed so far, so more finally really soon.

Hey folks, just wanted to let you know that I have finally a really working internet access in my new so far current but anyhow just temporary home, so that you can expect new stuff to come more or less pretty soon - finally some new stuff.

But, to be honest, currently I am thinking about calling it a day up here and moving on to new shores and starting sort of a new project, a modification of this blog here or name it however you want to name it - fresh it up after sort of five years again... we will see as time will tell us, I'll keep you posted.

That's it so far and for now, stay tuned.

Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy

Still coming back, still a fighter and not a quitter after all.

Hey guys, I'm back again. After the last weeks up here had been pretty silent and my lust for blogging pretty much vanished into the void now things changed again (...drastically), hm, now looking back I would maybe wish that my private life would had been that calm and silent... instead of this a lot of on what I was working on and for and that I build up exploded or maybe better imploded with a final blow last Saturday...

After several great and joyful years spend together my relation to or with my now former girlfriend is nowadays history... I won't go in it too deep or cry here and now, we all made this experiences, and even it hit me pretty much straight from out of nowhere and really hurt me lookin' on it now just a few days after it, hm, it somehow feels good and sort of right, don't ask me what this now exactly means but anyhow, yes, I think this should tell me a lot and so anyhow, okay, it's time to refocus and to rethink things, yes, but that's another story...

After I suddenly had to house-move again it all went pretty quick and right now after just sort of four or five days I have already again a new own internet access and so in the next days new posts will come up, so stay tuned for it.

Okay, that's all that I wanted to let you know right here and now, so stay tuned for new stuff to come soon and now have a nice evening, sleep well at night, and then more in the soon coming future. /// Andy

MANSLAUGHTER's TREASURE BOX 2014.

Hey folks, finally, finally, yes, finally and really here it comes, my review on or retrospection of 2014. Three to four weeks (or so) later than I primarly planned to finally come up with it, hm, but still pretty good in time - compared with the fact the reviews on 2011 and 2012 came up back then by far later and it's even anyhow anyway better compared with the fact the I've never done a review on 2013, so you see, still a pretty good job anyhow, righty right. If you ask yourself why the delay came to happen, hm, okay, for sure work is very busy, beside this I have a girfriend, I have a family, I have my dogs, I have my sports, I have my friends, I have a social and an active life and bla-bla-bla... because for sure I could come up with all that, pfff, but fuck it, I'm currently just not in the mood for blogging, don't feel the lust for doing it, don't find the motivation to do new posts up here currently, and I also even can't bring up the motivation just to search for the motivation for blogging, yes that's it. After the last pretty active months up here, especially the December of 2014, I'm currently a little bit empty and so for now I'm taking sort of a time-off from blogging. Okay, after this words for the introduction it's time to finally do for what I am now online and do some blogging finally again, and this means now here it comes my review on or retrospection of 2014 and this year I will solely focuss on giving you my favorite releases of this very year of 2014 and due to the fact that 2014 was music-wise a really fantastic year I extended my more or less traditional top ten list to a top fifteen list, hm, and as usual after I've already done reviews on all of the records and albums you will find in this list I won't waste anymore time here and now and just name you the albums. Okay, that's it, so here it comes, let us open and have a look inside "MANSLAUGHTER's TREASURE BOX 2014", yes, so here we go...

MANSLAUGHTER's TOP 2014 ALBUMS*

(*Eternia approved)

The top three:

If you read this blog only a little bit regular and/or frequently than to you my top three albums will be no strangers and no surprises anymore, but this takes nothing away from this pure platinum albums.

No. # 1 - My ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!

CRUCIAL CHANGE - "SO IT BEGINS" & "MOURNING IN AMERICA"

Tracklist "SO IT BEGINS":

(01.) "SO IT BEGINS"

(02.) "LAND OF MY FATHERS"

(03.) "INTO THE FIRE"

(04.) "AMERICAN HEART"

(05.) "OUR STAKE"

(06.) "THE WANDERER"

(07.) "PUNISHMENT"

(08.) "LEGION 33"

(09.) "YOUTH"

(10.) "RIGHTEOUS HAND"

Tracklist "MOURNING IN AMERICA":

(01.) "MOURNING IN AMERICA"

(02.) "THIS FORCE"

(03.) "WHO LAUGHS LAST?"

