Tag Archives: Metallica
Spotlight: Damage Inc. (Metallica tribute band)
It’s not easy being in a tribute band. Sure, you play other people’s songs, but you’re also faced with a lot of criticism, fanboy snobs and being constantly compared to the band you’re honoring.
But Damage Inc. is not just a random Metallica tribute band. They cover the songs quite faithfully and lead singer Chris Knight looks a lot like James, too.
I think these guys do their job well and I got to talk to three of the four guys in this band.
So if you want to read their opinion on Metallica, beachballs and read what Scott Ian thought of their solos, make the jump.
Lars and Dave sitting in a tree…
The Big Four dates are approaching fast, so expect more and more press about the relationship between the four bands and especially between Metallica and Megadeth.
In this Lars interview, however, you get to read about what went on between him and Dave in the 80s and 90s. Why would you care? Because it’s pretty surprising how much they hung out, considering their ‘rivalry.’
“Dave would come up and play San Francisco a lot. And I would always go find him, and we would drink and do lots of drugs and sit around. For those years, ’84, ’85, me and him got over our issues really quickly at that time. […] Me and Dave had kind of a friendship and cool thing going at that time, up through most of the ’80s.
It wasn’t until both bands started getting bigger that this whole kind of thing started happening in the press, which was really kind of different than what we had going between us. […] In some way, you could argue that the thing press was doing, about setting our bands up, eventually started kind of transcending itself into our personal relationship and probably became a big part of the fact that over the ’90s, it got a little frosty at times.“
So basically the whole ‘kicking out’ thing was resolved quickly, but Metallica both bands got bigger and Dave the press started stirring the pot? I get it now.
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.
Weak Recap: Third time’s a charm
Another week in Metal has gone by, and your favorite Metal site, Dose of Metal, is back to give you an awesome recap of the week. Maybe you missed something, maybe you were too busy having a life and spending time with a real girlfriend to keep up to date. Luckily for you though, there are virgins like myself, that have nothing better to do than spend every waking moment of my life on this site.
So this week, I shall be interviewing Simo. He’s awesome, he’s a place in Finland (According to Wikipedia), and my interview with himself can be found after the jump.
Young kids and instruments
There is so much fail in this video, I don’t even know where to begin.
First of all, don’t do monologues if you can’t form a coherent sentence. If you’re camera shy, just start the damn song. But don’t do it, unless you can actually play guitar.
My rating:
