Archive for the Guitar Category

Thin Lizzy “Still Dangerous” reminds me Metal never ages.

Posted in Album Review, concerts, Guitar, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Reviews, Metal, metal concerts, Music, Rock, Vocals with tags , , , , on March 27, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

9207306The late Phil Lynott, of Thin Lizzy, lives on again with the release of Still Dangerous Live At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977. 32 years later, this concert is still being enjoyed and revered by Metal, Hard Rock and Rock fans and any fan of great Classic Rock. It is obvious to me, that when VH1 Classic Records releases this genre of music now, it tells the world that Heavy Metal never ages. The vocals, song writing and bass playing of the late Phil Lynott will be handed down for generations through CD releases like this. Thin Lizzy, to me, represents the sound of 1970’s Heavy Metal, when this genre was just beginning to evolve and blossom into what it is today. The live music on Still Dangerous is such an essential listen for both young and veteran Metal, Hard Rock and Classic Rock fans around the globe.

Jailbreak, Cowboy Song, Soldier Of Fortune and Boys Are Back In Town never sounded better, plus these songs are captured in all of their heavy, live brilliance from 1977. While I listen to Dancing In The Moonlight, live, it proves to me, that a heavy band can become legendary by not playing heavy constantly. It is a must deserved tribute to a legendary band – Thin Lizzy. To have this live music from Thin Lizzy released in 2009, is an important listening lesson and moment to revisit – in Rock Music history.

Thin Lizzy on “Still Dangerous”: Phil Lynott – lead vocals and bass, Brian Robertson – guitar, Scott Gorham – guitar and Brian Downey on drums.

Greatest Metal album ever – the saga continues!

Posted in Album Review, Death Metal, Drums, Extreme Metal, Guitar, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Reviews, Iron Maiden, james hetfield, Led Zeppelin, Metal, Metal Reviews, Metallica, Music, ozzy, Thrash Metal with tags , , , , , on March 27, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

496190You know, after writing my last article regarding the greatest Metal album ever, I will refuse to ponder! After sleeping on the thoughts of what makes a Metal album the greatest of all time, I realized that I cannot be a jelly head and not step up and announce what I feel is the greatest Metal album ever created. Patience is a virtue however, I need to continue my research, add more lists of great & legendary Metal albums as nominees, follow my Metal heart and then decide. So, in a Metal nutshell, this topic shall be a series of articles leading up to my personal Metal decision on what Metal album is the greatest of greats. I may have a decision within days, it may take a couple of weeks, I am in no rush to make such an important and personal Metal decision! For once the decision is made, I cannot go back on my Metal word and say – “but” or “I changed my mind” – none of that immaturity will I bestow on the world of my fellow Metalheads out there. Now, without further delay, here is a list of 15 more incredible Metal albums that I have personally nominated to might become the greatest of all time. (There is no importance at this time in regards to the order of this list, these again, are nominees):

1.    Guns N’ Roses – “Appetite for Destruction”

2.    Metallica – “Ride the Lightning”

3.    Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak”

4.    AC/DC – “Back In Black”

5.    AC/DC – “Powerage”

6.    Iron Maiden – “Iron Maiden”

7.    Iron Maiden – “Piece of Mind”

8.    Judas Priest – “Stained Class”

9.    King Diamond – “Abigail”

10.   Exodus – “Bonded By Blood”

11.   Ozzy Osbourne – “Blizzard of Oz”

12.   Black Sabbath – “Heaven and Hell”

13.   Deep Purple – “Machine Head”

14.   Anthrax – “Among the Living”

15.   Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell”

I definitely will have to continue on with some more nominations here, I am not going to just rattle them off the top of my Metal head, I need to clearly think about the albums and then justify to myself their significance to the world of Metal. I find this truly fun, it really beats watching the 24 hour news networks and listening to their robotic talking heads reading from tele-prompters! There will be more nominees to come, stay tuned, be patient, I will make an informed Metal decision on choosing the greatest Metal album ever.

