I'm aware I haven't blogged in a while, but I recently wrote in to Kerrang magazine nominating my top three albums of the 21st century. Because Trivium asked their fans on Facebook to vote for them. The same way I joined Twitter because Universum asked me to...
"I just felt I had to nominate three albums that have made the biggest impact on me these last few years. It's hard for me to pick just three, but - oh, screw that diplomatic bullshit; these won by a landslide.
Trivium - Shogun (2008)
This album blew me away completely as soon as I heard it. It's a perfect blend of metalcore and Metallica-style thrash, served straight up with no frills attached. It's metaphorical, powerful, and has some teriffic anthems on it - Down From the Sky and Kirisute Gomen are two of the best songs I've heard this century, and the title track could damn well represent everything the band has worked for in its eleven minutes of progressive brutality and near-operatic choruses. I saw Trivium live in May, and they played all the right tracks. They know how to work a crowd, and they know how to record incredible albums.
Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider (2008)
The grandfather of shock rock, and one of the first influences on heavy metal, has returned with a stomping, hook-laden album that hearkens back to his garage days, while being infused with a heavier resonance and a killer guitar solo from Slash. Darker than Brutal Planet and somehow more sensual than Trash, Alice has churned out another album well worthy of classic status. I look forward to seeing Alice in late August, and he's been one of, if not my favourite musical figure for many years now. His metamorphosis has never been more apparent.
Universum - Leto Destinatus (2008)
Universum are from my hometown, so maybe I have a slight bias, but since they only formed in early '08 and have already supported DragonForce and Cradle of Filth on their Australian tours, they're nothing to sniff at. Leto Destinatus is a brutal melodic album sweeping the listener along at breakneck speed. The vocals, guitars, and keyboards all combine to beautifully devastating effect on the title track and War of Ages. I'm seeing them in about three weeks, and they should be even better as headliners. More than anything else this album has shown me that living in Adelaide has not cursed me to being talentless!"
I also forgot to get on here on Sunday and wish Robb Flynn of Machine Head a happy 41st birthday. Whoops.
Happy fuckin' birthday, Robb. \m/
Yeah, I know nobody reads this, least of all Flynn himself, but meh. Maybe it'll get some of you to listen to Machine Head, one of the best bands out there.
Check out "Halo", and try telling me it's not fucking awesome. If you like that, just go out and buy the whole album, The Blackening, because it's without a doubt one of the best I've heard, and if you like awesome metal and know what's good for you, you'll feel the same way.
That's it for now. Maybe I'll actually write another fucking blog sometime.
If there's anything you want me to talk about in my next post, any suggestions, questions, album reviews, etc, just put it here and I WILL do it. Put as much as you want. I mean it. I need things to talk about, otherwise I'll just blather on about crap nobody cares about.
That's it for now,
~Ronnie
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Sunday, 12 July 2009
It's how I live my life; I wouldn't have it any other way.
As per usual, the title of this blog comes from a metal track and is completely unrelated to anything I may or may not talk about in here.
But let's make this more interesting. Instead of cookies (which I cannot send, unfortunately, due to certain restrictions), the first person to guess the song gets to pick a band, genre, topic, etc. for me to talk about/lecture on/abuse in my next blog post. Does that sound interesting?
Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak; you have an incentive to start listening to some good thrash metal, and I have something to actually talk about, because for now I'm just gonna talk briefly about some different genres of heavy metal.
If there's one thing that annoys me, it's... people who blast hip-hop music at full volume with subwoofers that register an 8.2 on the Richter scale. But another pet peeve of mine is people who take anything that could be classed as metal, whether it's the smooth melodies of Bon Jovi or the vulgar brutality of Cannibal Corpse or anything in between, and lump it all under "METAL - DO NOT WANT".
The flavours of metal are almost as varied as those of ice-cream. Actually... that's not entirely accurate, given the state of ice-cream these days. Just walking into Cold Rock Ice Creamery blows my mind - there are, like, five different flavours for chocolate. And I know that's only the tip of the iceberg, but hey, Cold Rock is about the best and most expensive ice-creamery I have access to, so leave me be.
Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked here, comparing metal to ice-cream. Who'd'a thunk it, eh? Next thing you know I'll be talking about how a Trivium album is like a Magnum ice-cream, ordinary enough until you bite into it and begin to devour the metaphors and nuances that lie beneath the exterior...
Actually, that's just a crock of lies; a Trivium album is amazing at first glance, even just from the artwork.
I'm getting sidetracked again. Next time that happens, feel free to play Slipknot, which has a tazer-like effect on me. It's like a shock collar for dogs; sooner or later, I'll learn to stick to the fucking topic, eh?
MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
The first type of metal that one should be acquainted with is the "classic" heavy metal. Study up on these three bands: Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden. At least one of those names should be familiar to you, and if I know anything it won't be Priest. Sadly, they're like the classics no-one knows about - not as publicly renowned as Maiden and Sabbath, but still just as vital.
You know what, I'm going to give you a playlist. So check out these songs and you should get a taste of ye olde heavy metal in its earliest form.
