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Cannibal Corpse – Domestic and International Tour Dates you should know for 2009

Here are the 2009 United States (domestic) and International tour dates for Cannibal Corpse. I researched and found these dates on the “Metal Blade” newsletter. As any seasoned Metalhead concert goer knows, tour dates are always subject to change. This does make for a cool guide in tracking down where these guys are playing and when… possibly in your neck of the woods or continent. Man, is that Mayhem Festival a potent lineup of intense bands or what! Take a look…

CANNIBAL CORPSE
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL
Tour w/ SLAYER, Marilyn Manson, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium, All That Remains, God Forbid, Behemoth, Job For A Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel
07/10 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
07/11 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/12 San Bernardino, CA Glen Helen Pavilion
07/14 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheater
07/17 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
07/18 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
07/19 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater
07/21 Kansas City, KS Sandstone Amphitheater
07/22 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
07/24 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheater
07/25 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Centre
07/26 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
07/28 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheater
07/29 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion
07/31 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
08/01 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
08/02 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/04 Boston, MA Tweeter Center for the Perf. Arts
08/06 Virginia Beach, VA Virginia Beach Amphitheater
08/07 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
08/08 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center
08/09 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
08/11 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
08/12 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheater
08/14 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
08/15 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center

Australian Tour Dates:

CANNIBAL CORPSE
09/07 Auckland, NZ Transmission Room
09/08 Christchurch, NZ The Bedford
09/10 Perth, AU Capitol
09/11 Adelaide, AU Fowlers Live
09/12 Sydney, AU The Roundhouse
09/13 Brisbane, AU The HiFi
09/15 Melbourne, AU Billboard The Venue

Japan Tour Dates:

CANNIBAL CORPSE
06/08 Tokyo, JP Shibuya Club Quattro
06/09 Osaka, JP Shinsaibashi Club Quattro
06/11 Nagoya, JP Club Quattro

CANNIBAL CORPSE – European Tour Dates:

Tour w/ Dying Fetus, Evocation, Obscura
10/02 Oberhausen, DE Death Feast Ultimate
10/03 Lichtenfels, DE Way Of Darkness Festival
10/04 Pratteln, CH Z7
10/05 Saarbrücken, DE Garage
10/06 Vosselaar, BE Biebob
10/07 Paris, FR La Locomotive
10/09 Barcelona, ES Razzmatazz 2
10/10 Madrid, ES Heineken
10/11 Bilbao, ES Rock Star
10/12 Lyon, FR Transbordeur
10/13 Milan, IT Alcatraz
10/14 Rome, IT Alpheus
10/16 Athens, GR Gagarin 205
10/17 Thessaloniki, GR Principal Club Theatre
10/18 Belgrade, RS SKC
10/19 Bratislava, SK DK Dubravka
10/20 Cracow, PL Studio
10/21 Berlin, DE Columbia Club
10/23 München, DE Backstage
10/24 Linz, AT Posthof
10/25 Ludwigsburg, DE Rockfabrik
10/26 Dordrecht, NL Bibelot
10/27 Zwolle, NL Hedon
Tour w/ Dying Fetus, Trigger The Bloodshed, Annotations Of An Autopsy
10/28 Colchester, UK Arts Centre
10/29 London, UK Koko
10/30 Sheffield, UK Corporation
10/31 Glasgow, UK ABC
11/01 Leamington Spa, UK Assembly

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Heavy Metal 101: 10 (or more) most underrated Metal albums you need to know

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1980's thrash metal, 1990's heavy metal music, Album Review, Black Metal, Black Sabbath, classic metal, cool album covers, essential heavy metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, horror metal, king diamond, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Motorhead, Music, old school heavy metal, Over Kill, Power Metal, speed metal, Thrash Metal, thrash metal album review, thrash metal music, thrash metal music reviews, tony iommi heavy metal guitarist, vintage heavy metal albums with tags 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, Black Metal, Black Sabbath, black sabbath heavy metal band, classic metal albums, dee snider, essential heavy metal albums, exodus, exodus fabulous disaster album, exodus thrash metal band, gary holt guitarist, grim reaper, grim reaper heavy metal band, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, king diamond, krokus, krokus headhunter album, krokus heavy metal band, manowar, manowar hail to england album, manowar heavy metal band, manowar metal band, mercyful fate black metal band, mercyful fate melissa album, metal music, Motorhead, motorhead another perfect day album, motorhead heavy metal band, Music, over kill albums, over kill heavy metal band, over kill thrash metal band, overkill albums, overkill heavy metal band, Power Metal, twisted sister, twisted sister you cant stop rock n roll album, underrated heavy metal albums, vinnie moore guitarist, vinnie moore minds eye album, W.A.S.P., w.a.s.p. heavy metal band, w.a.s.p. k.f.d. album on May 28, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

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If you are a veteran Metalhead, these ten (or more) Metal albums that I consider underrated may not surprise you. Heck, you may already have owned them for several years or even decades. In the Metal event you are a new recruit to the dynamic world of Heavy Metal, welcome aboard and go out and BUY THESE METAL ALBUMS for they will serve you right! Oh, what do I mean by underrated? Well, for starters, these are Classic/Vintage Metal albums that do not seem to get enough attention these days – as I surf around the world wide web, these are the albums that tend to go unnoticed for some oddball reason or another. It is my goal to surround the readers of Metal Odyssey with the knowledge necessary, to make prudent Metal album buying decisions too. These ten Metal albums, in my Metal opinion, have most definitively stood the test of Metal time. Enjoy and absorb this list, please note that these Metal albums are not in any specific order. (These Metal albums are my own personal choices for most underrated, I am sure many knowledgeable Metalheads out there will have differing opinions).

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MERCYFUL FATE – “MELISSA” – King Diamond, plus, absolutely NO radio friendly tunes found here. This band laid down a whole bunch of Black Metal groundwork for others to learn from.

TWISTED SISTER – “YOU CAN’T STOP ROCK ‘N’ ROLL” – Just before Dee Snider & the boys became really famous. I find this album to be just as inspiring today as it was in 1983. My favorite Twisted Sister album.

BLACK SABBATH – “BORN AGAIN” – Ian Gillian on vocals, ’nuff said. O.K., this is one tough album or CD to find. “Trashed” is very heavy stuff, a very fast Black Sabbath tune. This version of Black Sabbath is incredibly good. Bev Bevan of Electric Light Orchestra fame actually was the drummer on the “Born Again” Tour during 1984/85. That is correct. You did read this right. Now that is cool, having an ELO and Black Sabbath connection.

MOTORHEAD – “ANOTHER PERFECT DAY” – Of all the Motorhead albums, this one deserves more respect. The tune “One Track Mind” is reason alone to own this vintage Motorhead release, plus the album cover artwork and liner notes are extremely diabolical and cool.

GRIM REAPER – “See You In Hell” – The album title says it all… the title track “See You In Hell” is for me, a Heavy Metal anthem that brings back memories to my Metal heart. This was one heavy duty band for me… worth every Metal second of listening enjoyment. Overall, great band, great album, I wish they could have done twenty albums.

EXODUS – “FABULOUS DISASTER” – Gary Holt is such an important guitar player in Thrash Metal history. Exodus is always grouped in with the Thrash Metal originators. In my Metal opinion, each original Bay Area Thrash Band is just as important as the next… I am giving Exodus their just due here and “Fabulous Disaster” is just that, fabulous Thrash Metal.

VINNIE MOORE – “MINDS EYE” – Hey, this guy can play guitar. Heavy Metal guitar too. An all Metal instrumental album could never hurt no one, especially a Metalhead. Listening to Vinnie Moore in college helped me get unreal grades in fine arts, I am not kidding. I drew some of my best stuff listening to Vinnie Moore – thanks Vinnie.

MANOWAR – “HAIL TO ENGLAND” – Very loud and Old School Metal. This album has all the Metal attitude and heavy music you could ever ask for, plus, as a bonus, these guys are quality Metal musicians too! There are those times, when I need a cool Power Metal band that is Old School, that I can sing along to. They very well might be… “The Kings of Metal” as they advertise… heck, I would never think of telling them they are not.

OVER KILL – Every album they have ever made. Yeah, this sounds crazy, yet these guys are that great at playing Thrash Metal. Over Kill always seems to have been the hardest working Thrash band on the planet, with no star status or star treatment from the wide world of professionally paid critics. Different lineups throughout the years has not affected my loyalty… as long as there is Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and D.D. Verni leading this potent Thrash attack, I am Metal happy.

