Various Artists - Metal Hammer: Battle Metal VI (Review by Time_Signature)

This collection of Battle Metal (a weird and wonderful blend of Power Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Symphonic Metal, Classic Heavy Metal, Dio era Rainbow, oiled up and battle-ready Manowar, Iron Maiden, Skyclad and many other larger than life things in Metal) illustrates how the genre balances on the border of being wonderfully larger than life and being totally ridiculous. It also documents how something typically associated with progressive rock - namely genre transgression - has paradoxically enough been used to develop a rather rigid but very entertaining genre within Metal. The noteworthy tracks are typically by artists who display virtuosic skills while obviously not taking themselves too seriously.