Tag: Heavy Metal
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Steel Panther ‘Feel the Steel’ (2009)
Feel the Steel is the kind of record that feels like it was made by a bunch of drunk frat guys who raided a time capsule from 1987, bought a U-Haul worth of spandex, and decided to turn every glam-metal cliché up to 11 just for the hell of it. The jokes come at you…
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Rage Against The Machine ‘Rage Against The Machine’ (1992)
Rage Against the Machine is synonymous with my experience of becoming politically aware during my early teen years. I’ll never forget borrowing their album Evil Empire from my friend Ryan Polk in seventh grade, sneaking it into my house to avoid the peering eyes of my mom (who definitely wouldn’t be happy with the rabble…
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Hardcore Superstar ‘Split Your Lip’ (2010)
This is another one of those “Jason has been absolutely loving Peacemaker Season 2 on HBO over the last few weeks and binging songs off the soundtrack ever since” inspired albums. It follows the familiar formula. Big production? Check. Big gang vocals? Check. Big ass guitar solos? Check. And with a classic sleaze rock inspired…
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Mötley Crüe ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)
Mötley Crüe had yet to reach the height of their powers during their debut album (1989’s Dr. Feelgood being their high water mark imo) but you could hear the beginnings of their glam metal greatness beginning to form. The whole band is a little rough around the edges technically on this album, especially the rhythm…
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Skid Row ‘Skid Row’ (1989)
If you name your band Skid Row in 1989 you better be fully ready to bring the glam metal heat front to back, especially if you’re an East Coast based band. It’s a bold stake to smash into the ground considering the history of how Skid Row in Los Angeles basically defined that era of…
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Extreme ‘Pornograffitti’ (1990)
As I wrote about yesterday I’ve been binge-watching the hell out of sets from “Back To The Beginning” which was Ozzy Osbourne’s final live performance of his career. It’s been a helluva ride and an incredible celebration of heavy metal music. One guitarist that really stuck out to me through the day was Nuno Bettencourt,…
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Ozzy Osbourne ‘No More Tears’ (1991)
If you’re like me this weekend you’ve been binging clips from “Back To The Beginning”, the all-day heavy metal festival in Birmingham England that served as the final show of Ozzy Osbourne and his original band Black Sabbath’s career. The fact that all members of that band have made it into their mid-70’s is nothing…
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Pantera ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ (1992)
I’ll be seeing Metallica live at Levi’s Stadium tonight with 55,000 other people (stoked) and one of the openers will be heavy metal legends Pantera. The band’s current incarnation is unfortunately without the services of Dimebag Darrell after he was shot and killed onstage in 2004 by a mentally ill fan during a live show…
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Wolfmother ‘Wolfmother’ (2005)
Doing the whole “turn back the clock to 1973 and sound like Led Zeppelin” thing was very much in vogue during the mid-2000’s, but few bands did it better and with more chutzpah than Wolfmother. Their debut album was an absolute banger that not only put them on the map but also solidified vintage classic…
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CKY ‘Camp Kill Yourself V1’ (1999)
If you were a millennial male hitting your teenage years in the early aughts you were familiar with the band CKY almost by default. The band’s drummer Jess Margera was the brother of Bam Margera. Before connecting with Johnny Knoxville and crew to create the smash-hit Jackass, Bam created the precursor to that media empire…
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Anthrax ‘Among The Living’ (1987)
Anthrax is one of the titans of American thrash metal. Alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, they helped define the genre in the 1980s. Fast, aggressive, and unrelenting, their music stood out with a mix of humor, pop culture references, and a punk-inspired attitude. Among The Living is the album that cemented their place in the…
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Kid Rock ‘Devil Without A Cause’ (1998)
Kid Rock’s journey to mainstream success was anything but overnight. After his 1990 debut Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast led to his departure from Jive Records, he spent much of the decade toiling in relative obscurity, self-releasing albums and cultivating a small but loyal Midwest following. And by the time rap-metal exploded into the mainstream in…
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Avenged Sevenfold ‘Waking The Fallen’ (2003)
