Based on the type of funky day I’ve been having, coming across the song Under A Pitch Black Sky by SKYFIRE was all the Metal elixir I needed, to get that funk out of my day. This song is from Skyfire’s 2009 release – Esoteric. Skyfire is a Progressive Death Metal Band, originating from Sweden. I first heard Under A Pitch Black Sky from a compilation CD of Metal songs, courtesy from an issue of Metal Hammer that I picked up, sometime back in 2009. (Getting free Metal compilation CD’s from an issue of Metal Hammer… or from any source, is a very cool Metal deal). I really enjoy the Death Metal genre, throw in melodic and it suits me just the same. There is the atmospheric element of Symphonic Metal heard throughout this great song. Lead vocalist Joakim Karlsson sounds brilliant on Under A Pitch Black Sky, some may equate his vocals to having a touch of Black Metal fire as well. The blistering guitars are a focal point of this song… just one listen and you shall understand my Metal glee. At the end of the Metal day, SKYFIRE is an excellent Progressive Death Metal Band for me. I hope you enjoy Under A Pitch Black Sky as much as I do… crank this Metal up and it might get the funk out of your day too!
LONG LIVE SKYFIRE!
SKYFIRE:
Joakim Karlsson – (Vocals)
Martin Hanner – (Bass & Keyboards)
Andreas Edlund – (guitars & keyboards)
Johan Reinholdz – (Guitars)
Joakim Jonsson – (Drums)
To find out more about SKYFIRE, just click on this link that takes you to their MySpace Music page: SKYFIRE
It is METAL Music and bands like SKYFIRE, that never let me down…
Thank you Blackie Lawless. Thank you for not going away, taking an extended leave of absence or selling out. There are too many 1980’s Heavy Metal Bands that did just those things, now they are scrambling to make their triumphant comeback or best album ever. Some are doing just that, only Blackie Lawless does not belong to that club. The Heavy Metal membership card that Blackie Lawless holds says two words… for life. Why shouldn’t it say just that? The true fans of Heavy Metal and/or W.A.S.P. are in it for life. While the 1990’s ushered in the Grunge genre and scores of pretentious bands (being mistakenly labeled) Heavy Metal, all the while lining up at Hollywood’s red carpet gala’s for accolades, W.A.S.P. was too busy making real Heavy Metal albums of integrity. The politically correct mainstream press was not a necessity for W.A.S.P.’s survival then, it certainly is not now. There is no return of or part ll theme happening with W.A.S.P., just a band that is a Heavy Metal mainstay, due to the perseverance and creativity of Blackie Lawless. To take a quote from Blackie Lawless, (as stated in the liner notes from Babylon)… If it is not the truth, it will not stand.
Crazy is the opening song on Babylon. The weight of the world always seems to be put on the opening track of any album. The first song sets the table for the remainder of the album, good or bad, this all important track can either be the demise or exclamation point for the songs that follow. With Crazy, this song kicks and extends it’s Heavy Metal tentacles like a giant sea squid on a caffeine rush. Crazy is the prelude to nine Heavy Metal songs of substance, this song alone foretells that W.A.S.P. connects in 2009. Blackie Lawless borrowed some of his Old School Heavy Metal and fused it with a more mature presentation, both with lyrics and tempo. Sure, Crazy is a fast moving song, only it’s the streamlined sound of it’s speed that makes it so appreciable. The consistency of Heavy Metal muscle is what I have come to expect from W.A.S.P., Crazy illuminates and flexes it from the opening note. My best Metal buddy Scott cued me into the comparison of Crazy to Wild Child, from the 1985 W.A.S.P. classic, The Last Command. (This was well before I owned a copy of Babylon, Scott was a lucky one who nailed Babylon on it’s import release date of October 13th). The opening guitar intro to both Crazy and Wild Child are very similar, still not a mirror image note for note.
I’m always looking for good deals on my Heavy Metal Music purchases, from albums, CD’s to memorabilia and books. Upon one of my recent stops into a local thrift store, I happened upon quite the Heavy Metal find indeed, for the ripe price of fifty cents. Yes, fifty cents. The find you ask? Well, none other than The Rough Guide To Heavy Metal – and it is quite the book for me. (This book is a 1st printing, printed in 2005 by Rough Guides). While perusing the book aisle at this thrift store, the image of none other than Ozzy Osbourne caught my eye. What is this? I could not believe what I had found! Knowing immediately too, that any book in this thrift store is only fifty cents… I was Metal stoked. As a bonus, this book stared right at me in gem mint condition as well. As I picked it up and browsed through it’s Heavy Metal filled pages, it was obvious to me that the previous owner of this book never bothered to read it. As crisp of a new book you will find. Life is a sweet journey sometimes, especially when you can stumble on a 410 page book, when you least expect it, that is dedicated to your favorite music genre… Heavy Metal.
Ah, the weekend is here. Time to clean up the house, tidy the garage, finish some yard work and maybe wash and vacuum the car. Watch some College and/or NFL Football this weekend too. What are some music listening suggestions I may have for the weekend? Thank you for asking. Heavy Metal and/or all the other Metal Music genres that exist is first and foremost. Oh, may I also suggest some Punk Rock as well? Thank you for allowing me to do so. What was that? Did someone just ask me to name specifically which bands and/or albums to delve into this weekend? Gee, I feel rather honored to be suggesting to the entire world , a tidy list of great heavy bands and/or albums to choose from… uh, here it is:
Back on October 4, 1983, Black Sabbath released their eleventh studio album – Born Again. I was serving time in high school as a senior in 1983, I also became a born again Metalhead that same year, thanks to this most underrated Black Sabbath album. I am not kidding or trying to sound like a yahoo by stating that. Born Again was a match made in Metal heaven for me… the prolific vocals of Ian Gillan uniting with the ultra legendary Black Sabbath. I have to admit, with Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio not fronting Black Sabbath, it was common place for professionally paid Rock Music critics to easily overlook the other lead singers this Rock And Roll Hall of Fame band has bestowed over the decades. I never overlooked a damned thing Black Sabbath had done, especially when they joined forces with Ian Gillan. From the front album cover artwork of the demon baby, to the down right eerie and chilling Metal Music heard on Born Again, this album is a must listen and own in Metal Music 101.
I really get a kick out of Alexi Laiho, his lead vocals and lead guitar play are extreme to the Metal maximum. I know that sounds rather yahoo, only there is no other way to really explain it. I like this guys style, he is hell bent on playing some of the fastest Thrash Metal Music out there. On the new Children Of Bodom album, Skeletons in the Closet, (released on September 22, 2009), there are seventeen cover songs. Of the bands and musicians that are covered here, there is one song that I simply cannot get into or simply stomach. Hey, one lousy song out of seventeen isn’t too shabby. Consider the fact, that I really like the other sixteen songs on Skeletons in the Closet and I declare this album a Metal winner. Let’s cut to the Metal chase here and I’ll just state that the cover of the Britney Spears song, Oops… I Did It Again is equally lame as it is annoying. I have never been intrigued by Britney Spears, nor do I give her even one millionth of an ounce of respect for any music she has done in her life.
I am a Slayer fan. Have been since I first held onto the Show No Mercy album and stared at the artwork in frozen awe. I bought that Slayer album back in 1984, back when I was picked on for the music I liked by the kids wearing turtle necks, with a stupid alligator on them. The Izod kids… they were so convinced that Slayer was not going to be around in five years. That same Izod crowd all were convinced that Metal Music was for the troubled kids, listening to Slayer is what made us trouble. Really, that junk was thrown at me about Slayer and I never flinched. It’s funny now as I look back on those ridiculous high school years, the hurtful remarks and snotty attitude that I put up with from so many of my peers are now a humorous memory for me. I’ve turned out alright for myself since 1984, I am proud of my life’s accomplishments thus far. I’m not about to reveal every good deed I have done throughout my life, it really would be boring to read. Being a Slayer fan and fan of Metal Music is a part of me, take it or leave it.
Contrary to so many of the Izod kids, the religious right and the PMRC, (The Parents Music Resource Center), I and countless other Slayer fans never became Satanists or serial killers. Nope, the Thrash Metal of Slayer never made me commit a crime. I know this probably disappoints some of the Izod crowd out there, yet Slayer never influenced me to become a lifetime criminal. To compare Metal Music to violent behavior is such a waste of time, there is no correlation. Drugs and/or mental illness is the obvious incubus for violent behavior. How do I know, you may ask? Well, for one, Charles Manson was a Beach Boys fan… Thrash, Death and Black Metal never existed when Charles Manson was roaming the streets. Anyone would be wrong to connect The Beach Boys to violent behavior as well. To say that even The Beach Boys provokes violent behavior is ludicrous and/or irrational. What type of Metal Music did Al Capone listen to? How about Napoleon Bonaparte? I have made my Metal point here… feels good too.
I always express just how thankful I am that so many veteran Metal
So, tomorrow I will make my 
Metal Odyssey’s Metal Album Recommendation For Your Halloween Listening Enjoyment: OBITUARY – DARKEST DAY – These Death Metal Legends are not fooling around with their June 30th, 2009 release. Darkest Day is without Metal hesitation, one of my top three albums of 2009… spanning all the Metal genres.
Plus, the Grim Reaper wants to warn you all… the brand new SLAYER album World Painted Blood gets released on Tuesday, November 3rd. I am counting down the minutes in my Metal mind to this great moment in Slayer history.