W.A.S.P. – “K.F.D.” – This is one heavy, monster of a W.A.S.P. album. Extremely heavy W.A.S.P. – Blackie Lawless was not fooling around with this album… I listen to “K.F.D.” when I have both good and bad days, the end affect is still just like opening up a can of Metal whoop ass and getting straightened out – Blackie Lawless style. Thanks Blackie Lawless.

KROKUS – “HEADHUNTER” – O.K., sure, there is some commercial appeal here with the tune “Screaming In The Night”, yet it is a far cry from any of the heavy ballads that blitzed us all in the 1980’s. Factor in the raging track “Headhunter” and the Metal grooviness of “Stayed Awake All Night” and you have served up yourself some decent party tunes.

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main-150 Over Kill "I Hear Black" big pic main-150-2

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Danzig – debut album from 1988 is all Metal muscle

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic metal, cool album covers, Danzig, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, horror metal, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Misfits, Music, old school heavy metal, rock music, vintage heavy metal albums, Vocals with tags 1980's danzig, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1988 danzig album, Album Review, boston red sox, chuck biscuits drummer, classic metal, classic metal albums, Danzig, danzig debut album, danzig first album, danzig heavy metal band, eerie von bass guitarist, fenway park, glenn danzig, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, heavy metal review, john christ guitarist, keith foulke boston red sox pitcher, Metal, metal music, Misfits, mother danzig song, Music, pesky pole, samhain band, the misfits, the misfits punk rock band, vintage metal, vintage metal albums on May 27, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

logodanzig

Listening to the debut album from Danzig, (titled “Danzig”), is always a refresher course in what smash mouth Metal is about. Released in 1988, this album in my Metal opinion, has all the ingredients necessary to be looked upon as a muscular Metal Classic. I will admit, that this is one of my favorite Metal albums ever and Danzig does hold high rank in my Metal universe. Before Glenn Danzig went the all Metal route with his music, well, was there anyone else in Metal that sounded like him? My answer is nope. I liken Danzig’s vocals to be of profound Metal uniqueness, where he will clearly deliver the spoken word, then sing and/or belt out vocally with real conviction. Sure, I even agree that Danzig’s vocals sound a tad like Jim Morrison at times… not a bad dude to be compared to for vocals. The ten tracks on “Danzig” are laced with the lyrical darkness that are open for interpretation. Musically, Glenn Danzig is a Metal mastermind at combining the straight up and anti-commercial approach to these songs, while not over complicating any of the songs structure. “Mother” is the closest you will get to ever seeing a Danzig tune dabble with mainstream popularity.

I can recall how the great Danzig song “Mother” gave me an unexpected surprise that actually made my day. My best buddy in the Galaxy, well, he is a steadfast and loyal Boston Red Sox fan, (I am not). He took me along to Fenway Park a couple of times, (paid for my tickets too) and we both took in two fine games. I will always appreciate his generosity. Well, at one of these Red Sox games, the relief pitcher – closer was called in to the game, his name was Keith Foulke. I did not realize that this pitchers theme song and/or warm-up song to get pumped up to – was none other than Danzig’s “Mother”. Here I am, innocently sitting in the historical Fenway Park, by the historical “Pesky Pole”, within a sea of Red Sox fans and I am taken by Metal surprise to the electrifying and heavy loudness of Danzig’s “Mother” coming over the stadium speakers! I felt so proud to be a Danzig fan at that moment. Let me tell you, that song lit up the thousands of Red Sox fans at Fenway Park that day.

Now, back to this Danzig album, my favorite four tunes, (not in any specific order), are: “Twist Of Cain” – which has the sandpaper tough, do not mess with me attitude oozing from the lyrics and music, “She Rides” – a track that has that slowly driven, heavy beat that gives me an instant, devious, Metal grin, “End Of Time” – which is melancholy and spooky lyrically and rocks heavy with thick Metal grooves, leads & riffs, then of course, “Mother”. I will say that in my Metal opinion, all ten songs on “Danzig” are fully loaded for maximum heavy musical enjoyment. The Danzig lineup for this debut album was: Glenn Danzig on vocals, Eerie Von on bass, John Christ on lead guitar and Chuck Biscuits on drums. Not that Glenn Danzig needed any introduction to the Rock universe back in 1988, he did arrive with storied and musically historical careers with the Misfits and Samhain behind him. However, I firmly believe that this debut album was built to last, succeeding in launching the Metal legacy that Danzig has so brilliantly created.

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Fastway – revisiting one cool, Heavy Metal debut album

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's rock music, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic metal, classic rock, cool album covers, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Motorhead, Music, old school heavy metal, Rock, rock music, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage rock albums with tags "fast" eddie clarke guitarist, 1980's hard rock albums, 1980's hard rock music, 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1983 fastway album, Album Review, caldor department store, classic heavy metal, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock, classic rock albums, dave king vocalist, fastway, fastway debut album, fastway hard rock band, fastway heavy metal band, hard rock music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, jerry shirley drummer, Metal, metal music, mickey feat bass guitarist, Motorhead, pete way bass guitarist, Rock, rock music on May 26, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150 In 1983, Fastway was the apple of my Metal eye. Today, well, Fastway is an old school Heavy Metal favorite of mine still, with their debut album aptly titled “Fastway”, being what I consider their best material. Man, when I heard the news that “Fast” Eddie Clarke was leaving Motorhead, I was floored like any loyal fan, back in the day. Then, the word broke, that “Fast” Eddie Clarke was forming a new Heavy Metal band called Fastway… my Metal anticipation was climbing by the second. Knowing that Pete Way (formerly of UFO) was to play bass alongside “Fast” Eddie Clarke only made this lineup more potent by the second. (I later found out that Pete Way never did get to actually play bass on the Fastway debut album).

Let’s go back in time now, to a wonderful department store named Caldor. You see, where I grew up, back in the 1980’s, Caldor was the biggest Hard Rock and Heavy Metal album supplier in my town. (It was the greatest place for a Metalhead teenager to go to for tunes, living in expensive nowhere Connecticut). I used to fantasize about Caldor while I was serving time in Parochial School and later High School. My thoughts strayed right into that glorious Caldor, envisioning the very long record aisles, lined with Yes, Iron Maiden, Bad Company, Ted Nugent, Black Sabbath… and then one day, in 1983, I remembered that the new Fastway album was to be released. Oh, the surefire Metal joy I would experience if that Fastway album was to be at Caldor! Minutes after I was released from being imprisoned in that High School, I was there… at Caldor. Fastway was also there. You betcha. With my Metal heart beating quickly, I reached for this precious new vinyl pressing, had it in my hands… what is this? Located on the back of this Fastway debut album was a strange looking little mini record, it was not a 45 rpm, (it was the size of a 45 rpm and had a tiny album hole in the center), nor was it anything that I really saw before. It was supposed to be with this album, for it was the single for the song “Far Far From Home” – this song never made it on the actual album itself, therefore, the record company added it on as a separate single bonus! Man, at this moment, this teenage Metalhead was on Metal cloud nine.

Alright, as for the actual Metal found on this Fastway debut album, it rocked me straight into Heavy Metal bliss for an entire Summer – and Fall and Winter too. The tunes were so catchy, guitar driven and groove laden (courtesy of “Fast” Eddie Clarke), that it was one difficult album for me to put down for a lengthy period of time. “Say What You Will” was the most notoriously recognizable track off of this album. The opening guitar lead by “Fast” Eddie Clarke repeats throughout the entire song, instead of being repetitious, it was (and still is) Metal delicious. The vocals of the underrated Dave King were reminiscent of Robert Plant upon my initial listen to this album. However, back in the ’80’s it seemed to be the trend to point the finger at too many Hard Rock and Metal vocalists – accusing them of ripping off the legendary Robert Plant. “Easy Livin'” is definitely my favorite track on this debut, it is fast, slick and the guitar play of “Fast” Eddie Clarke shines. “You Got Me Runnin'” and “Give It All You Got” are heavy, fast paced – melody makers, providing the maximum Heavy Metal grooves you can possibly get out of three minute songs.

In a Metal nutshell, the overall enjoyment that this Fastway debut album has provided me, sincerely has lasted a lifetime. This is one of those albums that I bought on CD as quickly as it was available. The efficiency of this album is what makes it a winner, for me. The efficiency of the songs structures, both musically and time wise, coupled with “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitar, Dave King on vocals, Jerry Shirley on drums and Mickey Feat on bass, makes the debut Fastway album a Heavy Metal treat for me – to reach for to this very day.

