Thoughts Without Words: Trifecta albums

Remember when I used to blog? Anyway, it has been awhile.

So I was thinking the other day about bands that released 3 albums in a row that are just "all killer, no filler". And as I thought about it more, I realized that making 3 great albums in a row is very hard. This post will look at some of my favorite bands and see if they every had a trifecta.


Metallica: definitely. I would say they hit 4 in a row. Their 1st 4 albums are all classics. But if you were to narrow it down to 3 I would say Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and And Justice for All. 

Megadeth: Yes. They actually could lay claim that their first 5 albums are all classics. But I would also go with their 2nd half albums, The World Needs a Hero, The System has Failed, and United Abominations. 

Trivium: Nope. This hurts cause I love Trivium. Their debut and Ascendancy are good, but The Crusade ruins that run. Shogun and In Waves started it up again, only to be stopped by Vengeance Falls. And their last two albums aren't the beginning of a trifecta run either.

Shadows Fall: Yep. Of One Blood, The Art of Balance & The War Within. In fact, if not for Threads of Life, Shadows Fall could have had the perfect run.

Killswitch Engage: Nope. Alive or Just Breathing & End of Heartache are classics. As Daylight Dies kills that one though. ADD doesn't bring anything new to the game so to speak. And the songs, just don't compare. They almost did it again with Killswitch Engage II & Disarm the Descent, but Incarnate was just above average.

All That Remains:  Nope. Their debut & The Fall of Ideals are classics. Their sophomore album is just blah. Sounds too much like KsE. Overcome is ok, but For We are Many is the beginning of the end of this band.

Into Eternity: Nope. Buried in Oblivion and Scattering of Ashes are solid, but Incurable Tragedy is too short and Dead or Dreaming suffers from some poor production.

In Flames: Yes. Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman are classics in Swedish Death Metal. Come Clarity & Sounds of a Playground Fading are great as well, but unfortunately that middle album A Sense of Purpose is just mediocre.

Nevermore: Yes. Like Shadows Fall, they come close to running the table. Their debut is un-listenable to me. But Politics of Ecstasy through This Godless Endeavor are all great examples of modern thrash metal.


Those are basically most of the bands I listen to and you can see only 5 really have done it. If I went to rock I would say Aerosmith and Guns N Roses.

Tirades of Truth: Lulu

Wow...just wow. That is probably the best way I can describe the new Metallica/Lou Reed collaboration. I can see why so many people turn it off after the first song. Seriously. Lou Reed doesn't sing, he talks with a little bit of tone. I guess the best way to describe his vocals would be to say it is reminiscent of Johnny Cash's vocals for Hurt.


Now clearly, James Hetfield's vocals would have made this project a lot better. It would have been similar to Load/Re-Load, but a little bit more metal and less rock. He makes a couple of appearances as a background vocalist. It is a welcomed changed and you can almost hear how great this album could have been if he would have just done them all. I am sure that is what people thought when Dave Mustaine did his MD.45 project and then put Lee Ving on vocals. I guess the one positive thing for those people is that Dave eventually released the album with him doing all the vocals. But I don't see Metallica ever doing that. Heck, while every band has re-released albums with "bonus tracks", Metallica never has, ever. So while it would probably sell more and get a better reaction, I don't see it happening. By the way, someone re-edited The View and took out anything relating to Lou Reed. This is what I mean...it's not horrible. It is probably better than the Loads now that I listen to it.


I am a huge Metallica fan. Everything they touch is great. As I listen to this now (it is streaming HERE), there are times that I find myself laughing out loud because of the vocals or lack there of or I am laughing at the horrible lyrics (If I waggle my ass like a dark prostitute, would you think less of me) and there is more where that came from. I understand this is a concept album, but wow this story is difficult to follow for me. I just keep getting distracted by those lyrics.


Now for the positives, yes they are there. The music is great. Solid all the way around. I would love to hear this as an instrumental album. Like I said earlier, it isn't Master of Puppets or Kill Em All, but more in line with the Loads. There are times where it is pretty thrashy, Mistress Dread, but overall it stays within what we know Metallica to sound like.

Overall, it was better than I thought it would be. I kept hearing snippets of the songs and vocals and thought it would be horrible. Well it isn't. Is it great? No, and during this year of great albums, it probably make my top 10 list. But it definitely deserves a spin. Skip around sample here and there. I was able to almost tune out Lou Reed's vocals and just enjoyed the music. Someone get around and make this an instrumental.

Who Decides: Metallica albums

Well as I am trying to rank all of Metallica's studio albums, I decided to take a look at each one separately and determine how many songs off of each album I look forward to hearing. Now to say that this is my final list is far from correct. As you will see, Metallica's self-titled album (The Black Album) is 100%, and I can assure you it isn't my favorite album. This was just looking at the album separate from all other albums. So here we go:

Metallica (12/12) 100%
Enter Sandman
Sad but True
Holier Than Thou
The Unforgiven
Wherever I May Roam
Don't Tread on Me
Through the Never
Nothing Else Matters
Of Wolf and Man
The God That Failed
My Friend of Misery
The Struggle Within


Death Magnetic (10/10) 100%
That Was Just Your Life
The End of the Line
Broken, Beat & Scarred
The Day That Never Comes
All Nightmare Long
Cyanide
The Unforgiven III
The Judas Kiss
Suicide & Redemption
My Apocalypse


Re-Load (12/13) 92%
Fuel
The Memory Remains
Devil's Dance
The Unforgiven II
Slither
Carpe Diem Baby
Bad Seed
Where the Wild Things Are
Prince Charming
Low Man's Lyric
Attitude
Fixxxer


Kill Em All (9/10) 90%
Hit the Lights
The Four Horsemen
Motorbreath
Jump in the Fire
(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
Whiplash
Phantom Lord
No Remorse
Seek & Destroy


Master of Puppets (7/8) 88%
Battery
Master of Puppets
Welcome Home
Disposable Heroes
Leper Messiah
Orion
Damage, Inc.