A totally unique and outstanding album, total supreme and dominant American Oi! majesty leading, conquering, and dominating totally unrivaled. A fantastic album, simply an album that you need to have, period.

And after the "MOURNING IN AMERICA" EP release is featured as a bonus on the CD release version of "SO IT BEGINS" you find here both albums ranked on the very first place.
Yes. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

No. # 2 - The legend's statement!!!

SICK OF IT ALL - "LAST ACT OF DEFIANCE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "SOUND THE ALARM"

(02.) "2061"

(03.) "ROAD LESS TRAVELLED"

(04.) "GET BRONX"

(05.) "PART OF HISTORY"

(06.) "LOSING WAR"

(07.) "NEVER BACK DOWN"

(08.) "FACING THE ABYSS"

(09.) "ACT YOUR RAGE"

(10.) "DISCONNECT YOUR FLESH"

(11.) "BELTWAY GETAWAY"

(12.) "SIDELINED"

(13.) "OUTGUNNED"

(14.) "DNC"

(15.) "STAND DOWN" (Bonus track limited edition.)

(16.) "WITH ALL DISRESPECT" (Bonus track limited edition.)

I love this band, they and their albums and music are a very important part of my life for now over twenty years, longer lasting than relations and friendships, yes, and as far as this says a lot about the importance of this band and their music it's also very simple: This album is a pure groundshaking larger than life might. That's it, short and precise. And it's, again, very simple: You need to have this album. Point and fact.
HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

No. # 3 - The BOSS returns, in all his glory, with all his might!!!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "HIGH HOPES"

Tracklist:

(01.) "HIGH HOPES"

(02.) "HARRY'S PLACE"

(03.) "AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS)"

(04.) "JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD"

(05.) "DOWN IN THE HOLE"

(06.) "HEAVEN'S WALL"

(07.) "FRANKIE FELL IN LOVE"

(08.) "THIS IS YOUR SWORD"

(09.) "HUNTER OF INVISIBLE GAME"

(10.) "THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD"

(11.) "THE WALL"

(12.) "DREAM BABY DREAM"

The BOSS returned in 2014 and delivered again some of the most unique and very best and most intense and most passionate music on a as close to perfect level of quality as only somehow possible. No more words needed, everyone into honest, authentic, spirited, and real rockin' music with heart, soul, and mind simply needs to have it.

The runner-ups, the ranks four to six:

Here are the three bands that conquered the next three ranks, and now three incredible strong albums waiting for you, also big surprises or maybe better not really expected deliveries as well.

No. # 4 - A big disturbing and ripping, sick and pissed off surprise.

SLIPKNOT - ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER"

Tracklist:

(01.) "XIX"

(02.) "SARCASTROPHE"

(03.) "AOV"

(04.) "THE DEVIL IN I"

(05.) "KILLPOP"

(06.) "SKEPTIC"

(07.) "LECH"

(08.) "GOODBYE"

(09.) "NOMADIC"

(10.) "THE ONE THAT KILLS THE LEAST"

(11.) "CUSTER"

(12.) "BE PREPARED FOR HELL"

(13.) "THE NEGATIVE ONE"

(14.) "IF RAIN IS WAHT YOU WANT"

I would have never expected such a through and through mass destructive bomb being delivered by SLIPKNOT, but I am damn happy and glad that they did and this, to say it short, one hell of an unique stand-alone album I can only recommend to you and in the case of SLIPKNOT you better believe the ongoing hype. I fuckin' love this album, it's one hell of an intense ride.

No. # 5 - The Silverbacks are back on the map.

SLAPSHOT - "SLAPSHOT"

Tracklist:

(01.) "INTRO"

(02.) "I TOLD YOU SO"

(03.) "GO HARD"

(04.) "KILL IT WITH FIRE"

(05.) "UNTIL IT'S GONE"

(06.) "FUCK IT"

(07.) "SOFT"

(08.) "NOTHING AT ALL"

(09.) "LOW LIFE"

(10.) "FREEZER BURN"

(11.) "YOU'RE ON MY LIST"

(12.) "ONE AND DONE"

(13.) "BLOOD ON THE FLOOR"

(14.) "NEVER TRUST A JUNKIE"

(15.) "PERSONAL JESUS" (DEPECHE MODE - cover)

(16.) "OUTRO"

Short and simple in just three words: 1.) SLAPSHOT. 2.) Unique. 3.) Groundbreaking. 

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

No. # 6 - The Brothers are back.

