Back in October of 1991, Ugly Kid Joe released their debut EP – As Ugly As They Wanna Be. 1991 was a year smack in the middle of the Grunge Music invasion… Ugly Kid Joe didn’t seem to care in the least. The mix of Hard Rock, Funk Metal and Heavy Metal had me more than interested in Ugly Kid Joe, I bought As Ugly As They Wanna Be and it served me right – back in 1991. Parodies aside, I could care less about what the titles of Ugly Kid Joe’s albums were making fun of… it was the funky heavy grooves of their songs that mattered most to me. Everything About You was a song that sounded unlike anything I was into back then, (Thrash, Death, Speed and mainstream Heavy Metal was what I was used to). When I first heard Everything About You, the first bands that came to mind that I was familiar with, in the Funk Metal genre, was Living Colour and Anthrax when they did I‘m The Man. White Zombie for certain had some Funk happening in their Metal back then too, yet this Ugly Kid Joe was not the dark side of heavy Funk either. This band was not as flamboyant as Faith No More, there seemed to be more of a street level accessibility to Ugly Kid Joe back in 1991-92.
Ugly Kid Joe made the funk in their heavy come out and smack me offside the head. Metal Music be my saving grace, I became hooked by Ugly Kid Joe, both by their music and persona. 1991 and 1992 were turning points with Metal Music, so many great Metal Bands were still around and largely ignored by the mainstream media… Ugly Kid Joe busted onto the scene and was very hard to ignore, in my Metal opinion.
Obviously the freshness of Ugly Kid Joe caught on with MTV and FM radio, it had to. Ugly As They Wanna Be and America’s Least Wanted (from 1992), both sold over 2 million copies each, this Ugly Kid Joe sound really caught on, an undisputed Metal fact indeed. Ugly Kid Joe was not just about putting the funk into Heavy Metal, no sir. Their cover version of the legendary Black Sabbath’s classic Sweet Leaf exemplified their fondness for the heavier side, all the while paying tribute to their Heavy Metal influences. Ugly Kid Joe was not the refined and glamorous Hair Metal Band nor were they an extremely pissed off Extreme Metal Band. This was a band that was not even in the middle for they were so unique.
What Ugly Kid Joe brought to the masses was a mixture of Heavy Metal genres, almost as if they grabbed ahold of the very best of what these genres possessed and intertwined them all into their very own sound. To the best of my Metal memory, Ugly Kid Joe was not a copy cat band and no other Heavy Metal Band followed after, that sounded like Ugly Kid Joe either. (Maybe there was, I just never heard of them and they never lasted very long).
In 1992, I bought America’s Least Wanted and could not have been happier about it. Listening to Ugly Kid Joe cover the late Harry Chapin classic Cat’s In The Cradle only solidified the diverse musical nature of this band. I was astonished as a Metalhead back in 1992… here is Ugly Kid Joe, covering songs from Black Sabbath to Harry Chapin. Cool. I had bought a Harry Chapin greatest hits album in the late ’80’s, (keeping it a secret amongst my Metalhead buddies), yet Ugly Kid Joe made it known to the Metal world they dug Harry Chapin – I realized then that music is one big connected family.
I really look back on the first two Ugly Kid Joe albums with the utmost Metal fondness, this band was different, a Heavy Metal band that was fun without ever displaying any artificial pose to their music or appearance. Menace To Sobriety was released in 1995, followed by Motel California… I gave both albums their justified listens and due, yet I still uphold the first two Ugly Kid Joe albums as their finest moments.
The Metal bottom line is this, with all of the revivals going on in the Heavy Metal genres, especially with reunions and reunion tours, it would be cool to once again see and hear Ugly Kid Joe. It is not my intent to say that Ugly Kid Joe was the best thing since light beer, rather they were a cool band to choose from the Heavy Metal buffet… and still are. So many bands from the 1980’s and 1990’s are huge again, making albums and touring… Ugly Kid Joe would most likely be quite the hit with this new generation of kids that are just getting into Hard Rock and/or Heavy Metal. The Ugly Kid Joe look and sound is all around, as I meander around in public, (especially the Malls) in 2009. This now vintage band would fit right in today… what once was old is new again – yet this is only my Metal opinion… and I am sticking to it.
