HAPPY CANADA DAY!

So here's the background. Canada Day is the national day of our vast country, a holiday celebrating the anniversary of July 1, 1867, which united three British colonies into a single country under the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day, the name was changed in 1982, the year that Canada gained full independence from the UK. So what does this mean? Like most national holidays, a reason to hang with family, friends and celebrate the nation we live in. Who's kidding who. It's also a day off to party!

But as we pay respect to the moment, we also feel the need to pledge allegiance - not only to the flag - but all the key heavy musical masterworks in our history. Hence the the 30 Best Canadian Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums Of All-Time countdown which will run daily throughout July!

We've asked the BW&BK; scribes to list their faves of all-time and now we can present you with the list. And we will count-down one a day for 30 days! What better way to spent the dog days of summer than visit BraveWords.com to check out which fine Canadian metal needs to be in your collection!

Without further adieu, let's rock eh!

The Top 30 Canadian Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums Of All-Time!

#30) TRIUMPH – Allied Forces (Attic – 1981)

From the vast Triumph catalogue, Allied Forces seemed to be the consensus, with Progressions Of Power and Never Surrender as close follow-ups. Still, Triumph only sneaks onto the bottom of the pile, one figuring the band’s old school stadium rock losing some of its oomph over time. Still, this was the band’s golden period, when the took their “blinding light show” to the states with aplomb, like APRIL WINE, enjoying a short burst of success stateside that would in turn keep the fires burning back home as the records got progressively lighter and more AOR-ish. Allied Forces may be best beloved to this day because of its epic power ballads, more than anything, including ‘Say Goodbye’, ‘Fight The Good Fight’ and especially ‘Magic Power’, all songs of optimism and good cheer which had Triumph positioned as the good guys of rock. But the rollicking title track and 'Hot Time (In This City Tonight)' showed that the boys could hold their own in a bar-room brawl!

Allied Forces peaked at #11 on the Canadian charts and was the only album by this beloved trio to go platinum in the US peaking at #23.

Check out Triumph's appearance at the US Festival's massive Heavy Metal Day in 1983 below: