Archive for matthew barlow

Paranormal reality television and scary Metal music mirror one another

Posted in Alice cooper, Black Metal, Danzig, Death Metal, Extreme Metal, Gene Simmons, ghost hunters, gothic metal, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal vocalists, horror metal, Iced Earth, king diamond, Metal, Misfits, Motorhead, Music, paranormal television shows, Power Metal, Punk rock, rob zombie, Rock, rock music, Slipknot, speed metal, Thrash Metal, Vocals, W.A.S.P. with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

3283538It is an obvious Metal music marriage, the paranormal being put to lyrics in Metal songs. Any King Diamond album supports this statement, that is for certain. Horror and the paranormal rules the Metal world’s lyrics with it’s mystery, shock, and imagery. This to me, is one of the great attributes to Metal music, the paranormal and horror has given personality and life to throngs of Metal bands as: Alice Cooper, Misfits, Kiss (with makeup), Lordi, Rob ZombieSlipknot, Danzig, W.A.S.P., Cannibal Corpse and of course, King Diamond again. The list could go on and on, regarding which Metal bands represent the horror and paranormal subjects best.

I highly recommend taking a listen to Iced Earth – “The Horror Show”, this is an album dedicated to just the legendary horror movie monsters: Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera are covered just fine by Matt Barlow’s vocals and the writing and musical genius of Jon Schaffer. I also highly recommend the horror concept album, that for me is now a true Metal classic – “Abigail” from King Diamond, released in 1987. In my opinion, “Abigail” was/is a triumphant representation of Black Metal, even though the music includes heavy duty Speed Metal throughout. This King Diamond lineup on “Abigail” also bestows the talented Mikkey Dee on drums, who has been a mainstay with Motorhead, since 1992.

When I listen to my favorite Metal bands playing tunes about the macabre, horror and the paranormal, I cannot help reflecting on my favorite paranormal television shows. The material that King Diamond covers, for example, mirrors what many of the paranormal shows offer. My favorite scary & spooky television shows are: “Ghost Hunters”, “Penn State Paranormal”, “Most Haunted”, “UFO Hunters” and “Monster Quest”, all delving into the mysteriously unknown, paranormal, the dark side and real life monsters. Any Metal band can get hordes of information and subject matter for their music, just by watching this scary paranormal reality television.

Now, do I believe in all of this paranormal subject matter that these shows discuss/cover? Do I believe in real life monsters like Bigfoot, Moth Man and UFO aliens? Let’s just say, I get entertained and spooked out like anyone else, I really like the unknown aspect of these topics. I am also never going to be one of those, who back when Christopher Columbus sailed the seven seas, thought our planet Earth was square. It is an absolute fact, that new species of any of our known living organisms, (plants, fish, animals, insects), are being discovered on a daily basis. There are many, many, mysteries and dark questions out there that still have to be answered, for me it is great fun delving into these scary topics through Metal music and paranormal reality television. My feeling is that, paranormal reality television and Metal music just seem to go together, both never cease to thrill and entertain me.

ICED EARTH – “Tribute to the Gods” is a fine Metal tribute indeed.

Posted in Alice cooper, Century Media, Gene Simmons, Guitar, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Reviews, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, Metal, Metal Reviews, Music, Paul Stanley, Rock, Vocals with tags , , , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Iced Earth released the Metal cover song album – Tribute to the Gods in 2002. This album packs quite the Metal tribute, to some of the most revered bands in the history of Metal. A sampling of some of the songs covered, with their respective legendary Metal band: KissCreatures of the Night & God of Thunder, Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath, Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance, AC/DC – Highway To Hell, Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name & Number Of The Beast. There are 11 Metal cover songs in all, with Alice Cooper and Blue Oyster Cult rounding out the tribute list of Metal bands.

Jon Schaffer, founding member, plays rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar. Jon Schaffer is someone I hold in extremely high regard as a musician and song writer. Every song is covered with exceptional Metal brilliance on Tribute to the Gods, the musicianship that is heard here takes nothing away from the original songs. To put it plain and simple, this album is as fine a tribute as you will ever hear for these classic Metal tunes, giving nod of appreciation and a thunderous Metal thanks to all the legendary Metal bands listed earlier. Matthew Barlow on lead vocals is tremendous, I always look to him as the lead singer for Iced Earth. Matthew Barlow has his signature vocals that stand out, he never over reaches on any of these vintage Metal tracks. If you are new to Iced Earth, this is a great starting point for catching up on one of the Metal world’s most underrated bands to ever exist.

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