What is the greatest Metal album ever? Something to ponder…

Posted in Album Review, Death Metal, Drums, Extreme Metal, Guitar, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Reviews, james hetfield, Metal, Metal Reviews, Metallica, Music, ozzy, Power Metal, Slayer, Slipknot, Thrash Metal, Vocals with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 27, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

3117816Here we go, a “fun” exercise in Heavy Metal debate, one of the more controversial question’s in Metal music history. What Metal band made the greatest Metal album ever? I like to cut to the chase by having this debate as “all inclusive,” meaning every Metal genre get’s involved here. This without doubt, becomes a personal issue for most Metal fans, I can accept that for I take this topic very personal as well. I never like to get caught up with which genre of Metal is better, nor do I like to get childish and say Slipknot is better than… 

The age old question of what is the greatest Metal album ever has more of a historical importance to it. This is really an open ended question, for what merits the album to be the greatest anyway? Does the greatest Metal album have to be from the onset of Heavy Metal, say the late 1960’s – early 1970’s? Would this be due in part for the greatest Metal album would be the cornerstone and/or building block of the future of all Metal music? It is an obvious acceptance in the world of Metal music, that “hit” singles do not constitute any appreciation, applause or adulation amongst real Metal fans. Metal music, as a rule, is underground, dark, no hits needed please. The Heavy Metal and Hair Metal genres have garnered most of the “hit” singles for us, that is fine with me. My main point I am conveying here is it should not be necessary for the greatest Metal album ever to be loaded with radio friendly hit songs.

There are many ideas to consider when choosing the greatest Metal album ever, the list could actually be endless with criteria! Here are some questions that could be posed to this debate:

1. Is the album groundbreaking for it’s Metal genre?

2. Is the album representative of a sound that is fresh & new while still staying true to Metal?

3. Musically, is the album cutting edge? Is the album musically basic?

4. Does the greatest Metal album incorporate several Metal genres? Does it bestow influences of past Metal?

5. How memorable should this Metal album be? Quite memorable for me I am sure.

6. Is the greatest Metal album ever – created by a powerhouse/well known Metal band, or a more “fan favorite” underground Metal band? 

7. Just as I feel about the hit singles approach, I do not/never have given any credence to the sales figures or chart position of any of my favorite Metal albums, I leave that to the “Pop” & “bubble gum” music world thank you.

8. Is this greatest Metal album ever a concept album? Could it possibly be an EP?

9. Could the greatest Metal album ever be just instrumental? Partial vocals? 

10. Could the album cover have any influence on how a person feels about the music? I could not be swayed by the album art when making a decision on the greatest Metal album ever.

Well, it is all about preference when it really counts. Many Metal fans want their greatest Metal album to be the heaviest music there is out there, while other Metal fans may opt for history being made in the music, on this album. I really do not see any wrong or right way to judge, I feel it becomes far too personal a choice for me to truly make. This is why I have to chuckle when some music critic in the mainstream media comes up with a personal choice of the greatest Metal album of all time. A bigger chuckle for me is when a readers choice poll gets printed in a mainstream music magazine and it is the classic, cliche’ unveiling of a Metal album that is thrown down your throat – that this is the Metal album of the ages.

For those who feel I should be more adventurous and just say which Metal album is what I consider to be the greatest of all time, well, here are a few candidates I feel are worthy. Forgive me for not being able to say which album I deem as the all time greatest Metal masterpiece. I am guilty of loving all Metal and I am infatuated with too many Metal albums to nail it down to just one greatest. Here is my top ten list, not in any particular order, for nominees of the greatest Metal album of all time.

