Occult Invasion: The Subtle Seduction of the World… and Church
Back in the late 80′s when all things rock and heavy metal dominated MTV and the Billboard Charts, I ran across some [extremist] religious propaganda that linked the usual sex, drugs and Satanism to various forms of music and specific bands. I couldn’t remember the exact name or details of the paper as it was originally only available as a [xerox] copy. This was way before the internet folks!
The “list” appeared to be a well-worn 20th generation copy that was given to me by a family member who presumably thought I was going straight to hell by listening to Metal and or hanging around metalheads/heathens and by going to rock concerts and such.They were singling out AC/DC and said the lightning bolt in their logo signified the devil and on and on about how lewd Bon Scott (R.I.P.) was.
Something made me think of that silly paper recently, and so I typed some various phrases into Google in an effort to find said propaganda and share it with you. It was outrageously funny and I am sure many of you would get a kick out of it. Well, unfortunately I did not succeed in finding it, but I did find something similar that I will share with you now. It’s a 23-year old paperback book entitled: Occult Invasion: The Subtle Seduction of the World and Church by Dave Hunt. Before I go any further, let me state that I am not against any religions and I would like to send condolences out to the authors family; he just passed away a few days ago oddly enough. Evidently he was a popular character and published many books and spoke on syndicated radio shows…even though I only learned about him this week!
*I am not promoting the book in any way shape or form, feel free to check it out online if you’d like (there’s plenty of used copies for $0.90). I really liked the various quotes with bands and creative artists (from John Lennon to Jim Morrison to Strauss) that it featured. I assume they were included as examples on why you shouldn’t listen to them and or what they are doing was wrong. If the first part of the sample doesn’t tickle your fancy, then skip to the Identifying the Modern Muse section below.
Here’s the book’s short description:
“Channeling, extraterrestrials, mystic religions, and psychology are infiltrating our schools, homes, and churches. Hunt gives signs to look for and practical steps for countering this invasion.”
Sample Excerpt
In Greek mythology the arts were under the direction of the nine daughters of Zeus by Mnemosyne. These nymphs, or lower deities, also known as muses, inspired writers and artists. The Muse Euterpe was the inspirer of lyric poetry; the Muse Terpsichore inspired music and dancing. Johannes Brahms felt that at times when composing he was “in tune with the Infinite.”
Although he believed that his inspiration came from God, the fact that he admitted having to be “in a semi-trance condition… [with] the conscious mind… in temporary abeyance,”‘[Willis Harman and Howard Rheingold, Higher Creativity (Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1984), pp. 46-47; cited in Knlimo, Channeling, p. 314.] as with a spirit medium, betrays another source. God does not inspire trance mediums. Tchaikovsky confessed that under similar inspiration he “behaved like a madman.” [P.E. Vernon, ed., Creativity Selected Readings (Penguin Books, 1970), p. 57.]
Richard Strauss was sure that at least some of the music he wrote was “dictated” to him by “Omnipotent Entities” not of this earth. [Harman and Rheingold, Higher Creativity, p. 46.] The great opera Madame Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini was convinced, was dictated to him “by God.” [Ibid.] Gustav Mahler claimed that he was compelled by other powers to compose what he hadn’t chosen to write. George Gershwin testified that Rhapsody in Blue came to him suddenly, that he heard and saw as though on paper “the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end.” Of his hit song “The Blizzard,” country-western composer Harlan Howard said his pencil just kept on writing, surprising him as it went, and he wondered, “Did some great songwriter in the sky use me as a medium?” [Klimo, Channeling, pp. 314-15.] Operetta composer Rudolf Friml said:
“I sit down at the piano, and I put my hands on the piano. And I let the spirit guide me! No, I never do the music. I never compose it; oh no, no!
“I am a tool. I am nothing. I am being used. It comes from someone, a spirit perhaps, using me.” [Ibid.]
We can only conclude that, just as they all believed, some entity or entities not of this world have guided these composers. But who are these entities? And what about Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and other charismatic leaders who claim that the Holy Spirit inspires them to speak forth some prophecy that proves to be false? And what of the claims that Christ has even appeared to some of them?
Would Jesus really appear to [David] Yonggi Cho in a red fireman’s uniform, or to Oral Roberts in a form 900 feet tall, as these men claim? And could the countless apparitions around the world really be the Mary who gave birth to Jesus, when they speak forth so many lies and continually contradict Scripture? Who or what are these beings? What is their purpose? The question of the identity and purpose of these entities requires a careful answer.
Identifying the Modern “Muse”
Music has had a key role in the occult as far back as history records. The pulse-beat of drums and rattles is vital in voodoo and most shamanism, to which rock music is closely related. “Christian rock groups” mimic the beat that shamans have long used to call up demons. Ray Manzarek, keyboard player for the rock group The Doors, explains the relationship between shamanism and modern rock:
“When the Siberian shaman gets ready to go into his trance, all the villagers get together… and play whatever instruments they have to send him off [into trance and possession]….
“It was the same way with The Doors when we played in concert… I think that our drug experience let us get into it… [the trance state] quicker….
“It was like Jim [Morrison] was an electric shaman and we were the electric shaman’s band, pounding away behind him… pounding and pounding, and little by little it would take him over….
“Sometimes he was just incredible. Just amazing. And the audience felt it, too!” [Jerry Hopkins and Daniel Sugerman, No One Here Gets Out Alive (Warner Books, 1980), pp. 158-60.]
Many rock stars have been involved in the occult and admit to a mysterious source of inspiration. John Lennon told of mystical experiences as a young teenager: “I used to literally trance out into alpha… seeing these hallucinatory images of my face changing, becoming cosmic and complete.”
[The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Berkeley, 1982), p. 169.] Of his songwriting Lennon said, “It’s like being possessed: like a psychic or a medium.” [Ibid., p. 203] Much credit for fomenting rebellion and turning millions of youth against God and the Bible belongs to the many rock stars beginning with Elvis Presley. The Beatles’ own press agent, Derek Taylor, confessed:
“They’re completely anti-Christ. I mean, I am anti-Christ as well, but they’re so anti-Christ they shock me…” [Saturday Evening Post, August 6, 1964.]
According to Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, “The Stones’ songs came spontaneously like an inspiration at a séance. The tunes arrived ‘en masse’ as if the Stones as songwriters were only a willing and open medium.”[Rolling Stone, May 5, 1977, p. 55.]
Of the Beatles Yoko Ono has said, “They were like mediums. They weren’t conscious of all they were saying, but it was coming through them.” [Playboy Interviews, p. 106.]
Of the inspiration process Marc Storace, vocalist with the heavy-metal band Krokus, told Circus magazine:
“You can’t describe it except to say it’s like a mysterious energy that comes from the metaphysical plane and into my body. It’s almost like being a medium….” [Circus 1984]
“Little Richard” said, “I was directed and commanded by another power. The power of darkness… that a lot of people don’t believe exists. The power of the Devil. Satan.” [Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard (Harmony Books, 1984), p. 206.] Jim Morrison called the spirits that at times possessed him “The Lords,” and wrote a book of poetry about them.
[James Douglas Morrison, the Lords and New Creatures (Simon "Schuster, 1970).] Folk rock artist Joni Mitchell’s creativity came from her spirit guide, “Art.” Nothing could detain her when he “called.” [Time, December 16, 1974, p. 39.]
Contemporary musicians offer the same consistent testimony regarding inspiration by otherworldly entities that we find among the most famous composers from the past. Today’s musicians, however, admit that much of their inspiration comes from an evil source. Why should we doubt their testimony? David Lee Roth, who wrote “Running with the Devil” and called himself “toastmaster for the immoral majority,” admitted that the goal in the world of rock was to conjure up evil spirits and surrender to them:
“I’m gonna abandon my spirit to them, which is actually what I attempt to do. You work yourself into that state and you fall in supplication of the demon gods…” [Rock, April 1984, p. 30.]
Superstar Jimi Hendrix was not so eager to be possessed but seemed rather to have been a victim. Called “rock’s greatest guitarist’ and known as the Voodoo Chile of the Aquarian Age, Hendrix “believed he was possessed by some spirit,” according to Alan Douglas. His former girlfriend, Fayne Pridgon, has said:
“He used to always talk about some devil or something was in him, you know, and he didn’t have any control over it, he didn’t know what made him act the way he acted… and songs.. just came out ……… He was so tormented and just torn apart . . and he used to talk about …having…somebody… drive this demon out of him.” [Sound track from film Jimi Hendrix, interview with Fayne Pridgon (side 4).]
Steven Halpern, one of the best-known New Age composers, testifies, “I started recording what I received in trance or altered states…. I ended up being guided.” [Ibid.]
This type of spirit guidance is widespread. In Chapter 1 we referred to the nuclear scientist who was taught advanced concepts by spirit beings. We noted that Chester Carlson, inventor of the Xerox photocopying process, received guidance for his invention from the spirit world. [Chester Carlson, New Frontiers Center newsletter, Fall/Winter 1986, p. 9.] Medical scientist Andrija Puharich, holder of more than 50 patents, gave his opinion about these strange inspirations:
“I am personally convinced that superior beings from other spaces and other times have initiated a renewed dialogue with humanity. While I do not doubt [their existence] … I do not know what their goals are with respect to humankind.”
///
About the Author
Since 1973, Dave Hunt has steadfastly addressed the incursion, into Western culture and the church itself, of Eastern, psychological, mystic, and selfist philosophies, ecumenism, and other un-biblical teachings. At least 4 million copies of his books have been sold and have been translated into more than 50 languages.
For more than a decade, Dave challenged listeners weekly on the radio program Search the Scriptures daily, broadcast over 350 stations in the U.S. and worldwide via shortwave radio.
The New Business of Making Music?
The music industry (as we once knew it) seems to be in a constant state of flux. There are more bands than ever, more web sites and yet most fans or listeners prefer to be spoon fed from traditional outlets such as radio stations, I-Tunes or You Tube. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there is so much great music out there that is just begging to be discovered. Basically, in 2013 you are only limited to the amount of time or effort that you invest in searching for new music.
We realize folks are busy (and quite lazy these days) when it comes to hunting down fresh/creative talent. Luckily, the internet is infinitely flexible and several crafty beavers out there are inventing new models and offering some very cool services for the bands and the fans.
Replacing the indie record label scene from back in the day, are newer crowd-sourcing sites like Kickstarter.com and PledgeMusic.com. These sites offer a chance for the fans to get involved in the making of the your favorite bands next album or music projects. This model has proven to be highly effective for established acts and a few notable artists from all over the world.
New album “Ugly Noise” due in 2013
I was first introduced to the Pledge site when FLOTSAM and JETSAM used their site to help fund their latest release. Luckily, their goal was achieved at 157%! Looking forward to their new music.
Check out a fact sheet below from Pledge Music below and see if there are any bands you would like to get involved with to further their career and or lend a hand.
PledgeMusic for Artists
PledgeMusic is a music company offering you a new way to take control of your career. We’re not interested in being a rights owner – Pledge does not want ANY rights to your music, live income, merch etc. We just help you fund whatever type or format of record you want to release next.
PledgeMusic is a music company offering you a new way to take control of your career. We’re not interested in being a rights owner – Pledge does not want ANY rights to your music. We just help you fund, market, and release whatever music you want to make.
We help and encourage you to participate with your fans in an exciting and unique way. Pledge allows artists to easily create an irresistible customised menu of exclusive content and experiences that integrate your email database, Facebook fans, Twitter followers and various other social networking sites. You decide how much money you’d like to raise and your fans pledge money for whichever item or experience they want. In a direct-to-fan campaign, fans are only charged once the full target amount has been raised. We also offer preorder campaigns, perfect for marketing and releasing your album without targeted fundraising. And there’s even the option to build a charitable donation into your campaign. We charge a flat 15% fee and we have no hidden fees or transaction costs whatsoever.
PledgeMusic for Fans
PledgeMusic is a way for you to help your favorite artists make and release their records. It helps artists and bands design a tailored fundraising campaign to raise money for their next release. As a pledger, you will gain access to exclusive content and experiences, available only through PledgeMusic. The options can be anything from DJing at your house party, to attending a rehearsal, or even a movie and dinner with the band!
For traditional direct-to-fan campaigns, there is no risk to you as your money will only be taken once the artist’s target amount has been raised, and PledgeMusic will keep you informed of the project’s status every step of the way.
In a pre-order campaign, you’ll be charged immediately upon pledging, and will receive the record on release date, much as with other e-commerce pre orders.
So please get involved and have a good time helping your favorite bands create more great music!
What are you waiting for?
Metal Moment #5
From 1991
Kirk H.[Metallica], Slash [G'N'R], Lars U. [Metallica], Geoff T. [Queensryche] & Gonzo S. [Armored Saint].
Photo pretty much sums it up.
It’s not often that band folk such as this get together.
- Kirk is happy!
- Slash – where’s the top hat dude?
- Lars is pretty snug with Tate…
- Tate is prepped out – un tuck that shirt bro
- Gonzo seems glassy-eyed!
*Photo (unconfirmed) R. Stone
Vintage 80′s HELLOWEEN promo [West Germany]
WARNING: “Everybody who will be writing HELLOWEEN with an “A” or tries to distribute pamphlets with an “A”, will be turned into a pumpkin”! You’ve been forewarned folks…
Original promo cover shot - Metal "pumpkin head"
You gotta’ love the 80′s Metal bands —especially from Europe and beyond. What they lacked in mastery of the English language or lay out skills, they made up for with a strong D.I.Y. work ethic and kick-ass music. This post is case in point. It seems it was the norm for German bands (West Germany in this case) to create and produce their own press kits and or makeshift mini-’zines about their band or music. I liked this idea and it was quite entertaining to read sometimes.
Some of these “pamphlets” as they call them, were like mini newsletters and contained tour news, band photos, and other misc. odds n’ ends. I have one from WARLOCK here that even had adverts from Reebok shoes (ha – must have been the choice of German Metalheads back in the day!).
This particular newsletter/pamphlet was to promote the new (at the time) self-titled début HELLOWEEN (EP), as their excellent full-length “Walls of Jericho” LP wasn’t even recorded yet until later that year [1985].
HELLOWEEN - Back page promo pic
Click to enlarge
*Within this newsletter, you could buy band T-shirts, badges, stickers, autographed photos, and even a poster —all in black & white, simply by using the order form. You could even order their entire recorded output direct on vinyl from them too via this pamphlet.
Being that it was coming from West Germany, I am sure it could have easily taken a month or two to receive back when! No kiddin’ folks, you had to have a bit of patience to be a true Metalhead in the 80′s. I guess that just made you appreciate the music even more when you finally received your package via “snail mail” (they don’t call it that for nuthin’!).
I will re-type the promo text as-is for posterity (not to make of/with):
HELLOWEEN is a four-piece German Power Metal band from Hamburg, with the average age of 21. The origin of the band goes back to 1978 under the name of GENTRY consisting of Kai Hansen (g,voc), Peter Sielck (g,voc) and various often changed drummers and bassmen, with a program including conversion sof Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath as well as own songs, which already expressed the general musical tendency. In June ’78 they won the first award on a festival: The CAN Cup.
In 1980 they renamed themselves in SECOND HELL. Shortly after they took in new and steady members with Markus Grosskopf (bass) and Ingo Schwichtenberg (drums). From now on the fou developed a Judas Priest/Iron Maiden-like style. The tracks “Murderer” and “Victim of Fate” composed during that time still fit in to todays HELLOWEEN-concept. Kai and Peter alternatively performed soli because they didn’t care about the typical rhythm lead guitar classification.
In 1982 the name was changed again to IRON FIST and several performances at rock-festivals were joined in by them. Internal group difficulties caused Peter’s departure and led to automatical pause.
After some time lead guitarist Michael Weikath offered Kai to enter his group POWERFOOL. They showed that two extraordinary guitarists matched most well together in their musical feeling yet they more tended to keep to the Heavy Metal-style rather than POWERFOOL‘s Hard Rock. This resulted in POWERFOOL to be resolved and IRON FIST reborn with the membership of Michael, so that from now on the finally line up consists of as follows:
-
Original band logo!
This is the real deal, not the fancy colorized modern version…
Within short a new concept revealed, expressed by tracks like “Oernst of Life” (out of the former POWERFOOL -repertoire) and “Metal Invaders” both recorded on the “Death Metal” compilation issued May ’84 by Noise Records, Berlin. Prior to this the group changed their named to HELLOWEEN.
Resonance to these tracks was so overwhelming that HELLOWEEN had a feedback of fan letters from all parts of the world, Sweden, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Italy, UK, Canada and on top of that USA besides of course Germany. Especially “Metal Invaders” was emphasised as a highlight and is meanwhile regarded as to be a classic. Following were gigs in Hamburg-scene places Knust, Sounds and Logo (last one with GRAVE DIGGER), two with MANIA at the Leine Domicil in Hannover at FZB in Schneverdingen. Furthermore a Germany-tour is provided in autumn ’85.