U.D.O. is another justified example as to why I consider Germany the worlds greatest exporter of Metal Music outside of the great United States. U.D.O. does not stray from their Heavy Metal norm on Dominator, (released on October 6, 2009 in the U.S.A., on AFM Records). The first two songs on Dominator are like smash mouth football… Old School and punishing. The lyrics are not meant for NASA academics, they are meant for the Metalheads of the world who take pride in their Heavy Metal Music and bands. The Bogeyman and Dominator are song titles with lyrical content that follow a simple rule of Heavy Metal… thou shall not conform. Vintage Heavy Metal, baby. No political statements or hard to decipher words to be found. I love this stuff. I live for this stuff. Black and White is song three and glorifies the elegance of Heavy Metal guitar, not to forget Heavy Metal chorus as well. Udo Dirkschneider on lead vocals sounds as great as ever, anyone who states otherwise is simply jealous of this ageless Metal icon. Udo Dirkschneider has forever forged his legacy twice in Heavy Metal history, both with U.D.O. and Accept. Heavy Metal lightning does strike twice, Udo Dirkschneider is living proof of that.
Slayer. Thrash Metal Legends without any doubt in my Metal mind. I caught onto Slayer from the very beginning. I ordered Slayer’s first album, Show No Mercy, through mail order – direct from Metal Blade Records, back in 1984. Since then, Slayer has been a band that I uphold as one of the greatest Thrash Metal Bands ever, (if not the greatest).I have seen Slayer live in a small club setting back in the late 1980’s, a fortunate Metal experience that I will never forget. Yes, Slayer is a core favorite of mine and that will never change.
The Book Of Slayer covers the band from it’s infancy in 1981 to present day. Anecdotes, interviews, tons of photos and details abound and it is 100% Slayer. Plus there are four feature articles included about Slayer, from past issues of Revolver. Revolver documents Slayer throughout their entire career in excellent Metal fashion. Kerry King, Tom Araya, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo and Paul Bostaph are all included in the story telling and interviews. This is one Slayer collectible worth picking up – the content within it’s pages and Slayer knowledge you will gain is well worth the $5.99 cover price. New fans can catch up on some great Slayer history and veteran fans should find it hard to put down. I know I will be taking it with me just about everywhere.
Ah, Lita Ford. Reflecting on the 1980’s would not be quite the same without her being in the Heavy Metal world. Lita Ford proved back in those glorious ’80’s that she was more than just eye candy, she really did shred on the guitar for her albums. Plus, Lita Ford’s vocals always had the harmonic, Heavy Metal diva flare happening. Lita Ford even did a very sappy duet with Ozzy Osbourne, Close My Eyes Forever, that I honestly could never stomach back in 1989 and my opinion has not wavered since. Well, it is 2009 and Lita Ford is back, uh, yeah. Wicked Wonderland is her new album, the title really sums it all up quite well. The lyrics throughout this entire album are wicked indeed… with nuances, imagery and flat out references to sex and lust galore. I want to taste your goddess flesh and I penetrate you are two lines taken from the song Indulge… pretty hot stuff if you are a young dude that can’t buy a date for Saturday night. Lita Ford should have known that the majority of her audience buying Wicked Wonderland are the Old School Heavy Metal crowd and we are no longer eighteen and pissed off at our parents anymore.
My unreal great and undeniably loving Mother passed away on July 10, 2009. She just turned seventy years old this past April of 2009. To look at her, you would never know she was seventy, really. My Mom is a true hero and inspiration to me, always will be. She suffered a series of strokes in the Fall of 1990, therefore my Mom was a courageous survivor for nearly twenty years. Not being able to speak and having paralysis on the right side of her body were the two biggest obstacles that my Mom endured for two decades. That did not stop her from enjoying life, seeing her children get married and enjoying four grandchildren. Thanks to my heroic Father who became my Mom’s full time caregiver, many people and family members were given the gift of my Mom’s presence, thoughts and love for much longer than was initially predicted by doctors. Being born from my Mom was a gift and she was a gift to me for forty three years of my life. I now am convinced, that my Mom can speak and walk again up in heaven, where she has been reunited with her parents and without any doubt… my incredible sister too. I am at peace knowing my Mom is healthy again in heaven, no more suffering… my Mom has earned her place with the angels.