Waking the Fallen sits alongside Killswitch Engage’s The End of Heartache as a massively influential album in my love for contemporary metal music. As I’ve detailed endlessly over the past few years I was a huge punk rocker during my formative years. Avenged Sevenfold was one of those bands that, despite being a heavy metal…
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Black Sabbath ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)
With its ominous, tritone-laden riffs, thunderous rhythms, and dark, foreboding lyrics, Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album laid the foundation for what would become heavy metal. Tracks like the titular opener, with its haunting bell tolls and Tony Iommi’s crushing guitar work, and the relentless groove of “N.I.B.” (that bass line was legitimately everything to me…
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Quiet Riot ‘Metal Health’ (1983)
Quiet Riot’s Metal Health was a milestone for heavy metal music, becoming the first metal album to top the Billboard 200 and selling over 10 million copies worldwide. The album’s explosive success was propelled by their raucous cover of Slade’s “Cum On Feel the Noize,” which turned into an anthem for headbangers everywhere. But beneath…
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Queen ‘Queen’ (1973)
Queen’s journey began with a chance encounter in London’s dirty rock clubs. Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor were part of a band called Smile when a charismatic fan named Freddie Mercury entered the picture. A visionary with a flair for the dramatic, Freddie suggested the band adopt a more theatrical approach to their…
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Twisted Sister ‘A Twisted Christmas’ (2006)
A Twisted Christmas is the ultimate holiday mashup of glam metal excess and yuletide cheer, proving that even the wildest rockers can embrace the Christmas spirit—on their own terms. Released in 2006, the album reimagines holiday classics like “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Deck the Halls” with the band’s signature blend of roaring guitars,…
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Poison ‘Open Up And Say…Ahh!’ (1988)
Open Up and Say…Ahh! is the glittering embodiment of 1980s glam rock excess, a loud, brash, and unapologetically fun album that catapulted the band to superstardom. Released in 1988, it’s a neon-lit time capsule of hair-metal anthems that continue to define that era when people think of glam rock today. The album drips with over-the-top…
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Andrew W.K. ‘I Get Wet’ (2001)
At the end of the day rock and roll is meant to be fun, and a guy like Andrew W.K. gets that. I Get Wet is a riotous, adrenaline-fueled ode to reckless abandon, capturing the sheer joy of living in the moment and completely disregarding whatever responsibilities await tomorrow morning. The album is a wall-to-wall…
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Blue Öyster Cult ‘Agents of Fortune’ (1976)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 25 years you’ve probably seen the SNL “More Cowbell” skit featuring Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell that parodies “Don’t Fear The Reaper”, the lead single off Blue Öyster Cult’s Agents of Fortune. It’s an iconic skit that sticks with you long after you’ve seen it,…
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Bad Brains ‘Bad Brains’ (1982)
Bad Brains stood out from their early 80’s hardcore punk peers in nearly every single– here was four Rastafarian black men playing fusing punk rock and reggae while staying grounded with their “Positive Mental Attitude” in their native Washington DC, drawing a stark contrast to the primarily white male bands with angry screeds against the…
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Metallica ‘S&M’ (1999)
The marriage between Metallica and orchestral music is almost too good to be true. It’s no secret that the heavyweight heavy metal band’s arrangements have always had a flair for the dramatic, and the classical music influences in their songs were a big component of former bassist Cliff Burton’s songwriting approach that dominated their mid-80’s…
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Ozzy Osbourne ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ (1980)
It was the spring of 1980 and the legendary Ozzy Osbourne was in the midst of a decade-long bender of epic proportions. Jettisoned from his former band Black Sabbath, the wayward frontman was at somewhat of a career and personal crossroads– his musical longevity was uncertain considering the massive amounts of cocaine and alcohol he…
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Deep Purple ‘Machine Head’ (1972)
If you’ve ever picked up a guitar it’s nearly a guarantee that you’ve attempted to play “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple. It’s one of the most iconic riffs of all-time outside of maybe “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne or “Back in Black” by AC/DC, immediately recognizable for both its simplicity as well as…