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Happy Metal Birthday, Klaus Meine – Scorpions vocalist

Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's Rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic metal, classic rock, cool album covers, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal from germany, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, Rock, Scorpions, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, Vocals with tags 1970's classic heavy metal, 1970's classic rock, 1970's cool album covers, 1970's scorpions heavy metal, 1970's heavy metal, 1975 scorpions heavy metal, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic heavy metal, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock, cool album covers, francis buchholz bass guitarist, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, in trance 1975 scorpions album, in trance scorpions album, klaus meine vocalist, Metal, metal music, Music, rudolf schenker guitarist, rudy lenners drummer, Scorpions, scorpions heavy metal band, scorpions metal music, uli jon roth guitarist, ulrich roth guitarist, vintage heavy metal albums on May 25, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

fullsize It is May 25th, 2009, Memorial Day in the United States. Today is also… the 61st birthday for Klaus Meine, lead vocalist for the incredible, dynamic and legendary Scorpions. Metal Odyssey gives out a loud, Metal filled, Happy Birthday to Klaus Meine! I can go on for days as to how much Metal joy that Klaus Meine and the Scorpions have given me, with their Heavy Metal, throughout my life. My favorite Scorpions album ever, is “In Trance” – this album showcased an up and coming Heavy Metal band that was filled with the Metal hunger and talent needed to sustain such a long standing, unbelievable career. Released in 1975, the third album, this is a Scorpions release unlike their “Animal Magnetism”, “Blackout” or “Love At First Sting” albums. This is Scorpions Metal that was raw, rough and edgy, in other Metal words – great tunes without the Arena Rock flamboyancy. Do not get me wrong, I support and revere every album ever released by the Scorpions. Only this is a Scorpions band in their Metal infancy, the dynamics are clearly heard on this album, which makes me choose “In Trance” as my favorite Scorpions release. This vinyl Metal Classic still exists in my collection today, after so many plays on the turntable. I am still amazed that I was able to keep this album, in such incredible condition, for this long!

“Top of the Bill” is my favorite track on “In Trance”, this song exemplifies what true old school Heavy Metal sounds like. The Scorpions musicians over the decades are stand alone – top of their Metal game players. Klaus Meine is realistically, for me, a top ten, all-time Heavy Metal vocalist. You can argue that Klaus Meine is a top ten, all-time Hard Rock vocalist as well. (Take your pick or pick both). “In Trance” does not lack in quality of musicianship or song writing, in my Metal opinion. This was an album that really represented this time period well, representing what Heavy Metal from Germany sounded like. (Thank you Germany). I am confident in saying that the world of Metal has embraced and revered the Scorpions to this very day. Thank you Klaus Meine for sharing your unique and unbelievable vocals with us, you and the Scorpions are in a Metal class all your own!

Scorpions as they appeared on “In Trance” in 1975: Klaus Meine on lead vocals, Ulrich Roth on lead guitar & backing vocals and lead vocals on “Dark Lady” & “Sun In My Hand”, Rudolf Schenker on rhythm guitar & backing vocals, Francis Buchholz on bass guitar & backing vocals and Rudy Lenners on drums & percussion.

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Nazareth “Hair Of The Dog” still has the heavy bite

Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's Rock, Album Review, classic metal, classic rock, cool album covers, cover songs, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, Rock, rock & roll, rock music, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage rock albums with tags 1970's classic heavy metal, 1970's classic rock, 1970's nazareth, 1970's hard rock music, 1970's heavy metal music, Album Review, classic heavy metal, classic rock, classic rock album review, classic rock albums, dan mccafferty rock vocalist, darrell sweet rock drummer, essential hard rock albums, hair of the dog song, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, manny charlton rock guitarist, Music, nazareth, nazareth hair of the dog album, nazareth hard rock band, nazareth heavy metal band, pete agnew bass guitarist, Rock, rock music on May 25, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Nazareth “Hair Of The Dog” has always been a monumental standout Hard Rock album for me. This is what I consider a real album with no pretensions, no fancy gimmicks. What you hear on “Hair Of The Dog” is true Classic Hard Rock, no tunes found here are subdued or watered down. Nazareth came up the Hard Rock ladder during the 1970’s, surrounded by Hard Rock icons such as: Bad Company, Queen, Boston, Foreigner, Sweet, Styx and Cheap Trick. What a fabulous time it was for Hard Rock music! For the Metal record, I always considered Nazareth to be a Hard Rock band, albeit they do have their Heavy Metal musical tendencies. “Hair Of The Dog”, lyrically, is for me, a true stick it to the man – heavy song. “Now your messin’ with a son of a bitch” – these lyrics say it all, my fellow citizens. I can remember so many moments, in my life, where this song has benefited me. Sure, I have been slighted and backstabbed, so have trillions of other people on this planet have as well. “Hair Of The Dog”, when played LOUD, especially after you know you have been jerked around by someone, well, it is the sure fire remedy for feeling vindication.

I remember, uh, reflect, on my High School days… early ’80’s… it was homeroom at 7:45 in the morning, for my first four years of serving time there, “Love Hurts” was played on the school’s radio station, every single day. Yup, every single day. Did I ever grow tired of this song? Nope. It is Nazareth for Metal sakes. I only used to wonder why “Hair Of The Dog” was not played… probably due to it’s lyrical content, the sacred & self righteous school administrators did not want to stir up the masses. I will delve more into the “Love Hurts” tune in the upcoming paragraph, uh, review.

If you are looking for a great, Classic Hard Rock album to buy and cherish, “Hair Of The Dog” should be an easy choice. This album is saturated with Hard Rock. Oozing with bluesy, Hard Rock music and attitude, “Hair Of The Dog” has so much more to offer, with the title track “Hair Of The Dog” being as close of an example to 1970’s Heavy Metal as you can possibly hear. This song revs it up into high gear, kicking off this album on a real high note. “Miss Misery” is a melancholy song that thumps along with a denim and leather flavor, highlighting the raspy vocals of Dan McCafferty. “Love Hurts” is the ballad, the big radio hit for Nazareth then and now. This song is a cover from the Everly Brothers, only this version is hardened around the edges and overflows with pure Rock emotion. “Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman” is a song with a grooving coolness happening, it has that American Southern Rock sound and atmosphere. “Hair Of The Dog” is in my opinion, quite diversified musically. The opening track being very Metal, another track having Southern Rock flavor and a classic 1950’s ballad cover song. “Please Don’t Judas Me” is a lengthy rocker at nearly ten minutes long. I appreciate this song for it’s jamming, it also exemplifies how albums years ago were geared more to the music than to releasing instant commercial hits. Nazareth released a memorable album back in 1975, it should be enjoyed and passed along for all Rock and Hard Rock fans. Heavy Metal fans should embrace this album for its quality musical content and ground floor sound. “Hair Of The Dog” helped shape Heavy Metal in the 1970’s and beyond. This is an album that can never, ever, be forgotten.

Nazareth on “Hair Of The Dog”: Dan McCafferty on vocals, Manny Charlton on guitars & synthesizer, Pete Agnew on bass guitar & backing vocals and Darrell Sweet on drums, percussion & backing vocals. The liner notes do not contain lyrics, it is a fold out with an enlarged scale of the album cover artwork.

Nazareth "Hair Of The Dog"

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Having a lousy day? Then listen to W.A.S.P. “Live… In The Raw”

Posted in 1980's live heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic metal, cool album covers, essential heavy metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, horror metal, live rock albums, Metal, metal concerts, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage live heavy metal albums with tags 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's live heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, Album Review, Blackie Lawless, chris holmes guitarist, classic heavy metal, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, johnny rod bass guiarist, Metal, metal music, metal music review, Music, steve riley drummer, vintage heavy metal, vintage heavy metal albums, W.A.S.P., w.a.s.p. heavy metal band, w.a.s.p. live in the raw album on May 25, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

W.A.S.P. released “Live… In The Raw” on November 27, 1987. I always thank the Metal Gods for W.A.S.P. existing. Blackie Lawless is one of my Metal heroes. This live album/CD is one heck of a Metal ride, an outstanding set of vintage W.A.S.P. tunes that are monstrously power driven. My best buddy in the entire Metal galaxy introduced me to W.A.S.P. back in the mid 1980’s, it was the greatest gift I have ever received from him. I know this line has been used millions of times before, however, being introduced to W.A.S.P. back then is the Metal gift that keeps on giving. Look, if you are in need of some legitimate Metal music that will pick you up, power you up and make you flip off your enemies and/or antagonists, well, “Live… In The Raw” is all the Metal fuel you need. There has always been something about the in your face and straight up brand of Heavy Metal that W.A.S.P. provides, it has been a Metal elixir for me going on three decades now. The legendary W.A.S.P. lineup on this live album was: Blackie Lawless on lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Chris Holmes on lead & rhythm guitar, Johnny Rod on bass & backing vocals and Steve Riley on drums & backing vocals.

