Great Metal Albums of 1990: D.R.I.- Thrash Zone

Here’s another band whose name I heard some but never listened to them, D.R.I., which is short for Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. Therefore, their discography from the 1980s is going on my list of albums I missed out the first time around. That list is growing. For now, though, let’s concentrate on their album, “Thrash Zone,” which actually came out in 1989 but I knew nothing about it until 1990.

While it’s true that people are quick to correlate an album title with the actual music, sometimes, they’re way off on that but “Thrash Zone” is exactly what it says, over forty-eight minutes of pure thrash metal. While this band never achieved mainstream success, some say they were a catalyst for bands like Suicidal Tendencies, Nuclear Assault and Corrosion of Conformity. They thrashed their way through the golden decade with “Thrash Zone” being their most successful album. The track, “Beneath the Wheel” was released as a single and got same play on MTV. This is probably down to the fact they slow down to Metallica speed for this song.

Most of the rest of the tracks streak through at speeds where if you blink you might miss them. “Labeled Uncurable” is a good example. Even with seemingly slower intros like on “Strategy,” a candidate for hidden gem, as is “Enemy Within,” the song explodes into a lovely mess of madness with lead singer, Kurt Brecht, screaming “Strategy.”However, the hidden gem award goes to “Gun Control.” I think it could have been released as a single, just to piss off the NRA because the song is actually about gun control. Proof you can talk politics while have a good thrashing mosh.

Listening to D.R.I,, I can say that Kurt’s vocals are definitely a best fit for the pounding mad power chords and he’s back up by a good rhythm section and includes the rhythm guitar of Spike Cassidy. However, I am disappointed with the lack of shredding on the songs. On several songs, I wait for a mad guitar solo but it doesn’t come or they’re not long enough. Note, this is a personal issue and doesn’t really detract from anyone who uses this album to seek out a mosh pit.

Track Listing:

1. Thrashard
2. Beneath the Wheel
3. Enemy Within
4. Strategy
5. Labeled Uncurable
6. You Say I’m Scum
7. Gun Control
8. Kill the Words
9. Drown You Out
10. The Trade
11. Stand in Line
12. Give a Hoot
13. Worker Bee
14. Abduction

Note: “Labeled Uncurable” and “You Say I’m Scum” were bonus tracks on the CD

Kurt Brecht- vocals

Spike Cassidy- guitar

John Menor- bass

Felix Griffin- drums

There is a reason why I posted Megadeth, Slayer, Suicidal Tendenics and D.R.I. in succession. Although, I never went to the gig, young family and all that, I saw an ad for these four bands playing at Wembley Arena on the “Clash of the Titans” tour. This must have been an excellent show! Now, I know the poster says Testament were on the bill and this is why I’m scratching my head. It might be 35 years ago but I am sure I saw D.R.I. on the bill instead of Testament. Was there a last minute change? Google or Wikipedia aren’t very forthcoming on the matter. Still, maybe that’s even more reason to enjoy the mad thrash of “Thrash Zone.”

Next post: Destruction- Cracked Brain

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: Suicidal Tendencies- Lights…Camera…Revolution

If Suicidal Tendencies hadn’t blown audiences away when I saw them at Download in 2017 and then Bloodstock the following year, they might have been in my list of American bands who didn’t make it in the UK. I say this because it’s only now that I discovered they put out albums on 1988 and 89 and they will go on my list of albums missed for a post in the future. Fortunately, I did know they had an album in 1990 and “Lights…Camera…Revolution” is one to definitely talk about.

Mike Muir and Co, Download 2017

With “Lights…Camera…Revolution,” Suicidal Tendencies went from crossover punk/thrash more to straight forward thrash, or so it seems. True, the first two tracks of the album take me back to their iconic self-titled debut album from 1983. I now remember them opening with their live show with the opening track, “You Can’t Bring Me Down,” and it was just as ferocious recorded as it was live.

Another great thing about ST is that they know how to make thrash fun. “Alone” is a real fun song but it’s still manic thrash and like so many of their songs, there’s a mental health theme in the lyrics. It’s about a person who’s on their own asking for help. After the first three thrash songs, they go more funk with “Lovely.” For me, it’s another throw back to the debut where they do change things up quite a bit and let me say that Rocky George plays a nice guitar solo. The best way to sum up the song is possibly Red Hot Chilli Peppers gone thrash.