Load (12/14) 86%
Ain't My Bitch
2 × 4
The House Jack Built
Until It Sleeps
King Nothing
Hero of the Day
Bleeding Me
Cure
Wasting My Hate
Mama Said
Thorn Within
The Outlaw Torn


And Justice for All (7/9) 78%
Blackened
...And Justice for All
Eye of the Beholder
The Frayed Ends of Sanity
To Live Is to Die
Dyers Eve


Ride the Lightning (6/8) 75%
Fight Fire with Fire
Ride the Lightning
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fade to Black
Trapped Under Ice
Creeping Death


St. Anger (8/11) 73%
Frantic
Some Kind of Monster
Dirty Window
My World
Shoot Me Again
Sweet Amber
The Unnamed Feeling
All Within My Hands


Interesting to see how this played out. Now some albums are hurt by the number of tracks on an album. Ride the Lightning and Load both have 2 songs gone, but Load has 14 tracks versus Ride the Lightning's 8. This might play into my list, but it definitely isn't the final version.

Music Non Stop: Month of Metallica

About 3 years ago I started playing nothing but Metallica when state testing was approaching. This year is no different. I started with Death Magnetic, then to St. Anger. I will hit the two new songs from S&M & I Disappear, then finish it off with disc one of Garage Inc.

It is kind of fun to hear the difference in the albums. To hear a band sort of de-evolve, since I go backwards in the discography. I have stated before that I didn't think I could rank the Metallica albums when I ranked their opening tracks awhile back. But as I have listened to the albums this week, I am thinking I am going to try it.

One thing for sure is that St. Anger isn't going to be on the bottom of the list. I have a new respect for that album after putting it back on after a couple of years. It has some classic Metallica songs on there; Frantic, My World (heck I named my blog after this song), Sweet Amber, Shoot Me Again, The Unnamed Feeling, and All Within My Hands are great songs. Listening to them now I don't miss the guitar solos at all. The drums? Yeah that still bugs, but it doesn't take away from the music. Anyway, I will try and rank the albums before the month is over.

And to start it off, a video. Not a Metallica video...well not a music video. On the Megadeth forums there was this guy on there who won a contest to jam with Metallica backstage. Anyway, he decided to play One with them. When the solo comes on, he starts to harmonize over Kirk. It's freakin' awesome. I love the expression James has around the one minute mark...heck he stops playing to watch! Great moment.

Music Non Stop: If Only...

...they would have released this as another band.

How many times have you heard that one? The classic "it's not that bad, it's just not a _________ album". Well my friends, I have 3 such albums that any time I listen to them I find myself saying the exact same thing. Heck, when I talk about the albums to anyone I say it.

Testament - Demonic
I'll be honest, I wasn't always a Testament fan. I talked about it years ago, basically how they sounded like a clone of Metallica. Heck after The Black Album came out, Testament released The Ritual. It was basically the same style of mid paced metal that sort of ruled the early 90's. But my collection lacked some Testament so I picked up a greatest hits album. It wasn't anything special until I got to Dog Faced Gods. It was so intense. Chuck Billy had some deeper growls and definitely didn't sound like James Hetfield anymore. It was great. I saw it came off of Low, so I picked it up. Low is probably my favorite Testament album. It is the perfect blend of classic thrash and modern thrash, I might go as far as to say it is the birth of modern thrash.

I decided to check out The Gathering which was released a couple of albums later, skipping over Demonic. I heard Demonic was a death metal album. Well after The Ritual I had to pick it up. And you know what. Demonic is a great death/thrash album, but it isn't a Testament album.

Most of the time Chuck Billy is doing death vocals. He has a great metal voice, so why would he do something that isn't his strength? Maybe Eric Peterson couldn't get a Dragonlord album out so he wrote it for Testament. Demonic is a tough album to categorize because it doesn't have the blast beats for death metal and the vocals certainly aren't thrash. The only songs that have a Testament feel would be John Doe and Hatreds Rise because of the cleaner vocals.

With all that being said, Demonic isn't a bad album, it just isn't a Testament album. If this thing was released now, kids would probably go nuts over Chuck Billy's vocals, but in 1997 it fell kind of flat.

Motley Crue - Motley Crue
Oh Motley Crue. You started off so strong with Too Fast For Love and Shout at the Devil and then you went glam...big time. That's actually ok for me because it gave us Wild Side, Girls Girls Girls, Home Sweet Home, and all of Dr. Feelgood. After Dr. Feelgood I was curious as to what they could do to top it. Their first greatest hits album, Decade of Decadence, had 3 new songs which were all great. Primal Scream is easily one of my top Crue songs. But there was no follow up with the original line up after Decade of Decadence, Vince Neil was gone. Enter John Corabi.

Just changing Vince Neil really changed the look of Motley Crue, gone was the lone blonde member. But the changes were more than physical, John Corabi didn't just sing, he also played guitar. For the first time the Crue had two dedicated guitarists. It really changed the sound of the Crue. Gone was the whole glam sound and what came was probably their most "metal" album since Shout at the Devil.

The guitars were slow and brooding. The drums played with such force that you could almost feel them coming out of the speakers. The music itself? I would probably say it was a more blues influenced metal than rock. Looking at it now, it almost feels like a somewhat lighter version of Metallica's Load albums. Lyrics were not just about partying anymore. It was more serious. Abuse (physical and drugs) and crime replaced those classic Crue lyrics of old. There is still a ballad, but it isn't too cheesy and I would say that was put on because of the record label.

John Corabi couldn't go high like Vince Neil could, so that also changed the whole sound of Motley Crue. His vocals had that classic hard rock sound to them, nothing glam going on there. Corabi was made for a rock/metal band, not glam. Unfortunately for the Crue, the label wanted the glam Crue. This is probably their best album from start to finish, or at least top 3. People throw this away because there is no Vince Neil on it, but it is a great blues-influenced rock/metal album.

Megadeth - Risk
This had to be on here right? Some of you might think it's hypocritical to have Megadeth on here for Risk and yet, not have Metallica on here for the Loads. Honestly, the main problem is that Dave was out talking about how Risk was a "return to Rust in Peace". And I bought it. I mean Cryptic Writings had some great thrash moments and this was going to build on those. What could go wrong?

