Hey, this is the Rock Otaku with an announcement that will
be informative, enticing, explanatory, and a little disappointing. Starting with the last entry, LET THEM EAT
METAL will be a bi-weekly series. What
that means is that the next entry will be released not next Friday, but the one
after that, and then they’ll be released every two weeks onward. There are three reasons for me to do this:
1. While I
had very few issues in December of last year when it came to getting these out,
with new series planned, other issues that happened at the start of the year,
and other things involving other posts (as in getting my Billboard Rock Chart
watch on stable ground) going haywire, I felt a lot more strain with the new
entries. As a result, the last three
entries were exhausting, and I felt that a few of them weren’t up to snuff with
what I would like my standards to be. I
have gotten some good word from people, but I believe I can do better, so I’m
giving myself more time to do things with this series. Hopefully, the entries end up bigger, better,
funnier, and more in line with what I can consider the right mix of
informative, inspiring, and entertaining to read.
2. I have
considered doing other subjects with this blog, and I feel that it not just
broadens my horizons, but it allows for more people to get a glimpse at what I
know about, am interested in, and can show my appreciation of, including film,
TV, books, anime, comics, manga, video games, and so on. For now, I have a catch-all Top 10 series
planned for next Friday, so don’t let the changes to my schedule cause you
alarm. They might allow for some new and
exciting territory to explore.
3. My
initial goal of reviewing some of the most iconic albums in heavy metal has been
reached, and I feel that there is more to heavy metal outside of Black Sabbath,
Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept, and Motorhead. There’s a lot more to metal than those 5
bands, but I had to get some basis in the standards before expanding what the
genre is capable of. Yes, there are
other “standard” bands in heavy metal, but I also want to have the freedom of
talking about other bands, other styles, and even other mentalities, lyrical
focuses, and nationalities represented in metal.
Overall, don’t expect any LET THEM EAT METAL to come out
January 27, 2017, but don’t worry, the show isn’t cancelled. It’s being refocused. I might return to a weekly basis, but I’ll
stick to bi-weekly for the time being.
But if you feel that I’m not allowing myself to dive into more metal,
then you should know that I am planning on the top 10s to do that as well.
But if there’s a current plan for the next entry and my
pattern for the series onward, here’s an idea.
After Van Halen’s debut, I am considering a more obscure band by today’s
standards, but one that may have been a contender when it came out, then I’ll
do another more notable band before going underground again. That will repeat onwards, allowing for a
sense of unpredictability by genre or by nationality. I might consider a notable band in a scene or
national movement and make that the “known” band, even if you may not know
them. There will be a focus on education
as there is on entertainment. But we’ll
wait until we get to that moment.
As for what I’ll do with the new format, and the amount of
spare time I’ll have, expect at least one new ongoing series, some extra
content, and a greater focus on quality material on all fronts. That may not be continuous, but I’ll try hard
to make sure that the material is fast, furious, and funny. But like Yoda said, “Do or Do Not. There is no try.” And I’ll keep that in mind when ensuring
successful content.
With that in mind, I have a fun announcement to
make. I’ll make content that will
reflect the month it is released in. To
get started for February, the entries will have the theme of “Real Rockers Wear
Pink” or RRWP. What that means is that
there will be a slightly more feminine, more romantic focus when discussing the
rock scene, genre media, and so on.
Expect material that will involves themes like love, affection,
pleasure, and so on. This will continue
onwards into March and April, which will have Irish/Celtic and Christian themes
respectively. The former having the
theme of “Celtic Rocks” and the latter as “Rock in the Name of the Lord.” But unlike February, March and April are not
planned out to be themed yet. But don’t
you worry, things will still be metal here.
I’ll update to you through anything on Twitter or my blog
page where I make announcements. You can
follow me on Twitter at @RockOtaku92 for info.
I’ll also create a Facebook page for announcements as well that should
be online by the end of February at the latest.
Until Next Time we Rock, This is the Rock Otaku. Live Loud and Play Hard.
In the
days of yore, when pop music meant something, it was filled with nourishing
musical ideas and showed the tides of progress.
But then something happened, the ability for it to fill our soul has
nearly vanished, and the masses are starved on good music. There’s the occasional quality track that
stays good after multiple spins, but it has gotten to the moment where even
good pop music gets stale. We live in a
white-bread world in mainstream music.
However, there’s salvation from the drek that the masses need to know
about. In the words of Marie Antoinette,
or more accurately The Rods quoting her: “LET THEM EAT METAL!”
Hello degenerates,
heathens, weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to
show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV,
anime, video games, and anything that makes us scream and shout at the war pigs.
This series is
dedicated to the best that heavy metal can offer. As you will read, I will take you on a
journey though the annals of heavy metal’s storied history from its beginning
in early 70s, its crystallization in the late 70s and early 80s, its
breakthrough into mainstream conscience in the early to mid-80s, its maturation
in the late 80s and 90s, its dominance (sort of) in the 2000s and even today,
and the rare moments that very few talk about unless in the company of
like-minded fans. Not in that order, but
I’ll be looking at the footnotes oh metal history in the order I desire. In short, this series is about metal, plain
and simple.
And for this entry,
depending on when you read it, it will have been posted at what is considered
the tail end of an era of civility. An
era of progress. An era of attempts at bridging
our differences. An era of forcing those ideals down the throats due to the left's superiority complex, which lead to the rise of the alt-right, a group of backwards-minded idiots. And
in my mind, what better way to bridge cultures, ethnicities, beliefs, and even
interests without being annoying about them is there than heavy metal. Heavy metal, a genre built on alienation,
dark undercurrents, classical ideas (from composition to philosophy and even
fashion sense), rebellion, and the sense that things are full of crap. While it may be hard to deal with depression
alone, one way that I can cope with such dark feelings is by laying back or
doing something mundane or basic while turning up a mix of Metallica, Iron
Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Slayer, Megadeth, Accept, Anthrax, Ozzy
Osbourne, Dio, Ratt, Dokken, Mötley Crue, Helloween, Manowar, Pantera, Jag
Panzer, Lamb of God, Anvil, At The Gates, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage,
Disturbed, Rhapsody Of Fire, Slipknot, Galneryus, Periphery, Edguy, Hammerfall,
Sabaton, Skull Fist, X Japan, and many others and suddenly not just have a
reason to live but realize that there are many others dealing with dark paths and
preserving on. It really is a cathartic
genre, and it could be seen as musical therapy for depression, ostracization
from society, and other issues. It can
work alongside alcohol and drugs or supplant them, and it can be seen alongside comics,
anime, cartoons, and genre films, literature and TV as a form of expression or fandom for nerds of all types. But thanks to crappy mainstream
bands like Five Finger Death Punch, we forget how nerdy metal really is, and it
all started, in the 70s, with Black Sabbath.
In short, Black
Sabbath is heavy metal. You can have a
favorite subgenre of metal, a faction you belong to, or even no respect for the
genre overall, but there’s no arguing that Black Sabbath doesn’t belong in the
history and development of heavy metal as a musical force. With their sludgy, dark riffs, thick basslines,
pounding drums, and ear-piercing vocals from Ozzy Osbourne and then Ronnie James
Dio, Black Sabbath are the band that crystalized heavy metal as an art form,
even if they were not the first band to embrace the category (Judas Priest were
the first). Said riffs are the result of
a factory accident that damaged the fingers of guitarist Tony Iommi, and the
use of power chords, fast bluesy soloing with use of
legato, and downtuning would influence guitarists everywhere. Then there’s Geezer Butler’s and Bill Ward’s
bass and drums, respectively, providing the rest of the melancholic thunder the
band is known for. Finally, there’s the
melancholy-laden vocals of initial singer Ozzy Osbourne that told tales of
horror, fantasy, science fiction, war, the occult, and drug use (not sure if he
ever sang about giving high hard one to chief’s wife, though), with his
replacement Ronnie James Dio going for more epic songs of brotherhood and
overcoming the darkness. They had a
distinctive sound, a distinctive edge, and two of the most legendary vocalists
of all time to have come out of their ranks, and they are probably one of the first bands you
think of when you hear the term “heavy metal.”
