Hall of the Mountain King

I was not expecting to see this here. Savatage is one of my favourite bands. This album through to Edge of Thorns is basically untouchable. 5/5.

I'm telling you right now before listening to a note, I'm giving this an extra star no matter what for album art straight out of the 80s Advanced D&D book cover portfolio. Hell yeah buff mountain god, electrocute those giant smoking chalices. OK, I'm back and this did not dissapoint, the music is basically the cover art. Which is a solid 3 out of 3 classic 80s metal on the proggish side. It put a smile on my face: no notes.

Super enjoyed that; why can't more metal be fun?

Some classical heavy metal (pun intended). The vocalist is amazing, some good riffs now and tegen. Cool album

OK, first time through I wasn’t entirely sold on this… but I was driving around and album repeat was apparently on and the second time through I enjoyed it more… kind of what you might look for if you are looking for some good 80s heavy metal.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Beyond the doors of the dark, Strange wings, Hall of the mountain king, Castles burning

Would always go for Gutter Ballet, but title track is as great as ever. The other songs vary from ok-ish to (very) good: 7/10.

Not my type of music but really enjoyed this.

These guys are a sister group of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Apparently they made a concept album in the early 90's called Dead Winter Dead. It did surprisingly well, and inspired the members to create TSO to explore the genre of rock theatre. They remind me a lot of Iced Earth, Manowar or Saxon. Pretty solid 80's metal. And that album cover is a perfect power metal cover! Favorite songs: White Witch, Hall of the Mountain King, Strange Wings, Legions, The Price You Pay, 24 Hrs. Ago, Prelude to Madness Least favorite songs: Castles Burning 5/5

Metaaaaaal!

I'm not immune to wacky bullshit power metal. Extreme amounts of cheese, but in this genre complaining about that would be like complaining a folk album has too much acoustic guitar. Yeah, it's a banger. 4/5.

I really want to like Savatage more than I do, but as someone who isn’t much of a power metal fan, their sound leans a bit too heavily in that direction. I can only take so much of the grand, theatrical intensity before it starts to wear on me. That said, there’s undeniably a lot of strong material here. This album like much of their catalog features some very well-crafted songs and ambitious songwriting. Even if the style isn’t entirely my thing, I can still appreciate the musicianship of these guys. 3.5

That was just a straight up sick metal album. Hilarious that this band turned into Trans Siberian Orchestra. Strange Wings was a great song.

I've never been a big fan of the blown out shrill hair metal vocals and 24 Hrs. Ago has me bracing for the next 48 minutes. This falls somewhere between Bon Scott and Bruce Dickenson. Gotta say though, that the first 4 songs do rip. Particularly 24 Hrs. Ago and Legions. Strange Wings reminds me quite a bit of Scorpions. Prelude to Madness is familiar -- pretty sure Trans Siberian Orchestra covers this. Hall of the Mountain King does indeed rip. Kind of lost some steam through the back half, but this was a lot more enjoyable than I expected out of the gate. Still not a huge fan of the operatic vocals, but this was a fun ride. Lowest of 4s.

Not familiar with this band. I haven't listened to much metal so far in 2026, so I'll try to keep an open mind here. (from Wikipedia) the "Grit", the "Crunch", the "Thunder", and "Doctor Killdrums". That's way more fun than saying the names of the band members The Crunch is really good on this album, I wonder what he's up t-Jesus Christ. Amazing how many stories of fatal drunk driving end with the drunk person alive Why do I like this so much? I was wondering for a minute if it needed a rating higher than 4 stars, but then everything after the title track kinda dragged it back down. ("Devastation" is a decent ending though) At different times, I thought of Dio and Scorpions, but the fact that Hall of the Mountain King isn't groundbreaking doesn't detract from how much fun I had. Their synthy rendition of the Grieg instrumental could be worth the price of admission alone. Something about that rhythm section, particularly in Side A- what's the word I'm looking for, limber? bouncy? Idk I found there was a lightness that you don't often find in other 80's metal bands. i liked it HL: "Beyond the Doors of the Dark", "Legions", "Prelude to Madness", "Hall of the Mountain King" March 28, 2026

Some fun 80s hair metal, great organizing structure to take the classic Grieg track and incorporate it in as the melodic backbone of the album. A bit too much instrumentally at times and not always memorable, but an enjoyable listen and a decent dose of metal.