As Noise Records registrated exceptionally positive resonance and believes in the abilities and future of 
HELLOWEEN late ’84 a contract for further productions was concluded. Studio-work began in Jan/Feb ’85 with the 5-track mini LP enclosing “Starlight”, “Murderer”, “Warrior”, “Victim of Fate” and “Cry for Freedom” issued in April ’85. In March ’85 the track “Murderer” was remixed for the Metal Attack Vol.I compilation issued April ’85 with Noise bands exceptionally presented by the German magazine Metal Hammer in collaboration with Noise Records.
There are no studio demos. Only some exercise tapes exist, are, however, not available.
HELLOWEEN‘s stylistic marks are complicated twin-vocal guitar riffs, hymniclike powering sung parts, hunted by aggressive metallic tone sequences which are expressed by Kai and Michael with rasant solo duels and a variety of thundering bass bangs by Markus and violet steamhammer-like drums of Ingo.
◊
If you would like a complimentary .pdf of the entire newsletter, just get in touch by using the CONTACT form and I will send it to you ASAP!
*If you enjoyed reading this post or viewing the rare Metal memorabilia from the 80′s, then please spread the word via true 80′s underground style by forwarding this to any family or friends who may like to read it [27 years later]. You can also sign up to receive post updates via email. Just visit the right hand corner and enter your email. MUYA.
GENITORTURERS: North American Tour 2011
Now this is something I did not expect to see. I accidentally ran into the website for their distro company this morning and was quite surprised to see this. I guess every band is coming out of the wood work and releasing material and touring. Not to sound negative – I think that’s great, but I am just wondering how many peeps out there were anxiously awaiting their “return”…as the site claimed.
I know this infamous band has released some decent material over the years, but I would suspect it’s their live “show” that is the main attraction here —especially since that includes the very fine and bizarrely interesting front woman GEN.
Originating in Orlando, Florida, the band was founded by lead singer Gen while attending pre-med. school. The Genitorturers made their début and progressed in the early 90′s Florida “hardcore” music scene, with other contemporary bands such as Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids (who would also become a success in later years).
According to the band’s official biography, “What emerged would be a band that would go beyond shaking up the house that ‘Mickey’ built and extend to paving the way and breaking ground for performance based music artists thereafter worldwide”. I tend to agree, to some extent.
I know it’s probably been reported to death, but Mr. David Alexander Vincent (aka’ Evil D), who of course is best known as vocalist/bassist for Morbid Angel, is married to GEN and contributes as the bassist for Genitorturers. David also contributed guitar, vocals, keys and programming on the last CD Blackheart Revolution [which is their third full length release]. The new live line up will include new drummer Sean Davidson as well as the addition of guitarist Eric Griffin formerly of Wednesday 13/ Murderdolls & Filip Abbey formerly of Psyclon 9.
“We wanted to make a big rock record …we wanted something that shakes the walls, grabs you by the balls, and scares you a bit in the process!” - GEN
pic Dan Santoni
Someone recently told me that Demolish was officially “blacklisted” on their local public library computers and was blocked from unsuspecting kiddos viewing our material! I thought that was quite funny as I think our online magazine is pretty damn tame compared to what is out there these days. I guess the “stigma of Metal” or anything with true shock value still pervades most authorities and some public educational “systems’ mindsets —even in 2011.
Since we are already (un)officially banned in some parts of the world, I suspect creating a post about the Genitorturers is just going to further solidify their anti-Demolish position and the small town U.S.A. peeps who do not own a computer will not get to see these beautiful photos! What a shame.
I’ve been waiting to post my coveted black n’ white glossies that I received for review back in the day. That press kit sure made an impression when originally viewed for the first time. I mean, who would you rather look at, Ann Boleyn (Hellion), Betsy (Bitch) or GEN?! Doro was a looker but everything was pretty much “P.G.” compared to these fine shots [see below].
Fast-forward to 2011 and Gen & Co. appears to still have all their leather and misc. paraphernalia in order as the their latest North American tour dates are confirmed below! Genitorturers have also announced that Hanzel und Gretyl will be the support band.
Sexxy babes, hugs & plenty of schnitzel smackin’ fun are heading your way, so don your big boots and grab your advance tic’s now!
◊
“Sexxx U 2 Death” North American Tour
GENITORTURERS
+ special guests Hanzel und Gretyl
Feb 20 San Antonio, TX @ Korova
Feb 21 Dallas, TX @ Trees
Feb 22 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Feb 23 Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse
Feb 24 Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre
Feb 25 San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
Feb 26 Hollywood, CA@ Bar Sinister
Feb 27 Oakland, CA@ Oakland Metro Operahouse
March 1 Portland, OR @ Dante’s
March 2 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
March 3 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
March 4 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
March 5 Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont Club
March 6 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
March 9 Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
March 10 Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
March 11 Toronto, ON @ The Courthouse
March 12 Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall
March 13 Albany, NY @ Bogie’s
March 14 Brooklyn, NY@ Club Europa
March 15 Allentown,PA@ Crocodile Rock
March 18 Atlanta GA @ Masquerade
March 19 Orlando, FL @ Firestone Live
Pic G.Holz
Gen nineteen years ago!
Pic G.Holz
*This is for all the librarians out there!
Stay Connected:
http://www.myspace.com/genitorturers
http://www.twitter.com/genitorturers
LEMMY – The Ace of Blues [slow the pace]
Love this commercial video spot for Kroneberg 1664 beer…Enjoy!
*In case your living under a rock, Motörhead has a new album out [The World is Yours] with several live shows planned. See you there!
The Wörld is Yours – 2011
Pic by Chris Metz
| DATE | LOCATION | VENUE | TICKETS | SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/15/2011 | Minneapolis MN | 1st Ave | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/16/2011 | Milwaukee WI | Rave Ballroom | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/17/2011 | Kansas City MO | Midland Theatre | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/19/2011 | Chicago IL | The Congress Theatre | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/20/2011 | St Louis MO | Pops | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/22/2011 | Grand Rapids MI | Orbit | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/23/2011 | Detroit MI | Royal Oaks | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/25/2011 | Kitchener ONT | Elements | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/26/2011 | Toronto ONT | Koolhouse | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/28/2011 | New York NY | Best Buy | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/01/2011 | Boston MA | House of Blues (Avalon) | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/03/2011 | Sayerville NJ | Starland Ballroom | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/04/2011 | Atlantic City NJ | House of Blues | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/05/2011 | Charlotte NC. | Fillmore Charlotte | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/08/2011 | Austin TX | Stubb’s | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/10/2011 | Tempe AZ | Marquee Theatre | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/11/2011 | Los Angeles CA | Nokia LA Live | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
The official MOTORHEAD website
Kinger interviews J.Bennett (Decibel Magazine)
Guinness + Metal Rocks!
As we move into 2011 and settle back into our old habits [yes, we know most of your "new years resolutions" have probably failed miserably by now unfortunately] and so we begin our normal routines yet again. However, what we have lined up for you is far from routine. We are still posting mega-rare 80′s Metal articles and interviews from the Demolish vaults, however, after much encouragement + support we have decided to resurrect the ‘zine and cover some current material as well. The latest propaganda will reside in the aptly titled DEMOLISH A.D. section.
To kick off the premiere article for this freshly minted department we are happy to bring you a kick-ass exclusive interview with none other than the ubiquitous music journalist and musician J.Bennett. We had hoped to bust this out last August, but father time pushed the fast-forward button on us and somehow five months have miraculously rolled past! With that being said, here’s to 2011.
Before we get out of the gates with this one, I must admit that I am not an avid reader of DECIBEL Magazine. As a matter of fact, up until a couple of years ago, I had only nonchalantly skimmed through a few issues while visiting a [Metalhead] buddies house around two years ago. After gulping several Guinness [while listening to Artillery's "When Death Comes" for the better part of an hour], I noticed his stack of magazines close by and decided to see what the latest crop of Metal rags were all about.
Upon closer inspection, I realized how much of a short attention span peeps must have these days as the reviews seemed to be very short and contained mini-blasts of info and or just a quickie summary about the band. After reading a few more items, I must admit that I still had no idea what some of the bands actually sounded like! Moving forward, I was steadily bombarded with many descriptive genre tags and even more sub genre labels. For some reason, the voice in my head told me that since Metal’s seemingly great comeback was so strong, I assumed the scene and or “industry” if-you-will must have solidified somehow and or became a cohesive powerhouse. Not so…
What I realized was that contrary to popular belief, “Metal” really never went anywhere, it had simply morphed and splintered off into countless sub genres of what Decibel Mag. was calling “extreme” music -yikes, yet another “genre”? Maybe this was the GRAND “Metal” label of all and every other form of “Metal music” now resides under that expanding umbrella —or at least within the last decade [or to be more precise, it was 7 years ago, when Decibel published their first issue]. In any case, kudos to all @ Decibel for putting out such a quality publication for the Metal fans. It’s about time an American company tries to take on the many European Metal counterparts!
What immediately got my attention was the first-rate print job and excellent illustrations of artist Bruno Guerreiro. This dude’s got skillz! After Bruno’s art caught my eye, I started to hone in on the actual article(s) themselves —it seems like the ones that resonated with me the most were usually written by the one named J. Bennett. BTW if you are wondering —his name isn’t Jay. “J” is actually short for something else. It turns out that “J” is one of their main contributors (certainly among their best writers IMO) and we are always down to support and promote such peeps who are doing something positive in the Metal community.
Mr. Bennett is certainly a busy-beaver as he contributes to Revolver, Alternative Press (mostly movie reviews/stuff there), MySpace.com, Thrasher and most notably Decibel. However J is normally on the other side of the table, meaning, he is usually the one asking the questions, doing band interviews or writing the reviews!
Please join us as we pick his brain about all things Metal, his life and anything else that we can think of that you might not know about him already.
KINGER: How in the world do you find the time to write for Revolver, Decibel, Thrasher and Self-Titled mag.?
J.BENNETT: Excellent question. I usually find it under rocks or buried in haystacks in remote foreign lands, which is a time-consuming process in and of itself. Which then requires me to find even more time. It’s a vicious circle. Seriously, though? Amphetamines.
J. Bennett - pic Sera Timms
K: Which of these outlets do you enjoy contributing to the most and what is the common thread among these choices [if any] and how did you narrow your choices to these four publications?
J: I suspect I’ll get fired by at least three or four magazines if I answer the first part of this question honestly, so I’m gonna go with Field & Stream. Mostly because they never hassle me about all the nonexistent deadlines they never give me. The common thread among the others is that they all probably wish they’d hired someone else. For some reason, I didn’t narrow it down to four, though. I also contribute to Alternative Press and Terrorizer. They also probably wish they’d made a better choice!
K: How did you get started writing about Metal?
J: I was young and didn’t know any better. Some teenagers experiment with drugs or alcohol; I experimented with drugs and alcohol and writing about heavy metal. My first assignment – unpaid, of course – was for a local Boston rock rag called The Noise. I think it’s actually still around. I reviewed a live show at the Middle East Club in Cambridge. I think the lineup was Big Wig (a rock band with a rapper), Cast Iron Hike (featuring future members of ISIS and Doomriders) and Orange 9mm. Then again, it could have been something else entirely.
K: I hear that you have some ‘zine publishing experience —back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, tell us about your old ‘zine Hexbender.
J: I published four issues between 1998 and early 1999 – a thousand copies each, I think. My brother from another mother, Keith Bennett, was my right-hand man and the house expert on all things extreme (he currently plays in the totally righteous PanzerBastard). We actually managed to land some respectable interview subjects even though we didn’t really know what we were doing: Queens Of The Stone Age on their first tour, Emperor, Arch Enemy (Johan Liiva era), Clearlight (Jimmy Bower from Eyehategod’s short-lived side project), John Garcia (pre-Unida), In Flames when they were still good, etc.
My friend Ironlung (of Scissorfight fame) wrote a column for every issue entitled “Ironlung’s Wild America.” One was about Bigfoot smoking weed. My favorite line claimed that Sasquatch liked to “get higher than Bill Walton and Robert Parish at Reggae Sunsplash.”
K: I found out about your writing mainly from the excellent Precious Metal book (also via some reg. Decibel issues). It appears that you wrote more than half of the pieces in that book, tell us how that came about and what bands you covered? Have you ever thought of writing your own book?
J: Precious Metal was the brainchild of Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian. It’s sort of a greatest hits compilation of the “Hall Of Fame” features that run in every issue of the mag. For each “Hall Of Fame” piece, someone at the magazine interviews all the members of a band that recorded an album we consider to be a classic.
The finished book includes 25 “Hall Of Fame” features, 14 of which were written by me – including Slayer’s Reign In Blood, Celtic Frost’s Morbid Tales, Kyuss’ Sky Valley, Sleep’s Jerusalem, Morbid Angel’s Altars Of Madness, Emperor’s In The Nightside Eclipse, At The Gates’ Slaughter Of The Soul and others.
As for the second part of the question, I’ve given a lot of thought to writing a book of my own. But I don’t wanna jinx it by running my mouth too much. I will say this, though: When and if it happens, it will not be music-related in any way.
K: I’ve noticed that your Decibel columns are posted on your Cry Now, Cry Later blog. Please tell us about this blog and what is the target audience?
J: The Cry Now, Cry Later blog is really just an archive for my Decibel columns of the same name. I usually post them after each new issue comes off the stands, but I think I’ve fallen behind by a month or two. The only thing I can really tell you about the target audience is that it’s apparently very, very small. I just checked, and I have a grand total of 15 followers. Obviously, I’ve hit the big time with this thing.
K: You mentioned that you are also working for Alternative Press online doing [primarily] movie reviews —how do you like doing that compared to the Metal material?
J: Writing about movies (after writing about metal most of the week) is like jumping naked into Boston Harbor in January after jogging barefoot across a mile of hot coals. It stings a lot and you’ll probably get an infection from all the sewage, but your pores will be less clogged in the long run.
“My review of Piranha 3D has already been called “the most pretentious movie review I’ve ever read” by some kid from Michigan with a sideways haircut.” – J. Bennett
K: Are you able to make a living from your writing or do you still have a day job perhaps? Walk us through a typical day for you!
J: Writing has paid my bills —barely, for the last 11 years. Mercifully, I’ve been able to avoid the miserable slave pit that passes for our country’s once-thriving service economy for at least that long. We’ll see how much longer it lasts. A typical day usually involves at least one interview, endless hours of soul-murdering transcription, and the occasional stab at stringing together some gibberish for my editors to publish somewhere. Rinse (drown sorrows in alcohol), wash (edit, spell-check), repeat.
K: Tell us the 411 about your music project, IDES OF GEMINI. What is your role in the band and/or what instrument(s) do you play?
J: Ides Of Gemini essentially started in December of 2009, when I pieced together some songs on the guitar in 
hopes of conning my girlfriend, Sera Timms, into writing some lyrics and singing (she sings and plays bass in a fantastic band called Black Math Horseman). She totally fell for it, so then I suckered her into starting a band with me. Two months ago, we released our debut EP, The Disruption Writ.
K: What genres of Metal and or other musical styles [ in general] do you prefer to listen too?
J: I enjoy most genres of music, with the possible exception of techno, but I tend to gravitate most toward various forms of Metal, rock, pop and soul. I have a huge soft spot for ’70s and ’80s music – everything from early glam like T. Rex, Slade and Bowie to cock rock, pop and new-wave. On the other ends of the spectrum, I love Ravi Shankar, Boards Of Canada, Gladys Knight and Thai pop from the ’60s and ’70s.
K: What’s your Top 5 Metal releases?
J: I’m not sure I could narrow it down to just five, but my top handful would absolutely include:
- Diamond Head’s Lightning To The Nations
- Metallica’s …And Justice For All
- Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
- Judas Priest’s British Steel
- Danzig’s self-titled
- Celtic Frost’s Morbid Tales
- Slayer’s Seasons In The Abyss
- Kyuss’ Sky Valley (if that could be considered Metal)
- Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades
- Burzum’s Filosofem
- Immortal’s At The Heart Of Winter
- Darkthrone’s Transilvanian Hunger
- Life Of Agony’s River Runs Red
- Only Living Witness’ Prone Mortal Form
Art ©Bruno Guerreiro -Decibel
K: Since you listed METALLICA near the top —Metallica or Megadeth?