Ugly Kid Joe:
WHITFIELD CRANE — vocals
KLAUS EICHSTADT — guitar
DAVE FORTMAN — guitar
CORDELL CROCKETT — bass
SHANNON LARKIN — drums
Twisted Sister – Love Is For Suckers was released on August 13, 1987, on Atlantic Records. Back then, as a Metal fan, I was totally engulfed with Thrash and Speed Metal. To make a Metal confession, I never bought this Twisted Sister album, after owning their first four albums. I was not overly impressed with Come Out And Play, (released in 1985), I guess the first three Twisted Sister albums really spoiled me. So, I took in whatever songs MTV or the FM stations were playing from Love Is For Suckers. Seeing the video for Hot Love and hearing it played on FM radio very frequently, back in 1987-1988 was, I thought, the coolest extent of this album. I always liked Hot Love, this song reminds me of some cool times back in 1987-88… and there isn’t anything wrong with that. Hot Love is upbeat and (gasp), commercially catchy in it’s unique Heavy Metal way. A few years ago, I bought Twisted Sister’s Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister, it contains several cool live bonus tracks that enticed me… unreal great songs at that. The Metal kicker here, is that there are no songs from Love is for Suckers on this Best of album… I smell controversy. Therefore, my continuation of never hearing more than Hot Love from Love is for Suckers continued… Fast forward to September 18, 2009… Twisted Sister – Love is for Suckers has for all Metal intents and purposes, made a sucker out of me.
I think about Heavy Metal a lot. I listen to Heavy Metal… a lot. I buy Heavy Metal Music… very often. (Alright, that is a down right lie, I buy Heavy Metal Music – constantly). When I refer to Heavy Metal, just to simplify things here, I am incorporating all the Metal Music Genres in one. Heavy Metal… all things Metal Music. As I sit around towards midnight on this, September 17th going on the 18th… many Heavy Metal thoughts have crossed my Metal mind. Heavy Metal favorites have drifted around my head this late evening, uh, early morning, some unusual ones at that… here they are, enjoy:
A couple of years ago, I purchased All Hallow’s E.P. by AFI… man, this is a cool Horror Punk gem. Released on November 3, 1999, on Nitro Records, this is AFI when they were creating Horror Punk and it is worth every penny I spent on it. A tidy E.P. it is, with four songs that are lathered with quality Horror Punk attitude and speed. Davey Havok on lead vocals sounds vintage, even though it has only been about a decade since this E.P.’s release. Every time I listen to All Hallow’s E.P., I walk away believing Davey Havok was born to sing this style of Punk Rock. I could listen all day to this Horror Punk style of AFI. I have been currently rummaging through my Metal and Punk Music collection, sifting through the spooky titles of both albums and songs and putting them on my daily rotation of music listening. Horror Punk will always stand out when searching for the creepy tunes, All Hallow’s E.P. is an obvious choice. With the Halloween season knocking at my Metal doorstep, rounding up the scary stuff to listen to has become an annual right of Horror passage for me.
Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk are a band I can’t get enough of. Punk Rock that is cool, fun and of course… Rocks, is Osaka Popstar. I bought this self titled CD a while back at a flea market in Berks County, Pennsylvania… for around thirty three cents. Thirty three cents this Osaka Popstar cost me!!! Plus, as a Metal bonus, this CD was still factory sealed!!! How was this CD only thirty three cents you might wonder? The dealer I came across selling CD’s had a “three for a dollar deal” going down at his booth! Not too shabby and quite the find. So, with Autumn upon us, the insects are getting a tad crazy right now… especially those damn yellow jackets. I cannot stand yellow jackets, they either are buzzing around spoiled picnic food, outdoor garbage pails or looking to sting you. By definition alone, the yellow jacket is a predatory wasp!! I had one of these evil yellow jackets sting me in the right arm two weekends ago – for no reason at all. I was sitting down in my backyard, taking a break from some yard clean-up, sipping on a cold beer, then the burning sting sensation hit me! A yellow jacket chose me for it’s sting of the day. That is why I have decided once and for all, to choose Insects to be the Punk Rock song of the day. This song is just plain good Punk Rock fun. My daughters get the biggest kick out of listening to Insects… I do too. The way in which the bugs outside are acting up right now… Insects could very easily be the Punk Rock song of September!