It starts off with some distorted guitars, which was ok. Then we are hit with almost a techno feel with violins and all. Insomnia isn't a bad song, in fact it's one of the better ones on the album. But you notice the trademark guitar sound that was present since Countdown to Extinction was gone. Prince of Darkness has a super long build up, but once again, once it kicks in...it's a great song. I was pretty pumped here. Then we come to the bad parts. Enter the Arena and Crush Em seem well out of place on a Megadeth album. Up til then, I was still thinking this is a good Megadeth album, not great, but solid. Crush Em lyrics just didn't fit for Megadeth, but whatever, it was written for Bill Goldberg so I could live with it.

Then it hit, Breadline. What is this? A rock song on a Megadeth album? Catchy, yes, but not sounding like Megadeth at all. Ecstasy & Wanderlust were more of the same. Catchy songs, with a standard drum beat and thin sounding guitars. What happened to my Megadeth? Heck Seven could have been on Motley Crue's self-titled album from above. It was just a rock song. There is little to no metal on this album. The two part Time songs round out the album, those are the highlights in terms of metal songs.

So is it a bad album? Not by a long shot. It just isn't Megadeth. The heavy sounding guitars are gone. Super technical and drawn out solos are gone. Thrash? Nope, not here move along. Does that mean it sucks? Nope it means this album would have been great...if it would have been released as something else besides Megadeth. Imagine a radio station saying "here is Megadeth's latest Breadline." wouldn't happen. You don't associate Megadeth with anything but thrash. Dave wrote a good rock album, he should have released it as something else like he did with MD.45.

That's it. I find it funny that some how I managed to mention Metallica in everyone of these albums. Totally not planned, but funny how it worked out that was. Anyway, I kind of like this If Only sub-tag. I might do more of these for all of my tags.

Music Non Stop: Instrumental albums

Instrumentals have always been hit or miss with me. The first instrumental I heard was Metallica's Orion. Clearly, a hit. In fact, that song sort of set the bar for other instrumental songs.

Instrumental albums are usually a miss for me. It wasn't until Animals as Leaders released their album a couple of years ago that I realized instrumental albums could be good.

Well it just so happens that there are already 3 instrumental albums on my top albums of the year playlist already. Best part? You can download them all for free or "pay what you wish". There seems to be a trend now of musicians putting out instrumental albums for people to enjoy. These bands aren't signed, but you couldn't tell by the production values.

First up, Dan Dankmeyer and his album Arcologies. This is very similar to Animals as Leaders, which made my top 10 in 2009, so of course this peaked my interest. It's not total shredding. I can't describe it, but he has a way of keeping each song interesting. There is jazz, metalcore, progressive metal, and classic metal. If you are a fan of Animals as Leaders, then this is a no brainer.


Next up is some industrial instrumental music from Tyrants of Death, and their album Dark Space. I thought that Before the Fall was a good mix of Fear Factory and Strapping Young Lad, well ToD is in the same vein with even more SYL thrown in. There is also a ton of electronic samples thrown into the mix as well. This is that class Devin Townsend "wall of sound" music that you either love or hate. The drumming never stops. I absolutely love what they have managed to create. The guitars have that classic Meshuggah sound to them as well.


Last but certainly not least is Soul Cycle, not the greatest name I guess. But musically, they might be the best of the 3. They play classic thrash/melodic death metal. Their debut album is pure greatness. If you could imagine a swedish death metal band or thrash band doing an instrumental album it would probably end up like this. The solos are melodic, but can go into shred mode at any time. The drumming isn't just blast beats either. They play an important part to the melodies as well. If Metallica was to make an instrumental album, it would probably sound something similar to this.


I think the worst thing I have heard about these bands is that they are thinking of getting vocalists to sing over their music. I can't imagine any vocalist being able to make this any better, but whatever. These bands are all unsigned and have their music out there for everyone to enjoy. Go take a listen.

Music Non Stop: Arcania - Sweet Angel Dust

2010 is quickly coming to a close and I thought that my Top 10 was pretty much set, then Arcania had to come in a through the proverbial wrench into it.

First off I gotta say one of my new favorite sites for metal reviews is The NewReview. Without this site I wouldn't have found Arcania and Eye of the Enemy. Great site and is probably my first go to site now for metal reviews.

So onto Arcania. What is their style? I would say modern thrash with a touch of progressive metal thrown in for good measure. The album starts off with the title track and you are treated to a classic Metallica intro ala Fight Fire with Fire before the magic starts. The music is completely break neck speed, but it has that perfect groove.



I won't go song by song because I might do that for the Top 10...just kidding. For a debut they did a nice job of making the music and songs so memorable. The title track, No End, Against My Fear are all great examples of the music being instantaneously being remembered. Something that is hard to say about a lot of other albums these days. There are plenty of thrash out aggressive moments through out the album and tons of progressive elements added to enhance the material. I really liked how they didn't just try to copy the thrash style of the 80's, but rather took a lot of that influence and added their own style to it. Top it off with a 10+ minute song to finish the album and you have yourself one heck of debut album.

Vocally the guy is good. A lot of people compare him to James Hetfield and I can hear the similarities, but he does his own distinguished style. Obviously, if there are similarities to Hetfield, I'm not going to complain. If anything I hear a little more Sully from Godsmack, which is fine too because I actually like Sully's style.

This is a great debut and I hope to hear more from them. I hope to see Arcania be more a DevilDriver, Trivium, or All That Remains instead of a Beyond the Embrace and Blistered Earth. If you don't know the last two bands, check them out they were awesome!>

I expect to see Arcania grace the Top 10 list this year and hopefully years to come. By the way, go to iTunes to buy the album, it's only $4. If you can't spend $4 to support a new band, then there is something wrong.

Who Decides: Comeback albums you should own

So what is a 'Comeback album'? For this post, it simply means an album that was released after a crappy/almost career ending album. There are a lot of them out there, but I will keep this list somewhat short. So how can a band release a career ending album? Easy, they try to reach a bigger audience or experiment with some new technique or just put out a half assed effort. For this list I will list the "comeback album" then the "crappy/almost career ending album" in parenthesis.

