Welcome to the first edition of "The Devil's Advocate". Basically this column is going to stir shit up, more or less. We'll propose some stupid, overdone and/or even thought intriguing subjects for you to mull over and see what happens.
I was on my way to work this morning and was stuck in the 'M's on my iPod. Instead of taking my eyes off of the road for a few minutes to scroll through, I went from Mastodon to Megadeth and for whatever reason, I picked 1992's Countdown To Extinction. It doesn't take me very long to get to work, so I only got through the first three songs, but while heading home from work, I continued to listen and started thinking that this album is so much better than The Black Album in so many ways.
I'm a huge fan of That Metal Show on VH1, and I always watch it On Demand as new episodes appear. This is one I'm really excited about. We haven't heard much about Metallica lately and it's gonna be good to hear what's in the works for the boys.
Rob Liz mentioned earlier in the year that he's excited for Metallica's new release, going under the assumption that it takes them X amount of years to release one album to the next album.
Yep, that's right on this day in metal history one of the greatest metal albums of all time was released. Master of Puppets cemented me as a fan at least for the next few years and cemented Metallica's legacy as the most popular metal band ever.Everything Metallica has done has been in the shadows of Master of Puppets because Puppets was the pinnacle of what this band could achieve musically. More after the jump.
Funny how things shape up over a period of time. I wrote an article back in 2009 on the rumor of the Big Four touring together. You can check that out here. So based on that it looks like i would indeed pay to see this if it came to the states. The bottom line is this, as much shit as we give these guys now, tell me after seeing this video and you're above the age of 30 that this would not be an awesome sight in person.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm an ESP guy. I think of the music I listen to I'm most impressed with the pedigree of rock stars that are sponsored by ESP so I couldn't rightly start this feature off with anything else, right?
For my first Axe of the Month I've chosen a guitar i absolutely love and guitarist who I've worshiped since I was in High School. Let me introduce you to James Hetfield's signature ESP EC; the Truckster. Primer Grey
Black
Here are the stats:
* Set-Neck Construction
* 24.75” Scale
* Mahogany Body
* Maple Top
* Mahogany Neck
* Rosewood Fingerboard
* 42mm Bone Nut
* Thin U Neck Contour
* 22 XJ Frets
* Satin Chrome Hardware
* Sperzel Locking Tuners
* Schaller Straplocks
* Tonepros Locking TOM Bridge & Tailpiece
* EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u.
* Finish: Aged BLKS (Black Satin)
NOTE: Toggle in Upper Position Inactive
Metallica has been a constant for me for most of my adult life and even though sometimes they put out a lemon or two, I'll always stick with them. The incredible music history they've had far outweighs the mis-steps of recent years. It was one of those moments, like when the clouds roll back and you hear the Heavenly Choir, the moment I first opened the 2010 ESP catalog. There it was on the first page Hetfield and his Truckster.
Since I've really immersed myself in music the past few years I've gotten to learn about the guitars themselves and the variety of styles and brands and in time coming up with what I consider the best.
As I've also mentioned before, my guitars of guitars is Gus G's signature EC-600 but I certainly would not say no to owning this beauty. It's got the Les Paul body I love so much and the primer paint and flames gives this guitar a more ballsy look to it.
According to Sam Ash Direct's online site, you too can own this work of art for only $2249.00 but it retails for $2999.00.
Here's a live video of James playing the black Truckster on "The Outlaw Torn"; arguably the best track on Metallica's Load.
So there you have it; my first of hopefully many posts on my favourite guitars in the world. Keep an eye out for future installments where you'll see a metal menagerie of the greatest Axe's out there: today and yesterday.
If you wanna learn more about this guitar, though I'm sure I've given you enough info you'll know this thing backwards and forwards, check out the Truckster on ESP's Site HERE!
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Not many of you may know this I'm a Guitar buff.. A fairly NEW guitar buff, but a fan nonetheless. Many people swear by Zakk Wylde's "Bullseye" Gibson Les Paul or Kerry King's Signature BC Rich Guitars, but for me.. I'm an ESP man... Look at their list of musicians. Thomas Youngblood of Kamelot plays ESP. Hetfield and Hammett play ESP. My girls of Aroarah plays ESP. What's not to love?
So I happened to see that ESP had let the cat out of the bag for some of the 2011 models they'll be unveiling this year at NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants). Anyways, as I was saying, here's a few new signature models from some bad-ass axe-men this year. No wait! Go grab a bib before you get too far down the post!
For those of you who may not know, there are usually 2 or more types of signature guitars per model. The "Signature" which is the most expensive one because it's basically the closest to the actual one played by said guitarist and then there's the "LTD" model which is as close to the signature model as you're going to get.. Still expensive but nowhere near as much. Ok, drool away.