I always dig the live concert albums that make me feel like I am/was there to experience it. “Live… In The Raw” is one of those albums for me. From the opening track of “Inside The Electric Circus” to “The Manimal” in the middle of the set, to “Blind In Texas” – this is full throttle, old school Heavy Metal, that makes me forget about all the morons that try to make my life miserable. I recommend with full Metal pride, this album/CD to anyone just getting interested in discovering what W.A.S.P. is all about. “Harder Faster” and “9.5 – N.A.S.T.Y.” are two incredible live tracks, I envision Blackie Lawless actually singing these songs with his trademark crazed look about his face as I listen. (Hey, what else would anyone be envisioning while listening to live W.A.S.P.? Huh? Daisy and floral gardens? Cute little chipmunks? I do not think so). This live album is an all Metal feel-good experience, courtesy of one of the most commercially unacceptable bands in the world… the PMRC’s worst nightmare, the undeniable W.A.S.P..

W.A.S.P. "Live... In The Raw"

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Black Sabbath – “Mob Rules” still rules the Metal world

Posted in 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, Black Sabbath, classic metal, classic rock, cool album covers, dio, essential heavy metal albums, heaven and hell heavy metal band, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, old school heavy metal, ronnie james dio with tags 1980's metal, 1980's heavy metal, 1980's metal music, Album Review, Black Sabbath, black sabbath 1981, black sabbath mob rules album, classic rock, dio, geezer butler bassist, heaven & hell heavy metal band, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Metal, metal music, mob rules album, Music, ronnie james dio vocalist, tony iommi guitarist, vinny appice drummer, vintage heavy metal albums on May 23, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

In my Metal opinion, this is such a tremendous album, a true Metal mainstay for so many years. Released in 1981, this is Old School, Black Sabbath that time cannot age. I highly endorse “Mob Rules” to be in every Metal fans music collection. Every song is enormous, with the prolific riffs and leads from Tony Iommi on guitar, I so admire this musician. Geezer Butler on bass and Vinny Appice on drums make for what I consider one of the greatest rhythm sections in Metal history. Ronnie James Dio is pure Metal perfection on vocals. Between the music and Dio’s voice, this Black Sabbath lineup takes a back seat to no one. “Voodoo”, “Turn Up The Night”, “Slipping Away” and “Mob Rules” are songs that have that unrelenting Metal energy that does not subside. Unbelievable Metal Classics, in my Metal opinion. “E5150” is an instrumental that has the eerie Black Sabbath ambiance flowing over, a perfect fit for this album. The real sleeper tune on this album, for me, is “Country Girl” – this song has a really cool groove going on, a real Heavy Metal song that doesn’t get the same attention as the previous tracks I mentioned.

“Mob Rules” is, as I see it, one of the most complete Metal albums ever made, it has the songs, vocals, Metal and lyrics. The album artwork definitely gets a Metal thumbs up! This macabre artwork definitely fits in with the song “Mob Rules”. I remember the very first time I heard the opening riff to “Voodoo”, I still get the same Metal rush from it now as I did back in 1981. I distinctly remember when this Metalhead buddy of mine, back then, held this album jacket in his hands, put the vinyl on the turntable, turned to me and said: “Dude, wait ’till you here this song “Voodoo” “. I knew at that moment, it was some special Metal awaiting me. It is an amazing Metal accomplishment, for these four musicians to still be creating new music together in 2009, as Heaven & Hell. Do not skip over this Metal gem for too long, you could be enjoying it right now!

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I refuse to be a closet KISS fan

Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's Rock, 1980's hair metal music, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1990's heavy metal music, classic metal, classic rock, concerts, cool album covers, Gene Simmons, Hair Metal, hair metal music, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal memorabilia, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal concerts, metal music, Music, old school heavy metal, Rock, rock and roll memorabilia, rock music, vintage heavy metal albums with tags 1970's kiss band, 1970's hard rock music, 1970's heavy metal, 1980's kiss band, 1980's heavy metal, 1990's kiss band, ace frehley, classic heavy metal, classic rock, Gene Simmons, Hard Rock, hard rock music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal music, kiss, kiss albums, kiss creatures of the night album, kiss heavy metal band, kiss live concert, kiss memorabilia, kiss rock memorabilia, metal music, Music, new haven coliseum, Paul Stanley, peter criss, vintage heavy metal albums on May 22, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

KISS. The makeup, the attitude, the stage show, the costumes, the KISS trading cards from the 1970’s, the marketing machine which throws the KISS logo on just about anything. Wait a minute, there is of course… the music, uh, I mean the Heavy Metal. Since about 5th grade, (a long time ago, in a parochial school, far, far, away), I have been a KISS fan. You betcha. I am not a closet KISS fan either. No way will I disregard to anyone, a lifetime love I have for such a behemoth of a Heavy Metal icon, which is KISS. I will not part with my unopened wax box of KISS trading cards from 1978. No sir. What in the world is there to be ashamed of? KISS is the epitome of Heavy Metal success, both commercially and musically, in my Metal opinion.

I have had the opportunity to see KISS live, albeit without makeup. I unfortunately, never had an opportunity to see them live with makeup. Quite honestly, the only drawback about seeing KISS live was… the venue where the concert was. The New Haven Coliseum, (which no longer exists), was by far, the creepiest, most decrepit, armpit of an arena, ever to exist on planet Earth. I mean, this building was not even cool creepy, it was just a plain nightmare gone wrong. This arena was located in New Haven, Connecticut, of course. Alright, enough about that incompetent structure. The KISS concert was loud, bright, festive, loud again and darn right good. I have seen better live shows in my day, yet I am not complaining about anything that KISS did on that stage. It was a night to celebrate Heavy Metal, with a band that carried the flag for Heavy Music since their introduction to the world. This was the KISS “Asylum” Tour, back in good ol’ 1985. I will tell you this, it is a real Metal treat, to see my daughters revel in the KISS tunes, to know and see how much the music of KISS means to them, as it always has for me. My daughters were extremely excited when they saw KISS on television the other night, (I absolutely refuse to discuss this show on Metal Odyssey, let’s just say it is on the Fox Network and is a Pop music show). Hey, anytime KISS can get exposure to a new generation of fans is fine with me.

I remember being in High School, when all of a sudden, it was uncool to like KISS anymore. Well, that was what was happening in the penitentiary like High School I attended. Metalheads were abundant, yet KISS became almost taboo to talk about. So, I took advantage of this situation. I asked all the super cool know-it-alls that no longer liked KISS, if they were willing to sell their KISS albums and anything KISS. I made out like a bandit. I had more KISS posters, albums and fanzines than I knew what to do with. Plus, I acquired it all dirt cheap. Then, one day, in 1982, KISS made a loud and triumphant return with their release “Creatures Of The Night”… all of a sudden, these fair weather KISS fans are asking me, if I would sell them any of my extra KISS memorabilia and/or albums. Go figure. Since the mid ’70’s up until present day, I have embraced the Heavy Metal that KISS has created. Even the ballads and Gene Simmons dating Cher I have accepted. Yes, the made for television movie “KISS Meets The Phantom In The Park” I have always accepted too. The changes in the KISS lineup never has made me flinch either, any KISS fan knows that the original four are the best. I am not ashamed to say this, for once a KISS fan, always a KISS fan. What other reason was there not to believe this, back in the day when I joined the “KISS Army”? I enlisted into the KISS Army decades ago, I have never gone awol since.