KRAWALLBRÜDER - "SCHMERZFREI"

Tracklist:

(01.) "I.IV. R.I.P. XXXIII"

(02.) "WAS LANGE WÄHRT"

(03.) "BLUT UND TINTE"

(04.) "AUF EIN WORT"

(05.) "NUR FÜR DICH"

(06.) "WEG VON EUCH"

(07.) "SCHMERZFREI"

(08.) "6 FUSS BREIT"

(09.) "WIE DIE TIERE"

(10.) "NIE EIN ENDE SEHN"

I definitely would never ever have expected the KRAWALLBRÜDER to come up with such a fantastic and incredible strong album, it's by far their best material to date and they totally made themselves to one of the strongest german bands somewhere between Oi!, Metal, and (Hard) Rock and I can simply only recommend this great gem again and again. It's fantastic. Cheers & Oi!

The next battle line of champions, the places seven to nine:

The next three piece of amazing bands and albums that totally conquered in 2014 are already waiting in the pipeline for you and be prepeared for some really big stuff aimed at ya.

No. # 7 - The return of the Metal Gods.

JUDAS PRIEST - "REDEEMER OF SOULS"

Tracklist:

(01.) "DRAGONAUT"

(02.) "REDEEMER OF SOULS"

(03.) "HALLS OF VALHALLA"

(04.) "SWORD OF DAMOCLES"

(05.) "MARCH OF THE DAMNED"

(06.) "DOWN IN FLAMES"

(07.) "HELL & BACK"

(08.) "COLD BLOODED"

(09.) "METALIZER"

(10.) "CROSSFIRE"

(11.) "SECRETS OF THE DEAD"

(12.) "BATTLE CRY"

(13.) "BEGINNING OF THE END"

Tracklist Bonus Disc Limited Edition:

(01.) "SNAKEBITE"

(02.) "TEARS OF BLOOD"

(03.) "CREATURES"

(04.) "BRING IT ON"

(05.) "NEVER FORGET"

A pretty controversial album discussed heavily by "true" Metalheads, so it seems, but thank the goods that I am not a "true" Metalhead or anything like this and so I care about anything but not what any sort of scene taste police thinks have to say and so I can simply and calmly enjoy enthusiastically a damn fantastic album delivered by a lifechanging band that I would have never ever expected to come, and if this should be really the farewell album of JUDAS PRIEST than they go with class and walk away with their honour intact. A fantastic album that you need to call your own.

No. # 8 - For those about to ROCK!!!

AC/DC - "ROCK OR BUST"

Tracklist:

(01.) "ROCK OR BUST"

(02.) "PLAY BALL"

(03.) "ROCK THE BLUES AWAY"

(04.) "MISS ADVENTURE"

(05.) "DOGS OF WAR"

(06.) "GOT SOME ROCK AND ROLL THUNDER"

(07.) "HARD TIMES"

(08.) "BAPTISM BY FIRE"

(09.) "ROCK THE HOUSE"

(10.) "SWEET CANDY"

(11.) "EMISSION CONTROL"

Already a real classic, and the by far strongest material since (over) two decades, since "THE RAZOR'S EDGE" and a real statement of this veterans.

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK, I SALUTE YOU!!!

No. # 9 - My Oxblood Stell Toes will get it right.

MURDERER'S ROW - "LIBERTY DENIED WORKING CLASS CRUCIFIED"

Tracklist:

(01.) "LIBERTY DENIED"

(02.) "LOOKIN' FOR AGGRO"

(03.) "WHITE COLLAR CRIME"

(04.) "OUR STRUGGLE"

(05.) "ALLEYWAY"

(06.) "SLUM NATION"

(07.) "FACTS OF LIFE"

(08.) "OXBLOOD STEEL TOES"

(09.) "WHEN THE DAY COMES"

(10.) "GIVE THE PAIN"

Incredible strong and mighty pure mayhem American Oi! Oi! Oi! Rock & Roll that rules supreme, and the definite best material delivered by this band so far - and this after they already also in the past never dissapointed me. This shit rules.

Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

Killers everywhere, the ranks ten to twelve:

Here it comes, the next three-piece of albums that I consider to be nothing but must-have releases that saw the light of day first in 2014.

No. # 10 - The Reaper's Return.