Things return to a more thrash direction, accompanied by a screaming guitar hook from Rocky on “Give It Revolution” and in spite of the Mexican horn intro, the speed increases even further on “Get Whacked.” This one is absolutely manic thrash metal here, definitely one for the mosh pit and I love how Mike’s vocals and Rocky’s guitar trade off at one point.

If you want yet another song which rips the piss out of TV evangelists, then “Send Me Your Money” is your song. It totally reflect how some of those evangelists work, saying they had a message from God for their congregation to send them their money. It’s not thrash, more of a hard rock/blues but it’s a brilliant song and the cool bassline from Robert Trujillo makes it even better. “Send Me Your Money” was released as a single and got some airplay on MTV. That leaves me to find the hidden gem, which happens to be, “Disco’s Out, Murder’s In.” It starts in more of a traditional metal fashion but after Mike shouts out, “Extra, extra, read all about it,” it goes more manic thrash. It’s so fast and furious at that point I can never fathom why murder replaced disco. I always thought metal did that. “Go’n Breakdown” ends the album in true Suicidal form.

Track Listing:

1. You Can’t Bring Me Down
2. Lost Again
3. Alone
4. Lovely
5. Give it Revolution
6. Ge Whacked
7. Send Me Your Money
8. Emotion 13
9. Disco’s Out, Murder’s In
10. Go’n Breakdown

Mike Muir- lead vocals

Rocky George- lead guitar, backing vocals

Mike Clark- rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Robert Trujillo- bass, backing vocals

R.J. Herrera- drums

For me, “Lights…Camera…Revolution” is the best Suicidal Tendencies album since their debut. It reminds me of everything I love about this band.

Next post: D.R.I.- Thrash Zone

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: Slayer- Seasons in the Abyss

Further evidence which proves my insanity: Hair metal might have been on the way out but the same couldn’t be said for thrash. Then again, it would never go down without a fight, it’s not in the nature of thrash. I put forward the first piece of evidence to the fact in my last post of Megadeth’s “Rust in Peace” album. Now that evidence is truly solidified with Slayer and their “Seasons in the Abyss” album.

What I find great about the album is that it has the perfect opening and closing tracks, something many albums don’t quite have. “War Ensemble” brings in total mayhem, it’s loud and brash and would have people looking for a mosh pit. The ferocity here is unmatched. I read somewhere that the US Army suggested that the song was played to troops before they went into battle. As for the closer, “Seasons in the Abyss,” it isn’t nearly as furious as the opener but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a little melodic in some places but in no way does the power of Slayer diminish. It ends the album perfectly.

Now for the eight tracks in between, if I was to score “War Ensemble” on a scale of 1-100 on its ferocity, I would give it 100. The other eight songs would be scored between 96-99 because they all keep the mania going all the way through. Tom’s vocals are as good as ever, he’s not a melodic singer but he was never meant to be. His barks and growls add a fierceness to the tracks which can’t be duplicated. He makes lyrics like on “Spirit in Black,” Feed me all your hatred, empty all your thoughts to me, I can fill your emptiness with immortality,” sound like he can really do it. And the way he sings it on “Expendable Youth,” I might think that death is the only solution. Tom makes it sound that convincing.

Sharing the spotlight with Tom are guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Many metal bands have twin guitarists who can trade off solos and do so very well but Jeff and Kerry have taken it to an even higher plane. Two prime examples of this are on the tracks, “Blood Red” and “Dead Skin Mask.” The sad aspect is that while most in the metal world will agree with me on these two guitarists, the so-called mainstream refuses to do so.

With so many fast and furious songs on “Seasons of the Abyss,” it was hard to find a hidden gem around so many gems. The opener and the closer were released as singles and actually got more airplay on MTV than ever before. After several listens, the hidden gem has to be “Skeletons of Society.” It’s the catchy but pounding intro supported by a cool lead guitar hood clinch it. It’s not as fast as the other tracks but in this case, it’s a good thing because you get to appreciate all of the hooks.