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Cheap Trick “At Budokan” – a vintage vinyl reunion

Posted in 1970's hard rock, Album Review, classic rock, essential hard rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, live rock albums, Metal, Music, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock music, rock music vocals, vintage hard rock albums, vintage live hard rock albums with tags 1970's hard rock, bun e. carlos drummer, cheap trick, cheap trick 1979, cheap trick at budokan album, cheap trick live album, cheap trick rock band, classic rock, classic rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock music, rick nielsen guitarist, robin zander rock vocalist, rock music, tom petersson bassist, vintage hard rock albums, vintage live rock albums on May 22, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

I love perusing the local thrift stores. You just never know when you will make that Hard Rock or Heavy Metal find. Cheap Trick “At Budokan” was just that for me this past winter – a Hard Rock find. It was a dreary, cold and blustery winters day, I decided to venture to one of the local thrift shops that has been infamous for having many vintage vinyl albums available for sale – at fifty cents each!! As I entered the shop, I made my way towards the used CD and albums section… there it was… just sitting there, abandoned, found useless by a former owner. Cheap Trick “At Budokan”, in all of it’s vintage vinyl, Hard Rock glory! This live album was released in the U.S. in February of 1979. This album is a live Hard Rock masterpiece, in my Metal opinion. I saw, from just a few feet away, that this album was in near perfect condition too! The coast was clear, I made my move and Cheap Trick was in my hands. I have finally been reunited with my long lost Cheap Trick album!! Holding this album, staring at the front cover photo of Robin Zander and Tom Petersson, well, it took me back to a moment in time.

Sometime back in the very early 1980’s, my cousin, Michael, well, he asked me if he could “borrow” my beloved Cheap Trick “At Budokan” album. I replied, “yes”. You live and learn. You learn from your past mistakes. I never saw that album again, not until this find at the thrift store was in my hands. You see, throughout the years, I never repurchased this classic Cheap Trick album, nor did I ever get it on CD. I guess, deep down inside of me, I was waiting, maybe hoping, that this cousin of mine would someday return the album to me. Dream on. Did I ever ask my cousin for the album over the years? Nope. It was not worth it. Eventually realizing how my cousin actually took care of material possessions, well, I just knew the album would not be in the same mint shape as it was, when it left me.

At this point, the past is just that, the past. I now have the Cheap Trick “At Budokan” live album and I could not be happier with it’s condition. As an amazing bonus – the liner notes are still inside this album that I found! The liner notes are in black and white, however, they are like a giant tour program. The photo’s alone are fabulous. To actually get my hands on this album at a thrift store, in this perfect shape, with the original liner notes tucked inside, that to me… is a find. Plus, upon my scrupulous inspection, it appears to me, that these liner notes were never taken out of the album sleeve! I am not kidding, no creases, tears or even signs of other people’s fingerprints! (My very own fingerprints were immediately left onto these liner notes, for the majority of the ink on the artwork is black). Do I sound a tad obsessive? Maybe so, however, when you are a collector of vintage Hard Rock/Metal albums, you do tend to inspect the memorabilia more than the average/casual consumer of such items.

Now, for the actual music found on this excellent album: Cheap Trick “At Budokan” is an incredibly essential, live Rock & Roll album to own! I have this album in the top ten live Rock albums ever released, it is that good. The songs are tremendous, filled with the trademark energy of Cheap Trick, yet the live essence surrounding the music makes for an inspiring listen. This album was recorded in Japan, at Budokan, in April of 1978! This music is incredibly relevant to today’s Rock sound, it has not lost any mileage with me after all these years. This is the album that truly made Cheap Trick a household name. Since “at Budokan”, Cheap Trick continues to stay current with Rock & Hard Rock, releasing an extensive catalog of great Rock albums which spans four decades! The very famous track “I Want You To Want Me” is here in all of it’s Rock glory, with the classic cover of Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame”. “Surrender” is a signature song of this great band, it borderlines on the Punk Rock side and still has that catchy appeal it bestowed so brightly, back in the day. “Need Your Love” and “Come On, Come On” are two more tracks that can light up any concert stage today. Overall, this is required Rock & Roll listening for fans of all Rock genres. You can honestly walk away from listening to “At Budokan” and realize how much influence Cheap Trick has on today’s Rock sound. Musically, Cheap Trick is so good, simply one of a kind. Cheap Trick are: Robin Zander on vocals, Rick Nielsen on guitar, Tom Petersson on bass and Bun E. Carlos on drums.

Cheap Trick "At Budokan"

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CKY “Carver City” is diverse, macabre Metal at it’s finest

Posted in Album Review, cool album covers, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current progressive metal albums, hard rock album review, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, progressive metal, progressive metal albums, progressive metal music with tags carver city, chad i ginsburg (cig) guitarist, chad i ginsburg guitarist, cky, cky carver city album, cky heavy metal band, cky metal band, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current metal albums, current metal music, deron miller vocalist, Heavy Metal, heavy metal music, jess margera drummer, macabre metal music, matt deis bassist, Metal, metal music, road runner records, roadrunner records on May 21, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

I am hopelessly addicted to Metal music. CKY is just another reason why my Metal addiction will never cease. I grabbed, uh, bought my copy of “Carver City” – smack dab on the actual release date of May 19, 2009. You betcha. I was innocently wandering the CD aisles of Wal-Mart, minding my own business, then CKY “Carver City” came into view. I could not resist, nor did I want to try hunting down this new CKY for a cheaper price. For it was there, so shall I buy. I am a steadfast and loyal enthusiast of all Metal, that is why I am very intrigued by CKY and “Carver City”. CKY brings to the Heavy Music table a whole bunch of Metal genres woven into one. These guys are giving Metal fans something different, a change of pace, a stray from the Metal norm, in my Metal opinion.

“The Era Of An End” is heavily saturated with what I will call spooky synthesizer sounds. This is the closing track on this album, a fitting end to an overall macabre Metal work of genius. “Old Carver’s Bones” is heavy, again with sci-fi atmospherics meets creepy synthesizer music and sound effects. The vocals on this tune are enough to not make me want to walk alone at night on a deserted road. Good stuff. “A#1 Roller Rager” is more commercially acceptable, melodic and harmonious. I find this tune to be quite catchy, again different from what is currently flooding the Metal market today. The vocals on “A#1 Roller Rager” sound familiar to the style of 1980’s Arena Rock, yet I am not complaining. (I said earlier CKY is different). “Hellions On Parade”, the opening track that every Metal fan should have heard by now, (due to it being on the internet everywhere prior to the release), works it’s melodic, Metal thumping magic for me. The synthetic textures of music found here on “Carver City” are such an integral style of CKY, that without them, this Metal would not sound so good. “Carver City” is loaded with plenty of cool riffs, impressive backing vocals and heavy ambiance. Everything CKY did here musically seems to seamlessly blend together, forming an imaginative and macabre sound scape of Metal, that I cannot get enough of. The stylistic and progressive theme that CKY ventures into on “Carver City” makes me appreciate this total package here. As a side note, the artwork on the front/back cover and inside the liner notes are perfect, this art fits right into the “Carver City” theme and musical environment. This is a cool, new, Metal album to own for the Summer of 2009 and beyond.

Now I want to call out the names of these guys – they get a gigantic Metal thank you from me for creating “Carver City”: Deron Miller on lead vocals, guitar, bass, moogs, orchestration * Chad I Ginsburg (CIG) on lead guitar, bass, moogs, orchestration and backing vocals * Jess Margera on drums * Matt Deis on bass. RoadRunner Records has yet another amazing Metal band on their roster, this label knows great music when they hear it.

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Rainbow “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” long lives indeed!

Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's Rock, Album Review, classic rock, cool album covers, dio, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, rainbow heavy metal band, Rock, rock music, rock music vocals, ronnie james dio, vintage rock albums with tags 1970's hard rock music, 1970's heavy metal music, 1970's rock music, Album Review, Black Sabbath, classic rock, cozy powell drummer, dio, Hard Rock, hard rock music, heaven & hell heavy metal band, Heavy Metal, heavy metal music, heavy metal music review, long live rock and roll album, Metal, metal music, rainbow, rainbow 1978 album, rainbow heavy metal band, rainbow long live rock n roll album, rainbow rock band, ritchie blackmore guitarist, ronnie james dio, ronnie james dio vocalist on May 19, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

There never seems to be a day that goes by, where I do not peruse my Heavy Metal collection of albums and/or CD’s. One album in my collection, that recently caught my attention and reminded me of genuine Heavy Metal greatness is Rainbow “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll”. When I first bought this album, I did so when Ronnie James Dio was the lead vocalist for Black Sabbath, sometime between 1980 and 1982. I needed to, at that time, catch up and become familiar with any or all of Ronnie James Dio’s music and bands. This album, without any doubt in my Metal mind, is a keeper for life.