GRAVE DIGGER - "RETURN OF THE REAPER"

Tracklist:
(01.) "RETURN OF THE REAPER"

(02.) "HELL FUNERAL"

(03.) "WAR GOD"

(04.) "TATTOOED RIDER"

(05.) "RESURRECTION DAY"

(06.) "SEASON OF THE WITCH"

(07.) "ROAD RAGE KILLER"

(08.) "GRAVE DESECRATOR"

(09.) "SATAN'S HOST"

(10.) "DIA DE LOS MUERTOS"

(11.) "DEATH SMILES AT ALL OF US"

(12.) "NOTHING TO BELIEVE"

Tracklist Bonus Disc Limited Edition:

(01.) "THE EMPERORS DEATH" (New Bonus Song)

(02.) "REBEL OF DAMNATION" (New Bonus Song)

+ Live acoustic set:

(03.) "THE ROUND TABLE"

(04.) "THE DARK OF THE SUN"

(05.) "THE CURSE OF JAQUES"

(06.) "THE BALLAD OF MARY"

(07.) "THE LAST SUPPER"

(08.) "YESTERDAY"

(09.) "REBELLION"

(10.) "HEAVY METAL BREAKDOWN"

I'll make it short this time: Incredible strong Teutonic Heavy Metal, and also a really huge surprise, the best GRAVE DIGGER album since sort of two decades or so and just one hell of a ride.

No. # 11 - HARDCORE (still) lives!!!

MADBALL - "HARDCORE LIVES"

Tracklist:

(01.) "INTRO"

(02.) "HARDCORE LIVES"

(03.) "THE BALANCE"

(04.) "DOC. MARTEN STOMP"

(05.) "DNA"

(06.) "TRUE SCHOOL"

(07.) "THE HERE AND NOW"

(08.) "NOTHING TO ME"

(09.) "MY ARMOR"

(10.) "BEACON OF LIGHT"

(11.) "BORN STRONG"

(12.) "SPIRIT"

(13.) "MI PALABRA"

(14.) "NBNC"

(15.) "FOR THE JUDGED"

Bonus tracks limited edition:

(16.) "THE BEAST"

(17.) "SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2014"

Born strong right from the start, still delivering Doc. Marten stomps, it's in my DNA, this is the true school, you mean nothing to me and I belong to the here and now, I am the beast - and I will always spit on your grave.  

Hardcore still lives.

No. # 12 - London raised Holy Terror Hardcore V2.0.

DEAD MAN'S CHEST - "NEGATIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "HATELINE"

(02.) "KISS THE GROUND"

(03.) "WEIGHT OF DISRESPECT"

(04.) "LEFT ALONE"

(05.) "BRINGING IT BACK" (INTEGRITY-cover)

A breath-taking development, and we all should have an eye on with what this London Maniacs will come up next. Impressive statement of an album. You need to have it.

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

The final round, the ranks thirteen to fifteen:

The three final albums of 2014 that I consider to be must have releases, and so here we go for the final round of the best of the best of 2014.

No. # 13 - A journey through the empire of ghosts...

CALIBAN - "GHOST EMPIRE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "KING"

(02.) "CHAOS - CREATION"

(03.) "WOLVES AND RATS"

(04.) "NEBEL"

(05.) "I AM GHOST"

(06.) "DEVIL'S NIGHT"

(07.) "YOUR SONG"

(08.) "CRIES AND WHISPERS"

(09.) "GOOD MAN"

(10.) "I AM REBELLION"

(11.) "WHO WE ARE"

(12.) "MY VERTIGO"

Total killer and personally for me one of the biggest surprises in/for 2014. Awesome stuff!!!

No.# 14 - Now that's how I want "my" comebacks...!!!

RYKER'S - "HARD TO THE CORE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "THE WORLD AS I SEE IT TODAY"

(02.) "HARD TO THE CORE"

(03.) "CAN'T KILL A DREAM"

(04.) "TIME HEALS..."

(05.) "DIVIDED BY COLOURS"

(06.) "BORN TO FLY"

(07.) "SLAVE CRUEL WORLD"

(08.) "WORLD WIDE TRAP"

(09.) "..."

The RYKERS, the German and in general European Hardcore Silverbacks finally made their return after fourteen years of (more or less) silence, and from my point of view they did it right. A fucking damn great (and greater) album that you should call your own as a Hardcore Roughneck, and, of course, welcome back guys.

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

No. # 15 - The closing chapter.