1. Metallica – “Master of Puppets”

2. Queensryche – “Operation Mindcrime”

3. Black Sabbath – “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”

4. Slipknot – “All Hope Is Gone”

5. Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Are You Experienced”

6. Led Zeppelin – “Physical Graffiti”

7. Slayer – “Reign In Blood”

8. Rush – “2112”

9. Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath”

10. Motorhead – “Ace of Spades”

In a perfect world, sure, I would pick one of these fine Metal albums above and bestow it as the greatest ever. I am certain my list of nominees are quite different than my fellow Metalhead fans out there, some may agree partially to my list. Tomorrow, for heaven sake, this list of mine could change in a heartbeat! That is how amazing Metal music is for me, I could honestly come up with another list of 10 nominees for greatest Metal album ever! Somewhere out in the world of Metal music, is the greatest Metal album ever recorded. It is definitely being listened to and enjoyed by an unknown number of Metalheads, at this moment you are reading this article. Rest assured, this list is not set in Metal stone for me, yet I do reflect back to these Metal releases each and every time that I ponder the greatest Metal album ever…

Heavy Metal in Heaven? I certainly hope so.

Posted in Drums, Guitar, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Metal, Metallica, ozzy, Punk rock, Ramones, Rock, Thrash Metal, Vocals on March 25, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

4276768I like to think of Heaven as my destination goal, once I leave this world of course. Yeah, it is cool for the Metal genres to write and sing about hell, hell’s kitchen, fires of hell, “Highway To Hell”, etc., etc., yet that is not where I want to be going. I often hope and wonder, will Heaven have everything that is “good” about our lives? Will heaven allow Heavy Metal? I would hope and pray that the late Jimi Hendrix is allowed to have his guitar and play up there in the clouds. I would not doubt for a second, that the angels and saints could not enjoy the late Joey Ramone’s singing. Music as a whole, has made planet Earth more enjoyable, music has definitely made my life more fun and inspiring, I am comfortable thinking I speak for millions of people.

Essentially, I believe in Heaven, therefore I believe there is all music represented up there since the beginning of time itself. From primitive to modern day, I have to believe the history of music is heard in Heaven. Well, it is always a hoot to imagine what kind of Metal bands have formed up in Heaven, with so many Rock legends hopefully being up there. I wonder if the late Buddy Holly is jamming out with the late Stevie Ray Vaughn? Is the late Jim Morrison leading a band or embarking on a career in poetry amongst the clouds and rainbows?

Here is a Heavy Metal band that could have possibly formed up in Rock & Roll Heaven. (I am sure there can be hundreds of different bands put together with this topic, this is just one band lineup that looks really cool).

Kevin DuBrow – lead vocals – (Quiet Riot)

Randy Rhoads – lead guitar – (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne)

Steve Clark – lead guitar too! – (Def Leppard)

Eric Carr – drums & percussion – (Kiss)

Cliff Burton – bass guitar – (Metallica)

Now, would this be a great band to see or what? I certainly think this band would be a kick! I also hope, that up there in Heaven, the battle of the Metal genres comes to a screeching halt. That is why I have the late Cliff Burton playing bass guitar with a bunch of Hair Metal legends. Wait a second, the late Randy Rhoads was not a Hair Metal guy, he was just plain amazing. The late Kevin DuBrow with Quiet Riot hold the honor and distinction of being the very first Heavy Metal album to hit #1 on the album charts. This achievement surely paved the way for Heavy Metal storming into the mainstream. I sure miss each and every one of these guys, the music they created will last here on Earth forever – or until that big unknown space rock collides with Earth and we are all evaporated within a zillionth of a micro second. That is why it is so essential to believe that all music, especially all the Metal genres are up there in Heaven waiting for all of us Metalheads – who believe.

KREATOR has created incredible Thrash Metal!

Posted in Album Review, Death Metal, Drums, Edguy, GammaRay, Guitar, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Reviews, Kreator, Metal, Metal Reviews, Metallica, Music, Over Kill, Power Metal, Scorpions, Thrash Metal, Vocals with tags , , , , , , , on March 22, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

91556921Hey, I hold one heck of a strong allegiance to Thrash Metal. Veteran Thrash originators like Slayer, Metallica, Exodus, Anthrax, Megadeth, Destruction, Over Kill, Testament and even young newcomers like Black Tide and Warbringer set me straight on the road to Thrash Metal glee. My main point of this article is to shout out loudly and proudly to the entire world that – Kreator is one unbelievable Thrash Metal band, wow. What has me so impressed by Kreator, is that they have released 2 amazing Thrash albums in a row! Starting with “Enemy of God”, (released in January of 2005), then this January of 2009 brought us the incredible “Hordes of Chaos”. I am not, in any way, taking away the Thrash Metal greatness of their achievements from the 1980’s and 1990’s. Kreator has, experimented musically in the past, yet this has never been an abomination to me by any means. 