Fear Factory - Mechanize (Transgression) Yeah Transgression was a transgression. Oh the horror. Fear Factory are known for blast beats, double bass, heavy riffs and some killer vocals. With Transgression we got little to none of that. Actually, it was more reminiscent of Fear Factory during the dark days of metal. Yes there are a few hidden gems in there (the title track for one), but this was made for a tour with Megadeth and they didn't really put much time into it. Seriously who allowed Echo of My Scream to be on this album...and let it go for 7 minutes?

So enter Mechanize. This is more of a classic FF sounding album. From the intro of the title track you hear the industrial sounds that take you back to Demanufacture. The riffs and drums are back to where we love them. Most fans have embraced this album, but it is such a return to form that it had to lead this list.


Trivium - Shogun (The Crusade) Matt Heafy has some pretty big goals in life. When Ascendancy kept getting praise he said he wanted to be as big as Metallica. That's pretty big. Enter The Crusade press tour, where he decided to now say he wanted to be bigger than Metallica. So how could they do that? Simple, lose all of the screams and go with clean vocals throughout. How did it sound? Like a Metallica rip-off. It was so bad. In fact, during the tours they changed all of their old songs to be clean vocals too...talk about selling out. Musically, it is straight metal, no metalcore or anything like that. It didn't really sound like Trivium, not that they are built as a metalcore band, but it didn't have that feel. It felt too simplistic. Some songs were good Entrance of Conflagration and the stellar instrumental title track. But what really killed this album, besides the lack of screams, was the intro to Unrepentant it is such a rip off of Through the Never by Metallica. So bad. It's a good album and will probably make The Clone list of Metallica, but it almost killed Trivium.

Enter Shogun. This is a masterpiece of an album. Combination of screams and clean vocals and return to their earlier sound. Lots of double bass action and guitar solos that were just great. And how could they top the title track of The Crusade? Simple, Shogun...a 12 minute song that has all the feel of a Master of Puppets type track without the feeling of copying it. Shogun would probably rank higher on the list of favorite Trivium albums, but won't pass Ascendancy because it seems too convenient to see them return to form. People wrote Trivium off after The Crusade, but this album is a must own.


Shadows Fall - Retribution (Threads of Life) After the great album that was The War Within, Shadows Fall was signed to a record deal with a major label, Atlantic Records. Threads of Life was their first album and they assured everyone it wouldn't be a sell out album. It would maintain the brutality of The War Within. Well it didn't. Like Trivium, this album included more clean vocals and really went for the more simplistic straight metal approach. Most songs were the same; fast verse, slow chorus, fast verse, slow chorus, solo, slow chorus. After the album sold so poorly, they were pretty much dropped.

So what did they do? Over-compensated? Maybe, but Retribution could be their best album in terms of guitar solos...scratch that. It is their best album in terms of guitar solos. This album really does a great job of making every song memorable. There is little filler on this album, if any and each song contains a freakin' awesome solo. I will say this, it topped the list of best albums last year for me. If you want some more praise of this album, go HERE, for some earlier comments.


Megadeth - The World Needs a Hero (Risk) This is the example for comeback album. Risk wasn't a risk, it was a huge mistake. But was it a bad album? Yes & no. It was a horrible Megadeth album. It sounded nothing like Megadeth. Sure the first two songs might have come off of Cryptic Writings, but that was it. Everything else was pop rock. And that's where it's not a bad album, it's just not a Megadeth album. Kind of like Motley Crue's self-titled album without Vince Neil. Great rock album, but wasn't Motley Crue without Vince Neil singing. What made it worse was the hype for the album. It was supposed to be a return to form for Megadeth. Cryptic Writings had some sellout type songs with Trust and Almost Honest and they were going back to metal. Well...somewhere from the press to the recording something changed. Because gone was the metal and back was the sellout pop rock. Dave blamed Marty for the change in direction and producer and I believe Dave on this one. Marty has turned into a Japanese pop star, while Dave has tried to redirect Megadeth back to metal dominance. Plus it was easy to convince Dave because he really wanted to beat Metallica in terms of numbers.

So what happened? The World Needs a Hero. I love this album and it is probably in my top 5 Megadeth albums. I talked about it in depth and reviewed it before HERE. It starts off with a song that could have been on Cryptic Writings, but the solo is nothing special in terms of technicality, but it feels perfect. There are a few "radio" friendly songs here, but Recipe for Hate...Warhorse, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, Return to Hangar, When, and even Kill the King (which was supposed to be on the album, but was put on a greatest hits album before this was released) are striaght up thrash metal that could have easily made it onto Rest in Peace or Countdown to Extinction. What makes this album for me is the solos. There are songs where they solo for over a minute. And it is the classic trade off solos that Megadeth was known for. Bottom line, the whole album is great, but the second half is classic Megadeth. This was the beginning of Megadeth returning to thrash. Some fans bash it, I love it.


Before I end this, some of you might be asking yourselves "where's Metallica?" I don't think that St. Anger was a "crappy/almost career ending album". It debuted at #1. And honestly at that point Metallica had lost most of the "true fans" from the Load albums. So Death Magnetic isn't a comeback album for me because Metallica never left.

Music Non Stop: The Big Four...I've seen it all now.

I really thought that when I saw the pictures of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax together in the same room I had seen it all, but it wasn't. Not only did they do a handful of shows the last week, but they covered a song together, Am I Evil? by Diamond Head, well at least Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Someone said someone from Slayer is out there, but I can't tell. Diamond Head was a huge influence on both Metallica and Megadeth so it is a great song choice to cover.

I can't believe I saw Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield share a stage together. Amazing. This was also recorded for a dvd, which I know what I want for Christmas. One last thing, I'm not a huge fan of Slayer (they aren't on my banner btw), but I think Kerry King and Tom Araya should have got out there as well.

More pictures and some other videos HERE.