As for my
introduction? Well, I could go on a
spiel about Guitar Hero again, but I feel that we’ve all heard “War Pigs,”
“Paranoid,” and especially “Iron Man” from today’s album at least once, so that
would get boring fast. Plus I feel that
going to the first year they released albums, 1970, with their most iconic would
be my way of both showcasing the birth of heavy metal as we know it while feeling the weight of the end of the Obama administration right before Trump becomes
president. While this may not be as
important to mention for this week, but we are in for a new conservative
revolution of American politics, which could affect everything from the economy
to our relationships with other countries, and we usually ended up with harder
rock becoming huge when the President was either very conservative or preaching
to right-wing Baby Boomers, the rural folk, and the alt-right. Things get louder, angrier, and more likely
to aim for the gut than for the head.
Don’t believe me? We had hair metal, hardcore punk, and thrash metal
under Reagan and those alongside grunge under Bush Sr., post-grunge, nu metal,
emo, metalcore, and deathcore under Bush Jr., and now there’s a likelihood of
traditional metal, djent, hard indie (or modern blues, hard, and glam rock on
independent labels like The Struts), progressive metal, and kawaii metal under our first Orange
president. In short, say goodbye to
indie folk on the charts for probably 4 years (maybe 8) and get ready to get
your faces melted. But that’s just my
thought, and that would require liberals to get into much faster, heavier, and
more aggressive music with the intent on playing it, and if the reaction to
Trump is worse trap music, then I’ve lost my hope in humanity (and considering applying to NASA or Space-X to research off-Earth living). To prepare, I’d recommend paying attention to
what I say throughout this review.
But enough with politics
and assumption-filled societal analysis, let’s get to the metal:
1. Luke’s Wall/War Pigs:
Let’s face it, you
already know this song from somewhere, may it be classic rock radio play (not
the wimpy classic rock radio that plays Chicago, the ones that play harder
songs from the days of yore such as this), Guitar Hero II, or when System of a Down
referenced it in their anti-war anthem “B.Y.O.B.,” but it’s good to know where
this song came from. The year was 1970,
and there was a conflict that occurred in Southeast Asia with the battle
between freedom in the South and communism in the North, one that got so ugly
thanks to most of the fighting taking place in the jungle and various
methods to either destroy, demoralize, or desecrate the other side, and it was
such a mess that it was probably the first ever war to be protested in the
West publicly. That was the Vietnam War. And with all the stories of what happened,
the people that went in to preserve freedom and democracy against communism and
tyranny and what they went through, as well as where they came from, it led to
the realization that A) getting involved over reasons that were based in
beliefs and politics, B) the unpreparedness we were for this conflict, C) higher interests were preaching how this was important and preserving of
our honor when they did nothing while normal people went through hell, and D)
the impact of media getting dirty with the soldiers and seeing horrific sights
led to anti-war attitudes, ones that would linger to this very day. And while we’d end up with another unpopular
conflict that divided the nation, specifically one in the Middle East, the
Vietnam War was the first true unpopular war and a likely reason for the rise
of hippies in the late 60s. Then the 70s
happened, and we ended up with counterculture icons dead, imprisoned, or
deciding to live normal, drug-free, chaste lives (or just bang one woman or man
for the rest of their life), while attitudes went in a much more negative
direction.
And thus, enter Black
Sabbath with an anti-war anthem so bleak that it comes from many young
realizations. These include the fact that politics are a factor in where we go to war, and instead of
saying how they would lead the charge to end it, they resigned themselves to
the fact that the military-industrial complex has gotten too powerful, and only
God can bring its end. That is some bleak
content. And to match, the music is both
angry and depressing, all in a minor key while having some serious punch. If this is where the hippie movement died,
then they did with a massive bang, and thus, they were unable to overthrow the
governments they hated and resorted to just partying, ravaging their bodies
with drugs, and screwing enough people to have every STD in their weakened
bodies. Thank Black Sabbath for
destroying hippies. However, I’d call
this the evolution of hippies into something much darker, more nihilistic, and
more likely to drink beer and wine than use LSD and have Frank Frazetta and
Boris Vallejo paintings in their rooms rather than be the swinging type. In short, we got metalheads from this
attitude, and they would evolve into the kind we know today, just not as PC as
the ones that run Metal Injection or MetalSucks. And it came with thunderous music from Birmingham, England.
As for the music, we
have Tony Iommi’s signature guitar tone buzzing as he plays various sustained chords
in the opening with a slow opening rhythm by Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, all
while a siren plays in the background.
Then the guitarist plays two chords at a much faster pace with Bill
providing a steady rhythm with the cymbal bashing, that is before Ozzy Osbourne
comes in to wail about the injustices of war as the intensity builds up. While that setup is kept throughout the first
part of the verse, we get to the second part, where Tony Iommi throws in a few
licks. After Ozzy screams “Oh, Lord
yeah!” we get to the “chorus” which is a descending set of chords on the guitar
and bass while Bill peppers it with drum fills.
Then we get a savage riff that goes into the next part (I’m sure it’s
either the main chorus, another verse, or something else entirely), where Ozzy
continues his rage at the war machine while Tony and Geezer develop a savage
comradery on guitar and bass respectively, with the latter punching up the
formers riffs. Then we get to the part I
designated the “chorus” again before a blazing guitar solo that’s as simple to
understand as it is technical in its bluesy violence. Then another riff comes in before the final
verse, which repeats the structure of the first verse while detailing a sort of
war-torn apocalypse. After that structure repeats, we get to the outro, which includes an arpeggio, a memorably
melodic guitar line, and another amazing solo, all before the songs ends in
chipmunk mode. This is a classic for a
reason, and that opening spiel on the Vietnam War shows its significance as
probably one of the greatest anti-war songs EVER WRITTEN. It’s brutal, it’s dark, it’s depressing, and
it’s aware how current events can be changed only through a miracle. A true classic for the whole family, I guess?
2. Paranoid:
As for the rest of the
review, I have no plans on discussing historical politics or events that
inspired songs, but it’s interesting when the backstory of a song is inspired
by current history. But for this song,
this was meant to be filler, but it somehow became a classic. I’m not going to discuss how, but I’ll give
my two cents on why. The reason? It’s a fast, aggressive, and savage song
about dealing with depression, and how it makes you look insane around happy
people. Starting with a savage opening
riff before entering a palm-muted set of power chords which I’m sure influenced
everything from punk to thrash metal and even grunge. During the main riff, Ozzy sings about how
his depression is causing him to have some sort of mental instability, leading
to him cutting ties to people that care about him, looking for ways to make him
happy but unable to, losing the inability to live, and somehow having no sense
of humor. It’s dark, but it’s so
relatable to people with bouts of depression that, sometimes, we can feel blind
to things that should make us happy, but we don’t see it that way. I’m sure that’s why it caught on. It’s relatable to when we feel down, and
somehow, it’s also a warning for letting depression take over as the final part
says. Ozzy wishes that he could be
happy, but he can’t, so he’s telling us that we should enjoy the lives we got
and not succumb to the darkness. And
before I’ll talk about the ending, I’d like to mention that this song has another
great guitar solo that showcases Tony’s guitar wizardry, with its great use of
scales, legato, bends, and slides.