James Hetfield Signature Series ESP and LTD Snakebyte
Kirk Hammett Signature Series ESP KH-2 SE and LTD KH-SE
DevilDriver Signature Series: Jeff Kendrick LTD JK-1 and Mike Spreitzer MS-1.
LTD SLAYER-2011
And though this model came out a few years ago, this is MY dream Guitar, Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne Guitar God, Gus G's Signature ESP LTD 600-EC.
Here's the website for NAMM 2011. Good luck getting to go, it's REALLY hard to get tickets.
If you want more information on ESP, click HERE! And you DO want more information on ESP! They're amazing. I have my EC-50, which is my pride and joy.
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A week or so ago this video went viral of Kirk Hammett inadvertantly punting a kid from the stage. Observe.
Now rumors ran rampant that this was Hetfield's kid. Well that is apparently not true. The metal community also wondered why a child was even on the stage during the set in the first place.More importantly, what the fuck was up with the Snow White costume 2 weeks after Halloween? Here is another angle to see what we mean.
After the jump is the complete explanation by the Metallica camp and a bonus video courtesy of Metal Injection.
Some of you will have seen on YouTube (or read in some reports) that Kirk knocked a small child offstage by kicking a beachball at her. That little lady is the daughter of the stage manager and dressing coordinator, who are fortunate to travel as a family on this tour. She was thoroughly enjoying watching the beachballs drop from the rafters, Kirk was thoroughly enjoying kicking the beachballs off the stage and back into the crowd as has been done every night on the tour, and neither of them saw the other. The poor wee one happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wasn't hurt. She didn't go 'flying several feet into the audience.' And Kirk and she remain good buddies.
That may be all well and good but she looks like a spoiled brat that had no business being up there.
Just like Metallica has no business playing with balloons while playing 'metal'. Though it is funny that Seek and Destroy was being performed at the time of the incident. So as promised, because this is a retarded story here is the bonus video.
By Adam Lambert no less. Kudos to him for getting a mass amount of devil horn's at a pop concert and outing his guitar player (see what I did there?) as a douchebag with no music taste by claiming this is his favorite song. All I know is this isn't doing Metallica any favors in the metal community but I'm probably the only one who cares at this point. Seriously though, anybody that went to any of these shows and was excited because he did a Metallica cover(impress me by doing a Leper Messiah cover)needs to be kicked in the ovaries.Here is the video evidence of Metallica Idol Karaoke after the jump.
Ok, so a while ago, we here at TDM asked you about the worst metal and hard rock covers out there... I hate to say it, but I think the winner was Taylor Swift's collaboration with Def Leppard when they joined her on stage at CMT's Crossroads. It's bad enough having Taylor Swift singing one of your songs, it's worse when you join in on that unholy union. Burn in hell, Swift.
Aaaaaanyways. So, today whilst at work and listening to my iPod, I came across one of my favourite covers (and believe me, I have a lot). So I thought I'd go ahead and ask you out there what are YOUR favourite covers??? Let's keep this themed; I want to know about your fav covers BY metal and hard rock bands of songs that might not particularly be in that Genre. For example: Disturbed' cover of Tears For Fear's classic 80's smash hit "Shout".
So, here are a few of my personal favs. Please feel free to reply with a link to the song so we can hear it, just in case some of our readers don't know it.
It would be a sin if I didn't start this off with pretty much everything Metallica released on their cd "Garage, Inc.". Whether it's taking us back to our childhood and remember the giddiness and wrongness of hearing Metallica's cover of Misfit's sick and twisted song "Last Caress/Green Hell". Even better that than, another song released on Garage Inc., "Mercyful Fate", is probably the baddest mother on that CD, or at least, my personal favourite.
Another pretty amazing cover, for me, is (I've never heard of this band, and will probably never hear of them again) Spiderbait, covering Johnny Cash's "Ghost Riders in the Sky" (for the Ghost Rider soundtrack.)
Here's a gem for you. Korn's cover of Cameo and their Hit "Word Up" (which in itself is a bad-ass song), though I have to admit the video is shite.
Manson's cover of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" is pretty fuckin bad-ass, ya have to admit..
And last, but certainly not least, and I know I'm gonna get a LOT of shit for this, I absolutely love Limp Bizkit's cover of "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who. Yes, Fred Durst is a tool, and he's definitely NOT the greatest singer in the world, but for Limp Bizkit to take an amazing song, and still hold on to the beauty and melancholy of it, and add a little taste of LB's style, without ruining it, is a HUGE plus. I do have to admit that the Speak and Spell or Speak and Say (or whatever the fuck that is part) is fucking stupid. But not stupid enough to ruin the mood of the song. Plus a Douche like Fred Durst gets to make out with Hallie Berry and it's on video?? That's awesome.