Music Non Stop: The Big Four shows...holy crap

Ok so this is like the greatest show ever...ever. Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax (crappy without Bush, but ok)...they are known as the Big Four the founders of thrash metal. And they are doing some shows together for the first time...in Europe. Thanks guys, you founded thrash in America and put America on the map for heavy metal, but let's go there first. Whatever...to see them together is awesome. I saw this picture this morning and was blown away...it's so surreal to see these guys together.
All the drama with Mustaine and Metallica or Mustaine and Kerry King Or King with Metallica...to see them in a room wow. There were even more pictures taken later. The one with the four "leaders" of the bands is awkward to see James off to the side almost...but I think it was the timing of the photo. James seems to be above most of the drama nowadays.I don't go to concerts, but I am strongly considering going if this thing comes to the U.S. It's amazing. I guess it would be like getting The Beatles, Elvis, and The Beach Boys (I'm reaching here people) together for one show. It's huge take my word for it.

This thing will come to dvd one day and I will buy it, but being there would be so much better.

Who Decides: Metallica lead off tracks

Ok by now you should know I am into metal. Then it should really be no surprise that I am a fan of Metallica. In fact, in my class this month I play nothing but Metallica as the students come in. I don't know why I chose April, but I have for the past couple of years now.

Being the fan that I am, I can't really pick a favorite album. To me, they are each unique in their own special way. I remember when the two Load albums came out how much they were blasted by the "fans" as being sell-out albums and now they are highly regarded by those same fans.

So while I can't choose a favorite album, I can choose a favorite lead off track. It's a simple list and it's only one song from each album. I would also like to add, that just because one song is number one, doesn't mean it's my favorite album. So onto the list;

9. Ain't My Bitch (Load) - ok, well something had to be at the bottom of this list. Seriously though, Ain't My Bitch is an average song. It's nothing special. It doesn't really set the tempo for the rest of the album either, like the rest of the songs on this list. Plus, this was the first impression made from Load. Now, there are a couple of other songs that could have taken the lead position, but they went with this one. I guess it is one of the "heavier" songs on Load and maybe that's why it was put there. It is probably the only song on here that doesn't leave an impression.

8. Fuel (Re-Load) - honestly, the Loads aren't bad albums. This one leaves a bad taste in my mouth with the opening lines "gimmie fuel, gimmie fire, gimmie that which I desire." When I am listening to Metallica, I'm not expecting Shakespeare, although there are plenty of deep reflecting lyrics in their music, this isn't one of them. Once again, it's a solid song, but nothing great. I might have gone with Devil's Dance or The Memory Remains, but whatever. I think it is a better song than Ain't My Bitch, but it still doesn't "set the tone".

7. That Was Just Your Life (Death Magnetic) - I am sensing a pattern here. Anyway, this is more like it in terms of "setting the tone". A nice long intro (more to come later) and some pretty fast playing. This album came out after the Loads and St. Anger and people were saying Metallica couldn't play thrash anymore. This song came out and said "oh yeah?". It clocks in at a little over 7 minutes long, like most of the songs on the album. And like most of the songs, it gives you a peek at the long choruses and great soloing. I can't say one bad thing about this song. It's not any higher because the other songs are more memorable.

6. Hit the Lights (Kill 'Em All) - This was the song that introduced the world to Metallica (minus the demos). It had the intro that would be built upon over the next 3 albums and again with Death Magnetic. It really gives you a sense of how great the music is. A nice little solo in between the first verses grabs the listener's attention that this isn't a regular album. One of the faster songs on the album, but for me it is actually one of my least favorite Metallica songs. So why is it so high up? Because it defined the band. You never get a second chance to make a first impression and Metallica didn't let down. The speed, solos, it was truly genre defining. How many songs ended on a guitar solo back then? Not many, but that was Metallica's first impression to the world.

5. Enter Sandman (Metallica) - how I hated this song after about 1997. Some of you might remember how big this song was in the 90's when it came out, other maybe not. When this hit the airwaves & MTV it was huge. I don't even think huge can describe it. Let's face it, this is probably Metallica's most popular song. I can listen to it now and realize it is near perfection for a metal song. Great tempo, sing a long chorus and verses, nice chord progressions, and a radio friendly solo. When you talk about a lead track setting the tempo for things to come, this pretty much nailed it. When I play this song, every year, it gets the biggest reaction of "I know this song". With Guitar Hero it only made this song bigger. I know some claimed this was the beginning of the end for Metallica, but I think of it as the second coming of Metallica.

4. Frantic (St. Anger) - Well the Loads left a bad taste in people's mouths and by now people also said The Black Album (Metallica) was a sell out album. So enter St. Anger. The band was in utter turmoil at the time. Jason Newsted had quit the band and James Hetfield was in rehab. When he came out, they said Metallica was reborn. Things were going to change and they were "going back to their roots." People actually said this album would sound like And Justice for All, because there was no official bass player and on AJFA the bass was turned down so much it was like there was no bass at all. It's only after I typed that do I realize how strange some Metallica fans are.

Anyway, St. Anger was released and this was the first impression of the new Metallica. And what an impression it was; tin drums, no solo, James' off key singing. Through all that though it was a return to form so to speak. It wasn't AJFA or anything close to it, but it did give hope that there was still some thrash in there somewhere. On a side note, if St. Anger had a "normal" snare sound and solos it would be Death Magnetic. Listen to both of them and then think about those two things. Songs are both long and the choruses are also long, not to mention some of the intros.

3. Blackened (And Justice for All) - it shouldn't surprise metal fans to see the top 3 lead off tracks come from these albums. These albums (Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and And Justice for All) are seen as the holy grail of thrash metal.

Blackened was the last of the three and like the others they start off with a calm intro, sort of like the calm before the storm. This one was played with electric guitars unlike the others and it doesn't go on as long, but like the others it is simply the only rest for the first song. Blackened is a little more complex than the others with multiple tempo changes, once again setting the tone for the more complex AJFA album. In fact the middle seems like it could be a totally different song. The solo is classic though. You go from this NWOBHM type solo into the classic thrash solo that Metallica was known for and then into something that really just makes you go "WOW! what was that?!?!" And then when you hear the solo going into the chorus, it goes back for more. Amazing. It might be my favorite solo on the list.