As for that ending,
people tend to think that he’s telling us to commit suicide rather than live a
happy life, as they confuse “enjoy life” with “end your life” due to how Ozzy
sings it. The suicide angle doesn’t work
here as the SINGER is the one likely to take his life, not the listener, he’s
telling us how much it sucks to be depressed.
And as a result, his mission is to have us EMBRACE happiness rather than
lose it, and us killing ourselves would be counterproductive. But I can hear why people confuse the lyric:
that’s what happens when your accent gets too strong on certain words (did I
mention that I’m talking about ANOTHER British heavy metal band today?) But great song though, regardless of whether
you think about the end.
3. Planet Caravan:
But just because Black
Sabbath killed the hippy movement doesn’t mean they got rid of everything about
them. Here, after two aggressive tracks
loaded with loud guitars, thunderous drums and bass, melancholic vocals, and a
depressing tone, we get an airy, acoustic track that would have not felt wrong
on an album by The Doors. With its chill
attitude, spacey vocals by Ozzy, lower volume, and a guitar part that shines
with a chill, jazzy solo, and probably some organs, Black Sabbath show that
they can go from heavy to calming. On
some albums, this would be the worst, but as a song sandwiched between face
melting metal standouts, it serves as a breather after the sadness-fueled rage. Plus the percussion has that sort of chill,
campfire bongo approach which adds to the Mary Jane-friendly groove of this
song. As for the lyrics, it’s all crazy
space stuff, making this song somehow even weirder. Plus, I’m sure that these lyrics are the
result of an acid trip the band underwent while writing this album. I mean, the song involves sailing the skies
at night, crying while the earth is covered in a purple haze, orbiting over the
world, David Bowie-style, then going off to explore the universe. It’s weird, makes no sense, and is better
after certain substances or, in the preferred case, after getting assaulted by
“War Pigs” and “Paranoid” with their aggressive melancholy. But while I’m not sure what to make of this
track, I do dig what it’s going for, especially since things may get much
heavier and darker down the line. I need
a good trip song sometimes.
4. Iron Man:
Obligatory Tony Stark
Reference:
I bet you didn’t know this existed, right?
But this song isn’t
about the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist that got a 12-episode
anime series that’s seen as a misfire, or 3 movies with 2 of them being
contentious, is known as one of the Avengers, was a major player in Captain
America: Civil War to the point where half the movie was about his struggles
post-Age of Ultron, or a long running comic series from the 60s (plus I could
mention other projects he stared or was a major player in). It’s about someone else who gets the name
Iron Man, not because he gets a mini-arc reactor in his chest. It’s because he was literally turned into a
man made of steel. By time travel of all things, specifically to warn everyone
about an apocalyptic future (man, Black Sabbath sure loves singing about end
times, do they). And the reason for doomsday? This
unfortunate son of a bitch IS the reason for doomsday, specifically for people
not getting to hear his message. So
essentially, this dark, depressing, apocalyptic song is about a guy that the
real Iron Man would have punched in the face for using his trademark to kill
billions. So why is this song a metal
classic?
The riff. THAT.
RIFF! Hell, the song’s beginning,
where the low e string is strummed with Tony bended it behind the nut while Ozzy
says “I AM IRON MAN!” in the distorted way it was recorded (thanks to a metal
fan, believe it or not), is iconic. As
for that riff, it’s an ascending set of minor chords (plus some downslides)
that gives it a metallic, robotic feel that sounds like someone who’s fingers
were damaged in a factory accident (for real, that’s what happened to Tony
Iommi, and it's worth repeating here). Plus there’s so many great riffs
throughout, including the riff that opens and closes the guitar solo, where the
beat gets faster and more heartpounding.
Throughout, Ozzy sings to the melody, except for parts where he sings
between sustained chords before an ascending riff. Plus I have to give credit to Geezer and Bill
for keeping the rhythm in check with the pounding slow groove throughout, but
speeding up when they need to, especially the outro. What an outro it is, you get another great
riff and another great solo that continues Tony’s showcase of this skills. Overall, it’s a great song with a dark take
on time travel and the apocalypse. And
speaking of Iron Man, did you know the credits for the 2008 movie used many of
the riffs on this track, including the main one and the outro? Anyone?
Or am I the only one who noticed that?
Next side then.
5. Electric Funeral:
So there’s an iconic
doom metal named after this song. Due to
that, I have some slightly higher expectations about this Side B opener. How does it sound? It’s rather doomy. Unlike Side A, where there was a sense of
rage with the melancholy, while “Planet Caravan” gave us a breather, Side B
gives us the Black Sabbath style that made them famous as well as
infamous. Staying at a slower tempo with
a wah-laden riff, this song starts with a tone that screams bleak apocalypse
thanks to our obsession with nuking anyone who gives us a bad look. After that, we get lyrical imagery that gives
off not exactly a classical apocalypse, but one more influenced by the atomic
age, the space race, Isaac Asimov, and Salvador Dali, and the plastic culture
of the modern day (in 1970). Then the
song gets faster while Ozzy starts belting about things getting worse and you
get a moment when Ozzy and Tony combine a low chant of the title and guitar
string bending, respectively. While
there’s a semblance of a guitar solo here, it’s nowhere near as interesting as
the previous tracks. But then the
original beat and riff return with a vengeance while Ozzy sings about how the
robots taken over, the apocalyptic war has begun, and the evil souls are damned
to Hell, trapped in an eternity of torment.
Is this song good overall, it’s interesting, but it isn’t great.
6. Hand of Doom:
Where the last song
was doomy, this somehow continues the sense of dread “Electric Funeral”
solidified from Side A. While this song
may be interpreted as a song about how we are practically killing ourselves,
and that the titular “Hand of Doom” is upon us always, you may be right. With references to waiting for the end, the
atomic bomb, napalm, heroin, pills, acid, and searching for ways to get high,
this song presents a bleak understanding about how our psyches can be ruined by
the allure of Death. To match this, we
get a low-key performance at the beginning where Bill Ward provides restraint,
Geezer Butler picks a menacing bass line, and Ozzy sings at a low tone. Then when the emotions rise, and Tony joins
with a riff based around the bassline, with a few licks, and everyone picks up
in intensity. Then the songs speeds up,
is driven by Tony’s raging guitar parts, and becomes a song to headbang
to. Meanwhile Ozzy starts singing at a
higher tone throughout the song. During
this, he sings about how the drugs are screwing you up, both mentally and
physically, especially physically. Then
the beat gets even bouncier, while Ozzy belts out “You’re having a good time
baby/But that won’t last” while continuing the bad drug trip narrative. This all launches into a guitar solo that I’m
sure that might be my favorite solo at this point in the album, if not the
entire album. After that, the slower,
doomier, and bass-driven tone of the opening returns, with the same increases
in volume from that opening. This time, the
song is how about you overdosed by accident, you start to get worse, you lose
consciousness, and then die. In short,
Black Sabbath, a band infamous for making weed popular in metal, sang an
anti-drug song. A great, doomy anti-drug
song, but I’m not sure if I can take it seriously when the music has been used in this context:
Guess what Ozzy did again?
Before we continue, type in "black sabbath cartoon" and you'll get that reference after you watch it. 7. Rat Salad
So we have an
instrumental here. Neat, I was wondering
when we’d get a song where Tony, Geezer, and Bill would shine. And here it is. With this track, they manage to provide both
the gut punch necessary, to make this work.
The energy to keep things in gear, enough riffs too keep things from
getting stale and repetitive, and enough moments to keep us on our toes when we
listen. One aspect that keeps us on our
toes is the crazy drum solo in the middle.