Released in 1978, this album upon my first complete listen, had me in awe. It still has that same affect on me, more than 25 years later. It just seems that the true elite of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal will shine on forever, keeping the flame of Heavy Music burning for decades on end. That is exactly what “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll does for me, it keeps it’s Heavy Rock sheen glistening, no matter how many times I listen to it. It is my opinion that this album deserves to be in any all time great lists. The two songs “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “L.A. Connection” alone are reason enough to add this album to your collection of Heavy Music. These two tunes pound away at a pace that is classic 1970’s Heavy Metal, yet the unmistakable sound is vintage Rainbow. Here is an album, that boasts strong and heavy music for it’s time, with intelligent lyrics and arguably one of the premiere lead guitarists and lead vocalists in all of Heavy Rock, back in 1978.

Fast forward to Ronnie James Dio joining forces with Black Sabbath, then decades later Heaven & Hell, we are all living in the present with the unstoppable Metal tandem of Tony Iommi and Dio. What is such a thrill to revisit, each time I listen to this album, is there was at one time, an incredible Heavy Metal duo of Ritchie Blackmore and Dio. Listening to Dio sing at this pertinent stage of his career, is hearing an emboldened vocalist, rich with sincere emotion and hunger that elevates the totality of this albums music. Ritchie Blackmore on guitar gives the songs on “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” their creative and at times medieval signature sound. “Gates of Babylon” is a fine example on this album, of what I mean, in mentioning a medieval guitar sound. What words can I truly use to compliment the guitar playing and skill of the legendary Ritchie Blackmore on this album? Let’s leave it that Ritchie Blackmore is guitar elite. The pair of Dio and Blackmore together in Rainbow may have been short lived, however, just as the title of this album states “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” – this album without question long lives.

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I drove my neighbors nuts with Ratt – “Out Of The Cellar”

Posted in 1980's hair metal music, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, Album Review, classic rock, cool album covers, Hair Metal, hair metal music, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews with tags 1980's hair metal, 1980's heavy metal, 1980's ratt, Album Review, bobby blotzer drummer, Hair Metal, hair metal albums, hair metal music, juan croucier bass guitarist, Metal, metal music, ratt, ratt and roll, ratt hair metal band, ratt heavy metal band, ratt out of the cellar album, robbin crosby guitarist, round and round ratt hit single, stephen pearcy ratt vocalist, warren demartini guitarist on May 19, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

It was the Summer of 1984, Ratt “Out Of The Cellar” was the Heavy Metal/Hair Metal album that took me and my neighborhood Metal buddies by storm. Yes, this is going to be a middle aged Metalhead reminiscing about 1980’s Heavy Metal, therefore, you have been forewarned. Now, back to Ratt – this album for me, is catchy, melodic, fun, groove laden, riff laden, party all night, good times, brand of Heavy Metal. In other words, I have always put Ratt “Out Of The Cellar” on the Heavy Metal pedestal. Hey, this is my personal preference. If you research and surf around the internet, well, you will find many positive reviews regarding this album and it’s significance to the total Heavy Metal genre of the 1980’s. This album did peak at #7 on the Billboard top 200 album chart in 1984. Stephen Pearcy on lead vocals, Warrn DeMartini & Robbin Crosby on guitar, Juan Croucier on bass guitar and Bobby Blotzer on drums were Ratt, circa 1984, the band that made me like Hair Metal.

Now here is why this great album drove my neighbors nuts, back in the Summer of 1984. You see, I did have quality neighbors next door, they were like family to me. The only thing about these neighbors that I did not dig was, they never, ever, invited me (or my family) over for their countless picnics or to swim in their pool. Other than that, I could honestly count on them for anything else, (except monetary handouts). So, I rebelled, I lashed out, I cranked up Ratt “Out Of The Cellar” so damn loud – every stinking day, of every hour I was home, that Summer of 1984. I would open my bedroom windows fully, then I strategically placed my stereo speakers on top of the window sills, aimed right at my neighbors. I made certain to do this especially when they had their daily picnic and swimming pool jamboree. The nervous looks I would get from my neighbors relatives, as they were gorging on picnic meats, was worth its weight in Metal gold. My neighbor who was the dad (God rest his soul), had the single loudest voice I have ever, even to this day, heard on a human being. He would bellow: “Turn that crap down or turn that crap off”. I turned it up LOUDER.

You see, I was really blessed to have had parents that accepted and liked Heavy Metal, (once I got into high school they realized they could not stop Metal, they could only accept and like it), plus they did not care in the least as to how loud I played my Metal. I would smell the sweet and tender aroma of the steaks cooking on the grill, hot dogs and hamburgers giving off the sensational smells as they cooked away, tantalizing me, making me hunger for an invitation to at least one lousy picnic next door. Dream on, so my only way of expressing my disbelief and let down was to blare my Ratt album as loud as the stereo system could tolerate. A sassy, stuck up, green turtle neck shirt wearing, niece of my neighbors was always at these daily backyard picnic spectacles. I forget her name now and she was my age, yet she acted like she was 55 years old in high school. This bothersome girl was unfortunately in a couple of classes with me in high school. One day, in the Fall of 1984, she turned to me and asked me why I played the same Ratt album over and over. She said: “I am so sick of that album, it is all you play”. Well, because of that mindless comment and thoughtless attitude, when the Summer of 1985 came around, well, I introduced my neighbors to Mercyful Fate and Slayer. I did not hold back any longer. I turned it up a Metal notch.

To this day, I enjoy immensely the “Out Of The Cellar” album from Ratt, it is not just due to it’s enormous Heavy Metal power that it instills in me, it is also due to it evoking such bizarre memories that make me laugh at myself.

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Michael Schenker & Gary Barden rock together again on “In The Midst Of Beauty”

Posted in 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, Album Review, classic rock, current hard rock albums, current hard rock songs, current heavy metal music, Guitar, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, Rock, rock music, rock music vocals with tags 1970's heavy metal, 1980's heavy metal, Album Review, current hard rock albums, current heavy metal albums, gary barden hard rock vocalist, Hard Rock, hard rock music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal music, metal music, michael schenker group, michael schenker group albums, michael schenker guitarist, msg, msg heavy metal band, Music, Reviews, Rock, Scorpions, scorpions heavy metal band, ufo, ufo heavy metal band on May 18, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

I always have been enamored by the guitar brilliance of Michael Schenker. I have always been a big fan of the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal vocals of Gary Barden. These two musicians combined, made for one very cool and memorable debut album by The Michael Schenker Group, which was self titled. My favorite album by this duo is the second Michael Schenker Group album, titled “MSG”. Depending on the song or album you listen to from the Michael Schenker Group catalog, this band can be defined as Rock, Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Diversity has been the mainstay in Michael Schenker’s music, in my Metal opinion. A tried and true crossover of Heavy Music styles is what MSG has accomplished over the decades. Michael Schenker has had one incredible Hard Rock/Metal career, being an original member of the Scorpions and as a member of the infamous UFO.

Michael Schenker has had different lead vocalists over the years, again, my nod goes to the combo of Michael Schenker and Gary Barden. I did not intend to get too long winded, on the background history of The Michael Schenker Group, just a brief introduction is necessary for new fans that might want to check out the past music of MSG. Schenker – Barden “In The Midst Of Beauty” was released on May 13, 2008, with both Michael Schenker and Gary Barden rockin’ out together again. I am very pleased with this album, the vocals of Barden are still solid, he was never a flamboyant or in your face – Arena Rock vocalist to begin with. Barden for me, has always been a cool and deliberate Heavy Rock vocalist who exhibits real emotion in his vocals, while pronouncing the lyrics of his songs – always making the lyrical message as important as the music itself. In my Metal opinion, Gary Barden is as true a Heavy Rock vocalist today as he was in 1980. I cannot say enough about the guitar wizardry of Michael Schenker, to me he plays his very best on “In The Midst Of Beauty”.

All 12 songs are memorable for me on this album, with my favorite track being “Ride On My Way”. This tune is very melodic and it Rocks. I knew when I bought this CD, that I was not going to hear the resurrection of the 1980’s Schenker & Barden Heavy Metal attack. As years pass, all of our great and legendary Metal musicians change a tad or two. Does Gary Barden sound older? How about Michael Schenker? Give me a break, if anything else, there is a new found level of confident Metal that I hear on “In The Midst Of Beauty”. Do not be fooled, for Michael Schenker still brings the heavy on his guitar solos and leads. These two Heavy Metal legends can still Rock their hearts out, I only wish I could sing or play guitar this darn great at my age! “In The Midst Of Beauty” is a fantastic Hard Rock/old school Heavy Metal album that defines what Schenker and Barden are all about – both accomplished musicians who have nothing to prove to anyone – while still showing the entire Rock world what real song writing is all about.