Highly recommended to all Metal fans all over the globe! That is just how unreal good Retribution from Shadows Fall is… that I start off by just bluntly recommending this new album. Seriously, Retribution is one solid chunk of Thrash Metal Music for me. On this new release, (released September 15, 2009), Shadows Fall sounds as if they are not holding back the hard and heavy for no one. I am not taking the easy way out by saying all ten songs are damn incredible. The all encompassing barrage of Metal fury, that highlights each turn and corner on Retribution, is like a Metal power rush to my brain that I do not want to end. In my Metal opinion, it very much seems as if Shadows Fall took a long and hard listen to the once in a millennium, Metal masterpiece from Slipknot called All Hope Is Gone… and decided they too wanted to raise their own Metal bar. The All Hope Is Gone influence I hear on Retribution, is deserving of a raucous Metal applause for Shadows Fall, for if this influence is to be true… Shadows Fall surely knows real Metal when they hear it. The unrelenting surge of Metal power both musically and vocally, (both lead and backing/gang vocals), found within Retribution, are the best ways I can describe my All Hope Is Gone comparison. 
My favorite Saxon song ever created is Denim And Leather, found on their 1981 album Denim And Leather. The riff that repeats throughout this entire song is so addicting and memorable for me. I swear that this song could never lose it’s Metal appeal, ever. Each time I listen to Denim And Leather, this song just resonates with Old School Heavy Metal swagger, pride and power. The power is in the Heavy Metal music, the pride is in the lyrics and the swagger is Biff Byford on lead vocals. Denim And Leather is probably one of the very first in a long line of Heavy Metal anthems. (I would not want to take on the task of actually researching which song was the very first Heavy Metal anthem … it does sound like a cool thing to do if I have the spare time in the future though). If I ever make a list of my top 25 favorite Heavy Metal songs of all time, man, Denim And Leather would be right up there. If someone who has never listened to Saxon before, asked me to play them a song from Saxon, Denim And Leather would be choice #1. When this song gets cranked up really loud, it makes for the Metal maximum enjoyable listen.
I really, really, really like In This Moment… especially the vocal talent of Maria Brink. I bought The Dream last September of 2008, man, what an album. Collectively speaking, In This Moment put out one incredibly melodic Heavy Metal album of songs, with The Dream. Sure, In This Moment took on a more mainstream Heavy Metal sound, yet it hooked me line and Metal sinker. On June 30, 2009, In This Moment released The Ultra Violet Edition of The Dream
On July 7th, 1984, Helix released Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge
Slayer. Thrash Metal legends. The Webster Dictionary gives the definition of Slayer, it goes like this: to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers; to strike down – Suffice to say, in my Metal opinion, Slayer has struck down many a professionally paid Rock Music critic with their multiple Grammy Awards, album sales, relentless years of touring and a catalog of Thrash Metal albums that has never bent over for commercial appeal. 
Slayer has never written a ballad. Nope, Slayer never created a messed up song like, uh, One. Slayer has never put themselves into a predicament where they are telling their fans… just wait, our next album will be heavy again… we promise… just like we made our 1980’s albums. Slayer never covered a Bob Seger Rock Classic and ruined it. Slayer has always kept the Thrash Metal constant, they never needed to Load or Re-Load. Since December of 1983, when Show No Mercy was unleashed onto the world of Heavy Metal, there is no other Thrash Metal Band that I can think of, (with the exception of Over Kill), that has maintained the level of integrity and consistency such as Slayer. Slayer never revisited any damn garage days.
Slayer does not need a Guitar Hero game named after them. Slayer has never been jealous of Jethro Tull for winning a Grammy Award. (Or at least Slayer has never bad mouthed this legendary Classic Rock band in the press like another band constantly does to this day). Hint: the current Thrash Metal Band that has a Jethro Tull phobia, just recently had a Guitar Hero game named after them… plus they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Shame. Jethro Tull never hurt no one… I defend them every Metal step of the way. Slayer does not whine or make excuses – they just make straight up Thrash Metal for themselves and their fans. Uncompromising to the Thrash Metal genre… Slayer.
