Martin Popoff – Page 44 – Lollipop Magazine

Hades – The Downside – Review

April 1, 2000

A Pandora’s Box of retro mindgames, but in being that, it chooses doom, dirt, organics, and an interesting and discerning sampling of power and prog.

Demons and Wizards – Review

April 1, 2000

The collaboration between Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kursch. Quality, serious-minded power metal riffs and creatively fresh harmonies.

Darkseed – Diving into Darkness – Review

April 1, 2000

Darkseed write like the second-stringers they are, stabbing and shooting at what is a miserable metal quagmire and coming up covered in delete bin swamp mud.

Crowbar – Equilibrium – Review

April 1, 2000

Continuing down the pathway of the underrated Odd Fellows Rest, Kirk, Sammy and crew have inflicted more Trouble into their fire-the-brimstone doomskullery.

Sinner – The Second Decade – Review

April 1, 2000

A cool introduction to one of Germany’s longest-running and most prolific power metal institutions, Sinner proudly up there with Rage and Grave Digger.

Sentenced – Crimson – Review

April 1, 2000

Sentenced have found mournful ways to reconstitute sensibly-arranged power chord rock, even if they seem to make the same record over again.

S.O.D. – Stormtroppers of Death – Review

April 1, 2000

The spirit was undeniable, and the record went on to move a million pancakes worldwide, resulting in this reissue, and last year, a reunion record.

Agent Steel – Omega Conspiracy – Review

April 1, 2000

Leaning into the heavy, note-dense, technical thrash end of things, following Liege Lord as mid-concern, third-tier metal obsessives.

Winters Bane – Heart of a Killer – Review

April 1, 2000

1993’s Heart Of The Killer finds Ripper in full Halford mode, soaring over compositions that are riff-crazy, like heavy Savatage with an exploration metal vibe.

Virgin Steele – The House of Atreus Act I – Review

April 1, 2000

The House of Atreus Act 1 is like a complicated, riff-mad, but sonically-conservative Manowar epic, halfway to that band’s quixotic midrange sound.