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Kittie “Spit” – aggressive, furious, extreme Metal that is purrfect

Posted in Album Review, Death Metal, death metal guitarists, death metal vocals, Extreme Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, Thrash Metal with tags Album Review, Death Metal, Extreme Metal, extreme metal albums, extreme metal music, fallon bowman guitarist, hardcore metal, hardcore metal albums, hardcore metal music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal music, kittie, kittie metal band, kittie spit album, mercedes lander drummer, Metal, metal music, morgan lander guitarist, morgan lander vocalist, Music, Reviews, talena atfield bassist, Thrash Metal on May 17, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Kittie “Spit” is one huge chunk, of an extremely heavy work of Metal. I basically stumbled onto this CD courtesy of a local thrift store that I love to frequent – for Metal finds, of course. “Spit” only set me back 3 bucks, not too shabby for a Metal find. If you are into Death Metal, Hardcore and Extreme Metal, well, “Spit” should be in your Metal collection. Very heavy music here, seriously heavy. Heavy duty heavy. The lyrics are heavy. Everything about Kittie and “Spit” is Metal, of the extreme. Morgan Lander on vocals and guitar has the attitude bellowing with unashamed aggression. Morgan’s Death Metal vocals definitely get across loud and loud again. After listening to Morgan Lander sing, I would not want to be the dude that ever crosses her, in any way. Listening to all 12 songs will have you knowing that Kittie is not looking for commercial approval or a top 100 hit single. Kittie are playing the heaviest of Metal and delivering it like a cosmic meteor storm. I love Metal and respect what Kittie had created with “Spit”. This album has become one of my underground Metal favorites. This is a disc worth exploring if you are into the heaviest of Metal.

The enhanced CD version of “Spit” has a full screen video of the song “Brackish”. The Kittie lineup for “Spit” was: Morgan Lander on vocals & guitar, Mercedes Lander on drums, Talena Atfield on bass and Fallon Bowman on guitar. Kittie “Spit” was released on January 11, 2000. Going on a decade since it’s release, this Metal from Kittie measures up to todays Metal standard of heavy.

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Black Stone Cherry – a Hard Rock band on a path to greatness

Posted in Album Review, current hard rock albums, current hard rock songs, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, recent heavy metal albums, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock music, southern hard rock, southern hard rock albums with tags ben wells guitarist, black stone cherry, black stone cherry debut album, black stone cherry folklore and superstition album, black stone cherry hard rock band, chris robertson guitarist, chris robertson vocalist, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, heavy metal review, john fred young drummer, john fred young percussionist, jon lawhon bass player, Metal, metal music, road runner records, southern hard rock on May 16, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Black Stone Cherry, you better believe I like this band! I always feel reassured when a young Hard Rock or Metal band appears on the scene and shows reverence for old school Classic Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. With Black Stone Cherry, the reverence is in their music. I can hear it and feel it, the reverence in their first two albums and I am sold. Pick up or find just about any interview from this band, you will find these guys mentioning bands from years/decades gone by with the upmost respect. I personally feel it is the coolest and most admirable quality of any heavy Rock band to recognize the roots of their respective genre. Since the first moment I heard of Black Stone Cherry and with my continuance to follow them through numerous media sources, I have never heard a microscopic ounce of arrogance or self entitlement from them. This attitude will carry Black Stone Cherry to greater heights, for they have the musical talent to achieve their highest goals, in my Metal opinion.

I give Road Runner Records a huge applause for signing Black Stone Cherry in the first place, this record company has a winner here and believe me, they know it. One professionally paid music critic out there recently wrote, that “Black Stone Cherry should stop trying to sound like Nickelback” – this statement proves that there are paid music critics out there that never listen to the bands they write about. Black Stone Cherry sounds nothing like Nickelback, the only two things these two bands have in common are that they are extremely talented musically and they play Hard Rock. (I could never, ever, find it ethical to write about a band or their music without first listening to their stuff, yet unethical music reviews is what we all get handed to us, from mainstream Rock publications these days).

There are just two albums/CD’s out there currently by Black Stone Cherry – give them time, their first release was on July 18, 2006, aptly titled “Black Stone Cherry” with their second release on August 19, 2008 titled “Folklore and Superstition”. Black Stone Cherry blends together almost magically, the genres of Hard Rock, Heavy Metal and Southern Hard Rock. In my Metal opinion, there are no filler tunes on either album. The debut album for me, is the heaviest of the two, with “Folklore and Superstition” reaching out to a more melodic and commercial friendly sound. Having radio friendly tunes on a Hard Rock album does not bother me one bit, especially when the songs are not all sappy ballads. Don’t get me wrong though, “Soul Creek”, “Blind Man” and “Please Come In” off of “Folklore and Superstition” are catchy and melodic, yet these songs still Rock like there is no tomorrow. Great party tune is “Soul Creek” – I find myself bellowing out the lyrics to this song while I play it, almost as if it is uncontrollable.

Uh, yeah, I definitely recommend Black Stone Cherry and both of their albums/CD’s to any fan out there who wants to Rock out to some excellent music from excellent musicians. Here is the lineup for Black Stone Cherry, ‘cuz you just might want to know these dudes names: Chris Robertson on lead vocals, lead/rhythm/slide guitar, Ben Wells on rhythm & lead guitar, electric sitar & backing vocals, Jon Lawhon on lead, rhythm bass & backing vocals and John Fred Young on drums, percussion & backing vocals.

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Happy Birthday C.C. DeVille – Poison guitarist

Posted in 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, concerts, current heavy metal music, glam metal, glam metal music, Guitar, Hair Metal, hair metal music, Hard Rock, hard rock guitarists, Heavy Metal, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Metal, metal concerts, metal music, Music, rock celebrity birthdays with tags 1980's hair metal, 1980's heavy metal, bulletboys, bulletboys heavy metal band, c.c. deville, c.c. deville guitarist, glam metal, glam metal music, Hair Metal, hair metal music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, lemmy kilmister, look what the cat dragged in album, melodic metal music, Metal, metal music, Motorhead, poison, poison hair metal band, poison heavy metal band, rock celebrity birthdays, slaughter, slaughter heavy metal band on May 15, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

7901078 It is Thursday, May 14, 2009 – C.C. DeVille, the talented guitarist for Poison celebrates his 47th birthday today. Happy Birthday C.C. Deville! It seems like it was yesterday for me, when I saw Poison live, at an amusement park in expensive Connecticut. It was the late ’80’s and Poison was hotter than a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven, back then. Poison for me, is a pretty cool Hair Metal band that can play. That live amusement park concert was quite honestly, the loudest Heavy Metal concert I have ever been to. I am not kidding and I have been to my fair share of Metal concerts throughout my life, both large and small.

Slaughter and BulletBoys opened up for Poison on that humid Summer night of Metal. (Slaughter played an entire acoustic set that evening, BulletBoys rocked). I give Poison a lot of credit, they still tour consistently and draw the crowds. In my Metal opinion, Poison has their popularity machine still running after all these years. C.C. DeVille gets my respect as a guitarist, he definitely has Lemmy Kilmister’s respect – C.C. appears on the Motorhead album “Kiss of Death” (released in 2007), playing the guitar solo on the tune “God Was Never On Your Side”. Anytime you can get a permanent link into the musical history of Motorhead is cool Metal stuff indeed. Just as a nifty trivia fact to throw out here, C.C. DeVille’s real name is Bruce Anthony Johannesson.

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Metal Church – Heavy Metal to the core

Posted in 1980's heavy metal music, 1990's heavy metal music, Album Review, classic rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, Metal Church, metal music, Metal Reviews, rainbow heavy metal band, rock music with tags Heavy Metal, heavy metal music, kurdt vanderhoof, kurdt vanderhoof guitarist, Metal, Metal Church, metal church 2008, metal church albums, metal church heavy metal band, metal music, michael wilton guitarist, rick van zandt guitarist, ronnie james dio, ronny munroe, ronny munroe metal church vocalist, this present wasteland album on May 13, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

I have a long list of Metal bands that I simply cannot get enough of. Metal Church is on this list. Actually, Metal Church is at the very top of this list. The reasons are many: the musicianship (first & foremost), the lead vocalists throughout this bands career (the late David Wayne), Mike Howe and current lead vocalist Ronny Munroe. The music of Metal Church has always been heavy, they have never tried to sign on to the flavor of the month when it comes to Heavy Metal. Metal Church has always been as great of a representation of Heavy Metal music, as you can possibly get. (In my Metal opinion). I will say this now, Ronny Munroe for me, is what I consider the most underrated lead singer in all of Heavy Metal music today. I definitely feel Ronny is a Heavy Metal flashback, old school if you will. That is a compliment, for Ronny does not over reach vocally nor does he try to. Ronny Munroe is the only lead vocalist today, that reminds me of the legendary Ronnie James Dio. Sometimes comparisons are cool, especially when you get compared to DIO. *Ronny Munroe has his brand new solo album out now titled “The Fire Within”… with Kurdt Vanderhoof and Ronny producing it. Ronny does a cover of the Rainbow – Ronnie James Dio classic – “Man On The Silver Mountain” – I ordered my copy today, man, I cannot wait to get it. Michael Wilton from Queensryche and Rick Van Zandt from Metal Church both play guitar on Ronny’s solo album too.