J: Metallica. Their first five albums are varying degrees of unstoppable. Much to the chagrin of almost every metal fan I know, my favorite is …And Justice For All… I’m also not one of those people who think the Black Album is crap. But in defense of Dave Mustaine, I will say that Megadeth’s “Holy Wars… Punishment Due,” “Hangar 18,” and “Peace Sells” are three of the greatest metal songs ever written (“Angry Again,” from the Last Action Hero soundtrack, is also a personal favorite.) And I’ve been listening to Countdown To Extinction regularly since the day it came out in ’92.
K: Did “grunge” kill Metal (I love his answer to this one —I totally agree)?
J: That’s just the excuse that the cock rock bands used to explain why no one gave a shit about power ballads anymore. In reality, most of those bands had already started sucking hard before Cobain pulled the rug out from under them.
K: What are some of your favorite Rock/Metal concerts that you’ve attended over the years?
J: Almost every Scissorfight show I’ve seen has been monumental. Very few bands brought it like those cats did. I also had a semi-religious experience at the Only Living Witness reunion show at the Middle East Club in Cambridge, MA, a couple of years back. And this past summer, I had the privilege of seeing Isis’ final show up in Montreal, which was as triumphant as it was a bummer. Oh, and Queens Of The Stone Age at the Wiltern in L.A. in December of 2005. Amazing show, plus they brought out John Garcia at the end to sing a few Kyuss jams. And I would be amiss if I didn’t mention Oxbow. They’re one of the greatest live bands out there.
As far as bigger shows, seeing Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Faith No More at Sullivan Stadium in 1992 was a definite highlight. Slayer on their Undisputed Attitude Tour was another gem. My attorney and I saw that one at the now-defunct Axis club in Boston in ’96. I’ve never seen so many fights in one place in my life. Unsane opened, and I remember Chris Spencer saying, “I swear we only have one more song before Slayer comes on.” The place went batshit!
K: Do you still buy CD’s and or any vinyl and what is your take on MP3′s and or the availability for online music in general?
J: I’m a shameless vinyl junkie. I buy way too much of it way too often. But records obviously aren’t very portable, so for music on the go I prefer mp3′s to CDs. There’s no question about it—the easy availability and portability of mp3′s killed the compact disc. I’m actually in the process of unloading my CD collection as we *speak*. But I’ll be buying vinyl as long as it’s around.
"Ready for the Kill" (pic Sera Timms)
K: I liken the current explosion of online blogs to the fanzines of the 80′s. What’s your take on this and is this “explosion” responsible for the closing of several print magazines of late? What is the ultimate fate for the remaining [music] print magazines?
J: Clearly, a direct connection could be made between the blog blowout and the decline of print mags. And yeah, most of the music blogs I’ve seen certainly seem to have been created in the same spirit of the fanzines of the ’80s and ’90s. In most cases, the writing seems to be of the same quality as that of the old ’zines—which is to say: occasionally spirited but generally fucking terrible. But there are of course exceptions. As for the fate of the music mags still in print? If I had a crystal ball, I would gaze into it longingly and tell you the answer, my friend. I’ll say one thing, though: For the most part, the steady elimination of print mags has been a truly Darwinian process. The wheat has been separated from the chaff. There are exceptions to this, too, but few that I can think of.
K: There are several different delivery methods and or styles for blogs and or magazines these days. It seems that some places like to make a zillion posts that are super short…almost like “text messages” or short PR blasts and then others like to deliver longer interviews and or reviews. I guess it boils down to the age-old debate = Quality VS Quantity?
J: If you ask me—and I’m pretty sure you just did—quality trumps quantity every time. I’ve read 75-word blurbs that are more compelling than full-length novels. It all depends on who’s doing the writing and how much of a shit they happen to give on that particular day.
K: I am not a video game junkie, but I tend to think with the popularity of Guitar Hero and Rock Band type games, that it helped re-kindle some interest in all things Metal + Hard Rock. Do you think we will be seeing a noticeable “bump” one day [in the future] when all these kids grow up and start forming bands? If so, has this already began?
J: Your scenario certainly does not sound like crazy talk, but I’ve never played any of these games or even seen them being played by anyone else, so I’m in no position to answer this one.
Pic by J.Bennett
K: To some, Metal has definitely made a “come back” of sorts…would you agree? I mean for the last five years you are definitely seeing more of the classic 80′s bands putting out material —some fans + reviewers say their best material in ages even. For example: Testament, Overkill and Accept have all put out decent product lately.
J: I’m gonna be an asshole here and say that I don’t think any of those bands have put out some of their best material even sort of recently. I will say that the new albums from Burzum (Belus) and Atheist (Jupiter) were about a million times better than I expected them to be. I also thought Obituary’s comeback album, Frozen In Time, was highly satisfying.
K: What was the coolest writing gig you’ve ever had and why?
J: I’m gonna have to plead the Fifth on this one to protect the guilty. But I’ve got the scars and the memories to prove that it happened. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world—not all of it, but a decent chunk—in the name of “journalism,” and I’ve met many a character along the way. But some things are best kept to oneself.
K: What do you think makes a good writer?
J: He or she does not bore you to death. If a writer can make you laugh, cry, or simply turn the page with anticipation, he or she is doing something right.
K: Who are some other writers in the industry that you respect? What are some of the blogs that you follow (other than Demolish of course)?
J: I’m not gonna name any specific writers here because I feel like I’ll forget someone and feel shitty about it later. But blog-wise, I follow:
- The Cosmic Hearse
- Mike Hill’s Everything Went Black blog
- Fenriz’s “Band Of The Week” blog (on the Darkthrone MySpace page)
- Joe Carducci’s The New Vulgate
- BibliOdyssey
- Cosmo Lee’s Invisible Oranges
- Aaron Turner’s Feral Pig blog
- R. Loren’s You Texas
- Dark Star blog
- Sera Wolf Blogspot
- On The List
K: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Is there anything you would like to add?
J: Thank you very much for the interview and support, Curt. I appreciate you taking the time to quiz me.
Linkage:
Decibel is America’s only monthly extreme music magazine.
Revolver is a bi-monthly hard rock and heavy metal magazine.
Cry Now, Cry Later Blog: text: J. Bennett, illustrations: Bruno Guerreiro
Alternative Press Magazine: If you’re a “hip” young adult, this is the magazine for you.
Ides Of Gemini – the disruption writ. The debut EP released 14 November 2010
Self-Titled is your new favorite music magazine.
Terrorizer is an extreme music magazine from the UK.
*Special thanks to Bruno Guerreiro for permission to use his illustrations. Also thanks to Larry [from the Metal Odyssey Blog for sending me several of his older issues of Decibel to soak up).
Metallica or Megadeth?
Metallica. Their first five albums are varying degrees of unstoppable. Much to the chagrin of almost every metal fan I know, my favorite is …And Justice For All… I’m also not one of those people who think the Black Album is crap. But in defense of Dave Mustaine, I will say that Megadeth’s “Holy Wars… Punishment Due,” “Hangar 18,” and “Peace Sells” are three of the greatest metal songs ever written. (“Angry Again,” from the Last Action Hero soundtrack, is also a personal favorite.) And I’ve been listening to Countdown To Extinction regularly since the day it came out in ’92.
New OVERDRIVE album “Angelmaker” in 2011
*Artwork: Monowasp
Yes folks the classic Swedish metal band of the 80′s is back with a vengeance! The new OVERDRIVE album is recorded and finished and will be released this month.
After 2008’s self explanatory “Let The Metal Do The Talking”, Swedish [melodic Metal exponents] OVERDRIVE deliver the most pulsating album of their career with the pedal to the metal bombast of “Angelmaker”.
This new album sees the band pummel the listener with their heaviest release yet. All 12 tracks will make any self-respecting Metal fan throw the “horns” in appreciation.
MUSICIANS: Per “PerilOz” Karlsson: Vocals, acoustic guitars Janne Stark: Guitars, bass Kjell Jacobsson: Guitars Kenth Ericsson: Bass Kenta Svensson: Drums
TRACK LISTING
01. Signs All Over
02. In Gut We Trust
03. Angelmaker
04. I Know There’s Something Going On
05. Under The Influence
06. On With The Action
07. See The Light
08. To Grow
09. Mother Earth
10. It’s A Thriller
11. Cold Blood Chaser
12. The Wavebreaker
Given their pedigree and reputation it’s no surprise to hear OVERDRIVE enter the third decade of their career hitting new heights with “Angelmaker” —a slice of traditional Metal as good as you will hear in 2011!
N-Joy!
OFFICIAL WEB LINKS www.overdrive.se
www.myspace.com/overdrivesweden
www.facebook.com/OverdriveMetal
The History
Old School Metal Review: DEATH – Leprosy (1988)
by Curt “Crusher” King
Man, I’ll tell ya’, I sure didn’t expect this band to quit playing hardcore Speed/Thrash Metal and wimp out, but I have the evidence right in my hands! I mean, they are one of the “Gods” of Death Metal for sure, but this stuff is completely shocking!
Well now, does that REALLY sound like a thing that a band called DEATH would do? You don’t think that I would stretch the truth a little do ya’? Ha – not I said the liar!
OK, DEATH fans, wipe that disgusted look off your face because everything I just said is true, except for the fact that they “wimped-out” (besides, you’ve probably already heard this by now as I created this when I received their advance tape -ed). Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a heart attack folks but I did want to make you a bit angry so that you could prepare yourself for this devastating slab of gore! It doesn’t really matter how much anger you can muster up while listening though because DEATH will out-do you with intensity every time.
Track Listing:
1. “Leprosy” 6:19
2. “Born Dead” 3:25
3. “Forgotten Past” 4:33
4. “Left to Die” 4:35
5. “Pull the Plug” 4:25
6. “Open Casket” 4:53
7. “Primitive Ways” 4:20
8. “Choke on It”
All eight songs are pretty much in the same mold as their last album Scream Bloody Gore (1987), meaning, they still sing about death, play deadly songs and do it in the most disgusting [to some] way possible! Every track on this album will terrorize you —but in a good way of course.
People who hate this relatively “new” style of extreme/speed Metal will probably continue to turn their nose up at it, while this will easily [and instantly I might add] satisfy all worldwide Metal fans who are into REAL savage Metal!
This new album [and my opening statements] should scare you too…
Lineup + Info
Chuck Schuldiner – Guitar, Bass and Vocals
Rick Rozz – Guitar
Bill Andrews – Drums
* Terry Butler – (did not play BASS on the album, but was credited for it)
Recorded at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida, USA
Produced by Dan Johnson
Engineered by Scott Burns
Mastered by Michael Fuller at Fullersound, Miami, Florida, USA
Edward Repka – Artwork
Update
Many [myself included] consider this one of the most important DEATH Metal albums ever released. It’s definitely in the top ten. Back when kiddos, you did not have a band such as this on every street corner or parents basement recording such brutal, yet accomplished Metal compositions! Kudos to Chuck (who died of brain cancer in 2001) for putting this style of music on the map and inspiring countless bands for the last several decades. A true unsung hero in the music world. He was very humble and always down-played his part in the Metal history books by stating:
“I don’t think I should take the credits for this death metal stuff. I’m just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band.”
- Chuck Schuldiner
R.I.P.
May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001
Guitar Master Class Contest
by Kinger
It’s Christmas time, so we’re bringing you a special post and a unique opportunity for all of you “axe-masters”, or “shredder wanna’-bees” out there in Metal land.
Demolish Magazine has teamed up with Guitar Master Class [a Swedish-based online instructional website and community] for a special holiday contest giveaway. That’s right, I said GIVEAWAY folks. Everyone knows the economy is in the dumps and funds are tight this year, so this will be perfect timing for some of you. So what’s the catch? No catch, it’s fist come, first serve.
GMC is a video lesson archive & online community. They feature tons of helpful videos, instructors, lesson and a forum for chatting with teachers and students 24/7. They also have recording collaborations where you can attend video chats + content for bass, drums, singing, piano etc. All genres and styles are covered – Rock, metal, shred, blues, jazz, country & acoustic, funk…They want you to have some fun while learning!
There are 5 full six month GMC memberships [valued @ $150 ea.] for our loyal readers! Just send us your name and email address and a short description of why you want to be the next Jimi Hendrix or Jeff Beck. That’s it. I will send the 5 lucky contest winners and they will setup your GMC accounts. When does this start? Well, if you are in fact reading this -then that means the contest has already started. Don’t put it off, NOW is the time to dust off that axe in the corner or time to plug-in that shiny new guitar your folks just bought you perhaps. So get rocking NOW!
Contest Winners will get instant access to:
-14415 videos, 2404 lessons and 41 instructors.
-Register at GMC forum – join a virtual band, chat with any instructor etc
-Backing tracks at different speeds & jam loop with every lesson
-Daily updates (average of ~10 new videos per day)
-EXTRAS: Gear-, singing-, recording-, bass-, piano- and drum lessons. GMC Theory Grimoire eBook !!!
About Guitar Master Class
Guitar Master Class is a special place where you can improve your musical skills and meet people with the same interests. The main focus is on having fun while learning because we believe that your learning curve is most effective if you have fun at the same time. Guitar Master Class also strives to inspire students to find your own unique style. To help you become a great guitarist, we have collected a crew of skilled guitar instructors from all around the world, and they are around the site 24 – 7 to answer questions and give you feedback and support while practicing.
Guitar Master Class, often called GMC, was founded March 12th 2006 by Kristofer Dahl – a professional guitarist and instructor resident in Stockholm, Sweden. GMC is run by the Swedish company Rock My Web AB, owned by Kristofer Dahl and Maria Gasch. From the beginning, the Guitar Master Class website has been developed in close coöperation with Henrik Skotth Konsult AB.
GMC grew steadily in a short period, and today thousands of daily visitors and members take part of video lessons and the friendly GMC community. One of the first lessons ever was “Curious Coincidence“.
5 Questions with GMC founder: Kristofer Dahl
What is your date of birth?
“September 12th, 1981″
Location:
“Stockholm, Sweden” states Kristofer.
How long have you been playing guitar?
“Since 1998. I picked up the guitar at the age of 10 and I started practicing seriously at the age of 18. I took regular lessons during one year learning theory with Therion guitarist Kristian Niemann. Before deciding to professionally go for a music career I studied matheology, informatics, environmental care, political science and even sport fishing”.
Could you tell us a bit about your playing and some of your influences please.
“I am fascinated by Marty Friedman’s phrasing, vibrato and unusual note choice. I love Steve Morse’s musical approach to speed picking. Allan Holdsworth’s playing is from another planet and every aspect of his music is totally unique (to me!). Eric Johnson’s approach to perfectionism and tone is something I believe everyone can learn from. Yngwie was the guitarist who opened up my eyes to what was possible on the guitar, he also has a vibrato worth checking out”!
What is the most important thing for the students at GMC?
“I believe the most important thing is how you approach learning, practicing and your own potential as a musician. Hopefully I manage to get this through in my lessons and forum participation. GMC has changed my life through the response I have received from students and instructors here – I hope the same will happen to you!”
Good luck to everyone with the contest and Merry Christmas (early)…special thanks to all @ GMC for their generosity and for providing such a great online community and a “kick-ass” instructional palace!
Links : Metal guitar lessons ; Rock guitar lessons ; Guitar Master Class
*Please take a moment to forward, Tweet or email this post to anyone who might be interested in this contest!
Mosh Potatoes Cited in Chicago Reader
Our readers will know that I am not fond of press releases and or reporting on the same ole’ crap that you can see on hundreds of other Metal blogs or syndicated news services, but today I felt compelled to pass along some interesting info that appeared in my in-box today….mostly ’cause it featured some noteworthy Metal “name-drops” from my hometown – CHICAGO, but I’ll admit the book intrigued me as well!
Mosh Potatoes (Simon & Schuster) is a book that features 147 recipes from legendary icons like LEMMY, ZAKK WYLDE and LITA FORD to the thrash titans of PANTERA, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL and ANTHRAX to the hair metal bands of GUNS & ROSES, DOKKEN, LA GUNS, STEEL PANTHER, TWISTED SISTER to the mayhem of metal including MUDVAYNE, LAMB OF GOD, SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED and DEVILDRIVER to death metal pioneers of NAPALM DEATH, OBITUARY and DEATH and the book wouldn’t be complete without the future of the new school like MUNICIPAL WASTE, SKELETONWITCH, HOWL, EVILE and MOTH EATER.
OK sounds pretty cool – so on to the Chicago info!
Mosh Potatoes – CBS News Interview
Music Industry veteran and musician Steve “Buckshot” Seabury author of “Mosh Potatoes – Recipes, Anecdotes & Mayhem From The Heavyweights Of Heavy Metal” was interviewed on CBS News Program about their “The Best Of” segment. Seabury was asked what he thought was the ultimate Metal restaurants and bars in NYC, Chicago and Los Angeles. “Who doesn’t love Metal and good food? These are the places I love to hang at when I am on the road or just going to grab some grub with my friends” states Seabury about his decisions.