Modern Life Is War caught my attention this past Summer of ’09, as I was perusing the clearance rack at my local Hot Topic. I was stunned, to say the least, to see a quality Hardcore Punk Band like this, on a clearance rack, of all places. It is a shame Modern Life Is War disbanded back in 2008… this was one loud, rowdy, Hardcore Punk Band that created some cool albums in less than a decade, (4 albums and 1 debut EP). From looking around the internet, Modern Life Is War certainly have a ton of fans hoping for a reunion of any kind. Going back to my clearance rack experience at Hot Topic… uncovered was a limited edition 7″ colored vinyl of the single Stagger Lee and the b side The Motorcycle Boy Reigns
The Casualties are a smack to the head reminder that Punk Rock is not dead… one listen to we are all we have and I listened again. The Casualties new album, (released August 25, 2009 on SIDEONEDUMMY Records), comes across fast, heavy and embracingly aggressive. Standing amidst what I consider, an enduring crowd of veteran and rising Punk Rock and Hardcore Punk bands that are all current and real, The Casualties approach is take no damn crap or prisoners, in my Metal opinion. The Casualties have never been bashful about making a social statement lyrically, we are all we have gives more than a nod to what is pissing off this band. I cannot resist the Old School backing/gang vocals that makes this album so darned Punk infused. If we are all we have was a book, an appropriate title very well could be Real Punk Rock and The System Sucks. Integrity heard and felt in music is open for interpretation, a personal opinion, if you will… I hear and feel the upmost integrity from The Casualties, always have, there is no saran wrap shrouding this band from their convictions.
Alright, I am more than thrilled at this new Obituary album, “Darkest Day”, I am enthralled with Metal jubilation. Death Metal jubilation. I am also reminded as to why I am lured into the heaviest, most Metal bludgeoning genre there is… it is Obituary. These guys are not about making nice with the trend setters… forget about it. Obituary is Old School Death Metal lathered with extreme. Understand, however, that Obituary delivers grooves by the Death Metal bushels. From it’s deadly beginning track – “List of Dead” to it’s deadly ending “Left To Die”, I am going out on a Metal limb here by stating… “Darkest Day” is one of 2009’s best Metal albums period. Being one of the true forefathers of the Death Metal genre, Obituary lays their Death Metal cards out on the table here, you either are with them or with them. This is not a Death Metal band that you just want to try out, if you buy an Obituary album, you are either a fan or your about to become one. 
Some things that really irk me…
Posted in common complaints, everyday experiences, everyday people, everyday social experiences, highway traffic stories, items to complain about, list of complaints, list of talking points, lists, people, personal list of complaints, points to ponder, talking points with tags golf commentators, hybrid cars, lightning, meteorologists, nasa, politicians, reality television dads, reality television shows, rock and roll hall of fame, styrofoam, televised golf, televised poker, the electric light orchestra, the moody blues, the moon, toilet paper prices, u.s. congress on September 8, 2009 by Metal OdysseyAlright, here is my moment to vent… here is a list of things that irk me. You might find the talking points on this list may irk you too. If none below irk you, all the power to you.
1. The rising price of toilet paper as each passing year goes by. Do not get fooled into buying the budget brands of T.P. either, it is a gotcha by the toilet paper industry… they want the inferior T.P. to disintegrate in your hands as you wipe away… forcing us all into buying the premium brands.
2. Why can’t the United States of America just have a universal law passed abolishing the yield sign? From my daily observations of traveling by car, no other motorists seems to understand that yield is equal to or means STOP!!
3. Why hasn’t there been another trip to the Moon? I mean, like, it’s been practically 40 years since we made the last trip… forget about frequent flyer miles, NASA.
4. Why does the U.S. Congress get a PAID Summer Recess when these politicians already get numerous paid vacation days, holidays, sick days and goof off days – courtesy of our tax dollars? Oh, I forgot, we the people are not supposed to question our elected officials.
5. This has bugged me for eons now… why do television golf commentators whisper while giving the coverage of a tournament?
6. What exactly is the excitement of televised poker? Obviously, I must be missing something here.
7. Reality television, (non-celebrity), dads who all think and act like they are the ultimate dad. My point is well made here, just ask Kate.
8. Hybrid cars… yeah, they are so easy to buy, there are so many hybrid auto dealerships to choose from too. Plus, as a bonus, they are so inexpensive. Right.
9. Is it cloud to ground lightning or ground to cloud lightning? Huh? I wish professionally paid meteorologists would finally decide on which one to call it… they all reference both, I have finally come to reason and just call it dangerous lightning myself.
10. If styrofoam is known to take light years to decay in landfills and very few municipalities recycle it, then, uh, why is it still made and used?
Oh, yeah, what would a list of things that irk me be without Rock Music? Here it is… #11 on this list: How come The Moody Blues and The Electric Light Orchestra are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Ahhh. I feel much better now. Maybe this list was thought provoking, maybe it was a waste of your time. Regardless, if you are reading this line, then that means you at least read the list… thank you for visiting.
Share this:
7 Comments »