METAL UP YOUR YING-YANG! Paul Blow picks the hits...
Jul 05 '00 (Updated Oct 12 '07)
The Bottom Line Forget about today's nu-metal and grunge-metal and alternative-metal, this here list is the REAL metal, baby, yeah! The REAL METAL McDEAL!
Heavy metal will put hair on your chest, just ask Paul Stanley! Now, truthfully I don't listen to much heavy metal these days, in fact when I drive I listen to the "Smooth Jazz" radio station. I was never a real metal head, mostly I was a punk rock type. In fact, back in the day, the metal heads and punkers used to get in fights, just over hair length. They really hated each other! Funny thing is, though, that most punk rockers I've known were closet metal heads, and punk rock and heavy metal actually go together quite well. Some of the best metal I've heard has been by punk bands gone metal (Suicidal Tendendies, Corrosion of Conformity)...
But enough of my rambling. Here is my list of the best 10 heavy metal albums of all time...
10) Jag Panzer, "Ample Destruction" - This album was released in 1983, and was Jag Panzer's first and best album. My brother had this album, and we gave it serious play whenever we geared up for the night's punk rock parties! The music is heavy, heavy, and rocking -inspired by Judas Priest, and the lead singer - "the Tyrant" - is hilarious (not on purpose)! The Tyrant sings the highest notes I've ever heard on a metal album, and his 12-inch studded wristbands (complete with nails) put this band over the top and on my list!
9) Overkill, "Overkill" - produced by Spot of Black Flag fame, and released on SST records back in the early '80's, this band is NOT the speedmetal band by the same name, in fact, when this album was reissued on CD a few years back they called themselves "Overkill A.D", or something like that. This is Motorhead style metal, with growling vocals, dirty raw guitar, and some killer-diller songs! The tune "Ladies in Leather" makes this album. I repeat, this is NOT the speedmetal Overkill... these guys are ten times better!
8) Mentors, "You Axed for It" - The Mentors were the funniest, sleaziest metal band ever, and the music actually really rips! Sickie Wifebeater is amazing on the guitar with his metal riffs and speedy licks, and El Duce's perverted vocals and lyrics are freaking hilarious! This album contains the hooded-ones' best songs - I'm talkin' "Sandwhich of Love", "Free Fix", "Four F Club", and "Wine You Dine You Sixty-nine You". With song titles like those, you know the Mentors know how to show the ladies a good time... They say that El Duce died being hit by a train, but I think he actually died PULLING a train!
7) L.A. Guns, "L.A. Guns" - I was attracted to this band mostly because of their cool image - long black hair, tattoos, and lots of black leather. These guys were kind of the ying to Guns N Roses' yang down in L.A., and they are dirty, greasy, sleazy pretty boys. This was their first and best album, and the songs "Sex Action", "Electric Gypsy", and "One More reason" are the standout tracks. After this album, the Guns turned into a total buttrock band. The video for this album is pretty cool too...
6) Suicidal Tendendies, "Lights, Camera, Revolution" - Suicidal Tendencies started out as a skate-thrash punk band, but with this album evolved into total metal headbangers! Rocky George is fantastic on guitar with his amazing lead work, in fact his leads remind me of Warren DiMartini of Ratt. This album contains some of the heaviest riffs I've ever heard, and the lead off song "You Can't Bring Me Down" is a blazing fast crusher that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The only downside is that Mike Muir's lyrics are so DANGED depressing...
5) Megadeth, "Killing is My Business (and business is good) - Ex-Metallica guitarist and super-egomaniac Dave Mustaine's band, also a speed metal band. This was their first album and it RIPS hard! Very heavy and fast, it's one of the best speed metal albums ever made. Too bad Megadeth went downhill after this album...
4) Ratt, "Out of the Cellar" - This is bubblegum metal, sweet and boppy, with metal guitars, awesome leads (by Warren DiMartini), catchy hooks, and one of metal's best singers (Stephen Percy). Someone had the audacity to play "Round and Round" at a punk rock party once, and I was hooked - I've been a big Ratt fan ever since (my friends all laugh at me for that). This is Ratt's best album, 'cause it contains their biggest and best hits - "Round and Round", "Wanted Man", and "Back For More".
3) Metallica, "Kill 'em All!" - I was a punk rocker when I first heard this album. My first reaction was, "I didn't know heavy metal could be so cool!" Indeed, this album turned me onto metal. This album was the one that really started the wave of speed metal bands, and of course Metallica were the kings of speed metal. Metallica has matured now, what with their short haircuts and Italian suits, but I must say that they were one of the few speedmetal bands that didn't turn lame after their first record...
2) Motorhead, "Ace of Spades" - Goshdarnit all, this is the kind of metal I really love - fast, raw and dirty! Motorhead ain't no pretty boys, no way! They play over the top fast and loose RAWK that has inspired and been copied by many bands through the years. Lemmy is the god of the bass! This is Motorhead's finest album, but of course, they never made a BAD album!
1) Anthrax, "Fistfull of Metal" - Anthrax's first and best album. This is total METAL, baby! It's got the riffs, the metal beats, the high-pitched screamin' vocals, and even an Alice Cooper cover ("Eighteen"). This album blew me away the first time I heard it, it's just too bad that they got rid of the singer on this album (Joe Belladonna), 'cause Anthrax went downhill without him. I put this album at number one, because this is what true METAL sounds like... The songs "Deathrider", "Soldiers of Metal", "Metal Thrashin' Mad", and "Death From Above" will rip you a brand new hole, and you will LIKE IT!!! This album should be required listening for anyone wanting to form a metal band...
So there you have it! 'Course, you probably noticed that all these albums were released back in the '80's, but hey - that was the real decade of metal! Now go put on your 12-inch studded wristbands, play some Anthrax, and bang your head 'til your fillings pop out! 'Nuf said...
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