2. Battery (Master of Puppets) - nothing much to say, but a classic. The acoustic guitar intro into the drums and electric guitar was pretty awesome back then, and still is to this day. Then into this thrash metal song that only Metallica could write. Battery is one of my favorite songs to listen to and sing along with. The choruses and verses are so great to sing along to. The chord progressions are basic, like Enter Sandman but's that's the only similarities.

Like the other songs in the top three there is a middle part that sort of takes you away. This one isn't as long as Blackened and leads straight into one of Kirk Hammett's best solos. I think my favorite part is the riffs in this song. If you aren't head banging during this song, something might be wrong with you.

1. Fight Fire With Fire (Ride the Lightning) - Kill 'Em All was the birth of thrash, this album saw thrash grow up into something more than we thought it could become; complex, moving, and more than one dimensional.

This is the song that started off the whole "slow intro"-thing that would be present the next 2 albums. The difference is that it was never heard of before. It really sounds like a classical song being played. The riffs are constantly being pounded into your head. The middle section is pretty much nonexistent compared to the other 2 songs. But the solo here might be the best of the three. There are two different "solos" and then onto this part where all you get is about 10 seconds of drumming then the riffs are back. It is the shortest song of the three, probably due to the lack of a drawn out middle section. Of all the songs this is the only one that has the instant transition to the title track. All 3 of the albums were set up similar in terms of types of songs for each spot in the track numbering. I might discuss those later.

So that's the list. Here's to a great month of Metallica.

Music Non Stop: What The?!?!? moments

So as you can tell as a reader of this blog, I tend to listen to all different genres of metal. There are tons, but I will save that for later. Today I want to talk about those songs that made me say "What the..?!?!?" I listen to metal for a few things; fast drumming, heavy riffs, and of course those awesome mind-blowing guitar solos. But even now and then I am taken aback by some songs I hear from some metal bands.

I think the first "what the ?!?!?" moment came when I was listening to Anthrax. Now, Anthrax was one of the first bands I listened to when I got into metal. Plus they were part of the Big Four of thrash. So imagine my reaction when I heard Bring the Noise with Public Enemy.
Now I had heard Aerosmith and Run D.M.C. before, but this was different. This was a metal band covering a rap song. It was totally brand new for me. Add on the fact that Scott Ian raps in it...unbelievable.

A side note this song. This, in my opinion, is the birth of nu-metal. Bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, P.O.D., and a ton more probably wouldn't have existed without this song.

As shocking as that was, it was still a metal song. You can't deny that by listening to it. Fast forward to the mid 90's. Metal was all but dead thanks to grunge. Metallica toured for years on The Black Album, then took some much needed rest. So when they released Load, expectations were high. Say what you will about The Black Album, sell out, too formulated, whatever. At it's core it was metal, maybe not thrash, but metal. Songs like Enter Sandman, Of Wolf and Man, Through the Never, and more were all fist pumpers. Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven slowed it down a bit, but they didn't seem too out of place. So when Load came fans were pissed. Load (and Re-Load) were more hard rock albums than metal. They had some great riffs, but no thrash out moments. But if that wasn't a big enough shock there was this...

Mama Said. Metallica doing a country song. Yep it's true. It's not a bad song, but it's Metallica doing country (note the cowboy hat from James)! As time has gone by, the Loads have become classics to most fans. At the time, they were out of place. Now you can listen to them and be blown away by the layers in the music. The Outlaw Torn, Bleeding Me, Thorn Within, Fixxxer, Low Man's Lyric, and Where the Wild Things Are are all classic songs now.

But Metallica doesn't take the proverbial cake for this thread. That honor belongs to Deadlock. Deadlock is a vegan melodic death metal band, with a female lead singer. Yes all of that is true. So I guess it shouldn't surprise me when I hear a "what the ?!?!?" moment.

It began with their album Wolves. This is classic melodic death metal. When I put in on my top 10 of 2007, I said it was like At The Gates with Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) on vocals. Let me add there is a male vocalist too, but what makes Deadlock different is that the female doesn't do the operatic vocals. So I am listening to Wolves, really liking what I hear when I run into End Begins. Great song, sounds just as good as the others and then you get to the 2:30 mark

techno? with metal? I think the worst part for me was that I was actually a little disappointed the techno part was over. But the way it blended back into the melodic death metal and solo was amazing. When I play this song in class, it always gets a reaction.

Now the following year Deadlock released Manifesto. It was good, but it didn't grab me the way that Wolves did. I think it was the shock of a few of the songs on the album. It starts off with the techno track The Moribund Choir vs. The Trumpets of Armageddon.

The opening vocals on this song mirror word for word the first words sang on Wolves. Now this video plays the first few seconds of Martyr of Science. I did like how they sort of did the whole techno into metal thing again. What can I say, it works for me.

The first song that really hit me as a "What the ?!?!?" moment was Fire at Will. Now, I mentioned how I like those guitar solos, so imagine how I felt when I heard a saxophone solo. That's right a saxophone solo. I thought I was back in the 80's when that opening note hit my speakers. The thing that was really shocking was that it was played right after a killer guitar solo. It's about the 3:30 mark


You would think that would take home the prize. It doesn't. Deathrace does. Deathrace starts off like a classic death metal song...even down to the drum pattern. So there I am on my treadmill listening to this song for the first time and I get to the 4 minute mark and the song kind of skips. I'm thinking it didn't rip properly when I ripped the album, I wish...

a rap!!! nothing else just rap! Not like Anthrax and Public Enemy where it still had a metal foundation. This was just rap. I literally almost fell off my treadmill when I heard this. Now I give rap this, you can understand what they are saying right away, unlike metal. So if the rap isn't bad enough, they are rapping about animal rights!!! Once again, it shouldn't be that big of a surprise because they are a vegan melodic death metal band!
For your reading pleasure (cursing and all)

Animals can't speak but we can...