Classic metal, can make more room for this on the list.

Now *THERE's* an album cover! Extremely stupid cheesy 80s metal, which is usually a coin toss whether that'll be very fun or very annoying. This one is fun!

Produced by the guy that would found Trans Siberian Orchestra. Shreddy metal with lots of high tenor wailing if that's what you are into. Title track is probably the best one on here. The anti drug anthem White Witch might actually do more damage by being a genuinely fun track that would make people want to do cocaine. You hear a lot of the inspiration for And Nothing Elese Matters by Metallica on Last Dawn. This grew on me as it went by.

The mountain king is jacked

Makes total sense that this is the founder of Trans Siberian Orchestra after hearing Prelude to Madness. Not bad but gets a little too power rocky for me. High 3.

Not my favorite style of metal music. The power metal era always felt like it tried to be a faster more extreme sound that Black Sabbath made in the late 70s but without the ability to capture the same darkness. The longer high pitched notes have always been something I haven’t enjoyed in metal. Overall though there are a few songs that are good. The metal riff of the classical Hall of the mountain king and then the follow up song are both pretty solid. Overall though this isn’t something I’d revisit to listen to again for fun. 5.5/10

Hall of the Mountain King is not my cup of tea. It is the kind of over the top heavy metal that sounds like a parody. Certainly "Prelude to Madness" is a joke I don't really get (or are we serious?). After listening to the full album it's like throwing things to a wall and nothing sticks.

This is exactly the sort of album I want to be able to skip in the users list, being allergic to this heavy metal subgenre. The high-pitched vocals and demonstrative guitar pyrotechnics sound ridiculous to my ears. Unbearably cheesy. That said, on a purely "objective" level, I recognize that the band perfectly manage to execute their vision here. "Strange Wings" is an undeniable hit for this sort of artistry, for instance, with a killer chorus that should have been used in the Stranger Things soundtrack, ha ha. The epic harmonies in that bridge towards the end are also excellent work. As for the quotes from the classical canon, let's just say that they're a fun wink, even if the idea is obviously very hackneyed or heavy-handed -- befitting the genre, I would say. The introduction of "Prelude To Madness" only bears a passing ressemblance to Gustav Holst's "Mars, The Bringer of War" -- some commentators are seriously deluded or ignorant if they think the music is quoted verbatim here -- and if the interpolation of Edvard Grieg's "In The Hall of The Mountain King" (which gives its name to the orignal song that follows, oddly enough) is more faithful in that same instrumental, it also checks all the expected boxes, to the point where the track doesn't leave *that big* an impression. I would even dare to say Savatage goes though the motions here, given the utter lack of surprises production-wise. But at least, that borrowing accomplishes the intended goal -- one that's perfectly stated in the album's artwork, by the way... The rest just tags along. I find it hilarious that "White Witch" is an anti-cocaine song that makes you want to snort a line -- at least according to some fans of the track. That sort of misunderstanding speaks volumes about how the ambitions of that sort of metal band are always misplaced to an extent. It's OK to "live your truth", as they say, but don't act surprised when outsider observers make a bit of fun at your expense when said "truth" looks and sounds so performative. "Objectivity" can go both ways, you see. The line between earnestness and parody gets so easily obliterated when you listen to this record. Not judging the music fans who don't care about that line in the first place, though. They can even snort it next to the other streaks of white powder on the glass table for all I care. Apart from that, the "acoustic version" of "Castles Burning" is listenable, I guess, whereas the piano version of "Somewhere in Time / Alone You Breathe" is a saccharine borefest. But those two cuts are bonus tracks anyway, so why am I bothering commenting on them? Bumping my grade a half-point to salvage this record from my lowest-rated gallery. It's still a way better-sounding LP than the stupid Helloween album that popped up the other day, at least. I admit I have no clue which of those bands is the more popular for fans of the overall heavy metal / power metal genre. Nor do I care to know, once again. After I finish my review, I will check Savatage's side-project Trans-Siberian Orchestra (whose name I've heard somewhere) to hear how they spun the "classical" thread further later on. But to see if my allergy to this umbrella genre of metal subsided or not, you'll need another user to suggest one of their albums, and then read my review of it. In the meantime... 1.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 2. 6.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 1.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 83 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 106 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 215 (including this one) ---- Émile, j'ai vu ta dernière réponse. J'essaie de trouver le temps de te laisser la mienne dans les jours qui viennent. Désolé, ça fait longtemps que je te dis ça, mais la situation est un peu compliquée par chez moi en ce moment... Rien de grave, mais je trouve pas beaucoup de temps pour moi. Porte-toi bien

Very ridiculous and over the top Heavy Metal. Did not know anything about this group. Funny they are connected with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This was about what I expected, fun and inconsequential.