*You can find one of his Best Of picks at the links listed below [yes, minus the NYC & Los Angeles links of course].
Best Metal Bars and Eats in Chicago
Pic ©Paul John Higgins/Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader noted for its literary style of journalism, is acclaimed for their critic’s choices and recommendations in film, music, art and dining has named Mosh Potatoes in their top 10 cookbooks of 2010 in their year-end Food & Drink Column.
©2010 Kuma's Corner
Kuma’s Corner
2900 W. Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL (773) 604-8769
Kuma’s to me is METAL!!!! When you walk into the place you think you have died and gone to Heavy Metal Heaven. The smell of the grill, the music blasting, and range of beers makes this spot one of the greatest places to eat.
They have 22 kick-ass burgers all named after some of the greatest metal bands ever to jam on stage. When you sit down to eat you feel you are going to your very first metal concert. It’s that good. I recommend the Judas Priest and Neurosis Burgers. They will give your taste buds whiplash! Oh yeah. Did I mention they have Mac & Cheese too? Well they do, and it ROCKS!
For more information on the METAL cook book:
Steve Seabury has an extensive history in the music industry from performing, working at various record and marketing companies. He began his career at Mayhem Records, where he helped launch such acts as Cradle of Filth and Nothingface into stardom. At Spitfire Records/Eagle Rock Entertainment, Steve was the National Sales Director and A&R and had the opportunity to work with rock legends Testament, Zakk Wylde, Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, and new developmental acts like Dog Fashion Disco and Sixty Watt Shaman.
At Concrete Marketing, Steve orchestrated and initiated several marketing campaigns for many platinum artists, including Metallica, Velvet Revolver, Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Breaking Benjamin, Damageplan, Judas Priest, and many more.
He has taken his experience and recently formed two new companies: Barley & Hops Management and a new Record Company called Giddy Up! Records that is distributed through Sony/Red. You can also see him thrashing like a maniac with his new metal band, Moth Eater. Steve lives in Queens (home of the New York Mets) with his wife Lisa. This is his first book.
Only Death Is Real
by Curt King
Let me just start off by saying: wow, what a great title that is!
Yes, of course for those of you in the know, that is indeed the title of a very cool retrospective book on all things Tom Gabriel Fischer (aka’ Tom G. Warrior as he is known in the Metal world). Only Death is Real is an illustrated history of Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost circa’ 1981-1985. This book covers pretty much everything you always wanted to know about this innovative Swiss group.
Being a [hardcover] coffee table book, you can expect a lot of rare photos and interesting tidbits. But I think this book is more than just a decorative book. “It is a book for anyone who has dedicated his or her life to Metal and who still perceives the element of rebellion in this form of music,” Fischer said. “It is a book that provides a rare, lavish and very candid glimpse at part of the birth of modern Extreme Metal. “It’s a book for anyone who can relate to being a true outcast and finding his or her path through the friendship and intensity that metal has always been able to provide.”
I don’t want to leave out two other key members. Bassist Martin Eric Ain, who helped Fischer put the book together along with contributions from drummer Bruce Day.
The book, which was released last year [2009] also features an extensive appendix that includes some unique Celtic Frost and Hellhammer items, including old demo covers, logo ideas other misc. design concepts etc. There are lots of interesting items to feast your eyes on! In a nutshell, it’s a great book.
But this post is not specifically about the band(s) or even the book itself. It’s about a page in the book and it’s contents —a page in time if you will. Let us focus on the following excerpt.
From page 109 of Only Death Is Real. *click to enlarge
Notice that Whiplash was one of the few fanzines worldwide who received the very first Hellhammer demos —only two of which made it to these shores! I would like to personally thank Brian Lew (and Sam Kress R.I.P.) for not only being the inspiration for 50% of this article but also for creating and putting out the Whiplash zine’ back in the 80′s and for the detailed documentation that Brian has done for the 80′s Metal scene for so many years.
Brian is also responsible for the Xeroxed fanzine called ümlaut, which was a Bay Area zine’ that was launched in the early 90′s and covered everyone from Metallica to Sonic Youth. I take great pride in my Vault of treasured Metal items, but hats off to Brian and all things ümlaut, as they are one of the very few blogs out there in Metal land who are able to “one-up” Demolish on a regular basis!
I especially like the full circle retrospectives such as the recent Procreation of the Wicked post, where he writes about a recent Triptykon show in Cali and get’s to finally meet Mr. Tom G Warrior in the flesh after all these years. Check out the excerpt below.
Brian: “Do you remember the ‘zine Whiplash?”
Tom G. Warrior: “Of course I do…”
B: “That was my ‘zine..”
T: “Are you Brian?”
“Did you hear that? That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor. To say that I was left speechless by that conversation would be a complete understatement… The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways, man.” – Brian Lew
For those who were actually paying attention to what I wrote above, you will recall that I stated Brian’s article was responsible for 50% of the inspiration for this piece. So what about the other half? Please go back and re-read the excerpt above from page 109 of Only Death Is Real…
…welcome back.
Ah, I see you peeped the first name on the list —Alex Gernandt, who I happen to be corresponding with as of late for a special retrospective article on him. So the timing of this post from Brian struck me as odd or perhaps a case of “perfect timing” and or some sort of strange [nostalgic/cosmic] synchronicity perhaps!
Either way, Alex, who was a founder of the German fanzine Shock Power was also among the very few to receive an original Hellhammer demo and package. Alex had casually mentioned the encounter with all things Hellhammer + the Frost a while back via email correspondence but it did not really “sink in” until I read the book with my own [four] eyes!
Pic Martin Kyburz
Tom G (Grave Hill bunker) Switzerland 1984
It always amazes me how I can seem to remember every riff on every Metal or Thrash album that I own. Or the fact that so many people carry around other such precious Metal knowledge and history and are also able to retrieve said knowledge at the drop of the hat. Tom “G” must be one of those cats as well says Alex: “Yeah, I got the big book –Only Death is Real and I am amazed at how good Tom Warrior’s memory is. I think it’s great he told his story as it really happened.”
Times were much different back when. There wasn’t a band on every corner playing Thrash (or simply “Speed Metal” as it was once called), let alone Black Metal. As a matter of fact “Death Metal” wasn’t even coined yet! But there you had Hellhammer, a band whose humble beginnings would arguably become the blueprint for Black/Death some years later.
I asked Alex if he could take us back to that time and give us a little nugget. “Sure, at that time, mid 1983, we were always looking for the heaviest bands around —like Tank, Raven and Venom for example. Metallica was about to come out, and then there was this Hellhammer demo.”
Alex G. circa 1985
“One day, I got a call from a Berlin rock label by the name of Noise/Modern music. The guy asked me what the heaviest unsigned band was. I told him: “Hellhammer from Switzerland” and gave him a contact. This led to the first ever record deal for Hellhammer… I was 17 then” states Alex. Wow, how would you like to be the one who gets to carry that Metal memory around for your entire life!
For all the folks who can relate or would like to have their own copy of this amazing book [with amazing photos and stories] from the one and only Tom G. Warrior -a true Metal legend if there ever was one, go here now!
*Thanks again to Brian for the inspiration and to Alex for sharing his valuable time and memories! Stay tuned readers, as [with a bit of luck] we might have more special in-depth articles posted about these two gentleman in the future!
Until then, remember…
Tom G. 2010 - Pic Sean (Metal Files)
-
Other Links of Interest
Noise Creep Article with Brian
The Record Vault (San Francisco) Facebook
The METAL FILES Triptykon Review
Ten Minutes with Tom G. Warrior
It’s not Heaven nor Hell – It’s SANCTUARY
Interview with Lenny Rutledge from 1987
by Curt King
It’s not Heaven nor Hell…it’s SANCTUARY!
How many ways are there for an unknown band to get “discovered” or signed for a record deal? I am sure you’ve heard all the success stories and every imaginable way possible for a band to land that ever-so-lucrative record deal/contract! Think again.
For this melodic Power Metal band from Pacific Northwest it [i.e. getting discovered] was definitely not “business as usual” and I applaud them for being so creative and “pro-active” (or at least ballsy). So who are these creative D.I.Y types? One Warrel Dane (vocals), Lenny Rutledge (guitar), Sean Blosl (guitar), Jim Sheppard (bass) and Dave Budbill (drums).
Pic ©Bartolomy
Please join us as Demolish founder/editor Curt King chats with guitarist Lenny Rutledge and uncovers this unique band and brings their very interesting story to light.
CURT: Let’s go all the way back to the beginning, please tell us how SANCTUARY got started?
LENNY: The conception of the band started with my cousin and I —the guitar players in the band. Basically, we started playing guitar on the same day! You see, we kinda’ walked into a record store one day and we saw this $100 bill laying on the floor, which was kinda’ a trip, so we picked it up and ran out of the store as fast as we could and ran to the nearest guitar store and bought a guitar. And that’s how we started out playing guitar!
After we started getting proficient at playing, we went our separate ways. He went to another band and I joined another band. Later on, after we had played for about four or five years, we got back together and started a band called SANCTUARY. It took us a while to get all the assorted members though. We went through a lot of drummers and bass players because we were the only two members of the band that “stuck with it”. Basically we had to “steal” people from bands that were doing good because we couldn’t find anybody that would really stick with it. We stole our drummer from another band! They weren’t really doing that good but the drummer was doin’ really good —so we got him to join our band because we we’re doing well at the time.
For the singer, we just recorded a demo tape. One night we wrote this song called “Wally’s Song”. We had not really met the guy before we had heard of him. We had heard that he was into the kind of mystic, deep, dark-sounding type of songs. Then we wrote that song and the feeling we got from it was like: “f**k, this guy’s gonna’ love this song!” We had that positive attitude about it and when he heard it, that’s why he joined the band. So it was like the total feeling of that and him hearing the song and actually liking it (just like we thought he would). It just hit us off, we all hit-off really good from then on.
Pic ©Bartolomy
Was he in another band at the time?
LENNY: He had just quit a band from Seattle, so we just snagged him and that’s how he joined the band. From there it took like two years to get all the musicians that we wanted. We didn’t want to go with your basic type singer…we knew exactly what we wanted. We didn’t go and play all the bars or anything with just any ole’ singer would fit in —we just waited until we got exactly what we wanted!
Did you record your demo while you were in the process of completing the line-up or did you just start rehearsing and writing material from the get-go?
LENNY: Right, we were writing songs and we we’re playing some covers and stuff. When we finally got our singer, we stopped playing covers and wrote all originals. Then we went in and recorded a demo and got it played on a radio station out here at KCMU. We were number one or number two for a year straight!
With that same demo tape, you were recently signed to Epic Records and are about to release your début album entitled “Refuge Denied”. Tell us how that deal came about.
LENNY: That took place when KING DIAMOND and MEGADETH played a concert here. We had the demo recorded and we were doing OK, but we had only played out once! I went to the show with a friend and two girls. The two girls found out what hotel MEGADETH was staying in, so I talked them into going.
No way, so what happened then?
LENNY: So, what we did was: when we found out what room they were in, I just kinda’ pushed the door open and pushed these two girls in! I figured if Dave Mustaine see’s them then he’s gonna’ let us all in [laughs]. Sure enough, he saw them and the place was like “yeah, let’s party!” So we walk in there and I sat right down next to Dave. He shared his bottle of “Cavasia” (i.e. Courvoisier perhaps – ed) and we talked for a while. Next, we talked him out to our car and we put in our demo tape and he loved it! Then he just decided he wanted to produce us!
He flew us to L.A. And we talked to a few labels and stuff. We did a couple of shows with MEGADETH and then we recorded the album. His manager, Keith Rawls paid for everything. Now he’s our manager also (funny how that works huh! – ed).
Dave produced the album and we kinda’ share a bit of the production credit with him. After we got it all finished, then Keith shopped it around to all the [record] labels. We tried smaller labels at first and a lot of them were really interested, then a lot of the big labels were interested. One label is even flew us down to L.A. For a private showcase but nothing really happened with that. It was like thirty people standing around checkin’ us out —it was like the scariest time we’ve ever played!
I can imagine. That would be tough. So how did you play?
LENNY: We did really good, but they supposedly had some kind of “signing freeze”…something weird was going on. Then, Epic Records calls us up the next day and says: “sh**, we’ll sign you right now!”
Pic ©Bartolomy
*Rockin’ onstage in Holland 1988!
Wow, most bands do not get a record deal early on in their career (let alone a major label deal) and help from a popular character like Dave Mustaine, do you feel “lucky” in any way?
LENNY: Yeah, we definitely feel lucky! We made the right contact and it was definitely a LOT of luck, but [I mean] it was a combination of not just luck. Epic didn’t listen to the tape and say: “Dave Mustaine produced it, it’s gonna’ sell a million albums.” They listened to it and said that it’s got Dave Mustaine’s name on it (also our engineer was the same guy who engineered both the METAL CHURCH albums) and not only that —the music’s good! They listened to the music and they liked the music. Nobody’s gonna’ sign you unless you have good music! If you have good contacts and good music, then your obviously gonna’ “make it” easier. I’m sure some people can go by their contacts alone and go somewhere, but our musics’ good too!
Tell us about the recording of the album and how was it different from your previous efforts?
LENNY: We recorded it at Steve Lawson’s studio in Seattle. It took a little less than a month to record it. We were in a hurry so it went really fast. The demo was totally different. We started it over and did it from scratch. We went through it really fast because Dave was getting ready to go on tour and he only had like a month to do it, so we had to do it right then and there. We mixed it there and after we got signed to Epic, they re-mixed it —so it does sound a little better than it did in just that month.
“There were only two good places to play at and SLAYER shut both of them down! They were just too wild.” – Lenny Rutledge
Some people insist that Mr. Mustaine is a very arrogant person, what was it like working with Dave and in the studio?
LENNY: It was great! We had a lot of wild partying times…it wasn’t just sit there and play —we’d sit there and PARTY [ha ha]! It was interesting as we always kept it interesting and we were always on our toes. He also taught us a few drinking games!
You have some very eerie song titles, do you ever take, say, a “mystical” approach when writing song lyrics? Give us some of the titles and or what they are about please.
LENNY: Well, a lot of it is like, let’s say “Veil of Disguise” for example —it’s like a vampire story. “Ascension to Destiny” is more like if aliens we’re taking over the Earth. “Battle Angels” is kinda’ like an “armageddon” type thing. Wally writes a lot of lyrics about armageddon. “Termination Force” is again, like armageddon! “Die for My Sins” is like the saints that sin on Saturday and ask everybody to repent and die for their sins on Sunday in the church! “Soldiers of Steel” is about a movie called The Keep. Our lyrical approach is very serious, it’s not like ANTHRAX or anything like that. Nothing against them, but we are very serious. We also do a cover of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE’S “White Rabbit”, only now it’s heavier and it’s real “crunchy” and “grinding”. Dave also plays the guitar solo on that one. The last song is called “Sanctuary”, and that’s a song about when you die and when you go to the other side. Wally describes it as a place in between Heaven and Hell. It’s not Hell, it’s not Heaven…it’s SANCTUARY —maybe like a purgatory.
Pic ©Bartolomy
Is that what your band name represents?
LENNY: Yeah, kinda’, in a way. The whole thing is mystical and scary. Not Heaven or Hell, just kind of different and beyond. Our music is tough to describe. It’s tough and grinding and it’s got both melody and speed in it. We’ve also got the slow parts and the speedier, crunchy parts, but speed isn’t that important to us. We like both. We’re not too prone to having “speedy” songs all the way through. We only have a few like that. We like the best of both worlds. Let’s say, like KING DIAMOND meets METALLICA.
I’ve got a lot of feedback from bands in the Pacific Northwest stating there aren’t too many places to play —is that true? You also mentioned that the radio station, KCMU, was giving you some healthy airplay. Isn’t that the station that has those wild “Brain-Pain” parties? If so, please tell us about them…
LENNY: Yes, well those parties are every Sunday night. I usually don’t go to them that much. Our vocalist [Warrel] and bass player [Jim] goes to them all the time. I’ve been to a couple and about thirty people get together and drink some Old English forty-ouncers’! It’s a lot of Thrash Metal and other stuff, but it’s all high-energy Metal —it’s a cool show. They still play us a lot too. The guy who does the show [Jeff Gilbert pic above -ed] really pushes us hard and has been really good to us.
As far as the scene here goes, it is definitely suffering since there is no place to play! There were only two good places to play at and SLAYER shut both of them down! They were just too wild.
Huh? What happened?!
LENNY: They got the crowd going and they ended up tearin’ the place up!
So there you have it folks. What an amazing story on how they were “discovered”. Best of luck to the band. I think they could rightly make their mark on the Metal world. If you enjoy your Metal with lots of power + finesse then give them a shot. Warrel’s vocals soar, the riffs are catchy and melodic and there is enough grinding and or “crunch-factor” to satisfy your Thrash urges. What more could you ask for?