If you are a fan of Heavy Metal, Metal or  Thrash Metal, you simply have to give Kreator a listen if you have not already. There are mainstream “music critics” out there who do not have a clue, they do not even know that Kreator is generating throngs of fans worldwide with their tours and quality albums. Furthermore, these so called professional “music critics” are always the first to cry out that melody and Thrash/Death Metal do not exist together. Well, Kreator pretty much adds melody to their Thrash, you are not getting just a flurry of riffs and chords that go nowhere with pummeling blast beats. 

The essential and basic ingredients to achieving top tier Thrash Metal is accomplished here with Kreator. On “Enemy of God” and “Hordes of Chaos”, you will hear lyrics on violence, anarchy and just about every dark image you can imagine. The guitar riffs, leads and solos are second to none in the genre. The lead vocals are powerful, distinct and never take center stage over the music itself. The rhythm section is a lesson in Thrash Metal 101, beating you down into a Thrash submission that elevates you at the same time. Kreator hails from the fine country of Germany. Over the last couple of decades or more, Germany has been infamous for the Power Metal greatness that it exports, (Scorpions, AcceptEdguy, GammaRay, etc). Well, Germany has in my opinion, delivered to the Metal world, what I regard as one of the greatest and most underrated Thrash Metal bands that has ever existed – Kreator.

Kreator initially bestowed their greatness to the Thrash Metal genre in 1986, with “Flag of Hate”. Obviously, Kreator is a veteran Thrash Metal band, they have sustained and persevered like so many others in Metal. Since then, there have been lineup changes with the band, which to me, is a natural occurrence within any Rock music genre. The current Kreator lineup is as follows: Miland ‘Mille’ Petrozza on vocals and guitar, Jurgen ‘Ventor’ Reil on drums, Christian ‘Speesy’ Giesler on bass and Sami Yli-Sirnio on guitar. I highly, without hesitation, recommend the entire Kreator catalog of music to savvy Thrash Metal fans worldwide – especially “Enemy of God” and “Hordes of Chaos”, these two albums alone are Thrash Metal gold for me.

What is a “Metal Performance” anyway? Metal genres anyone?

Posted in Album Review, Century Media, concerts, Guitar, Heavy Metal, Metal, Metal Edge, Music, Rock, rockabilia, Vocals with tags , , , on March 18, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

8978421In all of my years of listening to Heavy Metal and all other METAL genres, from going to Arena size METAL concerts, to small club METAL gigs, I do not think I ever referred to any METAL music that I am aware of, as, well, a “METAL performance”. What in the world is a “METAL performance”? I know that a ballet, a comedian on stage, a high school play or a middle school band can give a performance. METAL and the word performance do not add up correctly. If I ever used the phrase, at any time in my METAL life, to anyone I know, “Hey, that was one terrific METAL performance by MOTORHEAD last night”, well, I probably would never be hearing the end of it.  

It is obvious that the Grammy Awards love the word “performance”. In my METAL opinion, if it is a song that is nominated, well, this is pretty easy now, call it – “Best METAL song”. Now, just for example, if it is an album that is nominated, the Grammy Awards call it – “Best Rock album”. How come the Grammy Awards do not call it – “Best Rock Performances”? Gee, there are more than one song on an album and one song is considered a performance, so, several songs should be considered – performances? Basically my point is this: THE WORD “PERFORMANCE” IS NOT METAL – NOR IS IT HARD ROCK EITHER. This is my own Metal opinion.