Though for the title, I’m not sure why they gave it the title of “Rat
Salad.” Was it because they found a meal
at a restaurant somewhere and decided to name a song after that? I mean, that’s how we got Robot Chicken. Was it because they were trolling their record
company? A lot of artists do that. Was it because they found rats on a
salad? That’s what happens when a kid
watched Ratatouille way too many times and is easily impressionable. Was it because they were trying to creep us
out? Not sure if that works. Was is because the musical elements tied
together made them think of rat salads when they listened back to it? Then they were drugged out of their minds
when they recorded this. Was it because…
Okay, let’s get to the next song.
8. Jack The Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots
Starting with a guitar
part that’s given an echo effect a more traditional intro is performed, all
with guitar solos. After that, the beat
changes to have more of a funky beat, and we get to the main song. Here, Ozzy sings about being terrified by the
sight of a fairy wearing boots dancing with a dwarf. If there’s one mental image I get from this
song based on the lyrics, it would be...
dancing with...
And I react like
this:
You thought of this too, I’m sure of it.
Before realizing that
Ozzy beat Crocker to going mad over fairies (wearing boots here), let’s get to
the music. As for the riff when Ozzy
goes nuts, we get some rad riffs with a funky beat, while we get some thunderous
drums and bass, with extra punch in the intensity when the Ozzy tries his best
to convince you that he saw fairies wearing boots. Later, we get a kickass guitar solo
afterwards that might be Tony’s best solo here.
Then the beat changes to something slightly more mid-tempo, before
returning to the bouncy beat of the verse and chorus. After the second chorus, Ozzy decides to go
to the doctor and ask for advice on this weird sight, but the doctor decides to
tell him that he’s been smoking and tripping way too much, and this is the
likely effects of a bad trip. Then we
end with a crazy guitar lick from Tony Iommi that is in no way simplistic. Overall, this is a fun, funky song with some
crazy elements, and I do have to admit that there are some definite weird
elements here. I also think that this is
in no way a song about anything other than a crazy trip leading to Ozzy seeing
magical creatures. But when you think
about it, the band might have been doing some crazy drugs here. Good song though.
Any final thoughts,
Denzel Crocker?
I actually think that
this is a good album. Not the best album
of all time, but up there as one of the more interesting albums to have come
out of the 70s. It’s a dark, gloomy, but
heavy and aggressive ride throughout, and there are moments where the volumes
turns down to offer something more than darkness. But don’t think that this album is all
sunshine and rainbows. With themes of
war, depression, the apocalypse, darkness, and drug abuse, this band taps into
some very dark subject matter and provide music that fits the darker themes
they sing about. As a result, outside of
conditioning on certain songs through radio play, pop culture use, and Guitar
Hero, this is a rather hard album to get into if you’re looking for a good
time. As a result, for 70s heavy metal
fans, I’d recommend this to the demented, dejected, and depressed lot while
convincing the happy-go-lucky fans to stick with Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin
(plus KISS and Aerosmith, if we count American bands). But despite that, this album rocks. The production is surprisingly good for this
album, with some muddiness to add to the bleak nature of the album while also
being clear enough to hear each instrument.
The vocals by Ozzy are spectacular, with their haunted, howling feel
while also having a surprising amount of range.
Geezer Butler’s bass work is perfectly thick and heavy, and allows for
some great grooves. Despite his
alcoholism, Bill Ward is one of the more underrated drummers, being both tight
with his rhythm while providing a strong backbone for the songs. But the standout is Tony Iommi, whose riffs
are the ones that you think of when you think heavy metal guitar at the
root. He’s probably one of the first
guitar heroes alongside Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, and Jimi Hendrix to have
developed and codified the guitar techniques and tricks that would be used in
hard rock and heavy metal. In short, if
you have to listen to the album, it’s for the guitar work. I’d say that this album is without its
faults, as there are moments when it would drift on and drag, leading to
moments when you’d want some punch or a moment where there’s some speed, but
there’s enough changes in the tone, beat, and volume to keep you from getting
bored. For the best song, I’d say that
the entire Side A would enter a bar brawl to determine the winner. For worst, I’d have to give it to “Electric
Funeral” because it’s nowhere near as strong as the four tracks before it, or
even the tracks that follow it. But if I
have a suggestion about this album, it’s probably a better idea to not think
too hard when listening to this, or you’ll end up completely depressed for the
rest of the day.
Final Rating: 8.5/10
(A stellar heavy metal classic that helped codify the genre and deserves its
status)
Next Time on Let Them Eat
Metal: Van Halen by Van Halen (don’t expect that next week)
Until
next time, this is the Rock Otaku. Live
Loud, Play Hard, and Eat Metal.
All used references
are done under the rules of fair use and are owned by their original creators.
I like to say
something for readers. The next release
will not be next week. I’ll go into
detail on why as soon as possible.
Hello degenerates,
heathens, weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to
show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV,
anime, video games, and anything that makes us scream, shout, and let it all
out.
If you’re wondering, I
did say last week that I would be making a best of 2016 list of songs for this
week. But something happened: time. There were issues that came up such as my normal
life getting in the way, me taking on some new things like a showcase of how I make
Spotify playlists as well as interacting with like-minded people (primarily to
study Japanese). As a result, I have
barely started on that. The closest I
got to was what songs I’d put on the list.
I haven’t determined order or how many honorable mentions I’d have. To make up for this quasi-blunder, I am
changing the list from Top 10 Hit Rock Songs of 2016 to Top 20 Hit Rock Songs
of 2016. Why? Because I found more songs I liked than I did
hated. But there was more in the suck category that I completely missed.
Specifically, these 5
songs were ones that I heard and thought that they were either okay or
terrible, but weren’t on my mind when I decided to make my initial worst
list. If I ever redid that list to show
my real thoughts a while down the line (probably late June or early July), then the 5 songs here are likely going
to be mentioned. Either I’ve realized
that these songs suck, I agree with other critics that these songs suck, or I
cannot recommend them to fellow listeners.
As for the rules, I’m still restricting myself to the Year End entries
of the Hot Rock Song, Rock Airplay, Rock Digital, Rock Streaming, Alternative
Songs, Adult Alternative Songs, and Mainstream Rock Songs charts for 2016, so
these songs were hits of some kind.
Also, I’m also trying to make sure that these songs were from 2016
and/or a few years back, so there are no classic stinkers here. Also, I'm thinking of a new counting system. To not alienate my current fans, I'll include the actual numbers for each ranking. But I've set it up in a way that I'll probably test your current knowledge of Japanese writing. Okay? これをやろう! これを私の胸から外す時です。 (Kore o yarou! Kore o watashi no mune kara hazusu tokidesu. That should mean "Let's do this! It's time to get this off my chest." The rest of my Japanese use will not be in English, but I'll include romaji)
Starting With 5:
または五。シーザーが話すときに耳を傾ける。(Matawa go. Shīzā ga hanasu toki ni mimiwokatamukeru.)
I have made it clear
that I am not a fan of “White Guy with Acoustic Guitar” songs. The genre is loaded with bland,
uninteresting, and almost-frat boyish dudes who sing about whatever’s on their
mind, and it’s usually stuff EVERYBODY sings about or knows. Hell, this is why I consider “Every Rose Has
It’s Thorn” by Poison to be extremely overrated, it’s a WGWAG song posing as a hair
ballad (and if it wasn’t for C.C., it would have been true garbage). But here’s an example of that stupid genre: Let It Go by James Bay.