-
BAND UPDATE
*We hope you enjoyed that relic from the 80′s. This is a partial interview as the original tape is now M.I.A. So let’s just call this a “part one” until the original C-90 is un-earthed and transcribed fully!
Refuge Denied (1987)
Track listing
- All tracks written by Lenny Rutledge and Warrel Dane, unless stated
- “Battle Angels” (Sean Blosl, Dane) – 4:30
- “Termination Force” (Rutledge, Dane, Jim Sheppard) – 3:49
- “Die for My Sins” – 3:37
- “Soldiers of Steel” – 5:24
- “Sanctuary” – 3:54
- “White Rabbit” (Grace Slick) (Jefferson Airplane cover) – 3:07
- “Ascension to Destiny” – 4:52
- “The Third War” – 3:47
- “Veil of Disguise” – 5:43
Cover art by Ed Repka
-
Into the Mirror Black (1990)
Track listing
- “Future Tense” — 5:08
- “Taste Revenge” — 5:00
- “Long Since Dark” — 5:04
- “Epitaph” — 6:02
- “Eden Lies Obscured” — 5:21
- “The Mirror Black” — 5:07
- “Seasons of Destruction” — 4:51
- “One More Murder” — 4:21
- “Communion” — 5:37
-
Into the Mirror Live (1991)
Track listing
- “Future Tense” – Studio Version
- “Long Since Dark” – Live
- “Battle Angels” – Live
- “One More Murder” – Live
- “White Rabbit” – Live
- “Taste Revenge” – Live
*sorry, you will have to click & watch on You Tube as the embedding is off!
*Into The Mirror live is live promotional EP of the band recorded on May 12, 1990 at The Country Club in Reseda, CA, during their “Into The Mirror Black” tour. Approximately 1000 CD copies of this were made and less than 500 were ever distributed to radio stations and record stores. Because of contractual problems with Epic Records, the full version was never released for public consumption. Warrel Dane has stated on several occasions that he has the master tapes and copyrights of the full show and intended to have it finally released.
*according to Wiki
*After their début LP was released, they toured alongside Megadeth and the German band Warlock.
After the tour, they entered the studio to record their second and final studio album, Into the Mirror Black in 90′. The above video clip for the song Future Tense was made and it received some air play on MTV’s Headbangers Ball. During the tour for Into the Mirror Black guitarist Sean Blosl left the band and was replaced by Jeff Loomis.
Shortly after, the word on the street is that continued pressure [from Epic Records] to fit in with the flourishing Seattle grunge scene caused disagreements between band members (about the band’s musical direction). So in 91′ Sanctuary officially disbanded.
Refuge Denied and Into the Mirror Black were re-released as a double CD set by IronBird Records on February 22, 2010.
Post-breakup
- After disbanding, Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard and Jeff Loomis formed the band Nevermore in 91′.
- Dave Budbill lives in Florida, and is now the drummer for Alive Inside.
- Sean Blosl is creating music and film independently through Golden Flower Media.
- Lenny Rutledge became a musical producer, and has his own studio. Additionally, he helped Nevermore on the demo sessions of their 1999 album Dreaming Neon Black.
2010 Reunion
Warrel Dane announced in May, 2010, that Sanctuary will reunite to record a new album. Warrel confirmed on Nevermore’s official forum that he can still hit the high notes he did in Sanctuary’s early days. However, he did not say whether he’d be implementing them into the new album. Sean Blosl is currently working on a film called “Into The Heart Of Shiva” and won’t be taking part in the reunion.
Recently announced that their only US appearance in 2011 will be at ProgPower USA held annually in Atlanta. They will be headlining on Friday night. The dates have yet to be announced. The band will also be playing on the 70,000 tons of Metal festival [which will take place on a cruise ship!] in January of 2011
ANTHRAX – State of Euphoria (Vinyl Analysis) 1988
by Steve Fulton
The clowns of Thrash are back. Back with their jams, back with skateboards, and yes —back with more of the top-notch, punchy Thrash that has earned them their place among the élite of Metal bands. It’s relieving to know that after receiving major attention from their last release I’m the Man (EP) (featuring their Rap single “I’m the Man”), that selling out to the commercial world of Metal is far from the minds of Anthrax.
State of Euphoria (1988 Megaforce/Island Records) features moshing tunes like “Finale” (pronounced ‘finally’), “Be All End All” and even a killer cover of Trust’s “Antisocial”. It also seems Anthrax is taking their lyrics in a more political direction. They take their turn at running down television evangelism in “Make me Laugh” (with lyrics like “Jesus saves, but only after I’ve been paid”), and then protest the human tendency of prejudices in “Schism” (stating “A house divided can’t stand/Prejudice is an un-natural thought”).
Joey Belladonna - Pic © Curt King
Anthrax have definitely matured musically and lyrically, but one thing I hate to hear (that often accompanies a matured pocket-book) is a bit of “over production”. But I suppose the complementary, limited edition Anthrax hologram (included in this release) makes up for it!
At any rate, whether you are an old Anthrax fan or “not”, I am certain that one listen to this plastic piece (of vinyl – ed) will leave you in a “State of Euphoria”.
- Be All, End All 6:22
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind 5:13
- Make Me Laugh 5:41
- Antisocial (Bonvoisin/Krief) 4:27 (Trust Cover)
- Who Cares Wins 7:35
- Now It’s Dark 5:34
- Schism 5:27
- Misery Loves Company 5:40
- 13 0:49
- Finale 5:47
Anthrax: Joe Belladonna (vocals), Dan Spitz, Scott Ian (guitar), Frank Bello (bass), Charlie Benante (drums).
Recorded at Quadradial Studios. Miami, Florida.
Produced by Anthrax and Mark Dodson.
[Heavy Metal] Fans Spoke: We Listened!
Due to our widely popular first post on Heavy Metal advertisements from the 80′s, we are back [by popular request] with another prime batch of Metal memorabilia for our fine readers out there in the blogosphere!
This go around however, we are featuring a rockin’ gallery of carefully selected [full-page] adverts from Europe. Most of these puppies are from around 82′ – 85′ and are mostly in black n’ white even. This was before the real explosion in U.S. Metal popularity, so I guess the labels were a bit reserved in the advertising department. You will see a lot of American bands featured in the ads. Stay tuned for an extra mini-post with some half page ads.
We hope you enjoy this trip [esp. since it took us almost two days to scan these -ed] down Metal lane. Please sound off via the comments field and let us know which ones are your favorites —I personally have too many favorites to name. But I guess if I had to spout off about one of em’ it would have to be the full-page ANTHRAX ad.
“Man, do they look young in this relic!” – Curt King
Oh yeah, check out the one for the VIDEO releases as well. That’s right fans, Metal was getting “hi-tech” back when this ad was placed. Peep the text, it says: Hi-Fi Stereo & VHS or BETA! I happen to own the Queensrÿche Live in Tokyo VHS and it jams. It’s before they became overly “slick” or commercial —there was still some “grit” and aggressiveness to their sound during this excellent Japanese show. Too bad they have never released this one on DVD. Highly recommended.
I don’t recall if I ever got to watch the Scorpions or Helix vid. Probably not or I would remember.
*As a special bonus, I am also throwing in a very old Jimmy Page advert from the UK endorsing an old school Roland GR-700 Guitar Synthesizer (w/ midi even!).
Enjoy the gallery peeps…
*click to enlarge
A match made in 80′s Heavy Metal Heaven
By Curtis King
How fitting right?
That being that my theme of Demolish Fanzine (being 80′s Retrospect) and for this special post with Sam from Retrospect Records that is, yup —a “Match made in 80′s Heavy Metal Heaven“!
Retrospect Records is an up n’ coming indie record company that advertises themselves as “The Worlds Largest” Hard Rock , Metal and AOR reissue label. I am glad there are companies out there like Retrospect, as there are so many great releases that deserve more attention in modern times —whether they were neglected the first time around in the 80′s (for whatever reason) and or to just get the rockin’ music out to more peeps in our current “digital world”. I see this as a win-win situation as the “old dogs” like myself can score some re-mastered releases and “relive” that era perhaps with the nostalgic re-issued CD’s and the newbies out there can discover some great/rockin’ tunes that might help pollute their “virgin” ears!
After a bit of required research, I compiled some inquisitive questions and swiftly fired them off to this Las Vegas-based label boss/CEO Sam McCaslin. Much to my surprize, I received said interview questions back faster than I could even create this post title! I have nothing but mad respect for that level of dedication and this shows just what type of person this guy is! So what type of person is Mr. McCaslin? Well, plop in your favorite 80′s Metal CD and feast your eyes below for the 411.
According to your website you are: “dedicated to preserving 80′s-style” music, what made you want to do this and or how did this get started?
SAM: I always felt the decade of decadence was an extremely special time for music. It was fun, motivating, inspiring and most of all, entertaining. Everything was over the top but that’s how music should be. It should always make you feel good. When the 90′s came around and into the early 2000′s, I was sickened by the state of the music industry. Angst-ridden or depressing no-talent hacks were ruling the airwaves and the media (i.e. Clear Channel) was doing everything they good to kill off anything 80′s. I wanted to do something to preserve our genre and speak out against the monopoly of B.S. that permeated everything I stood for. I damn sure didn’t spend years learning my instrument for some clueless corporate boneheads to make fun of an entire generation of extraordinary talent.
Quick 6-Pack List of 80′s Metal Rants
This will be the very debut post for the massive Vinyl Swarm section.
As previously mentioned, this secondary Vinyl review section was started due to the fact that there were so many releases coming out in the 80′s and we could not keep up — let alone cover all the promo product in Issue #1 of Demolish. The news spread like wildfire throughout the Demolish camp that the Editor in Chief was going crazy and slashing all said reviews in half (sometimes more).
This was especially troublesome to some of our writers (esp. for the fact that I took great pride in featuring rather large, in-depth reviews and encouraging them to “make em’ long”).
First writer “up to the plate” is Philip Cerreta Jr. from New York, who waxes poetically on a handful of 80′s Metal releases. Yes, this is the same cool guy who contributed lots of killer+ intricate fantasy-type drawings for our Artwork section here.
I especially like his full-on rant about a certain growling “death” Metal singer. That’s right folks, we are not going to “sugar-coat” any reviews around here. I am posting all reviews as-is, regardless of who wrote them and whether they loved them or hated them!
*I will try to dig up some rare promo pics and such to make the reviews more interesting.
Enjoy…Kinger
_
ALICE COOPER – Raise Your Fist and Yell
(MCA Records) 1987
If Constrictor was Alice Cooper‘s return to supremacy, then Raise Your Fist and Yell only fortifies his stature as Metal’s “Reigning Splatter King”. Vocally sarcastic, lyrically twisted, tracks like “Freedom”, “Lock Me Up”, “Prince of Darkness” and the hauntingly superb trilogy of “Chop Chop Chop”, “Gail” and “Rose On The White Lace” fall into a division that is both anthemic and surging in intensity.
Perhaps even described as a hybrid of 80′s Metal, Raise Your Fist and Yell is a great record from and even greater legend —don’t miss this on tour!
-
Bring It On - Kane Roberts (GTR.)
*Peep ALICE COOPER‘s Discography here and official website here.
_
LIZZY BORDEN – Visual Lies
(ENIGMA/METAL BLADE Records) 1987
Venturing within a realm that is a bit more commercial, Lizzy’s sixth release is one ripe with killer vocals, crunching rhythms, choruses that explode and well-written lyrics while complimented by a production that is both crisp and vibrant.
The albums best cuts include “Eyes of A Stranger”, “Shock” and the soon-to-be classic “Me Against the World” —a song, which if not Lizzy’s best, then certainly one of his top three! Track for track Love You To Pieces still ranks as Lizzy’s best LP, followed by 1986′s Menace to Society. But make no mistakes, Visual Lies is a fine record from a talent who is capable of nothing less.
*Peep LIZZY BORDEN‘s Discography here and official website here.
_
BLACK SABBATH - The Eternal Idol
(Vertigo/Warner Brothers Records) 1987
Talk about your welcomed surprises! Unleashing what has to be the “comeback album of ’87″, Tony Iommi has somehow re-kindled the fire long-lost. Now fronted by Tony Martin, who’s vocals are nothing short of superb, Black Sabbath sojourn through nine epic tracks —including the likes of “Lost Forever”, a spell binding cut and one which weaves a web of both power and fury, “The Shining”, “Ancient Warrior” and the glorious title track.
Sound-wise, the LP is massive (digitally recorded) and truly beckons for increased volume. Classic Metal in every sense of the word, The Eternal Idol is an album even Ozzy would’ve been proud to be a part of.
Tony Martin + Tony Iommi '89
*Peep BLACK SABBATH‘s discography here and official web site here.
_
CRIMSON GLORY – Crimson Glory
(PAR Records) 1986
Though originally released over a year ago, Crimson’s début is still one worth raving about. Fueled by Midnight’s Geoffe Tate-like vocals, Crimson Glory conjures images of grandeur. From the “Divinity of Azrael” to the eeriness of “Lost Reflection” and back again through cuts like “Valhalla”, “Heart of Steel” and “Dragon Lady”, the band’s début is one synonymous with class.
Musically the album is both well-executed and imaginative. Lyrically it is brilliant, touching upon themes ranging from insanity and deception to seduction and Norse mythology. Behold the power and majesty that is Crimson Glory —raise high the chalice in commendation!
Crimson Glory - Pic Steven M. Adams
*Peep CRIMSON GLORY‘s discography here and official MySpace page here
*”On July 8th, 2009, founding member and original Crimson Glory front man Midnight passed away from long-term health complications with his family by his side. He was 47 years old. Despite the various issues and conflicts between Midnight and the rest of the band, it was a devastating loss in its truest form.”
-
BLESSED DEATH – Destined for Extinction (Roadracer Records) 1987
So you say you’re into Death Metal? Well, Blessed Death‘s break neck assault aims to deliver. The only problem (as is often the case), lies in the vocals. Larry Portelli’s “abrasive” voice just doesn’t cut it for me. If a “poser” is in fact one who pretends to be what one is not (in this case a vocalist), then Larry —along with Thrash Metal’s majority, should stand trial for crimes of crude impersonation and be found guilty in the third degree! In terms of talent, I’d say he’s a step above Tom G. Warrior and several staircases below David Defeis (Virgin Steele). Now, I’ll admit some of his screams rip, but they’re used far too often and in the end, they only serve to defeat their intended purpose.
As far as the lyrics go, the band has chosen to explore some interesting, yet heavily charted territory. From the horrors of nuclear annihilation, to war and death itself, but the track that caught my attention was one entitled “Alien Impregnation”, which takes a different outlook on man’s evolution but without the lyric sheet you’re lost. There is a glimmer of hope for Blessed Death but until they realize the importance of a singer —as opposed to a “screamer”, they may only be destined to remain shackled in the confines of obscurity.
*Peep BLESSED DEATH‘s Discography here and official website here.
**Can you tell Phillip was not a fan of Thrash or Death Metal -haha?
Phillip is one of our staff writers whose Metal taste revolves around great vocals and or melodic songs and well-written lyrics. Unfortunately his Top 25 for 1988 list is still missing. As a matter of fact, so is Phillip. So, if/when you read this please contact us – we miss you!
_
LEATHERWOLF – Leatherwolf
(Island Records) 1987
All those who own a copy of Leatherwolf‘s first LP (a re-issue of their ’84 EP with extra tracks) signify by raising your fist…just as I suspected —not a lot. That’s a shame (a damn shame) cause’ that record ripped with some of the “catchiest” Power Metal imaginable!
Well, this 1987 disk, also entitled Leatherwolf is equally powerful, equally lethal and equally as contagious. Though musically heavier, Leatherwolf remind me a lot of Kiss, for both bands really excel in their use of vocal harmonies and their ability to pen song upon killer song. Through the use of keyboards, Leatherwolf (also like Kiss), have really enhanced their sound while retaining their razor-like edge.
Also worth noting are the outstanding vocals of Michael Olivieri, who’s capable of almost any extreme. His voice should carry this pack far with songs like “Rise or Fall”, “Gypsies and Thieves”, “Rule the Night” and “The Calling”. Michael Olivieri (vocals), Carey Howe, (guitars), Geoffrey Gayner (guitars), Dean Roberts (drums), Richard Gibbs (keyboards) and Paul Carman (bass) prove and prove again that Metal can be forceful as well as commercial —savage as well as graceful. Visually exciting (as well as musically) Leatherwolf are indeed among the rare breed.
Give this band the chance they deserve!
Some of the “catchiest” Metal imaginable?