So there you have it! Go on and tell us your favs! Do it! Or I'll make you listen to Limp Bizkit again!
This is some seriously funny shit. Ever sing along to a really loud song and you think you're nailing it with spot on pitch and phrasing, and then turn the sound down and you sound like complete shit? No? You lie. Anyways that scenario is exactly how I envision this leak of Hetfield laying down the vocal tracks to Fuel. That song was stupid before but now with 25 percent more stupidity. Enjoy.
While you're enjoying your beer and steaks take a minute to actually honor the troops past and present who have died in order to allow the rest of us to live the kind of lives we want to live. Even if you hate the concept of war these men and women are where most of us would never have the courage to be. Have a safe holiday and a hearty /salute to all of soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
I used to make jokes that Metallica was going to team up with the three tenors on an album. Seeing this video made me say to myself, yeah this could be an inevitable situation. If this was Slayer it would have been hilarious.
Cable Zombie...you're amazing.I found some more stuff. These songs take on a whole new light when you cover them in your style. And it's awesome.
NO REMORSE
PHANTOM LORD
MASTER OF PUPPETS
TRAPPED UNDER ICE
I'm laughing at Trapped Under Ice. It's cool with your spin on it but it's funny because the theme of the song is so happy here. Nice guitar thump there in the middle:)
Some people don't realize just how much talent they really have. Cable_Zombie, a regular commenter here and fellow blogger apparently has done some covers of Metallica songs done in the key of folk with a dash of acoustic. And frankly these covers are amazing. I got chills listening to Battery. Listen to these things and tell her she needs to put out a demo and get approval from the Metallica camp to release an acoustic cover album. I think it's that good.
BATTERY/SANITARIUM
ESCAPE
DYERS EVE
I love how she took the songs that weren't overplayed and are actually better then the more popular songs in my opinion, and made them her own.
Anyways give a shout about these tunes and check out her blog over in the Devilish Bloggers section under No Life til Leatherman.
Go to Blabbermouth and check out Rob Trujillo spilling the beans about a tour being in the works involving the Big 4 of thrash. The initial reaction we can safely say would be " Fuck yeah!". But now that I'm older,would this be as kick ass as say.....20 years ago? Only if all of the bands play stuff up to 1990. Allow me to analyze in the order they should appear.
Anthrax: Most of the key members are still there however Anthrax can not seem to settle on a long term singer and in fact are dipping back in the well to finish their tour by asking John Bush to finish it out. The only way this would work in my mind is by asking Belladonna to come back.
Megadeth: Only Dave remains from the 80's bands and even then it was a revolving door with guitarists and drummers. Ask Dave Ellefson to come back at least and you'd have something there. James Lomenzo might cry but he could go reunite with White Lion in the meantime. Also strategically this is good because it'll put another band on after them to avoid any hard feelings about directly preempting Metallica. Though after 25 years get over it.
Slayer: Probably the most stable lineup of the four throughout the years. All the pieces are already in place and they can just let loose. Get the by now tired crowd pumped back up.
Metallica: Of course these guys are going to headline. I would say bring back Newsted for this but it's really not that important by now. Trujillo can jam the old stuff just as well. What's going to suck is listening to Hetfield mangle the classic killer tunes with his current vocals.
I'm seeing alot of people cry that they want Testament and Overkill and Exodus and Nuclear Assault on the bill too. That in of itself would be a killer tour with just them, but they were not a part of the big 4. They did not break real ground until towards the end of the 80's and by then the Big 4 almost all had released their masterpiece or damn close.
Would I pay to see this tour? If it was set up like I mentioned yes. But if it's patched together with current lineups and set lists from more recent material, probably not. I'd guess the tickets would be between 50 and 200 bucks and for that I'm pretty damn picky about what I want to see.
I want to get this over with so I'm mustering the energy and finishing this out.
25. METALLICA - "...And Justice for All" One of the good ones by them. Suffered from crap production with the bass being replaced with some low end distortion that rattled speakers and gave a muffled sound. Definatly a prog/thrash masterpiece though otherwise.
24. JUDAS PRIEST - "British Steel" More Priest for Greece. Ha! I'm a poet. Catchy but not particularly heavy. I consider this one of the top 3 favorites.
23. PARADISE LOST - "Draconian Times" Considered to be their masterpiece. Interesting that it's so high up on this poll.It doesn't suck but left me bored.
