For a good while this year, I wasn’t feeling especially jazzed about new heavy metal. This is not to say that good metal hasn’t been released. It definitely has! I come not to criticize, but instead to say that sometimes I just want to listen to something big, ridiculous, and cheesy. I’ve had my somber fun for this year — the new Insomnium and Tomb Mold records are both great — but as a fan of ‘80s trad metal, I like a good time with classic metal sounds, too.

My favorite traditional metal discovery this year is Sacred Outcry. Founded by Greek bassist George Apalodimas, the band has floated around for a little over 20 years, releasing debut album Damned For All Time… in 2020. That album featured Beast in Black vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos, who turned in a great performance but opted out for the followup record. That brings us to this year’s Towers of Gold, which features journeyman vocalist Daniel Heiman. Heiman, who you probably know from that one Lost Horizon song, has bounced around from band to band for a while. It’s always great to hear him, especially when he has great songs to sing. Heiman sounds significantly better than many of his peers these days, something I chalk up to his relatively slim touring schedule.

I won’t claim that Towers of Gold is the fastest or most energetic power metal record you’ll hear this year. It is, instead, classy. It is elegant. It features excellent performances top to bottom. And yes, the songs are great. The absolute highlight is the title track, which runs a fantastic 15 minutes. Generally, I think it’s fair to say that epic-length power metal tracks struggle to justify their length. This one? It works. It works because it’s patient, it isn’t ridiculously repetitive, and Daniel Heiman absolutely kills it. Listen. You’ll love it, especially if you enjoy extravagance in the mold of Iron Maiden’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

The end of the year has brought a few other good things. First and foremost is the brand new Angra record, Cycles of Pain. Fabio Leone, late of any number of versions of Rhapsody, is back for his third go-round as vocalist for what is probably Brazil’s best power metal export. I think he does a great job! The voice is weathered, but Fabio still sounds wonderful. “Ride Into The Storm” and “Gods Of The World” are the tracks I would most recommend, but if you like power metal the whole record is totally worth it. The songs are huge and overblown, but there’s enough bite to them to remind listeners that this is actually a metal record.

Speaking of Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, vocalist and motivational speaker about town, has finally released a new single. Bruce hasn’t put out a solo album since 2005’s just fine Tyranny of Souls, but he’s back! “Afterglow of Ragnarok” is just fine. Bruce strains a bit, but he’s been straining on record for 15 years. The mix isn’t horrible. The lyrics are pretty okay. The riff goes. I’ll probably listen to the song a lot! I’m more excited about Bruce’s solo career than many, I think — I listen to a couple of his ‘90s records relatively regularly — but I’m not sure what to expect from the full album. Iron Maiden’s most recent record, Senjutsu, is fun in places but drags through the middle. It was also recorded in 2019 and Bruce’s voice sounds… imperfect on it. Four years on, I’m not sure how he’ll pull off a solo record, which ought to put his voice front and center. If he’s straining on the first single, I don’t know that I trust Bruce to sound great through the rest of the album. The Mandrake Project is out at the beginning of March.

The new Judas Priest songs, “Panic Attack” and “Trial By Fire,” are a bit paint by numbers, but they’re fun! Rob Halford screaming about the internet is what I want, I guess. If you haven’t, definitely listen to “Panic Attack.” Lyrically it’s not great, but the vocal performance is strong and the guitars rip. I’m excited for the album, Invincible Shield, which is out the second week of March. That’s the week after the Bruce Dickinson record, so hopefully at least one of them will hit for me.

Last but not least, there’s a new Saxon single just out. I didn’t expect that at all, but “Hell, Fire and Damnation” is solid, Judas Priest-ish heavy metal. No complaints. Singer Biff Byford sounds exactly like he did in the early ‘80s, which regular Saxon listeners will know is neither a complaint nor really a compliment. Saxon doesn’t always work for me, but they have 23 studio albums. They’re good for more than a few great songs. Of the more recent stuff, I definitely think 2018’s Thunderbolt is the best. I have high hopes that the new record, out in January, will be at the very least a good solid time.

I’m sure there will be other great metal in the coming year. I won’t just listen to veteran artists, either. I promise! I’m excited for all the things I’m not excited for yet. Excited to hear new things, to look forward to new things, to learn new things. Horns up and happy listening.