*Peep LEATHERWOLF‘s Discography here and their official Myspace page here.
*This album is self-titled just like the band’s début but it is a completely different album.
*to transport you directly back to the 80′s (when these reviews were written -ed), we will continue to keep the language in the posts & reviews “present tense” even though this is 2010.
DRIVE: Characters of Time LP
Vinyl Analysis
by Mike Cervantes
Released in 1988
1988 is proving to be a year where more emphasis is being placed on high quality Metal. It appears the Metal population are becoming connoisseurs of bands that have honest-to-goodness talent and unrelenting “drive”. Which brings us to the case in point…
Drive originates from Houston, Texas. Fronted by Rick Chavez (guitar/vocals) and (long-time mate + bassist) Michael Anthony Guerrero. They began as a group called Pegasus. Mainly playing classical rock and citing such influences as Clapton, Blackmore and Hendrix, Pegasus toured the small club circuit, gaining a following of loyal fans. Then citing newer influences such as Queensryche, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, the band changed musical directions and adopted the name Drive.
Combining their classical blues rock influences and what they describe as “high tech stuff”, Drive formulates a sound that drives screeching down cranium lane! This finely tuned machine roars with power and precision. Too heavy to be Rock and too refined to be Thrash, Drive offers a lethal dose of melodic yet powerful metal.
Led by the twin axe attack of Rick Chavez and Mercy Valdez, the fantastic vocals of David Taylor (R.I.P), the pounding fury of bassist Michael Guerrero, and the hyperactive drumming of Valentine San Miguel, Drive blazes a path of Metal destruction.
AMULET: Rockin’ The Midwest
AMULET
Rockin’ The Midwest
By Curt King
It’s flash back time folks. The summer of 1980 to be exact. A time when I was just starting to “swim in the waters” of all things hard rock. I was in the sixth grade and my appetite for rock music was insatiable. One day a local FM channel (KC-103) announced a band called Amulet and proceeded to play a rockin’ cut called Just Like A Woman. I instantly clicked with their sound (esp. the guitar), which was catchy, melodic Hard Rock with a tinge of blues and some power chords. The songs were memorable and easy to get into -perhaps that’s why I liked it so much.
*Click to listen to “Just Like A Women”
Without a doubt, Amulet were top-notch musicians. Musicians whose hometown was none other than Evansville, Indiana. Evansville is in the South-Western most tip of the state. Yes, the state that kinda’ looks like a “boot”. Follow that to the tip of the “boot”, all the way to the bottom left hand corner and that is in fact where we are kickin’ it from for this special post.
Super-rare AMULET promo Pic© Marty Hill
*click for a larger view (design Kathy Cannon)
Amulet’s career was pretty short, but Bob Becker (guitars), Clif Hill (vocals), Paul Skelton (bass) and John Becker (drums) certainly made a stir around the Midwest while active. On a more national level, the band was able to garner some major label interest. Overall most reviews tend to be favorable, but unfortunately some of the various “music journalists” out there have been quite critical of them in their past reviews. Often citing a thin production and or copious amounts of borrowed styles/sounds from certain bands.
Forget what those sharp-tongued critics have said, if you are into early releases from: Aerosmith, Kansas, Montrose, ZZ Top, B.O.C., Van Halen, Nazareth, Robin Trower, Heart, Bad Company, Uriah Heep etc. then you most likely will like Amulet’s music as well. Do I think they ripped-off these bands? No. Are they possibly influenced by these band -of course. Was their sound groundbreaking? No. Was it revolutionary or totally original? Nope. But it certainly was well-played, honest, Midwestern music that I thought deserved much more attention! Read on…
_
In 1980 it was a totally different time in the music industry. There was no such thing as the internet, so it wasn’t very 
easy to promote your band and or get a recording/management contract —let alone being so far removed from the main music industry hubs of New York or Los Angeles. Even though this put the band in somewhat of a “pickle” -I fully respect them for writing original material and for recording their self-financed album essentially “live” in the studio (with a very small budget I might add). This may be the norm now, but it certainly wasn’t in 1980!
“Big Four” THRASH TITANS (Same Night On The Same Stage)
“Big Four” THRASH TITANS
(Same Night On The Same Stage)
The Egos Have Landed
by Kinger
I know every single Metal blog (and website) will be reporting on this and as much as I tried to resist, I decided to cave-in and make a post about this historic worldwide event as well. The reason for my change of heart? Well, it was when I read this post from the great Non But My Own blog. Of course I knew about the famous get together and all but I did not expect to see them all together on the SAME stage! Wow, now that was cool as I was impressed and at the same time intrigued by this.
So what was the hoopla all about?
Last December (09′) Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica announced they would come together for the first time at the Sonisphere Festival. There was a lot of skepticism if they could pull this off and if it would ever become a reality. I am sure lots of debates and arguments immediately ensued over the lineup, what could happen and all the other “what if’s”.
pic from Metal Sucks
For example: what if, Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich duke it out on stage or backstage one night? What if, the bands in general could not get along. Would one band or another pull out mid tour? I agree, all that was silly banter and nonsense, but you can’t help but wonder about some of those things and a zillion other silly things that “could” happen.
So what is the real reason for all of these intense debates from the comment trolls that patrol the various Metal blogs?
It’s no secret that Dave Mustaine has had a beef with 3/4 (Lars, James & Kirk) of Metallica, 1/4 (Kerry King) of Slayer and a slight “mini-feud” with 1/4 (Scott Ian) of Anthrax last year. That puts him in a unique position compared to the other bands and various members.
Dave Mustaine initially approached the tour with skepticism. When asked about the tour rumors in a September 2009 radio interview with Eddie Trunk. Mustaine stated, “It would be foolish of me as a businessman to not take that opportunity, and it would be dumb of me as a band leader to not do that for the guys in my group and for the fans of the band.”
Could this be the biggest ego clash ever for Megadeth and Metallica?
Immediate thoughts of METALLICA and MEGADETH finally burying the hatchet (for good) after 3 decades popped into my head! I for one would really like to see this as I am tired of reading about it and besides, it’s not healthy for them to constantly go at each other in the press and behind-the-scenes like that. It’s just not worth it. Life is too short guys!
Fast forward to 2010 and it started to seem like this event really was going to happen as planned.
Says Lars Ulrich (Metallica) of this historic tour announcement: “Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, Thrash Metal’s Big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time…!”
Enter the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria (of all places! – ed) June 22, 2010.
*image from thebigfourlive.com
The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, was presented by NCM Fathom and BY Experience and included nearly 4 hours of live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. When you watch those countless new movie previews on TV, did you ever think you would see something of this magnitude and hear the announcer say “The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax is coming to a theater near you”?
Turns out this event was presented in high-definition in over 450 movie theaters nationwide by NCM Fathom. What a cool idea, especially since it was in freakin’ Bulgaria right! I am not sure why it happened there as these bands are from America. Either way, it was a great night and although everyone expected them to appear the same night, I’m sure no one realistically expected to see them all on the same stage and at the same time! Yikes, now I wish I was there in person. Check out this historic video that’s been making the rounds:
As you can see, this was an all-star lineup playing the great “Am I Evil” by DIAMOND HEAD. What did you expect them to sing? “We are the World” or something (ha ha -ed)? I just wish they would have played the entire song —now that would have amazed.
Better yet, they should have at least switched instruments and maybe let Dave Lombardo from SLAYER or Charlie Benante (Anthrax) get behind Lars’ drum kit. Whoa, think about that one; Lombardo kickin’ it up a notch with the Metallica boys on a special Speed Metal version of “Am I Evil”. Dream on, as it did not happen.
What did happen (if you did not watch the above vid -ed) was the drummers for the “other 3″ bands were set up off to the side of Lars’ drum kit and were bangin’ away like a crazy retro/futuristic tribal beat down (ala’ SEPULTURA). They looked genuinely stoked to be there and pounded away, but I am sure this was awkward for these three very talented drummers to essentially be “playing second fiddle” to Lars (who doesn’t even come close to Lombardo, Benate and Shawn Drover in the skills department). I did enjoy the part at the end when they did in fact start hitting cymbals and drums on Lars’ drum kit.
Did anyone see Mustaine hug it out with Lars and James before they started?
Everyone seemed to know what was going on except for Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna. Maybe they did not tell him what was to go down —maybe they didn’t tell anyone what the grand finale was going to be, as Hetfield, Mustaine and Belladonna all took turns singing. I am sure they just assumed everyone involved knew that legendary Metallica song (ahhh-hmmm) Diamond Head song! Other than that blip, it seemed to be a very cool show.
“After 29 years of doing this to reach this apex is just so fucking cool,” Tweeted Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian moments after the performance. “It was a monumental moment of epic proportions. I’m so high from the experience I can’t sleep.“
*The last time Mustaine performed with Metallica was on April 9, 1983 at the legendary Brooklyn, New York club L’Amour.
Some other cool spins on the epic onstage madness (that would have been cool):
Metallica doing “The Four Horsemen” with maybe James and Dave tag-teaming the vox and with Kirk on the lead guitar solos.
Having Megadeth do “The Mechanix” but with Kerry King sitting in on guitar. That would be hella-cool. Yup.
Or having Metallica set up on one side of the stage and Megadeth directly on the other side. Have each band bang out their respective version of the track and then join together as one and rip it to shreds! That would make long time fans just lose it I am sure. So if you guys need some ideas for if/when you bring this show to the states then this is it! You read about it here first folks…
*what I wouldn’t give to have taken these historical shots!
Now tell me this is not a truly awesome photo. At the beginning of their festival run, the Big 4 of Thrash united for this photo shoot.
In this next group shot, it kinda’ looks like everyone was a little apprehensive during this photo-op or perhaps a little unsure of what to do. I see a lot of horns and black sneakers!
Wanna' take bets this will NEVER happen again?
These pics make me happy and beside these bands pretty much paved the way for Metal.
I will admit though that I think if this happened twenty years ago it would have been more interesting. The bands were much younger and at the top of their game.
pic deathstar330.blogspot
“The closest the world has got to having the “Big Four” tour together came in 1991 when Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax were joined on tour by newcomers Alice In Chains (who stepped in for Bay Area thrashers Death Angel) on the Clash Of The Titans tour. The tour also went to Europe where Megadeth and Slayer performed without Anthrax and Alice In Chains but with Suicidal Tendencies and Testament.”
The only ones that are in top form (in my humble opinion -ed) are Megadeth and company.
The new Slayer isn’t bad but they are not as stellar as they used to be. I will give them credit for not jumping ship and for sticking to what they do from the beginning.
Metallica tried to come back with their latest effort but I basically wrote them off after And Justice and for All. I tolerated the Black album (and respected it for what it was) but after that —forget it.
The on going Anthrax drama is a bit long in the tooth and perhaps the band too. I am glad to see Joey back as I prefer that lineup. NO disrespect to the John Bush-era lineup but that just never seemed to be the right replacement for them. They made some great music together but all I can say is that it was just a “different” Anthrax. Not bad but certainly not great either.
I read a lot of complaints online about whether Anthrax should even be on this bill because they have haven’t done anything for years. But I suppose back in the day they were the sh** and I don’t have a problem with it.
Some other names were thrown around in the forums such as Testament, Exodus and OverKill. Apparently Anthrax sold more records than those bands and garnered more exposure around the same time as the other three, so they’re in the ‘Big Four’.
According to Slayer guitarist Kerry King, while speaking to Britain’s Metal Hammer magazine, King stated: “Maybe us, Metallica, Megadeth (and), I think he (Lars) even threw in Anthrax and I said in this day and age, I know we had that time together but how do you leave out Machine Head? There’s better options than Anthrax and that’s nothing against Anthrax, but they’ve just been in pieces for quite some time and that doesn’t make as much sense to me.”
At the end of the day it was an awesome night with such a nostalgic vibe. Everyone seemed to behave and “play well” together. I am down for The BIG 4 sharing the stage here in America for a repeat performance folks!
Yes indeed Metal fans, for now it seems that “the egos have landed”.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Heavy Metal Wheel of Sex!
By Kinger
So who doesn’t enjoy a good “round” of sex?
Well, in my ongoing effort to bring you insightful and unusual items from the Demolish Vaults, I was able to pull this gem out of my bag-o-metal-relics! I found this hilarious backstage pic that I took many moons ago from Bogart’s in Cincinnati, Ohio —which is still @ 2621 Vine Street oddly enough.
*warning: please be advised this post + pic might contain some slightly lewd and or crude language below.
Upon first viewing you might not be that impressed (me either -ed), but upon closer inspection the hushed giggles will probably begin to well up in your belly.
Feast your eyes on this work of art:
Pic© by Curt King/Demolish
Eat yer’ heart out Vanna White!
*In a nut shell, some crafty beaver put together a homemade “Heavy Metal Wheel of Sex” life-size board game. I suppose this person (or persons) were pretty darn creative and or bored out of their skulls while backstage. Personally I thought it was great and when I ran upon it I had to give it a spin or two!
Pic from Vegas Retro site
This was in the late 80′s folks and I guess the Wheel of Fortune TV show was going strong and of course in those days Vanna was quite the young hottie.
*It appears someone used an old ass bass drum head from a previous concert, that from the looks of it, took a beating (pun-intended)!
For all the Metal purists/fact-checkers out there (and or real drummer types), this looks to me like an old school 20″ – 22″ Remo Control Sound Series (w/Silver Dot) bass drum head. I could be wrong…
I attended many great shows at Bogart’s throughout the 80′s (since it was just a few hours drive from my Midwestern home base) at the time. If you were into Hardcore, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, regular Heavy Metal, Rock etc. —it didn’t matter, it was all there…seven days a week.
I really miss that place + the “Golden Era of all things Metal“. It’s still there, but I live in Chicago nowadays and that’s just too far to drive and or too expensive to fly. Besides, why would I want to do that when there is a thriving Metal scene practically in my back yard in the great Windy City?
*Original Bogart’s post card flyer
Some local sources say the place has not changed in years (or decades perhaps – ed) and needs some TLC and serious remodeling. I recall someone saying that they were forced to close the upstairs balcony area due to ceiling leakage and water coming down on the main floor; talk about dangerous! Yikes…I remember that (in)famous floor as being the host to some of the largest and most violent pits I ever saw anywhere peeps. When that band started and it was time to mosh, then let me tell you it was ON!
*Check out some of those lineups!
I remember a time when SLAYER played there (keep in mind this is a smaller theater type environment that holds just shy of 1500 ragers) and they had security up the wazoo. They were lined up on each side of the main floor like some sort of military exercise. Come to think of it, I think it might have been real Cinci Police Officers! Even with all that security, I think someone ended up getting stabbed and or hurt real bad in the mosh pit even. Go figure.
I don’t mean to paint a picture of Bogart’s as a bad place, but I think you know how damn crazy and rabid SLAYER fans can be? If not, beware as you will be rudely awakened —and rather quickly I might add, should you ever get “thrown to the wolves” or forced to go to one of their (awesome) live shows against your will!
yikes: "The proof is in the pudding...."
OK, enough no-nonsense nostalgic ramblings, let’s get back to the program.
Since it was such a smallish backstage 
area, the bands ended up playing with this thing for hours on end. I saw many uproars and or drunken bellowing coming from “The Wheel” —day time or night. Undoubtedly with plenty-o-booze (usually those nasty 32 oz. Foster’s Lager cans) + whatever “party favors” were around, then I guess pretty much anything can be funny and or positively entertaining!
Random History Note: This was pre-internet and cell phones young lads. This was when you had to use your imagination and or creativity to be entertained. ha ha!
I wish that I had taken more photos of this legendary Metal lore as some of the spots on “The Wheel” are not legible. Looks like I had the flash set to “auto” on my rusty 35MM camera! Oh well, I am just glad that I took this quickie shot, otherwise I would just be talkin’ smack and or reading a page outta’ my “Life With Heavy Metal” story book out loud —which is only published inside my head.
Step on up dude (and dudettes), spin the wheel and see what you land on (or get I should say). “Crabs”, arrrrggggh…spin again.
ACTUAL SCENARIOS ON the WHEEL:
- Crabs
- 38 DD Titty F**k
- Spin Again
- 14 year old (sic)
- She just wants to be friends
- Female impersonator
- Talk to her (for 4 hours) & her BF shows up
- Good Head
- AIDS
- Too drunk to f**k
- She falls in love with you
- Herpes
- Great Sex
- Devil Woman 666
- Snappin’ P*ssy
-
Couldn’t make out the last 2 -sorry!
80's Thrashers Backstage @ Bogart's
I wonder who the creative genius is who actually built this beauty? I am pretty sure I snapped this pic while hangin’ out at the EXODUS + M.O.D. show. This would be the killer “Fabulous Disaster” era and tour fan boys & girlies. Those guys were all crazy, so maybe these Bay Area Thrashers are to blame/thank?