22. DEEP PURPLE - "Machine Head" Ok so Greeks consider influential metal. I'll stop harping on that.
21. AC/DC - "Highway to Hell" I won't stop harping about this though. AC/DC is not metal and never have been. Stop it world.
20. METALLICA - "Kill 'em All" Hello world...we're Metallica and we're going to be the most successful metal band in the world until we go soft in the 90's only to attempt to return to form in 2008.
19. HELLOWEEN - "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I" Really...these guys in the top 20. Ok.
18. METALLICA - "Ride the Lightning" Close second as my favorite album. They mastered their thrash sound here and then expanded later. Personally I think it should be higher.
17. DIO - "Holy Diver" My favorite solo Dio effort. The Greeks love their sword and sorcery, no doubt.
16. MEGADETH - "Rust in Peace" Megadeth's best all around album. Interesting that it's ahead of some of Metallica's greatest albums.
15. GUNS N' ROSES - "Appetite for Destruction" Borderline metal. But yeah I can see it being on this list. Would be a top 5 in the States. G n' R should have stuck with this sound.
13. BLACK SABBATH - "Black Sabbath" Damn...thought this would be in the top 10. All things metal sprung from this.
12. IRON MAIDEN - "Powerslave" This is getting wierd how this is shaping up. I'd rank this lower though a very good album. One of their best.
11. MOTÖRHEAD - "Ace of Spades" More genres sprung from this. Classic stuff.
10. IRON MAIDEN - "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" Top 10 land. And no shit. The most underrated album in the states gets a top 10 in Greece. Wild.I love this album though.
09. BLACK SABBATH - "Paranoid" More Sabbath high up. I guess this ranks higher due to more popular songs then the debut?
08. BLACK SABBATH - "Heaven and Hell" Whoa a Dio fronted Sabbath beats the original and scores of other albums. This would be ranked waaaay lower in the States. Like I said Sword and sorcery ftw in Greece.
07. SLAYER - "Reign in Blood" Slayer ahead of Megadeth and Metallica. I feel like I'm in some alternate dimension. Slayers "we're maturing album".
06. QUEENSRŸCHE - "Operation: Mindcrime" Probably their best but 6th best of all time? Crazy.
05. METALLICA - "Metallica" (a.k.a. Black Album) No no no. Best selling is not the best. Oh well it's not my country.
04. AC/DC - "Back in Black" Moving on now.
03. Judas Priest - "Painkiller" Why do I have this compulsion to call these Greek voters idiots. Are you fucking kidding me? This as the 3rd greatest album of all time? Alright I want to get this done so I'm moving on. What a crock.
02. Iron Maiden - "The Number of the Beast" This doesn't make up for number 3 but yeah a solid choice.
01. METALLICA - "Master of Puppets" Interesting. I wonder what made the Greeks like this album more then any other on the list.It's going to add to my headache so there you go I'm done.
I will never do this again unless it's an American publication. then I can go all out and really lay into people there because I'm familiar with the culture here. And by the way ,Greece a little suggestion. Go listen to some Testament and replace at least Painkiller with that. How could you have everybody on their but Testament? Or more Overkill, listen to more Opeth, and check out Kataonia. Entries from those would have replaced the glaring non metal shit you have on this list.
Oh well at least that country has topless beaches with hot chicks. We don't so what do I know?
25 years ago if someone had said there was going to be a Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and Metallica was going to be inducted, people would of thought that person needed to be institutionalized. This past weekend that very thing happened. However after seeing who in the past have been inducted these days its not quite as surprising since Metallica has only just now after 17 years started playing metal again.
The event wasn't without it's share of drama because Metallica really only exists thanks to the soap opera that follows them on everything. Would they invite Mustaine? Would he accept? Would Newsted show up? Would he play on stage with them? Would Trujillo get jealous if he did? Would Lars say something asinine and stupid?
Well Mustaine was invited but turned it down due to supposedly touring and the inability to get over something that happened decades ago.Newsted showed up and after making the claim that he would play and not Trujillo ended up sharing the stage. Finally you could hear the bass!
For some reason Flea inducted them. And his speech was full of crap. See if you can spot the bullshit in it.
Cliff Burton's Dad was cool and seemed to be at home onstage, though it was sad to see Cliff's mom cry in the audience.
Honestly the best speech came from Newsted. It was open and honest unlike Lars douchebag way of leaning on the podium rambling on and on about his Dad and whatever else. Or Hetfield's creepy interaction with members of the audience.