Also, while I am on the Grammy Awards topic, I have learned, through the 2009 Grammy Awards, that METALLICA is considered a ROCK band. Yup, a Rock band. After all these years, what was I thinking?! How could I have ever felt that METALLICA was a THRASH METAL band? You see, METALLICA, with their 2008 release “DEATH MAGNETIC”, was nominated in the “Best Rock Album” category. Here is some sound METAL advice to any and all awards shows out there: IT PAYS TO LISTEN TO AN ALBUM BEFORE YOU “PLACE” IT INTO A WRONG MUSICAL CATEGORY. Let’s now set the record straight. ROCK GENRE LESSON 101 BEGINS HERE:

1. THE EAGLES, U2, HOOTIE and the BLOWFISH and JOHN MAYER are – ROCK.

2. BAD COMPANY, FOREIGNER, JOURNEY, CHEAP TRICK and THE ANSWER are – HARD ROCK.

(This is just my perception, I cannot help myself but feel that MOTLEY CRUE is NOT a HARD ROCK band, they are HEAVY METAL. If anyone wants to put MOTLEY CRUE into the same genre with JOURNEY and BAD COMPANY, well, have a ball! The Grammy Awards want to rewrite the history of HEAVY METAL, they want to “place” bands into whatever music genres they see fit.

Now, let’s skip over HEAVY METAL and METAL with all of their related sub-genres just to get to THRASH METAL more quickly.

3. Here we are, comfortably in the THRASH METAL category now. THRASH = METALLICA. I do not understand the confusion. It is not a difficult concept to ascertain. After seeing how I have broken down the Rock and METAL  genres, (very simply I might add), you will notice that the Grammy Awards had decided to “place” METALLICA into a genre of music that is so far removed from what type of music they actually play, that, it is actually quite comedic. I am guessing that it is a very tedious, very time consuming task for the Grammy Awards to just add the category – “Best Metal Album”. Instead, the Grammy Awards next year will place, side to side, the likes of U2 with say, LAMB OF GOD and say – let the best “Rock album” win. None of us Metalheads need to be rocket scientists to figure out which “Best Rock Album” wins next year. Here is a hint, the band has one letter and one number in it’s name and they ARE NOT METAL.

4 simple & silly reasons why I am an “old school” Metalhead.

Posted in Alice cooper, Century Media, Drums, Gene Simmons, Guitar, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Reviews, Metal, metal concerts, Metal Edge, Metallica, Music, ozzy, Paul Stanley, rockabilia, tattoos, Uncategorized, Vocals with tags , on March 17, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

8214121This is rather silly at best, although there is much proof out there as to why older Metalheads  are called “old school”. These 4 reasons for being an old school Metalhead came to my mind, I just had to jot them down for the whole world to read. I am guilty of all 4 too. 

1. Lately, when the ages of Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford or Alice Cooper (or any Metal superstar of that generation) are brought up in conversation, I am so quick to quip; “oh, they look great, that’s not a bad age man, that’s young man, that’s young.”

2. I remember being psyched, watching Blue Oyster Cult appear on The Merv Griffin Show, playing “Burning For You” and promoting their “Fire of Unknown Origin” album. After that show aired, I forever thought of Merv Griffin as a really cool dude.

3. I find myself always stopping to “leaf” through the Pop Culture posters at the major retail stores, thinking I will find a Kiss, Judas Priest or Charlie’s Angels poster. I then realize what I am doing and proceed to walk away.

4. I am still very proud that I belonged to the Kiss Army.

Granted, there are millions of reasons to be labeled an old school Metalhead, it’s the funny reasons that really get to me.

HEAVY METAL – here yesterday, here today, here to stay!