Look at the peak of evolution the food chain leader
Looking like the freight that he's chauffeuring to eat up
Ain't that some wack shit rolling to the shambles
Acting as a cab bitch slaying loads of animals
Imagine you all was cannibals and mankind the cattle dude
Locked up in a box small enough to get in rampage mood
I fucking disagree with the price and the fee
That these beings have got to pay so we can feast and fucking eat
I'm one with all fauna the animal persona
Raw and distinctive the beast master warned you all
Keep roughhousing and I will be the karma
For acting too supreme make me have to armour up
Testing chemicals and genocide to foreign species
Acts of our society so sick son believe me
We got to keep it real how the fuck would it feel
Locked all ya life behind rolling bars of steel

This is a story about this man in a slaughter house
Took me on tour and showed me all his whereabouts
And in my lurking doubts
He starts to light a cigarette and starts drinking on a genuisstot
You greenpeace fools we handle your food
And if you like fast food
Here's some examples for you
Livestock cows in dead, destroyed milk they use burger king meat
What they feed to the streets, no time to negotiate
Blood fills their death, when their alive when they breathe they lungs aspirate
You like veil, this will spoil your meal
The baby confined to no light and food and that's real
Respect to Islam for eating no swine
Here's some waist pits we use to feed them there time to time
He expressed no pain for four weeks pain a cut in the juggler-vain
Is something yo, I can't explain

By the way, despite what I said about Deadlock, I am really hoping they put an album this year. They do make some really great music and keep you on your toes while you listen.

So there you go. Some of my "what the ?!?!?" moments. I will probably have more as I listen to more music.

Thoughts Without Words: Metallica - Death Magnetic

The year might as well end this weekend because I have found my album of the year...and it's name is Death Magnetic. This thing is killer. From start to finish this is what should have and easily could have been. In fact, if you take away the guitar solos and put in the crappy tin drums you have St. Anger. The riffs, the length of songs, and the lyrics are all kind of similar. One of the songs, The End of the Line, reminds me of Some Kind of Monster.

But the solos and drums are back and so is Metallica. I am a solo kind of guy and Kirk goes nuts on this album. It's like they were saying "geeze, sorry we screwed you out of the last album...do what you want." The solos on this album are the kind I love. Just when you think they are done, they keep going and going and going.

It's not Master of Puppets 2, but for me it is better than The Black Album and the Loads. But the Loads weren't made to be thrash metal, so that's not fair to say. It does fit nicely between And Justice for All and TBA.

Favorite song: All Nightmare Long

More...More: new singles released

Ok with the school year coming to a start and the actual calendar year wrapping up (only 4 months left), the fall releases are starting to give some samples or even singles for what's to come. So here is a quick look at what's on it's way.

Of course, if you read any sort of metal news you know Metallica is releasing their new album in September. Here is the first single off of it, The Day That Never Comes. I have heard people call this a modern day One or Sanitarium...uh no. It's a solid song especially the last 2 minutes or so, feels like Iron Maiden. Oh yeah and there is a part of an older song from Load or Reload in there...gotta find it though.


Next up is a surprise for me, Deadlock. Why? They just released an album last year and it was fantastic! So what will this one sound like? Who knows, but one of the songs from it was "leaked" and it sounds like it came off of Wolves. BTW, Deadlock play a style like At the Gates, with a male and female vocalists...don't worry the girl doesn't go all Arch Enemy on us. First song: Kill, Kill, Kill (nice huh?)


Also have some All That Remains that they have put out. Now ATR have never had tow albums sound alike...as I said before. So what do I expect? Nothing. But here is my favorite song I have heard so far. If you want more just type All That Remains Overcome into YouTube and you will see the others. I give you Before the Damned.



Now I have talked about Trivium's new songs and gave a sample here. I actually think this will be better than The Crusade, but I don't know about Ascendancy yet.

Oh and then out of nowhere Unearth releases this song...My Will Be Done. Unearth is the Iron Maiden of metalcore...ya heard one song you have heard them all. Well not this one. A little guitar lead in the intro and a hint of a solo has my interest peaked a bit for this release.


All in all this is going to be a solid 4 months of releases. I expect my top 10 to change dramatically, but that's life. Can't wait.

More...More: New Metallica song

it's a day I have been waiting for awhile now... a new Metallica song, Cyanide. It's a live recording from a few days ago. Awhile ago some reporters got a 6 song sample and most agreed this was one of the weaker songs. What does that mean? This thing is gonna rock! I love the chorus on this song and the different song structures. Some people have said it's like they threw together 3 or 4 left over songs and made them one. I don't believe that and let me just add the solo is awesome. Go to their Myspace page for a soundboard recording of it or watch the video below.

Who Decides: Top 5 "Must Own" Metal Albums

So just what are the best of the best metal albums? Well obviously, it's purely subjective. But I am going to give you, what I consider, the best metal albums ever. These are the must own metal albums. If you consider yourself a fan of metal, these albums should be in your collection.


1. Metallica: Master of Puppets - Is there really any explanation needed here? This is their masterpiece. It all came together on this album. The heavy riffs, melodies, solos, and the progression in the song writing. It's as if the stars aligned perfectly for this one.


2. Megadeth: Rust in Peace - This is Megadeth's shining moment for me. It was the debut album of the "classic" line-up and they brought their A game. From the start it's apparent that this isn't going to be another So Far, So Good, So What. Production is better, lyrics are more politically charged, and the guitar work between Dave and Marty is so great they still haven't been album to reproduce it. I know everyone knows Hangar 18 from Guitar Hero, but this entire album could be made into a Guitar Hero game...simply insane.

Now, people will argue about these two albums. In all honesty, the first 4 albums from both Metallica and Megadeth are metal classics and should be owned by any metalhead. These are my favorites and show the best of what 80's/90's thrash was all about.


3. At the Gates: Slaughter of the Soul - This is melodic death metal at it's finest. Bands are still trying to duplicate the sound and style on this album. Whether it be Tomas' vocals or the Iron Maiden-esque guitar work, they are still trying to get it right. This was my first "death metal" album and I was blown away by the overall thrash feeling I got from it. What also makes this album a "must own" is the fact that the band broke up after they released this album. Imagine Metallica breaking up after MoP...yeah just like that.