I will give Hetfield credit though for naming off a list of bands that should have gotten in long before Metallica ever did. But now that they are part of the voting maybe these types of trangressions can be fixed. We'll see. So good for Metallica making it in, it makes up for Madonna last year but for the life of me I cannot see why Run DMC made it. Isn't there a Motown equivalent of this kind of thing?
So 2008 was a pretty damn good year in the metal and hard rock scene. Alot of top name bands released material and while not all of it was good there was some solid stuff out there.
AC/DC(Black Ice):Nice to see them have huge success after all these years. The time was right for some straight forward rock it seems.
Ayreon(01011001)Another prog masterpiece that wraps up the story created way back in '96.
Battlelore(The Last Alliance)Good release from these guys(and gal) but not nearly their best.
Circle II Circle (Delusions of Grandeur)Another solid release from Zak Stevens and crew.
Communic(Payment of Existence)Really good CD but not as good as Conspiracy.
Disturbed(Indestructible)One of the only nu metal bands I enjoy everything they've done.
Dragonforce(Ultra Beatdown)More of the same from these guys. Couldn't get past the fact it seems they stayed with the same formula to capitalize on the sales boost they got thanks to Guitar Hero.
Guns n'Roses(Chinese Democracy)What more could be said. Probably the biggest flop not of the year but ever. After all the rumors,changed release dates and just plain years of waiting on this, there were debut albums that were better then this mess.
Jon Oliva's Pain(Global Warming)Disappointed in this. The previous albums were dead ringers for Jon Oliva's days with Savatage but by the time this came out I was sick to death of preachy save the world, stop the war albums.The whole CD is just one big message that we've heard before over the last 8 years.
Judas Priest(Nostradamus)We get it Rob, this is an epic album. No need to sing each and every song like it is a 80's power metal song. Probably the most overrated release of the year to me.
Lordi(Deadache)Yeah I know I suck for liking these guys. But I do so tough shit. Nothing new here just good old fashioned hard rock with trick or treaters playing the music.
Metallica(Death Magnetic)The other big story of the year. The first few listens were refreshing compared to the last few releases but I know this will wear on me over time in fact it already has. Lars get rid of the crap kit you use and go back to the gear you had on Master or even the Black album. And mix the bass better. Five years Trujillo has been with you guys and you finally release something with him on it and I can barely hear the bass. Listen to your fans about the production and remaster or remix this thing and you will pull in more of the fans you guys lost over the past decade.
Opeth(Watershed)Excellent album. The perfect balance between heavy and mellow. In fact the mellow songs on here are the best since Damnation. The concert I went to for them was kick ass too.
Sabaton(The Art of War)Pretty meh album compared to Primo Victoria or Attero Dominatus.
Scar Symmetry(Holographic Universe)Superb release. Tainted because of the knowledge that Christian is no longer the vocalist. I don't get into too much growling but his is the perfect tone and pitch for me. Pretty sure the next release from them with two singers is going to be average at best.
Testament(Formation of Damnation)After 9 years what a comeback. This album is how thrash should be played and should be the template for all bands that play this genre of metal. They brought back alot of old crew and it showed as it's the best selling CD they have ever had.
Warrel Dane(Praise to the War Machine)Highly overlooked album. Some great great songs on here. It does take a few pages from Nevermore but that's a good thing. His singing on the cover of Lucretia gives me chills. Supposedly late 2009 will be the new Nevermore album. Can't wait.
I've been perusing some of my sites to try and get an idea of who is releasing stuff this year. I'm anticipating Megadeth, Dream Theater, and hopefully Nevermore coming out with stuff this year. I'm not expecting a big year but here's hoping it will be a good one nonetheless.
Ok, so I've been sitting on this for a couple of weeks now. I wanted to make sure that my brain registered exactly what I thought of this record before posting.
I like the cd. Is it the best of the year? No. Is it the best Metallica album ever? No. Is it the best Metallica album in a long time? Yes. I would actually rank it above the Black album but thats as far as I'll go. Their true creative genius passed away in 1986 and Justice had alot of carryover from Burton's time in the band.
What we have is a album by middle age thrashers trying to prove that they can still rock with the best of them after years of experimentation and missteps. And most of the time they succeed. Many of the tracks remind me of aspects of the classic 80's albums. There is still the occasional Load era sound but it gets overshadowed pretty quickly.
What this cd has going for it is the return of the guitar solo, Hetfield's voice almost being able to handle thrash phrasing like in the old days, and the return of the signature changes that made them so popular in the 80's.
I'm not going to nitpick the hell out of this though like so many have done across other boards but I will say that this a welcome attempt at a return to form. Clean up the production on the next cd and stick with the forumla and it will go a long way for them to be "forgiven" for past indiscretions.