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Okilly Dokilly ‘Howdilly Doodilly’ (2016)
It’s not often you run into a heavy metal band dressed up as Ned Flanders from The Simpsons singing lyrics from Homer’s dorky neighbor, but here we are living our best lives. The band Okilly Dokilly rose to prominence in 2019 after their song “White Wine Spritzer” was featured during the closing credits of a…
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Van Halen ‘Van Halen’ (1978)
Imagine you’re 16 years old, sitting in your bedroom at home, and your older brother bursts into your room with a new album from an unknown band named Van Halen that just released their debut album. You’re getting into rock and roll so you flip it on and you hear the guitar playing of Eddie…
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Metallica ‘Ride The Lightning’ (1984)
1984’s Ride The Lightning was an ambitious next step Metallica following the release of their debut album Kill Em’ All. Whereas their debut album was just an absolute slugfest of heavy overhand rights, Metallica took greater artistic chances with their second album which ultimately paved the way for them to release their magnum opus Master…
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Dream Widow ‘Dream Widow’ (2022)
Dave Grohl’s love for all things rock and roll comes through in every single project he touches. Whether it be his documentary on Sound City Recording Studios, his numerous contributions to rock through bands like Foo Fighters and Nirvana over the last 30 years, or just a casual interview over a plate of hot wings,…
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Megadeth ‘Killing Is My Business…and Business Is Good!’ (1985)
Despite Dave Mustaine incessantly whining like a petulant toddler for the better part of the last forty years about being kicked out of Metallica in 1983 (the guy seriously can’t get out of his own way), Megadeth is totally kick ass and helped to spearhead the American thrash metal movement in the 1980’s alongside their…
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Mötley Crüe ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)
In the history of music there’s no band that better encapsulates the hedonistic and over the top lifestyle of rock and roll than Mötley Crüe. There’s been countless bands that told tales of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll in their music, and a handful who truly lived the lifestyle. And then there’s Mötley Crüe.…
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Motörhead ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980)
There are a few bands in the history of rock and roll that have cultivated a specific style, written that same style ad nauseam, perfected it over time, and yet still have the ability to knock my socks off every time an album of theirs comes on. Off the top of my head there are…
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In Flames ‘Colony’ (1999)
Swedish heavy metal bangs so damn hard and In Flames 1999 album Colony is no exception. Featuring the piercing vocal growls of lead singer Anders Fridén, the dual attack of guitarists Björn Gelotte and Jesper Strömblad, and the steady rhythm section attack of bassist Peter Iwers and drummer Daniel Svensson, Colony was one of my…
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Guns N’ Roses ‘Appetite For Destruction’ (1987)
No album for me better represents all the glorious excess of the hard rock in the 1980’s combined with a heavy dose of top-tier musicianship than Guns N’ Roses 1987 magnum opus Appetite For Destruction. Slash and Axl Rose have become somewhat of a minor punch line in recent years due to a variety of…
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Trans-Siberian Orchestra ‘Christmas Eve and Other Stories’ (1996)
I grew up in Cupertino and saw its rise from a relatively docile South Bay city to the tech epicenter of the world during Apple’s meteoric rise as the largest company on Planet Earth. Every year around Christmas my family would take a quick five minute drive from our house to Oak Meadow Court where…
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Scorpions ‘Love At First Sting’ (1984)
“Rock You Like A Hurricane” is an iconic hair metal song and Scorpions are an iconic heavy metal band, selling over 100 million records during the course of their 60-year history. It puts them at the top of best-selling lists of not only heavy metal but bands of any genre, influencing cultural powerhouses like Guns…
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Judas Priest ‘British Steel’ (1980)
If Black Sabbath’s Paranoid was the album that defined heavy metal in the 70’s, Judas Priest’s British Steel was the album that defined heavy metal in the 80’s. Featuring early elements of thrash, glam metal, and hard rock, Judas Priest took the slow plodding sludge grooves of the previous era, turned up the BPM, and…
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