Maybe some old geezer/local Bogart’s regular will read this article one day and be able to correctly identify the master craftsman. If you are said geezer, then please contact us for extra credit “80′s Metal” points.
Here is a short list of other bands I interviewed and was lucky enough to see during that time (so the caper might be hiding among these musicians):
KING DIAMOND, TROUBLE, C.J.S.S, WRETCH, VIO-LENCE, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, TESTAMENT, DAVID T.CHASTAIN, ARCH RIVAL, OVERKILL, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, ZOETROPE, HEATHEN, MEGADETH, WARLOCK, SANCTUARY, VOIVOD, CRUMBSUCKERS, D.R.I., METAL CHURCH, SACRED REICH etc. The list goes on and on…
*Original “Hell on Wheels” stub. Click to enlarge
Take another good look at “the Wheel” pic above and see if you can find where the center of the wheel came from. I just happened to notice this after 20 years. I did not remember it being there at the time. I will give you a hint —it pre-dates the 1987 “Hell on Wheels” Tour (which featured a young HELLOWEEN, GRIM REAPER and ARMORED SAINT).
Taken From a HELLOWEEN advert from the 80's
Quite suggestive I know, but I guess times were much different then and everyone wasn’t so outrageously politically correct. Tipper Gore and her cast of idiots over at the P.M.R.C. were putting up a “stink” about Metal Music in general and the above graphic artwork seemed pretty “playful” back when.
Thank God for Dee Snider and Frank Zappa for stepping up and speaking out against these conservative “political gangstas”. Good job fellas!
Pic from their official MySpage page
Thank you Bogart’s, staff, bands and Booking Agents for hosting so many great shows! You may not be the spiffiest of venues around to see live entertainment but you sure rocked my 80′s Metal World!
_
Linkage
Most Popular Metal Riff (Of All Time)!
So what is it?
by Curt King
It’s time to talk Metal Riffs folks. What I have in mind specifically today is to bring forth a special riff. A riff that has stood the test of time, a riff that almost every band has managed to play in some way, shape or form throughout their career. If you are in a band and somehow you did not have a song that included this riff, then you will most likely have played it (or a variation of it) as a cover tune and or subconsciously played this “universal riff” whether you were aware of it or not.
We’ve all heard this “Metal Staple” many, many times before and also in many variations as well. For the sake of discussion I will bring out the two main variations of this monster riff, which tend to be older (to me) Metal riffs from the mid 80′s. Later, in the late 80′s, a gazillion bands turned this into a kind of “standard” riff to base almost any type of Metal (Hair Metal, Glam Metal, Hard Rock or Commercial AOR Rock + Metal etc.) song on.
When I first thought of this idea, I intended on trying to trace this back to the original source and find out who actually played it first. Once I started digging around for songs to edit then it became increasingly clear that this was going to be a tough task. First, when you hear this riff (while casually listening to some Metal) then it pops out immediately and it’s very easy to jot down the title and artist. But, trying to remember these songs and then pinpoint when and how they used this riff proved to more of a challenge!
I have a fairly extensive music collection that I can pull from but as I started to figure out (rather quickly I might add) that I might never find the originator of this killer riff. Why? Well mainly due to my age. I did have several bands in mind that had their version of it, but just as they had their versions, I was pretty sure that meant that several other bands surely had an even earlier version of it as well perhaps. I also thought it might be fun to make this post and to invite reader participation and let you guys scour your collections to see if we can’t track this “beast” of a riff down.
So instead of making this the Metal equivalent of a deep archeological dig, I will bring forth the first section of this article and bust out some the earliest known versions of this: “the most popular Metal riff of all time”!
Round One:
I remember hearing this waaaaay back in 1983 folks. So this is surely an early runner for this discussion. Even though this is a variation of what I am going to attempt to audibly illustrate, if you listen close then it’s all there. So maybe this was a blue-print for this riff? Maybe they too copied it from someone else in the 70′s (possibly the great Ritchie Blackmore) or even back in the late 60′s with the greatest ever – one Jimi Hendrix.
“Curse of the Pharaohs” by MERCYFUL FATE
Ah yes, the excellent riffage of the King and crew. I wonder who wrote this classic riff from 1983? Was it Michael Denner, or could it be the great Hank Sherman on guitar? It might even be the King himself as he sometimes writes guitar parts as well. Either way this is a fine example of this classic Metal riff that has stood the test of time.
*Play it again and you will notice just how slow this baby is!
_
Up next the (much faster) riff from the great German band ACCEPT. Technically this was released in Europe a year earlier than the above but it did not make it’s way onto these shores as a domestic release until 1983. Either way, Restless & Wild is an awesome LP and this is still a staple of their live show and no one seems to tire of this riff.
“Flash Rockin’ Man” - by ACCEPT
*Excellent riffage by one of my favorite Metal guitarists – Wolf Hoffmann!
_
Now the battle heats up a bit…
Anyone remember the rockin’ American band called RIOT? Who could forget their classic riffage! Let’s go all the way back to 1981 from their Fire Down Under LP. Yes, you read that correct and this next classic riff pre-dates the above ACCEPT tuneage. So without further ado, check this one out and pay special attention to how and when the drums come in. Then go back and re-listen to “Flash Rockin’ Man” again and or alternate a few times.
“Swords And Tequila” by RIOT
Wow, that was pretty heavy for 81′! As a matter of fact, rumor has it that Capitol Records even dropped the band because they were too heavy. Go figure…Luckily someone over at Elektra Records wised up and released it.
*So what do you think – a mere “metal” coincidence or like me, do you thinks it’s eerily close? I wonder what guitarist Mark Reale and Rick Ventura would have to say about it. Remember there was no internet back then and some of these records would have to be purchased as an expensive (for the time) Import, so not a lot of fans were able to get the early versions of these gems.
-
So have you heard this riff before?
I’ll bet a lot of you out there in Metal-Land thought the next band came up with that riff! Ha ha…at first I did too. But on further investigation, this proved to be blatantly incorrect.
Next up, IRON MAIDEN‘s massive “Two Minutes to Midnight” from one of their best LP’s of all time: Powerslave from 1984.
Whoa, did you hear how fast that was? Great work from Mr. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith.! I thought the ACCEPT version was fast. Did you notice the similarities in the riff and also when and how the drums came in? I am not sure who copied who, or how this came about but all I know is that the earlier RIOT version is almost identical to this, while the actual guitar tone and sound is more akin to the slower MERCYFUL FATE version.
So which version do you guys like best?
Even though they ALL jam -I think I like IRON MAIDEN‘s version for the sheer power + amazing groove from Nicko McBrain.
-
So there you have it, what I consider to be one of the most popular Metal riffs of all time. Go back and listen back and forth a few times and see for yourself. If anyone can come up with any earlier versions of this riff, then please get in touch with me and I will do a part II.
*When I listen to the above riffs, I cannot imagine JUDAS PRIEST or SABBATH not making a similar riff, but off the top of my head I could not remember it.
The Saga Continues…
Ok, so those were earlier versions of that riff. What came next? Well, enter the burgeoning 80′s L.A. Metal scene. A lot of these American bands were either influenced by IRON MAIDEN or JUDAS PRIEST but they put a slightly more commercial spin on things. The next three were favorites of mine at the time.
*Notice the slight change of the riff, but the basics are still there. It was mostly a rhythm change, and with this “new and improved” version, I am sure you could squeak out hundreds of variations on this new theme.
_
“Can U Deliver” by ARMORED SAINT
Love this song and this long intro with accompanied riff! This just = excellent Metal from 1984. This was hot on the heels of the above-mentioned Powerslave release from the MAIDEN boys too.
Hats off to Dave Prichard (R.I.P.) and Phil Sandoval for their twin guitar attack on this opus.
*You could tell around this time that American bands (in general) were kicking it up a notch as far as guitar tone, crunch and heaviness was concerned.
Dave Prichard (R.I.P.) 1987 - pic © Curt King
*This picture was taken on the “Hell on Wheels Tour” in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was Dave’s birthday, so the band decided to throw a pie in his face (but it landed on his head!). You can see the remnants from the pie – what a fun show! – CK
_
Slowing things down a bit, but just as grinding and crunchy is another West Coast Metal band named WARRIOR. Although they were actually made up of San Diego transplants, the band called L.A. their “home” in the mid 80′s.
“Fighting for the Earth” by WARRIOR
Kudos to Joe Floyd and Tommy Asakawa for this prime slab of Metal from their 1985 début Fighting for the Earth.
_
Along the same lines was another cool left-coast American Metal band named MALICE.
“Stellar Masters” – MALICE
*After listening to these riffs over and over, I’ll be the first to admit that the above riff (from their 1985 début LP entitled In the Beginning) is not 100% identical to the others but it’s in the same realm and is a damn fine riff anyway! Good work Jay Reynolds and Mick Zane. Enjoy…
_
Another West coast band at the time that was coming up through the ranks and invariably influencing some of the above bands (whether they will admit it) was none other than RATT. With the talented Robin Crosby and main axeman Warren DeMartini on board, it was only a matter of time before they laid claim to their own version of that riff.
“In Your Direction” by RATT off their 1984 release Out of the Cellar.
*So this has a “lighter” feel to the riff and was one of the new offshoots to this sound. Kudos to MOTLEY CRUE, GREAT WHITE and DOKKEN who were also great bands in the early 80′s scene and had a similar guitar sound + style.
_
Speaking of MOTLEY CRUE, I might as well drop this next tune for the fact that I think they (i.e. Mick Mars) may have encapsulated perhaps the finest form of this riff ever with their excellent hit “Looks that Kill” from 1983′s Shout at the Devil album.
“Looks that Kill” by MOTLEY CRUE
This song was wildly popular at the time and after all these years remains a staple of their live show to this date as well. So I tried to rack my brain to try to figure out what this song sounded like and or a decent influence on them. I know for a fact that VAN HALEN was a major influence on the CRUE and I am sure sir Eddie has played this riff (maybe when he was 5 years old) at some point in his career.
*What I did find was an older PRIEST track, which (in my mind) is what I think spawned this classic CRUE song.
“You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise” by JUDAS PRIEST
Off their massive + ground-breaking British Steel LP from 1980. As a matter of fact, this was recorded in early January of 80′, so that probably means it was older than that even! If you switch between the two clips, you will hear the drum sound is similar and the main part on the PRIEST sample when they all come in together. The beat, the bass and everything.
The CRUE version is obviously more aggressive (playing-wise) though due to being released a few years later perhaps. When (and if) you heard Halford and Co. do this live, then I am 100% sure you will remember how the PRIEST “beefed” it up a bit and was much more aggressive in front of 5,000 or more screaming fans.
Special Remastered Edition w/Extra tracks!
BTW you owe it to yourself to check out their newly re-mastered special 30th anniversary/2010 version of British Steel. They have several versions, including a bonus live DVD and special edition CD. Buy or Die! This is a very influential and important Metal album kiddos.
So what’s next?
After hearing many versions of this riff maybe you are asking yourself what else can they do with it and or how else can it be twisted into yet another form? Well, when in “Metal doubt”, you can always play faster! Right? Read on…
Playing this riff faster and meaner is exactly what the following bands decided to do:
“Dirty Girls” by MADAM X
We Reserve the Right - 1984 LP
*I used to love this rather oddball-looking conglomeration from the Midwest. An excellent female drummer (Roxy Petrucci) and her sister/lead guitarist (Maxine Petrucci) were founding members of this Pop/Glam Metal band.
_
“Bad Boys (Like To Rock N’ Roll)“ by SAXON from their excellent Crusader LP from 1984.
_
“Metal Thrashing Mad” by ANTHRAX
*I detect a heavy MAIDEN influence on their Fistful of Metal début album from 1984 (this was actually recorded in 83′).
_
Speaking of East Coast Thrash + Metal:
“Hello From the Gutter” by OVERKILL from their third LP entitled Under The Influence.
*Possibly the fastest riff of the lot from original guitarist Bobby Gustafson circa’ 1988.
"Blitz" 2010 - Pic © Curt King/Demolish
Enter the Third-Wave
What in the hell is the “third-wave”? Well, I think it’s when the riff finally crossed over into more mainstream bands. Although some of these bands were still considered “Metal”, the riff started to be used pretty extensively in bands with a main shredder guitar hero dude (ala’ TNT, LION, DIO etc.) or more flashy, visually oriented groups I should say.
After this last group of shredders did their damage, then it became so mainstream and watered-down that it was hardly a credible or classic Metal riff anymore and was so assimilated into the minds of all guitarists that it’s almost considered a cliché.
Here are a few examples of the “shredder-era”:
“Stand Up and Shout” by DIO
Man I do love this song + tight version of this riff. Vivian Campbell rocked!
_
“Deadly Metal” by TNT
TNT was an under rated Norwegian melodic Hard Rock/Metal band from the 80′s.
*If you ever get tired of worshiping Eddie Van Halen then give guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø a listen on Knights of the New Thunder from 1984.
Unfortunately (after their 1st & 2nd LP) they too fell into the “this riff is over-used and watered down now” Pop Metal trap that a lot of bands got caught in.
_
Here are a couple of examples of the “this riff is over-used and watered down now” Pop era”:
“Never Surrender” - by LION
circa’ 1987 era.
_
“Love Is A Lie” by LION
circa’ 1984 era.
Not to rip on LION (as they had a few decent songs IMO), but I needed some examples to audibly illustrate what I think happened to this (in)famous Metal riff. If you’ve heard these two songs once, you’ve heard them hundreds of times since. It’s just the way it is!
With the risk of going out on a sour note (as it seems I unintentionally went from great riffs to mediocre riffs) lets just insert what I still consider the BEST and most famous version of this riff and call it a day.
*This version is also quite possibly the version that birthed all the water-down copycats for decades later. It’s not CRUE’s fault, so don’t hate on them. It’s still great song!
I hope you enjoyed my song selections, riff selections/edits and overall concept!?
If you enjoy 80′s Metal as much as we do or Heavy Metal in general, then you might want to drop in your email addy below and subscribe to our ever-growing online Demolish Metal Network.
Special thanks to the following for use of their logos. Check out some of these cool instructional Metal guitar books or DVD’s. Rock House METAL GUITAR, MVP METAL RIFFS OF THE 80′s Guitar Lessons, HOOKS THAT KILL (the best of Mick Mars and Motley Crue) and METAL RIFFS from Lick Library.
-
Praise: Is A Powerful Motivator
Shameless self-plug time?
*Thanks to all the following peeps for giving their genuine compliments and (non-solicited) praise, in such a friendly, yet professional Metal Manner! Please support their site(s) & show some link-love.
Horns Up to everyone!
_
_
“I finally got a chance to check out your site. There’s some very cool content that I enjoyed.
…worth digging into!”
Chad Bowar
(Heavy Metal Editor, About.com)
_
-
“I have added your feed to our tracker. It looks like you did a good job with keeping the present
tense for the Demolish site. Really enjoyed the content.”
Josh Kampschmidt
(Revolver Mag. Online Blips)
_
-
“Cool bog Curt - Man, I love what you are doing!”
Martin Popoff
(Toronto)
_
-
“Sounds like your blog is doing great!
I just posted one of the photos you sent. Thanks again…”
Adem Tepedelen
(Test Your Metal Blog, Decibel Magazine, Revolver Magazine)
Test Your Metal Blog
_
“I dig your project. Good luck with the mag, and keep up the good work! Best”
Cosmo Lee
(Invisible Oranges Blog)
_
-
“I saw your blog when Cosmo Lee featured it on Invisible Oranges.
Great stuff!”
Alex Loveless
(The Inevitable Nose Metal Blog)
_
-
“This is cool!! I like the layout of the page, too!!
I have subscribed.
Whoa this is great…”
Alex Gernandt
(ex-Shock Power Fanzine -1st German Metal Zine)
*ended up turning into Rock Hard Mag.
_
-
“I really like your zine!
It’s not often you find people who have bridged the indie print zine world and the new online world.
It really provides a unique perspective combined with a whole lot of credibility!”
Scott McManus
(Banger Films – Canada)
_
“Very cool concept for a blog. Best of luck to you.
Cheers.”
Etan Rosenbloom
(Cerebral Metalhead, Decibel Magazine, Metal Sucks)
_
-
“Unreal is this Heavy Metal history… you just cannot
beat the 1980′s for it & you are the 80′s Heavy Metal
authority at DEMOLISH!!! Very, very, well done! Metal kudos on Demolish!”
Stone
_
-
“Very cool. I’m totally into what you are doing with your Demolish site! Keep it up Curt.”
Pat Prince
(Powerline A.D. Blog)
_
-
“Hey Curt,
That Wrathchild America article in Demolish is awesome!!!