Talk about a load of
blah, it’s a pure, unfiltered example of this lame genre, but there are reasons
it initially didn’t make the list: the melody is interesting to me. I’m a sucker for songs in this key (I’m sure
it’s Bm, but that’s because I looked up where the capo goes on the guitar when
playing this track). But I can even draw
the line and admit a song sucks. This is
about a girl James Bay is into that, probably, was on top of the world and is now
trying to get back on her feet, and he’s telling her to “Let it go” and be with
him. If it wasn’t for the possibly negative
elements that could happen to her, this would have been a sweet song, but
thanks to the credo of WGWAGs, it’s smug as hell. Plus that guitar line, while bluesy and based around a key I admitted I’m a sucker for, is pretty meh, and it almost
ruins that key. The song is way too airy
for me to do anything but drift off and forget that I’m trying to listen to
a song. It’s white noise. Nice-sounding, but white noise. As a result, I give this song the Bluto treatment:
Meanwhile, I’d
recommend you all to stick with this “Let It Go”:
Next is 4:
または四。彼女はその数を意味する。(Matawa shi/yon. Kanojo wa sono sū o imi suru.)
Of all the songs here,
this is arguably the nicest-sounding one here.
But that doesn’t mean that it is overall a good song. What I am referring to is Handclap by Fitz And The Tantrums, a
song that’s so obsessed with how it wants to make you do this one thing: make
your hands clap, that it forgets to write any good lyrics that can ensure said
hand clapping.
As for the nice sound,
it has a decent melody. But that is
ruined when it doesn’t do anything else with it. But I do have to give credit to the song for
having a few extra musical lines added in, such as a guitar line at the
end. But what keeps this melody from
being good is that its pop production is way too obvious. Plus the lyrics are pure fluff. I’ve like songs with fluffy lyrics before,
some more sugary than this track, but I’m sure that this song’s lyrics are the
kind of fluff with an ego, the kind I’m not sure I could even stand. It says how it can make my hands clap, but it
doesn’t offer enough good lines in the lyrics or even amazing instrumentation
and melodies to ensure that I’m clapping my hands to this song. Plus, with the singer’s age (he’s currently
46), it sounds like the kind of song that’s made for parents, which can either
be surprisingly enlightening or extremely lame, and this falls in the
latter. Such a waste, but not the
biggest waste of time here. Next is 3:
または三。言い訳を許しなさい。(Matawa san. Iiwake o yurushi nasai.)
I’m going to get a lot of
crap from my Christian fans for this.
The next song I could have considered for worst (probably because of the hate boner for it
from other, more respected critics) is Feel
Invincible by Skillet.
Not to say this song
entirely sucks, I have some enjoyment from it due to how stupid it kinda
is. Plus, I can recommend it to total
meatheads, both for its “inspirational” lyrics and aggressive instrumentation. As for the song, where it fails is its usage
of electronica. While this could add
some dynamics to the song while offering something new and interesting , Skillet somehow make their sound, well, sound less interesting. Outside of the more aggressive elements, this
sounds like a pop song. A POP song. Not to say that pop rock cannot work, it
does, but this is nowhere near as testosterone-driven as it wants to be. While some of you may accuse me of selling
out to the critical ideology, one influenced by atheism, for attempting to bash
this song, let me point this out: I may have liked it initially, but I don’t
play enough Call of Duty or Madden to be in this song’s intended fan base, so I’ve
been feeling that this song is merely okay.
It doesn’t do anything empowering unless I’m uber-Christian, or neither
do I find it repulsive. I find it to be
musically meh. Heck, the aspects of
Skillet I originally liked, the symphonic elements, the vocal interplay between
John Cooper and Drummer Jen Ledger, where the latter sings her heart out, and
the Three Days Grace-sounding riffs are seriously downplayed, making each sound
more generic than it should while also going for a bouncy pop beat. Whatever grit could have been used to dirty
this song up is scrubbed off, causing this song to only have the initial punch,
then get weaker with each subsequent listen.
But that’s just my opinion, but I also feel that it doesn’t have the
power that the triple attack of “Monster,” “Hero,” and “Awake and Alive” had
(in each song mentioned by itself, by the way). As
a result, this hits, in my enlightened opinion, with a thud. The Lord deserves better music than this, and
I feel that I’d have to stick to Stryper and P.O.D. for my Christian Rock fixings
(I haven’t listened to enough Narnia to consider them, but their C.S.
Lewis-inspired approach is interesting to me).
Such a same. And speaking of
Three Days Grace… Next is 2:
または二。あなたはこの場面を知っておくべきです。(Matawa ni. Anata wa kono bamen o shitte okubekidesu.)
Next on this
mini-countdown is Fallen Angel by Three
Days Grace.
While this may tickle
my nostalgia for radio rock from my high school years (with Three Days Grace
being one of the more interesting bands), this is everything that could have
made the band less distinctive and more generic. Why?
Adam Gontier is no longer in the band, and his forceful vocals are
heavily missing here. While the current
singer tries too hard to make this work, he is no Adam Gontier. He sounds like a generic emo butt rock singer
that would rather sing songs about strippers and cocaine than he would about
broken relationships. The guitars are
surprisingly generic, the bass is blah, and the drums are processed poorly, and
so is the guitar. It sounds as if it was
programmed rather than played. While I
could have forgiven this if it were more distinctive, it’s the band at their
most generic. The lyrics are so blah and
bland that they could have worked with their earlier material, when there was
more punch in the production and instrumentation and the singer was ADAM
GONTIER! Seriously I miss that guy. While I can admit this, what kept this song
from the true worst list was that the lyrics did deal with the singer dealing
with someone who’s depressed but is trying to do right for him. But then he realizes that it will be hard to
return the favor and cheer that person up.
Well, the depressing music is not helping, and the vocalist doesn’t have
the power to sell this song as an anti-depressant. In my mind, Three Days Grace are the true
fallen angels. But who is this singer?
Matt Walst?
From My Darkest Days?! No wonder he sounds better singing about
strippers and cocaine. HE DID!
Finally 1:
または一。言い訳を許しなさい。 (Matawa ichi. Iiwake o yurushi nasai.)
Let me get this out of
the way. This may sound like I’m just
making the easy choices, but I do have to say that these two artists deserve
better. If you haven’t clued in from that sentence, I’m
referring to Irresistible by Fall Out
Boy w/ Demi Lovato.
For Fall Out Boy, of
the many emo bands that came out in the Noughties, they were arguably the kings
(with Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, Avenged Sevenfold, and Bullet
For My Valentine close to them in rank). While their earlier rock songs are pretty good, I felt
that they’ve been extremely hit-or-miss when they went pop (ironic that their
first straight pop record was called Save
Rock and Roll). For Demi Lovato,
while I do not have a very strong(ly positive) opinion on Radio Disney
bubblegum, she’s arguably one of the more powerful vocalists I’ve heard in pop music. Despite that, I haven’t heard “Cool for the
Summer” in its entirety, though I respect Spectrum Pulse and Todd in the Shadows for
putting it on their Best of 2015 lists because, from what I’ve heard of it, it
sounds like something that, with a little more grit and sleaze, could be a song
I’d definitely put on my playlist.
Plus I felt “Confident,” despite a few issues, was a pretty confident pop
tune. But combine the two artists, and somehow
they’re both wasted. This song is a
complete pop song, and NOT in a good way.
As for that spectrum of musical style, it’s okay.
Not good, not bad, but okay. But
as a “rock” song…
No seriously, this is
a rock song? It’s pop, and it doesn’t
belong here. The drums are plastic as
crap, the guitars and bass are shoved in the background in favor of whatever
sounds are trendy. The vocals are too
safe and formulaic, and so are the lyrics with added stupidity. IT! DOESN’T!
WORK!
WHEN YOU CONSIDER! WHAT! BOTH ARTISTS!