4. Into Eternity: Buried in Oblivion - If you were to combine the first 3 albums on this list, you would come close to creating the sound of Into Eternity. A band that really created it's own genre, combining thrash, death metal, progressive metal, and some soft rock thrown in for fun. Now when this album was made, Into Eternity had 3 vocalists...yes I said 3, screamer, death growls, and a clean singer. The vocal harmonies alone are a reason to own this album, but there is a ton more. Do you want the guitar harmonies or solos which are insane or do you want the quick hitting tempo changes? Most songs you know whats coming next, but the first time I played this album everything hit me from out of nowhere. Perfect example, after an entire album of controlled chaotic metal, in come a ballad that sounds like it was left off of Peter Cetera's solo album...seriously, but it works - perfectly.



5. Killswitch Engage: Alive or Just Breathing - huh? a metalcore band? Yeah, a metalcore band. Just like At the Gates, KsE created a genre which bands are trying to copy to this day. Stop me if you heard this before, brutal drumming, screaming vocals, heavy riffs with clean choruses and some breakdowns...sounds like every metalcore band in the last 5 years. Well, it all started with KsE and no one has been album to beat them at it. I will never forget the first time I heard the verses being sung with such anger and forcefullness and then...such beauty in the choruses. This band, along with Shadows Fall, helped bring metal back to the mainstream after the disaster that was nu-metal.

There they are...5 must own metal albums.

The Four Horsemen VS. Mechanix

So Monday & Tuesday I am playing two songs from two different bands whicha re nearly identical minue the lyrics. It's a rare look at the beginning of two bands. You can read about it HERE, but in a nutshell. Metallica used to play a song in their set called the Mechanix, it was written by Dave Mustaine. When he was kicked out of Metallica they changed the title and lyrics to The Four Horsemen. When Mustaine recorded Megadeth's debut he recorded the Mechanix.

Now I heard the Four Horsemen 1st and to me it is a classic song. Great metal lyrics, killer guitar riffs, and an awesome solo. When I heard Mechanix for the first time I was blown away because of the speed of the song. Mustaine's version is sped up a quiet a bit.

So which is better? Mechanix is faster, but the lyrics are pretty weak (about a garage mechanic who fantasies about some lady). Four Horsemen has better lyrics, but the whole bridge solo is kinda weak and they never play it live. So I will go with the LIVE version of The Four Horsemen.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, this is one of the main reasons that Metallica and Megadeth will forever be associated with each other.

Spotlight: Metallica Week 2

Another week of Metallica, this week we hit the classics; One, Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, and For Whom the Bell Toll. I have to admit hearing these songs reminds as to why this band is my favorite. The riffs, the drumming, the vocals, and the solos...all perfect. Yes I said perfect. I had a few students that were asking me for the titles of the songs so they could go download them, mainly for One, MoP, and FWTBT. I really could spend a whole year listening to Metallica and Megadeth, but I can't.

This week not only did we hit the classics, but we really covered just how diverse Metallica is. We go from Until it Sleeps, which is a hard rock/metal song to Ride the Lightning which showed the beginnings of what Metallica was to become. We hit the super popluar songs with Enter Sandman, which everyone always says they have heard before...nice to know I guess.

Metallica is by far my favorite band and I am looking forward to the new album. I am hoping for a return to old form. I am not looking for something like RtL2 or anything like that. But a nice mix of styles...almost like a Cryptic Writings type of album.


Playlist for the week:
Monday: Bleeding Me, Until it Sleeps from Load
Tuesday: Enter Sandman, Sad but True from Metallica (the Black Album)
Wednesday: One from And Justice for All
Thursday: Master of Puppets from Master of Puppets
Friday: Ride the Lightning, For Whom the Bell Toll from Ride the Lightning

Spotlight: Metallica

So we have finally made it to my favorite band of all time...Metallica. I have already told you that I didn't get into Metallica first...it was actually Megadeth. But the first time I heard Metallica, they blew me away. My brother was into Metallica and he drove us to school, so guess what I listened to. Anyway, I really got into Metallica with TBA-era because of the tour with GnR, who I really loved. That album was very good. I don't listen to it that much, but it was the metal album of the time. And despite what people might say about it now, it was and is a metal album. The production was so much better than any metal album at the time that it seemed like a sell out type album...which is weird because this album was hyped so much. I remember watching MTV show different record stores where the album went on sale at midnight and it was chaos. Metal fans were eating it up, yet years later they turned on Metallica.

But that's getting ahead of myself. The album is metal, listen to the beginning riff of Of Wolf and Man, or the riffs on Sad But True...killer stuff. So the next album I heard was Load, which was a total departure from previous albums. Load and Re-Load are more hard rock/blues influenced metal. With that being said I really enjoyed Load and still do, as with Re-Load. Although, I always felt they sort of made Re-Load a bit heavier.

But the big thing going on for me was the singles they were releasing with the album. They would have classic songs being played live. Now let me say this right now, I absolutely love the live versions of their songs during this line-up. Hearing the Kill em All/Ride the Lightning Medley was awesome...10 minutes of pure thrash. It was because of these singles that I went back and got everything Metallica. By the time I was a senior in high school, Metallica was by far my favorite band.

So the Metallica catalog is so diverse and lengthy that this should take about 2 - 3 weeks to get through. I will be starting with their latest and going back to their debut (opposite from what I did with Megadeth).

Playlist for the week:
Monday: Frantic, Sweet Amber from St. Anger
Tuesday: Helpless (live 97), The Wait from Garage Inc.
Wednesday: Sabbra Cadabra, Whiskey in the Jar from garage Inc.
Thursday: I Disappear, No Leaf Clover from MI: 2 Soundtrack and S&M (Symphony & Metallica)
Friday: Bad Seed, Fixxxer from Re-Load


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Now playing: Trivium - Fugue (A Revelation)
via FoxyTunes