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast. I know, I know, everyone knows it now because of Guitar Hero III, but it does NOTHING to change the fact that this is one of the definitively amazing songs of the metal genre. Check out everything - the odd time signatures and catchy riffs, the prominent basslines, and Bruce Dickinsons's soraing, near-operatic vocals. Quite different to the death metal most immediately think of, eh?
Black Sabbath - Paranoid. Built around the one riff, but honestly, you can't tell me it's a damn catchy one. This is like the 1970s metal version of Seven Nation Army.
Black Sabbath - Iron Man. I only just heard this, and I encourage you to do the same. Commence angry messages flaming me for having not heard Iron Man sooner.
Judas Priest - Breaking the Law. What is it with these classic metal bands and insanely catchy guitar riffs? Watch this and get back to me.
Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather. The first Priest song I ever heard, and still a fave. Seriously.
Dio - Holy Diver. A friend managed to get me to listen to this. For this, Sean, if you're reading this, I am in your debt. (I'm working on acquiring a discography now.)
To be fair, Dio and Maiden came along a bit later than Priest and Sabbath. Also, Dio isn't actually in the Holy Trinity. Though he should be. It must be a quadrology.
Let us make it so.
There are a whole slew of other bands I could namedrop here (AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Led Zeppelin, Queen), but those four are the ones I'm most familiar with, so I encourage you to check 'em out.
Hey hey hey, I never said this was a definitive blog, the be-all and end-all. It's just my opinions and experiences. Deal with it, check out the music, and grab a brownie on the way out.
Next time: whatever you request of me, plus a new genre for you all. Maybe death. Everyone loves death, eh?
But let's make this more interesting. Instead of cookies (which I cannot send, unfortunately, due to certain restrictions), the first person to guess the song gets to pick a band, genre, topic, etc. for me to talk about/lecture on/abuse in my next blog post. Does that sound interesting?
Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak; you have an incentive to start listening to some good thrash metal, and I have something to actually talk about, because for now I'm just gonna talk briefly about some different genres of heavy metal.
If there's one thing that annoys me, it's... people who blast hip-hop music at full volume with subwoofers that register an 8.2 on the Richter scale. But another pet peeve of mine is people who take anything that could be classed as metal, whether it's the smooth melodies of Bon Jovi or the vulgar brutality of Cannibal Corpse or anything in between, and lump it all under "METAL - DO NOT WANT".
The flavours of metal are almost as varied as those of ice-cream. Actually... that's not entirely accurate, given the state of ice-cream these days. Just walking into Cold Rock Ice Creamery blows my mind - there are, like, five different flavours for chocolate. And I know that's only the tip of the iceberg, but hey, Cold Rock is about the best and most expensive ice-creamery I have access to, so leave me be.
Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked here, comparing metal to ice-cream. Who'd'a thunk it, eh? Next thing you know I'll be talking about how a Trivium album is like a Magnum ice-cream, ordinary enough until you bite into it and begin to devour the metaphors and nuances that lie beneath the exterior...
Actually, that's just a crock of lies; a Trivium album is amazing at first glance, even just from the artwork.
I'm getting sidetracked again. Next time that happens, feel free to play Slipknot, which has a tazer-like effect on me. It's like a shock collar for dogs; sooner or later, I'll learn to stick to the fucking topic, eh?
MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
The first type of metal that one should be acquainted with is the "classic" heavy metal. Study up on these three bands: Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden. At least one of those names should be familiar to you, and if I know anything it won't be Priest. Sadly, they're like the classics no-one knows about - not as publicly renowned as Maiden and Sabbath, but still just as vital.
You know what, I'm going to give you a playlist. So check out these songs and you should get a taste of ye olde heavy metal in its earliest form.
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast. I know, I know, everyone knows it now because of Guitar Hero III, but it does NOTHING to change the fact that this is one of the definitively amazing songs of the metal genre. Check out everything - the odd time signatures and catchy riffs, the prominent basslines, and Bruce Dickinsons's soraing, near-operatic vocals. Quite different to the death metal most immediately think of, eh?
Black Sabbath - Paranoid. Built around the one riff, but honestly, you can't tell me it's a damn catchy one. This is like the 1970s metal version of Seven Nation Army.
Black Sabbath - Iron Man. I only just heard this, and I encourage you to do the same. Commence angry messages flaming me for having not heard Iron Man sooner.
Judas Priest - Breaking the Law. What is it with these classic metal bands and insanely catchy guitar riffs? Watch this and get back to me.
Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather. The first Priest song I ever heard, and still a fave. Seriously.
Dio - Holy Diver. A friend managed to get me to listen to this. For this, Sean, if you're reading this, I am in your debt. (I'm working on acquiring a discography now.)
To be fair, Dio and Maiden came along a bit later than Priest and Sabbath. Also, Dio isn't actually in the Holy Trinity. Though he should be. It must be a quadrology.
Let us make it so.
There are a whole slew of other bands I could namedrop here (AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Led Zeppelin, Queen), but those four are the ones I'm most familiar with, so I encourage you to check 'em out.
Hey hey hey, I never said this was a definitive blog, the be-all and end-all. It's just my opinions and experiences. Deal with it, check out the music, and grab a brownie on the way out.
Next time: whatever you request of me, plus a new genre for you all. Maybe death. Everyone loves death, eh?
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