ARE! CAPABLE OF! Based on their respective track records, this
song is just lame. That is why this song
belongs on this list on sheer principle alone.
If I want commercial, processed pop rock, I'd rather have more grit or stick
with the 80s.
Possible Dishonorable
Mentions:
Anything by Shinedown,
3 Doors Down, Seether, Pop Evil, and Disturbed.
I don’t hate these bands with a burning passion (3 Doors Down are okay
at best), and I feel that their songs weren’t that bad anyway. Hell, the last band listed would probably make
my best list next week, I’m certain.
As for the true list
that should have been released this week, I’m really sorry for that. But if I can make it up to you all, I have
already mentioned that it will be a Top 20 rather than a Top 10. Last year was that good for rock music. I’m not sure if was because of what was going
on in the world, or because the rock scene decided to be the opposite of the
pop scene last year, but things were great for rock music (outside of the songs
I’ve deemed bad). If you disagree, then
feel free to mention what you thought sucked about rock music in 2016. I’d like to know what you thought.
Isn’t learning Japanese fun? Next week: The REAL
List – The Top 20 Best Hit Rock Songs of 2016.
Until
Next Time, this is the Rock Otaku. Live
Loud, Play Hard, and Let’s Hope 2017 Doesn’t Suck More than 2016.
All used references
are done under the rules of fair use and are owned by their original
creators.
In the
days of yore, when pop music meant something, it was filled with nourishing
musical ideas and showed the tides of progress.
But then something happened, the ability for it to fill our soul has
nearly vanished, and the masses are starved on good music. There’s the occasional quality track that
stays good after multiple spins, but it has gotten to the moment where even good
pop music gets stale. We live in a white-bread
world in mainstream music. However,
there’s salvation from the drek that the masses need to know about. In the words of Marie Antoinette, or more
accurately The Rods quoting her: “LET THEM EAT METAL!”
Hello degenerates,
heathens, weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to
show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV,
anime, video games, and anything that makes us scream, shout, and show the sign
of victory.
This series is
dedicated to the best that heavy metal can offer. As you will read, I will take you on a
journey though the annals of heavy metal’s storied history from its beginning
in early 70s, its crystallization in the late 70s and early 80s, its
breakthrough into mainstream conscience in the early to mid-80s, its maturation
in the late 80s and 90s, its dominance (sort of) in the 2000s and even today,
and the rare moments that very few talk about unless in the company of
like-minded fans. Not in that order, but
I’ll be looking at the footnotes oh metal history in the order I desire. In short, this series is about metal, plain
and simple.
I might have gotten a
little too European last week with Accept.
I mean, you have one of the greatest speed metal bands of all time
coming from Germany, and they released an album that I’m sure had a massive
influence on heavy metal in the 80s. But
with Balls to the Wall, you kind of understood that if you knew anything about
metal. But today, I discuss an album
which, until less than a decade ago, did not have as much of an impact on the
metal mainstream in the 80s. However, it
was a massive influence on the underground, and it helped with the development
of a style of heavy metal that would be known as thrash metal. Said album, and the band in general, is an
album so fast, so loud, so aggressive, and so metal that it came from the Great
White North, a place where I’m sure most of you want to move to in the next few
weeks. That band is Anvil.
Starting in the late
70s by high scholl friends Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner (who is not even
related to the director of the same name) in Toronto, Anvil had big dreams of
rock n’ roll stardom, blackjack and hookers.
They would get to work on making a name for themselves while playing,
touring, and writing songs. During the
early 80s, they released their first album Hard ‘n’ Heavy in 1981, which was
recorded when they were called Lips.
After that, and a deal with independent label Attic Records (who you may
not know of unless you’re Canadian), they released the album, and today’s
topic, Metal on Metal in 1982, with
production by acclaimed and legendary producer Chris Tsangarides (you’ll
recognize his production techniques from Judas Priest’s 1990 metal masterpiece
Painkiller). After that, which is something
I rarely have done until now, they did not have a very successful music career.
Sure, they released
more music between 1982 and 2008, when the documentary about their life and
music came out, but they were swamped by the glam metal boom from Los Angeles
and the combined assault of thrash metal from San Francisco and New York
City. However, their style, which can be
the musical equivalent of “Why not both,” was not as appealing unless you were
A) a power metal affectionado, B) European, C) Japanese, or D) all of the
above. Yeah, there are one of many metal
bands who came out in the 80s who never saw success, but where their peers have
fallen off and did other things, they kept trying to have a music career, despite
many, many setbacks. Such as these
include mismanagement, scheduling, issues with gear, marketing, lineup changes,
not playing for the mainstream, which included glam metal, thrash metal, funk
metal, grunge, alternative rock, alternative metal, nu metal, post-grunge, pop
punk, emo, post-hardcore, metalcore, deathcore, djent, indie rock, indie pop,
indie folk, and so on. Hell, these
Toronto boys are usually compared to fictional band Spinal Tap, a band that is
seen as an affectionate joke, but these guys, while they have a sense of humor,
are no joke. If that may cause some
issues, then it means that even when they say some things or write songs that
are considered dumb, those songs come from honest, hard-working, and passionate
kanucks. And today, I go track-by-track
to show you what is considered their creative peak in the 80s, and a reminder
that bad luck doesn’t mean bad music.
1.Metal on Metal:
It’s saying something when Amy’s hammer EMBODIES this track.
When to get to how
this song starts, you realize that this band has something special, or the
Spinal Tap comparisons end up truer than ever (though you can compare EVERY
heavy metal band from the 80s to Spinal Tap).
With it’s opening pounding on the anvil of time by the hammer of
creation, with the image to the right showing what it could be, you get into the iconic opening riff, which ends up being
the bedrock of this mid-tempo headbanger.
Then the drums kick in with the bass, and you there’s a likelihood of a
massive grin hitting you’re face. Then
Lips comes in with his vocal performance, which is youthful, exuberant, and
excited about trying to make the cut.
The song itself is about how awesome metal is. Yeah, that’s it, it’s about heavy metal music
as an attitude, a style, a lifestyle, a faction of the rock scene, a mentality,
and so on. While that may be seen as a
flaw, it’s something else when you realize that this is the way the album
starts: an ode to how awesome metal is.
What passes for a chorus would be “Keep On Rockin’/Keep On Rockin’/To
this metal tonight/Keep on pounding/Keep on pounding/Join the heavy metal fight.” It’s not much, but it does its job, but the
title is repeated enough that “Metal On Metal” becomes a battle-cry. Plus the guitar solo is tasteful, energetic,
long, and loaded with enough guitar pyrotechnics that you can air guitar to it
properly. In short, this is a heavy
metal battle cry, one of many that have been written in the 80s, and arguably
the best.
2.Mothra:
So now that we know
the band’s mental youth, we get into their love of Kaiju movies. Based on the giant Japanese moth monster of
the same name, Mothra is a song that is as equally big, thunderous,
destructive, and intense. With its
pounding drums, intense guitar riffs, thick bass, and Lips’ vocal performance,
this song could easily be the official theme song to the iconic Gojira rival.
Okay I’ll go into
detail in this one.
Starting with a
massive riff that starts with a palm-muted, power chord-driven riff that
includes two chords being played downwards then upwards (expect that melody to
be repeated). Then you get the pounding
bass and drums that you’d expect from this band, and you realize that Robb
Reiner is a pretty damn good drummer.
