Category Archives: Rants

Mindful of metal

Sometimes I take a break from whatever middle aged man activities I’m engaged in and… (wait for it… waaaaait for it)… I think. And sometimes, when I’m in this state of grace, I think metal. To be more precise, I think about the rise and fall of metal.

I remember a time when many young talented guys released album after album of pure awesomeness, inventing new stuff every time they entered a studio, when I would listen over and over again to this and that tune wondering how the hell did they manage to put in it exactly what I wanted to hear before I even knew I wanted to hear something like that. Then, I quickly take a reality check, looking for present time equivalents of that. Granted, there still are talented bands around, and I still find new music to rock to, but it seems to me they are fewer and far between. And, to top that, I notice that the assault wave is still led by The Big Four (judging by the concert sales), Iron Maiden and other bands that pack around thirty years of music under their belts. So, decades after the initial storm, things kinda look the same… only with some gray hairs, bald spots and beer guts added.

Maybe it’s just me, my thrashier (mind the extra “h”) background could hamper my judgment, but I still don’t react to new tunes like I do to older ones. And almost every time when I listen to new stuff I get to the point where I feel like “Ummm… Everything’s been going great but why did they have to do that funny riff or that oddball drum break at this precise point?” Not to mention 27/51 time signatures, which I can enjoy for a while, until some damn solo breaks my concentration, I stop counting and get totally lost in the middle of the track… I must confess I wanted to see another Metallica, going from the gutter to the glory with some strong straightforward music (and, if applicable, without flip flops and Armani bags, thank you), but so far I haven’t, and I fear the chances of someone ever repeating that are slim at best.

I am definitely getting old. This has to be the explanation. But so are these guys, and I think I can safely say they have a bit more authority in this matter than I do. You can judge for yourself after hitting the jump.

Thrash ’til Death – Big Four times four, part 4

Welcome to the fourth and last edition of Thrash ’til Death, four lists of four of my favorite Thrash Metal bands, each list led by a genuine Big Four band. Lots of “fours” in there, eh?

We started with Metallica, then it was Slayer’s turn and after that, Megadeth had the lead so now it’s time for Anthrax. Make the jump for this last piece of a four (oh another “four”) week Thrash special.

Metal goes acoustic 3

So back we are again, here for another dose of Metal goes acoustic. The last couple of times I’ve treated you to some Machine Head covers, so I’m going to change things up a little this time.

For the third edition, I’m presenting a beautiful female sang, acoustic, rendition of Korn‘s ADIDAS. This version is absolutely amazing, from the slowly strung guitar chords, to the young girl’s fantastic vocals. Just tell me you can’t hear the true emotion in her voice as she sings the words “all day I dream about fucking.” It’s like Katy Perry song, with the song transformed into a Pop classic, but with some truly thought proving lyrics that you don’t expect from the Pop genre.

Overall, I would love to rate this cover, but there isn’t a single rating system that would fairly access the song’s brilliance.

Hannah Montana goes Metal

I don’t really know what the fuck this is. Am I still drunk? Have I slipped into some insane hallucination after drinking too much absinthe? Or maybe this is one of those wet dreams, because I can now legally fancy Miley Cyrus. Fuck knows.

Regardless, Metal Hammer recently posted some live video of Miley Cyrus with a backing instrumental that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Testament song. Is it good? No, it sounds like shit. That’s why I just muted it and played sleeping beauty instead.

Hangover Cure

So it’s officially now a Saturday morning, and many of you are going to be hungover right now. It’s the weekend, you’re off work, and you’ve gone and ruined it by giving yourself an almighty hangover. Congratulations stupid. Not to worry though, because a fantastic hangover cure can be found below. Similarly, it will also work wonders for the fat chick laying in your bed that won’t leave. You’re welcome.

Napalm Death – Scum