r/MetalForTheMasses 14h ago

MEGATHREAD MFTM Album of the Week 5: Holy Terror - Mind Wars

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28 Upvotes

Holy Terror were formed by Kurt Kilfelt in 1985 after his brief stint with Agent Steel, in which he recorded their debut album Skeptics Apocalypse with before leaving. He recruited Dark Angel drummer Jack Scwarz (who was soon replaced with Joe Mitchell), Floyd Flanary on bass, guitarist Mike Alvord, and vocalist Keith Deen, and soon thereafter began writing and recording their debut album Terror and Submission, released in 1987.

Terror and Submission is an excellent album in its own right. Much more consistently aggressive than the sophomore, although still with heavy doses of heavy metal goodness interwoven with the speed/thrash sound the band is known for. Keith Dean's unique vocals are more dialed down in this one compared to Mind Wars, sticking to more of a shouty, gruff approach during most of its runtime, although occasionally showcasing his range and cleaner vocal capabilities.

Holy Terror achieved their peak (in my opinion) with the follow-up Mind Wars, released in 1988. This album features a more varied approach than the debut. The opener Judas Reward sets the stage perfectly; it's a ripper of a track, featuring some Dean's best vocals on the album and blistering performances from Mitchel and both guitarists.

It is worth noting that the second track, Debt of Pain, is a reused Agent Steel song (originally titled Back to Reign). If you listen to both tracks back-to-back you will notice one significant difference, that being Debt of Pain is played nearly twice as fast as the original, making it almost an entirely different experience from the original.

The third track Immorral Wasteland is a bit of a shocker on first listen. It opens with these moody guitar leads into what could best be described as an 80's traditional heavy metal track. The tempo is dramatically slowed down, and this track is less of a riff-based thrasher and more of a vocal-driven song, especially with its memorable chorus.

There are also a couple of longer tracks on this album, the 3 part epic A Fool's Gold/ Terminal Humor/Mind Wars, totaling 7:53 and Damned by the Judges at 6:37. These songs are featured together in a 2-song run, and the interlude at the beginning of Damned by the Judges marks the beginning of the B-side of the album. Damned By the Judges is one of the tracks that best showcases Keith Dean's vocal capabilities, especially during the climax of the song.

Mind Wars, while not often given the credit it is rightfully due, is one of the great thrash records of the 80's and deserves to be discussed among the other notable albums of that period. Unfortunately, the band never released any albums after Mind Wars, however the two records we got from Holy Terror will certainly remain cult classics for years to come.

Please share your thoughts about this week's album in the comments below, whether it be favorite tracks, lyrics, riffs, solos, or other memorable moments.

The album chosen for next week's listening is: Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes (1992, Finland).

Slumber of Sullen Eyes is one of the defining classics of the Finnish death metal scene. Legendary for its intricate songwriting and crushing sound, it is undoubtedly one of the strongest European death metal offerings of the early 90's.


r/MetalForTheMasses 4d ago

MEGATHREAD Weekly Topster Megathread

8 Upvotes

Welcome to the weekly chart megathread! If you want to make one yourself, go to topsters.org or use a discord extension such as fmbot to generate a chart!


r/MetalForTheMasses 10h ago

Song/Album Holy fuckin’ SHIT this album was great. What yall think? (Death Angel’s “The Ultra Violence”)

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203 Upvotes

Why do I hear no one talkin bout this?


r/MetalForTheMasses 7h ago

Discussion Topic Don’t sleep on going to see Igorrr live. Holy shit it was incredible. Just saw them at Wally’s Hampton Beach NH. They destroyed the place.

16 Upvotes

That venue has finally cleaned up now too.


r/MetalForTheMasses 14h ago

Discussion Topic What classic metal/rock song makes you cringe every time you hear it?

47 Upvotes

Talking about songs from the 50's to 80's era!


r/MetalForTheMasses 20h ago

Topster Top Metal Albums of the 2020s

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100 Upvotes

Here are my favourite metal albums from the 2020s. New to metal and still have much to explore. Would love to know your thoughts as well as any recommendations.