UNEARTH - "WATCHERS OF RULE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "INTRO"

(02.) "THE SWARM"

(03.) "LIFETIME IN RUINS"

(04.) "FROM THE TOMBS OF FIVE BELOW"

(05.) "NEVER CEASE"

(06.) "TRAIL TO FIRE"

(07.) "TO THE GROUND"

(08.) "BURIAL LINES"

(09.) "BIRTH OF A LEGION"

(10.) "WATCHERS OF RULE"

A true masterpiece of an album, and this is the pure platinum essence of what Metalcore or Deathcore or maybe modern, progressive/technical challenging Metal in 2014/2015 and beyond should be all about: pure musical greatness (cultivated with first class premium lyrics). Highly recommended, UNEARTH are definitely back. Definitely!!!

Now that was 2014... more or less...

Okay folks, now that's it, that was my top ten, nah, my top fifteen list 2014 a.k.a. "MANSLAUGHTER's TREASURE BOX 2014", and all the fifteen chosen pearls you find in this list are high recommendations, so much should be clear, and now, before this post will finally coming to its closing lines I just give you a very short overview of other 2014 highlights that maybe didn't make it into my top fifteen list but that you should at least check out if not better get promptly also anyhow anyway soon, and so here's my very short overview of (only some/few) other high class 2014 releases, so check them out.

Maybe the best of the rest...

This albums now I will just name you in the form of a alphabetical organized list, without giving you the tracklist or writing (short) comments about them, just name them so that you know about them - and you know already that I really recommend this albums to you. 

If you want any further or deeper informations about them, like also in case of the top fifteen albums introduced or presented to you above, then just browse through the record reviews of 2014 or through the band name labels of the bands and albums you're interested in up here on this blog and read my original review articles on them that I did back then in 2014 over the distance of the whole year. 

And so now here we go, the closing lines of this post and finally also of 2014...

Make sure to check this gems out as well...

ACCEPT - "BLIND RAGE"

BORN FROM PAIN - "DANCE WITH THE DEVIL"

METAL INQUISITOR - "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS"

PLATZVERWEIS - "BIS DER VORHANG FÄLLT..."

SAVAGE MESSIAH - "THE FATEFUL DARK"

TRIBÜNAL - "HELPLESS"

Thanks for your time and interest.

And a very big THX in general to you the readers of this blog for keeping this going with your support, and also a veryTHX to all the bands, artists, and labels who send me their stuff for reviewing and promoting it. THX a lot guys.

And now that was 2014... really.

AGNOSTIC FRONT striking back in 2015.

Great news, one of the new records coming in 2015 to definitely look out for,

the brandnew AGNOSTIC FRONT album titled

"THE AMERICAN DREAM DIED", again brought to us via

the german "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS" label.

Release date North America: April, the 7th.

Release date Europe: April, the 4th.

Stay tuned for it, and I'm already damn excited!!!

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

Why...?!?

To all my friends and readers in France on this dark day...

KOMINTERN SECT - "TOUJOURS LE PREMIER"

On this day marked by coward murders in the name of a sick and fascist religion "of peace and humanity" and plotted by a fascist terrorist homicide attack in the heart of Paris my thoughts go out to the upright French people: Keep your head up, defend freedom of thoughts and expression, stand tall, stand proud, wave your flag high, remember the fallen, and never bow down and give in to the islamo-fascist pest. My thoughts go out to You!!!

This song's for you.

Stand tall, stand proud. Oi! /// Andy

Henry Rollins: ''I think about the meaning of pain. Pain is personal. It really belongs to the one feeling it. Probably the only thing that is your own. I like mine.''

Happy Birthday Malcom Young.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALCOM YOUNG, ALL THE BEST FROM GERMANY!!!

METAL INQUISITOR - "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS" ("An epic story of war and peace, we want the bastards on their bloody knees. Soldiers of fortune, the swords to feel, we give command now their skins to peel!'')

METAL INQUISITOR - "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS"
("MASSACRE RECORDS"; LP)
(Note 1: I have the limited edition on white vinyl in a great Gatefold-package - and this rules, oh yes!!!)
(Note 2: This album is also released on CD as well as on black vinyl - also as a Gatefold-LP.)