Also a good musician is singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow, who both
provides some powerful metal vocals and some slaying guitar work (including the
lead and rhythm guitars). And yes, Dave Allison
on guitar as well and Ian Dickson on bass, who both add to the musical
intensity. You also get some good guitar
solos. As for the song itself, I’ve
already mentioned that this is about the insectoid kaiju of the same name, and
how it goes on a rampage driven by a vendetta towards the listener. This is despite Mothra being known for her
heroic roles in the movies she stars in with Godzilla, but a Wikipedia summary
read can tell you that she has a “slightly” more antagonistic role in her debut
movie. But if there’s an aspect that
this song that’s interesting about the subject manner, it’s that we get a song
that’s slightly a tribute to her more monstrous side. In spite of that, it’s a pretty banging song,
and I do feel that this song can be a great tribute to the titular moth
kaiju. But I’m sure that Anvil might
have given San Francisco the thrash edge as kaiju fans for writing a metal song about
one of the more kawaii Toho monsters.
Don't let the kawaii humanization fool you, she can wreck your speakers
3.Stop Me:
So we go from heavy
metal and kawaii kaiju to masculine libido.
Sounds about right for these Canadians.
Hell, I’m sure it’s a reason why geeks would want to move to Canada thanks
to who’s president (despite the reasons for them not to move up north
*cough*Nickelback*cough*Theory Of A Deadman*cough*Drake*cough*Justin
Bieber*cough*Leonard Cohen is dead*cough*Tragically Hip are no more*cough*horse
meat*cough* man, I’ve been hit with a nasty cold). But yeah, this is quite the metal ballad, eh?
Starting with a
clean/acoustic intro that includes drums and bass kicking in after a few
measures, then the electric guitars come in later. After that, all acoustics are phased out by a
brief guitar solo that segues into the vocals, which deal with Lips being the
kind of lover that comes from the Great White North, one that will mess around
with a girl that’s absolutely obsessed with him (I’ve already made a reference
to Amy Rose, and everyone gets one). She’s
so obsessed that she wants to kiss him, then get to other, more lewd activites
(and that’s all I have to say about that).
Then he realizes that this chick that wants to give him a good time is
actually pretty hot. I’m not sure if I’m
understanding the reality, or this was exclusive to the 80s, but I’m sure that obsessive
fangirls are nowhere as attractive as they used to, but I’m also sure that
there are some really cute ones (just cute, mind you). After that, he goes on to the next show, much
to the sorrow of the girl that he probably just got in bed with, or just
kissed. But to prevent further
heartbreak, let’s get to the instrumentation, preferring a more mid-tempo,
mainstream focused riff, bassline, and drum performance. Plus Lips sings in a lower pitch, one that
says alpha-male with experience and enough knowledge that this will end in
tears. Plus there’s a lot of tasty
guitar licks here, all of them appetizers to a very tasty guitar solo that adds
to the sensual energy. Final thoughts,
this is quite the sexy track, despite the lyrics knowing more than I do. But I’m not sure who deserves a boot to the
head first, Lips or the girl? Or even
me?
I got it this time for obvious reasons.
And Another for Jenny
and the Wimp!
4.March of the Crabs:
Don’t expect any
lyrics about crap people, Krabby Patties, Ash catching a Krabby, or Jamaican
crabs singing to mermaids here. This is
an instrumental. Before you get all
crabby due to a lack of lyrics, let it be known that this song slays. All the intro riffs before the main riff are
all awesome. With its aggressive main riff
that includes a downward scale run, then an upward scale run, then that
downward scale run again, then the pounding of chords that echo the drum work,
you get a metal masterpiece. Plus that
drum work is pure double-bass, proto-thrash, high octane speed metal mastery
from Robb Reiner (must resist Princess Bride line-quoting) is pure bliss. And you have the bass managing to keep
up. You also have some serious guitar
soloing throughout this song, all of which showcases Lips’ and Dave Allison’s
guitar techniques, technicality, and talents (there’s a pattern here). Each guitar solo and lick getting crazier,
more impressive, and much more aggressive.
In short, if you can’t stand Canadian speed metal due to the vocals,
this is for you.
5.Jackhammer:
To end the first side,
we get a song that’s about…sex? But
unlike most other sex jams that I’m sure you’ll prefer, this song’s tempo,
approach, and mentality is more like a horny teenager rather than an
experienced ladies’ man. Yeah, the song’s
about going absolutely crazy with this one cute girl, mainly, in the most clean
way I can say this possible, imitating a work tool with her (if you’re in the
know, you already figured out). To match
this, the drum intro is aggressive, but hints to wild lust, the guitar riff is
basic and Motörhead-influenced, and the bass is there. Then you get Lips’ vocal delivery with
screams excited, and this leads to a very Thin Lizzy-inspired approach to the singing
and riffing. Throughout, the song’s
energy is consistently fast and, well, like a jackhammer. Matching the jackhammer riffs and
jackhammer-style love making is a furious guitar solo that probably is the most
blatant metaphor for, well, firing the love gun. After that, we get the final verse, where
Lips is tired and no longer wants to see her, probably to avoid having to deal
with custody if he forgot to wear protection.
Overall, this is a very dirty song from a dirty band with dirty thoughts
and dirty associations for construction tools.
Before I get to the next side, I need a hot shower.
6.Heat Sink:
Another song aboot
lovemaking, eh? Yes, from the title, you’d
be unsure what this side 2 opener would be enough, but when you think in a more
sensual way, it starts to make more sense.
Seriously, there’s enough spicy, melting, gooey double ententres that it
would melt Canadian snow year round, turning the icy, northern landscape into a
slightly more socialist version of the American South and/or Midwest (what,
with all the flannel they wear, beer they chug, wildlife they connect to and
hunt, and other redneck and hillbilly activities that Canadians are likely to
perform on a daily basis). To match, we
get a hot, bluesy guitar riff with sliding chords (think Ted Nugent, if he was
Canadian, eh?), pounding drums, thick bass, and Lips vocal assault. There’s some more traditional metal riffs
played here, but they only add to the aggression rather than the hotter
aspects. There’s also a catchy chorus
here. Plus, there’s a slightly bluesier
guitar solo with some metal elements here, but that adds to the dirty sexuality
here. Overall, there’s a lot of elements
from the blues here, both in the guitar parts and vocal delivery. While Ted Nugent was my first comparison,
there’s a lot this song has in common with Aerosmith as well, even more so (I
hope, mentioning the Motor City Madman in this day and age is a bad idea). It’s not great, but I prefer it over
Jackhammer.
7.Tag Team:
But it seems that
these horny Canucks need to take a break from songs inspired by porn and sing
about something else. How about professional
wrestling? We did get a lot of Canadian
wrestlers in the WWE. Plus, there’s a
lot of well-known tag teams that would go with this theme, such as:
That theme is amazing.
But analyzing lyrics
like this, there’s also a bent towards female tag team wrestling teams. I’m not sure if I remember any of that king,
so I might have had to do minimal research for this part. But a Wikipedia search afterwards, I come up
with the Glamour Girls:
Yes, this isn't my best work, but so is this blog entry.
Speaking of The Glamour Girls, I’m also sure that this is an ode to two girls
wrestling each other in THAT sense (Yay, more innuendo). Despite the lewder context, this is a pretty
great song, and I’m also glad that this appeared in Brütal Legend (though they
used this song in a way that was less sexy).
This mid-tempo rocker with an off-kilter riff is the kind of song that
works in the context of songs about wrestling.
The bass and drums manage to keep the rhythm down on the mat. Plus, there’s a bunch of awesome guitar licks
punctuated by a great guitar solo. Plus,
you have Lips delivering a great vocal performance. This is a song good enough to bring to the
mat for the title fight.
As for Brütal Legend,
I wonder if anyone ever did this with the scene where Lars threatens to kill
Lionwhyte?