Shannon Larkin is a huge influence on my drumming and he’s a super cool guy!!!
Thank you and take care Curt!”
Richard Christy
(Charred Walls of the Damned)
_
-
“I am a big fan of the concept of your blog. As someone who
wasn’t even alive back then, it makes it seem a lot more real than the
average Metal blog. Keep it Metal!”
Colin Starner
Renrats’ Metal Bazaar
_
-
“Hey Curt, I love your site!
Good luck, and keep up the awesome work – I think your site is going to blow up”
Atanamar
(Sunyata – Mindful of Metal Blog)
_
-
“These photos of OVERKILL are awesome!
Thanks again for these…”
Bill Meis
(Metal Publicity | E1 Music)
_
“I see a lot of bands that you have on your site I photographed (for METAL FORCES) back in the Day!”
Brian Rademacher
(Rock Eyez Webzine)
_
-
“Demolish is way cool Curt! I wanted to say thanks again and share our Amazon ranking with you
because we’re pretty sure your article on the Japanese site is the cause for the jump in sales!”
Bill Hale
(Former Photographer of Metal Rendezvous Int.)
(Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984)
_
-
“I have checked the web site and I think you are doing a great job! Some of the old music is still the best!
Thanks for everything Curt-You Rock!”
Clif Hill
(Former AMULET frontman/singer)
Clif Hill - AMULET Vox (Evansville, IN.)
_
-
“Good idea for a blog man! Good luck with everything.”
Cody Plucker
(All Metal Resource)
_
-
“Demolish is very cool Curt, very cool! Cheers.”
Tim
(Mass Movement Magazine – UK)
_
-
“I’ve read your site, it’s great! I’ve put it in my daily trip around the Metal world…”
Steve Angulo
(Heavy Metal Addiction Blog)
Heavy Metal Addiction
Hard Rock and Heavy Metal discussion (& reviews)
_
-
“You were in the scene when i was just a little kid
and you partied with some of my idols!”
Dale Pezer
(Evil Pony – Croatia)
_
-
“The Demolish site looks very cool!
I try to keep up on current bands but my heart still lies with 80′s Metal in all its glory. Cheers.”
Dan Hinds
(The Plague)
_
-
“I’ve checked out your blog/mag. Great read with lots of info’s.
I like the interviews! Nice to know that the spirit of ’80s metal is still alive!
It’ll definitely be a place I visit when I want to know more on a specific band.”
Daniel Dulude
_
-
“Nice job on the blog site you have!! Looks good!”
Dave
(Demo Archives)
_
-
“Really like what you are doing with Demolish – very cool. I have always been a Metalhead at heart, so I can really appreciate what you have to say. It takes me back to the good ole days and I can appreciate the time it had to take to write it. Great stuff.”
Scott Itter
(Dr. Music Chicago)
_
-
“Hey dude- cool blog!
I’m not really into “dinosaur metal” (ha ha)
…but I know lots of our readers are and will be stoked!”
Sgt.D
(Metal Inquisition Blog)
_
-
“Your site is great!”
Bob
Tokyo Five Blog
(Japan)
This site has some great KISS articles!
_
-
“I see you have such valuable content beyond the usual blog entries (interviews, material from 80′s etc.)
The “old school” hand-drawn logo is a part of the Demolish charm. We’re subscribing to your mag.”
Jaime/Maria
(Ideophony Labs – Barcelona)
_
-
“I really enjoyed the Demolish “blog zine” – the idea of finishing a
classic zine 20+ years after it was started is awesome.”
Dan Edman
(The Corroseum Blog)
Love that Metal tag line!
_
-
“It’s great that you got the stuff up on the web – there are a
lot of old and new-born fans out there, which is great!”
Janne Stark – Guitarist
(Overdrive – Sweden)
_
-
“Neato blog! I was at the Ozzy/Metallica show at Mesker where James broke his arm skateboarding and
the band had to cancel..”
Jim Mayse
(Noise Pollution Blog)
_
“Great site!
I added a link on our side menu (on every page of our network).
Cheers…”
Keavin Wiggins
Jealous Haters Since 1998!
_
-
“Sh** dude…you’re the man!
That’s awesome that you’ve gathered all that stuff. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
Thanks again…I appreciate it. Cool site.”
Kevin Book
(ex-Mach/Chet & The Molesters/currently B.S.R.)
Kev & the boys - Rockin' Indiana!
_
-
“Demolish conjures up the spirit of Metal in the 80′s!
I’ll be visiting your site often and seeing what you’re up to.”
“Metal” Mike Cervantes
(Topeka, Kansas)
_
-
“Thanks for posting the images!
Those Alice Cooper pics you took are REALLY good. Got some really nice close
shots.”
Lee Davey
(Alice Cooper Archive)
_
-
“Congratulations on your website. It is absolutely incredible.
I lived those years with great intensity (I’m Forty now) so Demolish has brought me good memories.”
Miguel
(Metal 80 Blog – Spain)
_
-
“I loved the METALLICA post.
I briefly talked to Cliff in 84′ during the Aardschok day in Zwolle ( Netherlands)
while headliners Venom were doing their show!!! R.I.P. Cliff.”
-Nico Woben Photographer
(Wobben.com)
_
-
“I’ve finally taken more time to explore your site, and I totally love what you’re doing.
The old interviews and stories are great. I loved the one about the Dave Mustaine interview!”
_
-
“Awesome Voivod pics! You should join Facebook and post them on their page.
Megadeth + Testament pics = bad ass.”
Sean W.
(The Metal Files Blog)Sean W. + pal Lemmy!
_
-
“Great job you’re doing so far, hope you keep up with it! Can’t get enough of
reading the blog…All the best.”
Stefan Wille
(Metal Page – Germany)
_
-
“Cool site dude… Always glad to see mags and ‘zines dedicated to the 80′s Metal way of life!”
Steven Cannon
(Vibrations of Doom online Magazine)
_
-
“Very cool site with tons of stuff (Toxik, Candlemass & Acid Reign), that brings back memories from my college days!
Rock on…”
Moosejuice
(The Sonic Abyss)
_
-
“F**K!
Those Testament pics you took are AWESOME!!!!!
Wow man, those are just killer shots.
Those pix rule!!”
Tom Trakas
(ex-Midwest Metal Mag. + None But My Own Blog)
A Fanatics Journey In Print & Pictures
_
*I want to take this time to thank all you for reading Demolish online and for making it such an overwhelming success in just 5 short months! We are working hard to continually make Demolish better and to strengthen its overall quality-level.
Stay tuned for a whole grab-bag of entertaining posts, more rare photos, tons of cool reviews and lots of special feature-length interviews (all derived from Issue #1 & 2 of Demolish Fanzine). There’s even been talks of resurrecting the zine’ in the near future (as DEMOLISH A.D.) into a current, legit online magazine! Rock On!
Geoff Tate Discusses… Operation: Mindcrime
Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate
Discusses Operation: Mindcrime
Interview: Bart Kamp
Forward & Translation: Scott Funkhouser
With today’s vast catalog of music, it is becoming increasingly hard for a band to stand out from the pack and bring forth a new spark of unused creativity. Queensrÿche, from Washington have opened the door to that problem throughout their past and have come up with some very progressive and unequaled music. This time around they have really out done themselves with a conceptual (and thought-provoking) vinyl masterpiece entitled: Operation: Mindcrime!
*pic courtesy of A. Gernandt (ex-Shock Power/Germany). Yup, he’s in the middle!
Written as cleverly as Pink Floyd, Yes and King Diamond have done in the past, “Mindcrime” displays Geoff Tate’s extremely imaginative mind. Tate has generated a complete and well-rounded story that any Metal fan (or literature buff) would enjoy, while the band has written tasteful music that fully compliments everything so well.
The album was recorded here in the states at Kajem Victory Studios (Gladwyne, PA.) but they actually mixed the LP at Wisseloord Studios over in Hilversum, Holland this year (1987 – ed). Luckily we have a European correspondent in that area, so we were able to get this exclusive interview with main man/vocalist himself Mr. Tate the very day they finished mixing the project!
Join us as Mr. Bart Kamp discusses the essence of Operation: Mindcrime and clarifies future plans for this advancing unit.
Bart Kamp: Can you please explain the album’s title and what exactly you were trying to carry out this time around with the album?
Geoff Tate: “Explain the title? I’ll tell you a bit about the album first. It’s a conceptual album from beginning to end, with a solemn storyline that follows all the way through. The title is to do with the subject matter of the story, which is a sort of espionage/violence relationship that goes on and it’s to do with revolution, anarchy, terrorist movements and things like that, which are happening now.”
At first I thought that some of the lyrics were about AIDES. Is the subject of AIDES mentioned and or discussed in the story perhaps?
GT: “AIDES, really? I don’t think so. It’s mean to be a look at how prostitution is looked down upon, yet it’s an integral part of our society; it’s like a needed industry. It’s basically a look at prostitution and people using each other for different reasons.”
Mr. Tate Pic © by Bartolomy 1987
How do you think this music compares to your previous album Rage for Order?
GF: “I think the music came out sounding pretty violent and aggressive -probably due to the frustration we were having through the past year of splitting with our management, being out on our own and being severely in debt. You know, trying to make the right decisions. Since that time we’ve got everything sewn up tight. We’ve got a new management deal + a new record contract with EMI and things are looking great!”
The new material is said to have more of a “street level” feeling to it. What made you change from, say, “high-tech”to “street level” per say?
GF: “I don’t know. This one still has a lot of high-tech embellishments in it, but the roots of the songs are all very guitar-oriented…very street oriented, back to the first EP days. It definitely has a high-tech feel because it was recorded and mixed all digitally, so it has a very hard, clean, hi-fi sound to it; but very aggressive. With us, we sort of go through all these changes -one album will be like this, another album will be in another direction. That’s kinda the way we are. We get bored doing the same thing.”
So every album will be a departure from the previous one then?
GT: “Yeah, I think so.”
Do you think Rage for Order was ahead of its time or too early perhaps, say by 2-3 years?
GT: “Too early? You mean that the fans weren’t ready for it?”
Yes, and also in terms of sales, which I think wasn’t as good as expected maybe?
GT: “Well, you always think an albums going to do really well. But we didn’t lose any sales -we actually gained sales on it, but they weren’t phenomenal sales.”
You mentioned you had new management, how did you get in contact with Q-Prime?
GT: “We first came into contact with them back in 93′, when we released our self-titled EP. They called us and said that they were interested in managing us but we had just signed a management deal and we thought we should stick to our contract. When the contract expired, Burnstein & Mensch contacted us again and said they were still interested. We started talking with them and seeing each others viewpoints and ideas and decided that they were the best team to sign with.
Meanwhile, we had lots of offers from all the major management companies around the world, like Smallwood (the people who handle Loverboy), the people who handle Sting -all the major rock people, you know, and it was a difficult decision for us to field all their offers and figure which one was best for us. In the end, we chose Q-Prime because they seemed to be on the same wavelength as us as far as ideas go and what they wanted to do with the band and what they wanted to achieve.”
Will the album concept carry over to the stage in your live performances and will you try to do the entire album?
GT: “Yeah, but because we’ve now got four albums out, we’ll have to do a cross-section of the album so we hit the major areas of the storyline and put them together cohesively. Right now though, it’s still kinda early to say what we’re gonna do for the tour because we’ve concentrated on getting the album out.”
Geoffe Tate Pic © by Bartolomy
It was rumored that you were going to headline the Aardschok Festival (1987), but turned it down because you thought you weren’t big enough.
GT: “The rumor that we were asked is true, but we turned it down because we didn’t have any management at the time and it wouldn’t have been a good business move to take on something of that stature because it’s very expensive.”
Chris Degarmo (pic Bartolomy)
Were you aware of how successful you were when you last appeared here in Arnhem (the central Netherlands -ed) supporting Bon Jovi? After your set, a lot of people left!
GT: “That’s what people have told us, but at the time, we didn’t know.”
QUEENSRYCHE - Live (pic by Bartolomy)
Getting back to the album, how did you come up with the storyline and characters? Is any of the material a reflection of yourself and your own life or is it merely your imagination at work?
GT: “It really has nothing to do with me personally. It should be thought of as an audible film with three main characters and these characters each have their own backgrounds and identities; their own lives. In writing it, I made an outline of each character and when I am singing on the album, it is actually one of the characters speaking.”
The lyrics on The Warning LP are pretty mystical and slightly vague, but they’ve been more straight forward ever since it seems. Could you please elaborate on that and is it because some people do not understand your lyrics and were having trouble interpreting them maybe?
GT: “I think that’s part of it. Sometimes, if you’re too vague people don’t catch on to what you’re saying, so on this album I tried to be a little more concrete in my statements. Very down-to-earth, very street-level and also to fit the story and the characters involved. Nikki, (the main character) isn’t the kind of guy who spouts off philosophical ideas on life…he’s a street kid, so he should speak that way and the lyrics reflect that.”
The album was produced by Peter Collins (Jill Music Limited), why did you change producers on this album?
GT: “When we were ready to start on the album, we were planning on using Neil Kernon again, but he was still involved with the Dokken thing at the time, so we had to look for someone else. Our management suggested Peter Collins because of his reputation -he is considered a top producer.
So he flew out and we talked about the ideas we had for the album and he seemed to be really into it. He organizes very well, he doesn’t mess around with any gizmos and we finished the album today and under budget!”
Where was the album recorded?
GT: “The drums, bass and rhythm guitars were recorded in this huge warehouse used for studio storage in Pennsylvania. Everything else was recorded in Montreal. Of course the mixing was done here in Holland.”
The album is very long -around an hour. Are you worried at all how it will sound on vinyl when pressed?
GT: “Oh, it’ll sound good on vinyl, but it’ll sound great on CD and cassette. Not many people buy albums now, they usually buy CD’s or cassette.”
Before we wrap this up, I’d like to ask you a little about the future plans of Queensrÿche. I hear you were asked to headline the Aardschok Festival again, will you do it this time around and are you planning an American tour?
GF: “It is still up in the air whether or not we will do the festival. We haven’t decided on that yet and unfortunately I am not sure where the tour will start or when we will hit America.”
Thank you for your time and good luck in the future!
GT: “Thank you.”
Check out Operation: Mindcrime because it truly is a masterpiece of work. This album is one of the years best releases and I sincerely urge you to buy a copy no matter what the format! Geoff Tate and the boys are headed to new heights. This could be the album that makes America take more notice of a band that Europe has already fallen in love with!
Band Members:
Geoff Tate – Vocals
Michael Wilton – Guitars
Chris DeGarmo – Guitars/vocals
Eddie Jackson – Bass/vocals
Scott Rockenfield – Drums
*Special Guests: Pamela Moore (vocals on “Suite Sister Mary”)
Produced by Peter Collins
Engineered by James “Jimbo” Barton and Paul Northfield
Mixed by James “Jimbo” Barton
_
Track Listing:
- “I Remember Now” – 1:17
- “Anarchy-X” – 1:27
- “Revolution Calling” – 4:42
- “Operation: Mindcrime” – 4:43
- “Speak” – 3:42
- “Spreading the Disease” – 4:07
- “The Mission” – 5:46
- “Suite Sister Mary” – 10:41
- “The Needle Lies” – 3:08
- “Electric Requiem” – 1:22
- “Breaking the Silence” – 4:34
- “I Don’t Believe in Love” – 4:23
- “Waiting for 22″ – 1:05
- “My Empty Room” (Tate, Wilton) – 1:28
- “Eye’s of A Stranger” – 6:39
“Operation: Mindcrime is widely regarded as one of, if not the most original and groundbreaking conceptual album ever released. Conceived by lead singer Geoff Tate while he was living in Montreal, the album is a tale of revolution, brainwashing, and conspiracy. The songs are all very progressive and Power Metal in vibe, with cold, biting guitar tones.The band showcases its zeal for Heavy Metal with cuts such as “Revolution Calling” and “Speak,” while the epic, more progressive fan will find songs such as “Suite Sister Mary”, “The Mission,” and “Eyes of a Stranger” quite appealing.” – Brian Heaton/Anybody Listening
*The album was remastered and re-released in 2003 with two bonus tracks: live versions of “The Mission” and “My Empty Room” from separate shows in the 1990s.
-
LINKS OF INTEREST
Operation: Mindcrime Wiki Info
Interesting Queensryche Questions & Info
*Misc. Queensryche promo ads & or pics from Anybody Listening (see above link).
**Portions of this Queensryche interview ended up being used in LOUD! zine’ after the demise of Demolish.
*to transport you directly back to 1987 we will continue to keep the language in the posts “present tense” even though this is 2010.
Kinger (ex-SLEEPY TRIP, KURU-AMA drummer), Demolish Mag. Editor/Owner/Publisher etc.