This album was in any way a very nice surprise that happened at the very end of 2014, and it happened really totally surprising. METAL INQUISITOR had so far always been a band that I always just knew by their name but I had never heard or listened to a record or even just a single song alone of them so far, and so I had not a single little clue that this very album here, their newest strike titled "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS", even exists - untill the changing of the years 2014/2015 happened and my girlfriend and I together with a bunch of our very good friends celebrated this happening in the city of Braunschweig and our first destination was the Metal'n'Punk'n'Rock & Roll bar of the name of "KLAUE" (a damn cool and very sympathic through and through Rock & Roll Hellhole that you should stop by when you're on a trip to Braunschweig, great guys and a cool location and first class musick non stopp - and also very fair and low prices and this combined with strong drinks) and there we participated just for fun (and because one of our group aimed at winning as many alcohol-shots as only possible, hehehehe...;-)............) in a raffle/tombola and we've all won really a damn lot of different cool stuff, and my main-price, if you want so, was this album on white vinyl coming in a drop-dead gorgeous Gatefold-package/artwork, and what shall I say, the next day after my girfriend and I finally enjoyed the more than well-deserved sleep of the righteous ones at home I used to put this LP on rotation and it should very soon been set on heavy rotation by me - and so and there it remained so far untill now: on heavy rotation. This is really just a total ruling surprise, and this like already written in pretty much every way, and I start to think more and more that it maybe was a huge mistake that METAL INQUISITOR had always never been on my radar so far which means untill now... anyhow... finally this changed, yes, oh hell yeahr. Just by looking at the bandname and the (damn great Gatefold) artwork I think there's no need to discuss what we have here, because: Heavy fuckin' Metal is the order here and now!!! This is damn great NWOBHM of very, very high quality, of damn great quality, and when you listen to the album and the LP spins its rounds you right from the start realize that this is through and through honest, authentic, and heartfelt music full of passion, heart, and soul and it's all also damn fresh and exciting done, so don't ever come up with any retro or vintage or any bullshit like this, because this simply misses the point, it misses this band and album. This is strong, powerful, fresh and high classed, old school kept but totally up-to-date played and done Heavy Metal with a strong british stamp on it with some few teutonic Heavy Metal marks in it as well, to be located somewhere between IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST on the one side, and some RUNNING WILD and maybe ACCEPT on the other side with here and there some great BLACK SABBATH (to there DIO days) and (of course also) DIO notes thrown in the mix for pure excitment as well, and the outcome is one hell of a great grapping and forceful, exciting and glorious and damn stand-alone Heavy Metal Hellride with a very own character and that's just incredible strong chaining-you-up while listening to it, hell yeah', and trust me, this songs will make your fists raise to the air, your throat shout out loud, and your head bang fuckin' hard right from the start in sort of an automatic way, it's just great. Expect fiery guitars, furious galloping drums, rumbling bass work, and fantastic and also damn charismatic vocals, thundering rhythms, great song architectures, strong arranged verses and mighty refrains and truckloads full of great ideas and nice surprises, especially the guitar department delivers one goody after another and offers a very inspirated as well as also inspirating riffing and also especially lead and solo playing without end. It seems that a lot of guys outta there miss straight-up hymns on this album, hm, but this is a problem that I simply can't see or hear, so forget about it. If Side B would not be a little bit weaker than its counterpart this album would be just fantastic, but also so it's a incredible great album and one of the most sympathic, authentic, and just straight-up great (traditional) Metal albums of our days. We also get cool and strong lyrics, a true bomb of a production sound, and a drop-dead gorgeous and ruling artwork. My favorites are nearly all five songs on Side A, "CONFESSION SAVES BLOOD", "BURN THEM ALL", "CALL THE BANNERS" (the absolute über-hymn!!!), and "BOUNDED SURFACE", as well as "DEATH ON DEMAND", "SERVANT OF STATE", and the true bright shining and high rising star of an epic Heavy Metal song titled "SECOND PEACE OF THORN" on the B Side, so maybe start your discovery of "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS" with this gems, even the few not mentioned songs come in close behind. Ah, and just for the record, here are really skilled musicians at work that also know how to write damn fucking great songs, just to point that out clearly one last time more. So, okay, I think I've wrote it all down for you, so now it's up to you, I can only recommend this album to you and this very high and very strong, so just go out and buy it if you ask me what you now should do, period. And never forget and so always do so: Bang that head that doesn't bang, go!!! /// Andy

(Rating: 9 of 10 points)

(Band-Homepage: http://www.metalinquisitor.de/ - Just copy this link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then just go there promptly.)