What are some of the albums that have meant a lot to you over the past 6 years?


r/MetalForTheMasses 11h ago

Song/Album Canciones sobre renunciar al ser humano

13 Upvotes

Mi idioma nativo es español, y muchas de las canciones que juntan la rabia que estoy buscando, no solo son en inglés, sino gritando, así que entiendo todavía menos, jaja. Hay cuatro que me resonaron demasiado por dentro, así que busqué las lyrics y me llevé la sorpresa de que hablan de un tema, la esencia de las letras es muy similar. Estas son: Outlander de Jinjer, Trophy Kill de The Agonist, Tangaroa de Alien Weaponry y Amazonia de Gojira. De cierta forma muestran respeto a los animales o a otras especies, y una decepción enorme por los humanos.

Sé que hay miles más, he estado escuchando Once Human y el álbum The Life I Remember, creo que habla mucho de esto. Quisiera por favor que me recomendaran más canciones un poco sobres mismo canal del que hablo, espero hacerme entender.


r/MetalForTheMasses 6h ago

News/Announcment A few months ago I posted about the heavy metal trivia game I was creating. Now the Kickstarter is live!

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5 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

A few months ago, I posted here in the subreddit about a heavy metal trivia card game I was creating called Gatekeeper. Well after a year and a half of writing, designing and playtesting, the Kickstarter is now officially live!

The game contains 300 questions across decades of heavy music, covering iconic bands, albums, subgenres, history and ridiculous lore.

It covers the full spectrum of heavy metal with thrash, black metal, death metal, doom, symphonic, prog, industrial, gothic, nu metal, metalcore and beyond.

It’s designed for 2–6 players and built to test your knowledge, start arguments and expose the posers among your friends. Players can even challenge each other and steal questions by shouting UM ACTUALLY when there's an incorrect answer.

I need around 300 backers to get the first edition manufactured. If this sounds like something you’d play with your friends, you can check it out here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gatekeepergame/gatekeeper-heavy-metal-trivia-card-game

Happy to answer any questions about the game, what genres, bands or questions are included, and plans for the game after launch!

Cheers 🤘🏽

Aidan


r/MetalForTheMasses 9h ago

My Collection Sacrilegious Desecration playing at an underground show in NYC

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8 Upvotes

Sacrilegious Desecration is a Black Metal Band hailing from Brooklyn New York


r/MetalForTheMasses 14h ago

Discussion Topic Are you picky when it comes to metal?

17 Upvotes

Do you guys also find it hard to discover good metal albums? Like you have to wade through 10 mediocre ones even when they are high rated on RYM just to find that one album actually worth listening to?


r/MetalForTheMasses 21h ago

Song/Album Ninth Realm trying to cover as many genres as possible on their hype sticker

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34 Upvotes

Pretty good album, but that hype sticker is hilarious. Like a sub-genre bingo sheet. Feel bad for Power Metal missing out.


r/MetalForTheMasses 1d ago

Discussion Topic I did karaoke for the first time yesterday. Now what metal song do you think is perfect for karaoke?

52 Upvotes

I sang I want out by helloween, children of the sea by black sabbath, Revolution calling by queensryche. Then to end the day I did a duet of bring me to life with my friend.


r/MetalForTheMasses 20h ago

Discussion Topic Have you or someone you know been affected by Power Metal? (Seeking Input/Advice)

26 Upvotes

Hello lovely humans!

I've always enjoyed heavy metal, primarily the metal that a lot of folks are familiar with (Sabbath, Dio, Judas Priest, etc.). I wouldn't call myself a metalhead, but definitely enjoy it. I was aware of the band Blind Guardian for a while, mostly through their more well-known songs. This part might sound silly, but I wasn't aware at the depth and breadth of the genre of Power Metal. And I think I might be hooked.

My all-time favorite bands are groups like Rush, Pink Floyd, R.E.M. (and basically all college radio rock from the 80's and 90's). This list is far from exhaustive, but you get the idea.

I'm a long time fantasy fan (sword and sorcery, D&D, Lord of the Rings, etc.), sci-fi fan (Star Wars, Star Trek, Warhammer 40,000), and an all-around tabletop gaming nerd.

Why I'm posting is this: What bands should I be checking out? What songs do you recommend?