Alright, as my Mom would probably say right about now… enough with all of the sad stuff, let’s have a good time. I cannot resist reflecting on good times, heck, that is why they are called that in the first place. You see, my Mom was in her own special right… a fan of Heavy Metal. She was without question, one of the biggest advocates for Heavy Metal amongst any other Mom I knew, while growing up as a teenager back in the 1980’s. Her knowledge of the past and current bands back in the late 1970’s and through the 1980’s was admirable. There was a hiccup, however, when I was in sixth grade, in regards to my being allowed to have a KISS album in the house. My Mom took one look at the cover of KISS Alive ll and she said – no way. The blood spewing from the mouth of Gene Simmons was over the top for her. She specifically said that no son of hers would have that in her house. Well, to make a long story short, after she heard the song I was Made For Lovin’ You by KISS, the decision to allow KISS and any of their albums into our house was cleared to go. KISS was in… the world of Heavy Metal had a new fan… my Mom.
Yes, my Mom would go out of her way to drive me and my buddies thirty minutes – out of town, to Strawberries Records and Tapes. These Heavy Metal excursions, (as we called them back then), would happen at the drop of a dime! After school, on the weekends, on days off from school and during the Summer… with my Mom it was no problem. She loved those trips to Strawberries. We sometimes would have four dudes in the back seat, with me up front and my Mom leading the way behind the wheel – those Heavy Metal journeys, (we called them that too), are memories that no money can buy. At least half of my Heavy Metal collection of albums and tapes, were courtesy of what my Mom would pick out on her own back then. We would storm into Strawberries and my Mom would seek out albums like a bobcat seeking out it’s prey. She is responsible for my having every Rainbow album ever made at the time. Iron Maiden too. Honestly, I never would have listened to Scorpions World Wide Live if not for my Mom, she would find and buy some prime albums for me back then.
Ozzy Osbourne, the Heavy Metal Prince of Darkness. Ozzy Osbourne – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with Black Sabbath. Honestly, I revere the living hell out of this Heavy Metal legend. I did get to see Ozzy Osbourne live in concert twice during my lifetime. For me, those two concerts were unbelievable, with Metallica opening up for Ozzy in New Haven Connecticut, (at the spooky New Haven Coliseum) – it was The Ultimate Sin Tour for Ozzy and Metallica was promoting their legendary Master of Puppets album. The other Ozzy concert I saw had Queensryche open for Ozzy in Springfield, Massachusetts, (at the Springfield Civic Center), on this same Ultimate Sin Tour. Alright, so it is obvious I think the Metal world of Ozzy Osbourne… fine. However, by process of elimination, there has to be my least favorite Ozzy Osbourne song out there and there is one. I do not think much of the song, uh, ballad So Tired from Ozzy’s Bark At The Moon album. This song, ugh, ballad is responsible for my distaste of most Heavy Metal ballads ever released since, by any band. This album was released on December 10, 1983. Don’t get me wrong here, the Bark At The Moon album as a whole, is unreal good. Three songs on this album are incredible for me… Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel, You’re No Different and of course – Bark At The Moon. These three Ozzy songs I can hold up on a Metal pedestal forever. Plus, Jake E. Lee on guitar is a Metal bonus to listen to.
Exodus… a Thrash Metal originator. Exodus… Old School Thrash Metal. Exodus… Bonded By Blood, was the first album released by this very important Thrash Metal Band, (back in 1985). Why I feel Exodus is a very important Thrash Metal Band is due to their being one of the first Metal Bands to introduce this genre to the world. Back in 1985, there were not the hundreds of thousands of Thrash Metal Bands there are now… you can thank Exodus for influencing countless musicians and bands alike for embarking on their careers in Metal… Thrash Metal. Just seek out and read some interviews of past and current Thrash Metal musicians, you discover after awhile, that Exodus and especially their initial album Bonded By Blood is ultra revered. Yes, I am an Exodus fan, since 1985 until this very day. Lineup changes within Exodus has not made me wince one Metal bit. Guitarist Gary Holt and drummer Tom Hunting have held the Thrash Metal fort for Exodus over the past three decades, serving Exodus and their fans well… extremely well. (Note: Paul Bostaph has stepped in on drums for Exodus, he is an unreal great Metal drummer at large).
Listening to the late and unreal great – Paul Baloff on lead vocals is as inspiring to me as all damn hell. His vocals were not your stereotypical Thrash Metal type… he resonated with the influence of early Rob Halford of Judas Priest… in my Metal opinion, still exuding his very own style that to this day is untouched. I reached for my CD jewel case of Bonded By Blood, (my copy is the reissue by Combat Records, it also has the alternate cover that is shown at the left and bottom of this post). The original front cover artwork is damn more cool than the alternate version, just look at it at the top of this post for proof. On the back cover of Bonded By Blood, it has a group photo of Exodus… Paul Baloff is shown wearing a Pipers Pit sleeveless t-shirt. Rowdy Roddy Piper… Paul Baloff… man, that is as fitting a shirt as any for him to wear back then. I used to be the f’n biggest Rowdy Roddy Piper fan around, imitating his wrestling moves and voice too… silly and cool memories, all courtesy of one photo of Exodus.
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