Megadeth: Endgame (2009)

I guess this is how the story ends, to quote a song title from Endgame, the 12th album from thrash metal legends Megadeth? If true, and the forthcoming album and tour is to be Dave Mustaine’s last (under that moniker, at least), it’s good to see him not only leaving on his own terms, but with a body of work that — while it may include a few stinkers — contains more than enough killer albums to justify calling the “legend” tag and anchor their standing in the Big 4 of Thrash forever. And in Consuming the Tangible fashion, rather than mark the occasion with a bona-fide classic, I wanted to put the spotlight in Endgame, which doesn’t get nearly the praise it deserves as a top-tier Megadeth release.

ChrisAugust 15, 2025August 15, 2025Leave a comment

Black Sabbath: Steel City Blues (1978)

First off: Rest in Peace, Ozzy Osbourne. You can argue until you’re blue in the face the face, but in the end there is no argument: the man was the personification of heavy metal. No one sounded like him, and no one lived the metal life quite like he did. Even as a doddering family man on reality TV, he still managed to embody spirit and fire that ignited an entire movement more than 50 years ago on February 13th, 1970 when the first Black Sabbath album enveloped the world in its darkened wings. After a night spinning all my favorite records from the man, it was inevitable I would get an entry in today, but I wanted to write about something different, so let’s look at the end of an era. Steel City Blues was recorded live in Pittsburgh in 1978, just as they were recording Never Say Die! A year later he’d be fired, but listening to this live broadcast all I hear is a band still capable of fire and passion.

ChrisJuly 23, 2025August 3, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Metallica: Load (1996)

Here’s my dirty secret: until a few days ago not only did I not own a physical copy of Load, the sixth album from arguably my favorite heavy metal band of all time Metallica, but…I had never even listened to the album in its entirety. I knew the singles, wasn’t overly impressed, but that’s only part of the reason. By 1996 I had shifted into other genres and tastes, and both Load and Reload were albums I assumed I would get to in time, but never did (I still haven’t listened to all of Reload). On the event of the band getting their remastered deluxe set ready for next week, I decided now was the time and grabbed the vinyl, just as I did every other remaster the band have released to date. It was the perfect way to grab these on vinyl for the first time, and so far the remasters have all been superb. Since my copy of Load arrived a week early, I finally sat down and listened to the entire album.

Guess what? I’ve got thoughts (long post ahead).

ChrisJune 9, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Ozzy Osbourne: Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)

Since it’s my birthday month, June was supposed to be filled with easy favorites, albums I love and didn’t review yet. I woke up and couldn’t think of a single one to cover. So I went to my Discogs collection and clicked the random button and out popped Blizzard Of Ozz, the solo debut by one Mr. John Michael Osbourne, aka Ozzy Osbourne. Life is filled with coincidences: the last time I used the random button to write was for Diary of a Madman, and Blizzard… was probably the album that got me on the heavy metal train to begin with. All aboard, indeed…

ChrisJune 3, 2025June 3, 20252 Comments

Vinyl

Century: Sign Of The Storm (2025)

Search the darkened nooks and crannies of any genre and you’ll find nuggets of wealth. Tried and true traditional heavy metal never had a visibility problem, but as I peruse heaping promo piles it doesn’t seen to have the market frothing had it had a decade ago when bands like Spirit Adrift and Haunt (somewhere between their fifth and fifteenth album) were showing just how much life the children of the NWOBHM could bring to the masses. So it’s a relief to find a band like Century not only holding the torch aloft for others to heed the call, but that they do it with a shine and polish that recalls my favorite bands of the past 40 years while maintaining a modern edge production-wise. Sign Of The Storm was an early highlight of 2025 for me, and almost a half year later still brings everything I want in my traditional heavy metal review to the fore.

ChrisMay 6, 2025May 6, 20251 Comment

CD, Vinyl

Iron Maiden: Live After Death (1985)

I won’t argue it has a more iconic line than yesterday’s Johnny Cash album, but for a kid growing up in the 80s in love with hard rock and heavy metal, there was no greater thrill than shouting out “Scream for me, Long Beach!” along with Bruce Dickinson. I may have discovered Iron Maiden through The Number of the Beast, but it was Live After Death, their live document of the 1984-85 Powerslave tour that hooked me as a fan for life.Practically a note for note execution of their greatest hits to date, everything from the cover artwork to the photos to the galvanizing me into the fan for life I am today.

ChrisApril 2, 2025April 2, 20251 Comment

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Tag: heavy metal

Megadeth: Endgame (2009)

Black Sabbath: Steel City Blues (1978)

Metallica: Load (1996)

Ozzy Osbourne: Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)

Century: Sign Of The Storm (2025)

Iron Maiden: Live After Death (1985)