8.Scenery:
As for this song, it’s
still about women, but this is nowhere as sex-crazed as the last few
tracks. Instead, this is about a woman
who Lips doesn’t have a strong opinion of.
Apparently, he considers her window dressing rather than a human being,
and her actions manage to alienate him in ways that causes him to be even less
interested in her. You could make the
argument that he’s probably interested in her in some way if he notices her
presence, but the song affirms that he’s not into her. But at the same time, I get the assumption
that he’s acting like this to her:
I mean if he knows she’s
there and acts mean to her, I could see Lips as a male tsundere, eh? But to match Lips channeling his inner Rie
Kugimiya, we get an aggressive, but mid-tempo and thus sweet musical attack,
with chugging guitar lines, pounding drums, thumping bass, and a guitar line
that I’m sure is going to be stuck in your head as badly as the chorus for “Caramelldansen.” As for that guitar line, it’s both in a lower
register to match the heavy metal energy of this rocker, and then we also get a
higher-pitched version as if this band has two guitarists. Like that’s ever a rarity in metal? Plus, you get another guitar solo that adds
to the musical rage here with enough pinch harmonics and bends to scream:
Seriously, the
double-kick drums at the end aren’t enough for this song to avoid obvious
tsundere jokes. Overall, I’d consider
this probably one of the few heavy metal tsundere anthems that I’ve heard in my
lifetime, and I’m not sure if I’ve even dug deep enough on this lyrical subject
in metal. It’s rare that I hear a male
metal singer act like Taiga.
9.Tease Me, Please Me:
I’m not sure why, but
at some point, the band thought that it would be a good idea to make a song
that’s explicitly about sex. But for a
sex jam, this is more of the excited, wild animal variety rather than a smooth
R&B jam. Especially with the main
riff and the fast beat. Plus with its
title, it can’t be about anything else except sex (unless there’s some Lady
Gaga esque metaphor here). But before we
end, let’s dig deeper into this Canadian quasi-hair metal song. What I mean by quasi-hair metal is heavy
metal that would not be considered classic hair metal, like Motley Crue,
Poison, Ratt, Winger, Warrant, White Lion, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot,
Twisted Sister, Dokken, Skid Row, Keel, or even Helix, due to being more in
common musically with speed metal, thrash metal, power metal, or traditional
heavy metal in general, and the lyrics are loaded with sexual energy. And that’s the song in a nutshell lyrically,
so let’s get to the music. The riff,
which I’ve alluded to, is fast, aggressive, loaded with elements of punk and
blues alongside classic metal, mean, and loaded with machismo. The drums are furious and thunderous. The bass is thick and thumping like a heart
during adult fun time. The vocals are
sly, crooning, sexy, sleazy, and angry, due to being tired with the girl he’s
after not giving in to his charm. Plus
there’s a lot of sleazy, bluesy guitar licks and lines that lead to one crazy,
bluesy, and sleazy guitar solo. Overall,
this is one hot song with some lyrics that say “enough with the chit chat, let’s
get it on like in the Marvin Gaye song.”
I’m sure that, thanks to this album, the representation of Canada in
Hellsing Ultimate Abridged is starting to make more sense (outside of the
Salvation Army joke).
But is there anything
else beyond songs dedicated to someone like her?
10.666:
A song that’s about
Satan rather than making Mario jealous?
So where Iron Maiden
made a song with the title being what this number is, Anvil decided to just
call this song that number. As a result,
we get a fast, intense, aggressive, and almost evil song dedicated to the
devil. And apparently the band’s
commercial viability ended here in the 80s.
After an atmospheric
intro with wind blowing, a few synths, cymbal bashing and some guitar chords,
we get into the opening riff, which is a fast, loud, and aggressive riff that leads
into a brief guitar lick. All anchoring
this is a proto-thrash beat from the bass and drums, going for a more
double-kick approach. Then we get Lips
howling about darkness, evil, and all that fun stuff while the rest of the band
provides that proto-thrash beat and riffing.
And while you are slinging your head around during this neck-breaker,
there are also several moments when the songs slows down enough for some
massive chords. As for the chorus, it’s
just the titular number said in probably some of the hammiest ways Lips could
say them. Each time with the instruments
having a massive slam before each syllable is shouted. As for the guitar solo, I’m sure this is
where Kirk Hammett got several of his ideas while not incorporating what Joe
Satriani taught him, plus it adds to the youthful energy of the song. Finally, we get the final chorus which
includes more speed metal riffing, hammy vocals saying “six” then a guttural bark
of the number of the beast itself. And
that’s how the song ends. In short, this
is an excellent way to end the album, considering all the Canadian bacon and
cheddar that we devoured earlier.
So how was Metal On Metal in general? What was my opinion on all the smut between
the band’s odes to metal, kaiju, and darkness?
For the latter, it ties with the former, but I think that this is some
fine slab of heavy metal tunes, eh? I
can see why this was a massive influence on the thrash metal scene in the
States while this almost lost traction with audiences until VH1 aired the
documentary about this awesome band.
This is a no-holds, no BS, straightforward speed metal album that’s
about being metal while dealing with sort-of adolescent matters like women,
nerdy interests, the metal subculture, dark themes, and being a stud. It’s a great metal album that would have been
a surefire metal classic if it wasn’t for Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All the next year being a massive breakthrough in what
would be considered underground metal.
Hell, with how I bashed 5FDP for their mainstream leanings on my Worst
Rock of 2016 list, you’d assume that I have sleazy metal when I really don’t,
it’s just I don’t like BAD sleazy metal, and this is GOOD sleazy metal. It’s a seriously underrated metal classic in
the context of how the mainstream understands metal and a definite classic in
the underground scene. I think that this
band got hammered by bad luck when they were going strong at this moment in
time, and I relate, because this entry came way too late compared to how I’ve
been releasing these. But on the bright
side, I’m glad Anvil has gotten more recognition outside of their homeland, and
I feel that they are an example of the fact that you’re never too old or conform
to trends to do what you love. You can
keep on doing it while having a nice life with family, friends, and your
bandmates. In short, this is a great
time capsule of what metal was like between the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
and the rise of thrash and glam metal afterwards. And Anvil are the perfect example of the
following phrase when it came to both subgenres of heavy metal:
Obvious meme is obvious
Definitely a must-own
if you’re interested in Canadian Heavy Metal, and one if you’re planning to move
to Canada if you dislike Trump (due to Canadian laws involving music on
terrestrial radio, you’ll need this album and anything by Rush). Plus, the production is excellent with its
clarity and rawness, the guitar work is fantastic for this kind of metal, the
drums are unbelievably good, Lips is a flawed singer, but he fits with this
music, and the bass is pretty groovy. In
short, if you’re a fan of traditional metal, this is a must own, but if you
prefer your metal socially relevant, blacker than coffee, flamboyant,
fantastical, technical to the point of being based on classical and/or jazz
music, or even being down-tuned, rhythmic, angsty, and incorporating hip hop and
electronica influences, this is a fun album to listen to, and a good example of
how metal sounded thanks to the influences of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead,
and Accept. For me, I find that this
album’s greatest moments are at the beginning and end (“Metal on Metal,” “Mothra,”
and “666”) with “March of the Crabs” being up there, while “Jackhammer” is
probably the weakest song here with “Heat Sink” only saved by the comparisons
to Aerosmith. But regardless, this is an
album that I enjoy listenting to.
Final Rating: 8/10 (A
great intro into the classic Canadian metal scene, barring the amount of lust
on display)
Next Time on Let Them
Eat Meat: Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Until
next time, this is the Rock Otaku. Live
Loud, Play Hard, and Eat Metal.
All used references
are done under the rules of fair use and are owned by their original creators.
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