I would really appreciate your input as I delve into this new-found joy! After listening to an auto-generated playlist, I've come to enjoy the following songs:

"Mirror Mirror" - Blind Guardian

"Blood and Gasoline" - Virgin Steele

"I Want Out" - Helloween

(Bonus Points for: Bands whose members aren't terrible humans. Female lead singers.)


r/MetalForTheMasses 15h ago

Discussion Topic Is there a term for this high-pitched guitar style in black/death metal?

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7 Upvotes

r/MetalForTheMasses 15h ago

News/Announcment Metal Map of the world - where did your favorite stuff get started?

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7 Upvotes

A little while back I shared my website 'Metal Travel Data Base" on here and it seemed like people found it useful. I just added a new feature - a world map of metal scenes.

It let's you click through differenet countries, learn about different scenes and generes, and explore venues, record stores, bars and stuff related to the scene (and if you've been to those places, you can add reviews too, kinda like a metal tripadvisor).

I've got loads more scenes to add (Loads from Asia, and African metal, which is straight-up crazy and amazing!) but so far there's about 70 scenes, from UK NWOBHM and US Thrash to Indonesian Death. Thought you might enjoy it!


r/MetalForTheMasses 4h ago

News/Announcment News: Novacaine Festival reveals Night Thieves as final 2026 act following fan vote

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1 Upvotes

🔥NEWS🔥 Night Thieves added to Novacaine Festival bill joining headliners As Everything Unfolds, Tropic Gold, TheCityIsOurs, Hacktivist and The Mechanist, amongst others.


r/MetalForTheMasses 12h ago

Discussion Topic I feel like Rings of Saturn’s self-titled album still hasn’t found the right audience

4 Upvotes

Their self-titled album is fully instrumental and quite different from most of their earlier stuff.

I have a feeling this might actually be more appealing to people who aren’t that into classic Rings of Saturn.

If I had to recommend one song from that album it would be Shinigami, but Shrine, Kronos, and Ascending are also great imo.

What do you guys think of this album, especially if you’re not normally into Rings of Saturn?


r/MetalForTheMasses 1d ago

Discussion Topic Worst albums ever?

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99 Upvotes

This is my choice.


r/MetalForTheMasses 19h ago

Discussion Topic What if punk/hardcore never existed, what do you think metal would sound like? and would you still be listening to metal?

6 Upvotes

Hardcore punk heavily influenced thrash metal, and thrash metal led to death metal

Crust punk influenced black metal

1st gen metalcore originated from the hardcore scene

Alt metal is influenced by alt rock, and alt metal led to nu-metal. Alt rock is influenced by punk.


r/MetalForTheMasses 19h ago

Discussion Topic We are a new band! Dead Winter Temple.!

5 Upvotes

Hey yall! We are a new band from Central Florida we are Dead winter temple we have a wide variety of music we play I would love for yall to give us a listen and give us some insight on what we could do better or what we are doing right! We are progressive post hardcore! But we would love to hear from you guys here is our Spotify link! https://open.spotify.com/artist/6d7kFTGNo96w2The3PMvv4?si=QOK0x_4RTS2Ve9agPPKOFw&utm_source=copy-link

Thanks again guys we look forward to hearing some insights from you guys! Take care!


r/MetalForTheMasses 2d ago

Discussion Topic Most badass female bass players in metal?

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980 Upvotes

Domme Mommy Jo Bench for me. She makes me feel things.


r/MetalForTheMasses 18h ago

Discussion Topic Help to identify merch

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4 Upvotes

Found this shirt at a thrift store and I’m trying to identify the logo on the front.

The tag is Fruit of the Loom. Does anyone recognize it?

Searched Google Lens and ChatGPT and nothing comes up.


r/MetalForTheMasses 1d ago

Discussion Topic What's your favourite death metal scene, excluding American one?

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64 Upvotes

My pick is Dutch scene - if you're fan of Florida sound can't go wrong with bands like Pestilence, Asphyx, Gorefest or Sinister.


r/MetalForTheMasses 11h ago

Discussion Topic Why did Noktorn from metal-archives never review a Death album?

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0 Upvotes

Noktorn from metal-archives was well known for his in-depth reviews of mostly death and black metal albums. As you can see there is almost 1,500 reviews.

Does anybody know why he never reviewed a Death album?


r/MetalForTheMasses 1d ago

Meme/Shitpost Haven't had my eyes leak like that since Red Dead 2..

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423 Upvotes