Posted in aiden, Album Review, Alice cooper, Amon Amarth, Bad Company, Black Label Society, Black Metal, Bullet For My Valentine, Century Media, concerts, Danzig, Death Metal, Disturbed, Drums, Edguy, Extreme, Extreme Metal, GammaRay, Gene Simmons, Great White, Guitar, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Reviews, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, james hetfield, Kreator, Lamb of God, Led Zeppelin, Metal, metal blade, Metal Church, metal concerts, Metal Edge, Metal Reviews, Metallica, Misfits, Music, Over Kill, ozzy, Paul Stanley, Power Metal, Punk rock, Ramones, revolver magazine, Rock, rockabilia, Scorpions, Skid Row, Slayer, Slipknot, styx, Thrash Metal, Trivium, Vocals, W.A.S.P. with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 12, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

7505434It is so refreshing, extremely comforting, to know that there are factually dozens of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock bands that MATTER, bashing out their new releases and touring, since the 1970’s and in some instances, the late 1960’s!! So much for critics who cite “shelf life” of Heavy Metal. There are so many legendary Heavy Metal bands out there that are in their 3rd or 4th decade of championing the flag of Metal for all of us Metalheads. I hereby SALUTE the following list of legendary and historical bands that were/still are instrumental in shaping and defining the world of METAL music – as we know it and enjoy it today. I say THANK YOU to these bands! It is my opinion, that these bands are still around today for they are masters of their musical craft. It is my METAL opinion, that each and every one of these bands belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (some bands on this list already are there). I may miss some bands that should be on this list, however feel free to comment on those bands who belong on this HEAVY METAL & HARD ROCK list and they shall be added. The criteria I am using is: The band is Heavy Metal or Hard Rock * The band has been around since the late 1960’s or 1970’s and still are performing as a band or members are doing solo careers and/or recording new material – the band is current. Here is the list (in no particular order), enjoy:

DEEP PURPLE * MOTORHEAD * NAZARETH * BLACK SABBATH(HEAVEN AND HELL) * VAN HALEN * SAXON * AC/DC * TED NUGENT * MISFITS * RUSH * KROKUS * OZZY OSBOURNE * ZZ TOP * QUEEN & PAUL RODGERS * JUDAS PRIEST * CHEAP TRICK * IRON MAIDEN * ROBERT PLANT * GIRLSCHOOL * FOREIGNER * PAUL STANLEY * LITA FORD *  TOMMY SHAW * STYX * DENNIS DEYOUNG * GLENN DANZIG * TWISTED SISTER * WHITESNAKE * HEART * Y&T * SAMMY HAGAR * REO SPEEDWAGON * MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP * UFO * SCORPIONS * UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER * PETER FRAMPTON * JOURNEY * GARY MOORE * ALICE COOPER * MOUNTAIN * KISS * URIAH HEEP *

To compile a complete list on this topic would be rather time consuming and laborious. The point I strive to make here is that as this list proves, quality musicianship coupled with Metal and/or Hard Rock will forever be in demand and last for decades. I have always been a strong believer that the Hard Rock of the late 1960’s and that of the 1970’s helped evolve Heavy Metal into the 1980’s and beyond. I simply cannot help but feel that bands such as Styx, Cheap Trick and Foreigner are relevant to the glorious world of Heavy Metal. I have been won over by these Hard Rock bands that stood the test of time. Listening to Cheap Trick’s “Gonna Raise Hell” from the “Dream Police” album is all the proof I need to hear in regards to any relevance to Heavy Metal. The same holds true for me in regards to “Renegade” by Styx and “Double Vision” by Foreigner. If these same songs were written today, would they have the same historical significance of “shaping Heavy Metal”? I believe the answer is no. These Hard Rock bands and their songs were born in the 1970’s, at a time when there were no multiple genres of Metal.

To make an analogy, in professional sports, athletes and fans are always reminded to be reverent of the past sports teams and athletes who helped shape and change their respective sport for the better. I definitely admire, respect and continue to listen to these bands that helped Metal evolve. By no means do I ignore or disregard the Heavy Metal and Hard Rock bands of yesteryear that for one reason or another disbanded and are no longer current. This article is a celebration of quality Heavy Metal and Hard Rock bands that have persevered, stood the test of time through the Disco era, the PMRC and their silly “parental advisory stickers”, the changing cultural and economic climates over the decades, with little or no help from the mainstream media and yet these bands still exist in 2009! I praise all of these bands and say to them all – WELL DONE!