Kurdt Vanderhoof, the founder, guitarist and leader of Metal Church, along with all the musicians that have been part of Metal Church, both past and present, have proven to me that perseverance with musical integrity can bring about incredible Metal music. The proof of this belief are the catalog of albums from Metal Church. Plus, Kurdt Vanderhoof has a pretty darn good side project of a band called Presto Ballet as well. (I will save Presto Ballet for another future post). Going back to October 27th of 2008, a statement on the Metal Church website informed fans that Kurdt Vanderhoof was going to correct/rehabilitate bulging discs in his lower back. The statement went on to say this situation could take up to 6 months for Kurdt Vanderhoof. Man, I truly hope and pray that Kurdt Vanderhoof does rid his body of all the pain these bulging discs have caused. I am hopeful that everything goes well for Kurdt.

During this past year, (September 23, 2008), Metal Church released their new album “This Present Wasteland” – one rock solid chunk of Heavy Metal that every fan of quality Metal music should own. It is an album that I consider to be one of the very best in Heavy Metal releases from 2008. I personally feel every tune on this album is heavy and of equal worthiness. “Monster” is a great track, lyrically taking on the dark side of cyberspace addiction. My favorite tune on this album is without a doubt, “Crawling To Extinction”, this song has all the old school, Heavy Metal flare, musically happening. If you are even remotely interested in checking out what Metal Church is all about, buy any album/CD of theirs and become an instant fan. The debut album of Metal Church is heavier, faster, more of a Thrash Metal work, in my Metal opinion. Comparing one Metal Church album to another is ridiculous, based on there being 3 different lead vocalists over the years. Besides, my being a gigantic advocate for Metal Church will not allow me to nit pick any of their music they have ever created. Check out Metal Church at http://www.metalchurchmusic.com

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Anthrax “Among The Living” is a Thrash Metal jewel

Posted in 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's thrash metal, Album Review, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Music, speed metal, Thrash Metal, thrash metal album review, thrash metal music, thrash metal music reviews with tags 1980's heavy metal, 1980's thrash metal, Album Review, anthrax, anthrax 1987, anthrax among the living album, anthrax heavy metal band, anthrax metal band, anthrax thrash metal band, Hard Rock, hard rock music, joey belladonna metal vocalist, Metal, metal music, Music, Rock, rock music, scott ian guitarist, Thrash Metal, thrash metal album review on May 12, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

381232 I really enjoy the entire Anthrax catalog of albums, yet “Among The Living” is definitely my most favorite release from this veteran Thrash Metal band. Released in 1987, this album is loaded with all the power and explosiveness of pure Thrash, the Anthrax way. “Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)” is one heavy tune that is rebellious and fun, to actually here the lyrics for yourself would explain what I mean. “Among The Living” earns it’s ferocity courtesy of the talented musicians of Anthrax. Scott Ian on guitar is, in my opinion, one of the best in Thrash Metal history. Joey Belladonna on vocals can carry a note extremely well, he is as valid to “Among The Living” as the music itself. I find Belladonna to be a Thrash Metal vocalist who is quite punctual, without compromising the heaviness whatsoever. I have the upmost respect for the vocals of Belladonna on this album. “Indians” is a great song for me, a Thrash Metal jewel of a tune with inspired lyrics. Every song here adds to the credibility of “Among The Living”. Fast music, fast vocals, fast background vocals, everything on this album is fast. That’s what makes Thrash Metal so profoundly heavy, the speed and it is all here waiting for you courtesy of Anthrax! I do not hesitate for a second, to recommend “Among The Living” to all Metal fans worldwide!

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The greatest Heavy Metal album of all time is…

Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, Album Review, Black Sabbath, classic rock, cool album covers, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, ozzy, Ozzy Osbourne, Rock, rock music, rock music vocals, tony iommi heavy metal guitarist with tags 1970's heavy metal, 1970's rock music, Album Review, bill ward, Black Sabbath, black sabbath 1974, classic hard rock, classic heavy metal, classic rock, geezer butler, greatest heavy metal album of all time, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Metal, metal music, Music, ozzy, Ozzy Osbourne, Reviews, Rock, rock music, sabbath bloody sabbath album, tony iommi on May 9, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

527399 Well, I have finally reached the pinnacle in my decision process for The Greatest Heavy Metal Album Of All Time. Please reference my past posts on this topic, you will find many great & legendary Metal albums that I personally nominated for this prestigious label. Without further delay, in my Metal opinion, and only mine alone, I have chosen: Black Sabbath – “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”

Please note that this is my opinion, anyone out there can have his/her own choice for this topic. It boils down to personal preference, especially when it happens to be Metal. Here are my reasons for why I feel this way about this incredible album:

1. It is my belief that Doom Metal, Stoner Metal and real Metal all began with Black Sabbath. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” just signifies musically, what Metal was and where Metal was heading, back in 1974.

2. Without question, for me, the ‘riff master’ of the Metal world then and now is and forever will be the legendary Tony Iommi.

3. Ozzy Osbourne – no Rock or Metal vocalist has ever sounded like him, or even come close. Ozzy’s vocals are so unique, it is uncanny. I am not saying Ozzy is the greatest vocalist ever, what I am stating is that his vocals are a signature, a trademark if you will, of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” Ozzy’s vocals are so extraordinarily identifiable, just as Tony Iommi’s guitar riffs.

4. Not that this played any factor in my decision whatsoever – the album cover artwork is extremely cool, very much Metal. The artwork depicts a skull, demonic beings, a nightmarish snapshot of a piece of hell. Perhaps, I do not know officially for certain, this was the first album cover of any Rock genre which depicted 666 in it’s artwork. (Again, I would need to really research this).

My summary as to why I believe “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” to be The Greatest Heavy Metal Album Of All Time is this:

Black Sabbath “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” is a tried and true Heavy Metal classic. Every song is a definitive statement of just how talented and forward thinking Black Sabbath was in 1974. These 8 songs are a journey of surreal riffs, post psychedelic musical heaviness, that molded Heavy Metal into what it has become today. The opener “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” has a lead riff that instantly prepares you for the remaining set of songs. The instrumental “Fluff” could only work for Black Sabbath on this album, it’s convenient yet prominent position within these songs makes complete sense. “Fluff” and it’s acoustic beauty embarks on the intelligence Black Sabbath held onto musically. Just look at how many Metal bands since, that have slipped in dreamy, mystical or macabre instrumentals for their respective albums. Ozzy Osbourne is so unmistakably eerie on vocals, he was and always shall be one of a kind. Tony Iommi delves into the world of heavy riffs, formulating one after another throughout, unknowingly becoming the Metal riff king for all time. Geezer Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums provide a legendary rhythm section, that shapes the dark moodiness of this beyond fantastic Metal masterpiece. I look at 1974, then I realize exactly how prominent Heavy Meal was then. It really was not an embraced genre as yet, Metal was truly in it’s infant stage.

“Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” was the Metal comet that stormed into the musical universe in 1974, making a collision onto a world of Rock & Roll that did not know what hit it. Legions of bands and musicians have been influenced by this album, if not, these bands/musicians are not into Metal and/or do not live on this planet. I strongly urge any and all Heavy Metal or Hard Rock fans to add “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” to their music collection, it is an essential and important work of Heavy Metal. The Greatest Heavy Metal Album Of All Time.

Just as a sidebar, I struggled with this decision. I was steadfast in deciding on Slipknot “All Hope Is Gone” as the greatest ever. Then, I followed my Metal heart and realized, if it wasn’t for Black Sabbath and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” would there even be Metal music as we know it today?

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