Monday morning blues and I get this nonsense. Was this someone's guilty 80's pleasure? Or a joke.....

I’m not sure how I hadn’t heard of this band. Unfortunately, listening to this album didn’t make me think I should have. It’s a fine metal album. I just don’t think it’s a classic.

Metaaaaaal! 🤘🤘🤘

I feel really dumb for having slept on this when it came out in '87, because it's fantastic. Richly played and highly entertaining. I also love the economy of the whole production. It's a scant 39 minutes long, but every second feels substantial. Fave Songs: 24 Hrs. Ago, Beyond the Doors of the Dark, Hall of the Mountain King, Legions

Classic 80’s/90’s power metal!! Love it

This was fun, although the mixing is pretty bad which sucks. A could remaster would help a ton since it just sounds so muddy. I was wondering if it was spotify, but checking out youtube I hear similar, so just bad mixing. Overally, silly fun and could be a good addition to the meager metal offerings in the OG list. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

The platonic ideal of 80's heavy metal from the art to the lyrics to the guitars to the high pitched howling. Ridiculous, fast paced, fun. This album would have been a better choice then some of similar offerings on the list. Good share.

Mid metal abundant

Not bad

Although I really enjoy metal, especially its more melodic variations, this album didn't resonate with me much, and I found it quite repetitive. It deserves an extra star from me, as I always enjoy metal versions of so-called "classical music" and they did it well enough for me.

Surprisingly good, but not especially interesting 3

Heavy metal, power metal. Ni fu ni fa.

Personally, I feel there are a lot of genre legends I would’ve gone for before this one, but in terms of representing the style it’s accurate. An enjoyable listen

Solid.

Hard rock típico de los años 80. Canciones con pegada, mezcla de diferentes grupos. No termina de enganchar, aunque el estilo gusta. Podría haber sido más épico

Hall Of The Mountain King is mostly an average at best tribute act for Iron Maiden based on style and presentation. I didn't mind it but I just wanted to listen to Maiden instead? A high 2 or a low 3, there are lots better examples of the genre but this was okay.

Heavy metal, power metal. No es muy estilo y además es muy largo. Me gusta la última canción.

Heavy metal, power metal. Ni fu ni fa.

This sounds exactly like you think it’s going to

Daft metal.

Black Sabbath called. They asked if they could have their riffs back please?

When you think of theatrical over-the-top metal from the 80s, Savatage is what comes to mind.

This album was a fine listen, but I didn't really get its significance. This stripe of metal isn't particularly my genre, but it sounded like other things I've heard that came before it. Still, like I said, it was a fine listen. Also the cover art is dope 3/5

The guy has a fine voice but the music is so goofy

Pretty much as middle of the road metal as you could ask for. Higher side of 3.

6/10 - I’m not the target demographic for this, but it was still kinda fun sounds like Spinal Tap except unironic

We must be near the end of the list. 5 votes for this album

If I can step outside my own cringe, there is obviously some talent here. But wow. This definitely isn't for everyone.

I know they’re being serious, but it’s too close to Spinal Tap not to laugh.

This iron maiden cover band is really cute. Maybe they'll make their own music someday.

Tuffa grabbar. NOT! De försöker väl åstadkomma något men det går sådär.

Again, not my kind of music. And because of that I find it hard to understand how it could be anyone’s favourite album. I would be interested to know the reasons why it is held in such high esteem.

I didn't really enjoy this. Too much prog, too much of that almost parody of a vocal high pitch voice.

I liked the hard rock/metal cover of Prelude to Madness. The rest of the album was for more hardcore fans of the genre.

Pretty boilerplate metal

Very hair metal. Didn't hate it but tenacious d does it better