Track Listing:

1. War Ensemble
2. Blood Red
3. Spirit in Black
4. Expendable Youth
5. Death Skin Mask
6. Hallowed Point
7. Skeletons of Society
8. Temptation
9. Born of Fire
10. Seasons in the Abyss

Slayer

Tom Araya- bass, vocals

Kerry King- guitar

Jeff Hanneman- guitar

Dave Lombardo- drums

Next post: Suicidal Tendencies- Lights…Camera…Revolution

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: Megadeth- Rust in Peace

History has since proven otherwise but back in 1990, one might have been inclined to think that Iron Maiden and Megadeth were two bands heading in opposite directions. The last few Maiden albums weren’t as mind-blowing as their first few albums. On the last post, some of you were of the opinion that “No Prayer for the Dying” was Iron Maiden’s worst album. On the other hand, a lot of people consider “Rust in Peace” Megadeth’s best album. I await your views on that claim. In any case, I’m glad that history proved the doomsayers wrong.

Before recording “Rust in Peace,” Megadeth went through some issues with the band having to pull out of the European Monsters of Rock tour in 1988 on account of bassist Dave Ellefson’s drug problems and Dave Mustaine firing guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler and replacing them with what is now considered the most stable and classic Megadeth lineup, Marty Friedman on guitar and Nick Menza on drums. That could be a very good reason why the album is so good.

It only seems with thrash bands where an album opener is my favourite track on the album. This is the case with “Holy Wars.” Dave got the inspiration for the song while playing in Northern Ireland and seeing the strife between the Catholics and Protestants there. I just wonder he applies the lyrics to other ‘holy wars’ as well. For me, the lyrics “Brother against brother, man against man, killing for religion is something I don’t understand,” should be echoed throughout the world. But it’s not only the lyrics, that intro is definitely ear catching and the band’s ability to speed up and slow down is not matched by many other bands. Plus the guitar solo is excellent and that always helps.

However, it’s not just religion and politics which get addressed in the album. “Hangar 18” is about aliens at Roswell, New Mexico and it’s also done different to what’s considered basic Megadeth. It’s slower, not a ballad mind you, but not the thrash metal which Megadeth are famous for. With that said, it’s still a great song, I only wish Wikipedia let me know if it’s Dave or Marty who does the guitar solos on which songs, this one in particular.

Full on thrash returns on “Take No Prisoners” and the song lives up to the title, yes, I know it’s cliche. “Five Magics” starts with a slower intro before building up into full thrash. I love the trade off between Dave’s vocals and the lead guitar. Then, after the shred, it takes another turn where Dave has a vocal trade off with an unknown voice before the song goes to its brilliant conclusion and that makes it the hidden gem. Another contender for that coveted spot was “Poison Was the Cure.” It might be less than three minutes in length but after starting slowly it builds up to packing a powerful punch.

The album slows down some on “Lucretia,” at least by Megadeth standards. It’s a decent mid tempo number with some great power chords and a blistering solo. This is another song where I want to know which guitarist is shredding because it’s the best guitar solo on the album. Although never released as a single, “Tornado of Souls” is considered one of the highlights in the band’s discography. I can hear why, whenever I hear it, I want to find a mosh pit.

My question is: Is “Dawn Patrol” a misstep? It’s definitely different and at less than two minutes, I might question it being on the album. However, debate aside, it doesn’t detract from the album and with the closer, “Rust in Peace…Polaris” makes you forget any misstep. Dave got the idea for a song from a bumper sticker which said, “Polaris missiles, rust in peace.” It’s definitely an anti-nuclear missile theme and the music to it makes it an ideal closer.

Track Listing:

1. Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
2. Hangar 18
3. Take No Prisoners
4. Five Magics
5. Poison Was the Cure
6. Lucretia
7. Tornado of Souls
8. Dawn Patrol
9. Rust in Peace…Polaris

Megadeth

Dave Mustaine- lead vocals, guitar

Marty Friedman- guitar

David Ellefson- bass, backing vocals

Nick Menza- drums, backing vocals

Reading all the accolades “Rust in Peace” received, it’s no wonder people consider Megadeth’s best album. Although in my world, it still gets competition from “Peace Sells But Who’s Buying,” but that debate is for another day. This is one power packing album.

Next post: Slayer- Seasons in the Abyss

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: Iron Maiden- No Prayer for the Dying

Well, I survived the triple shift over the weekend, actually, it wasn’t that bad as two of the most challenging service users weren’t there. One is on a home visit and the other is in hospital, don’t worry, he’s fine now. Now I can get on with the important things like Iron Maiden’s “No Prayer for the Dying” album.

First, the behind the scenes history, this was the first album to feature new guitarist Janick Gers, who replaced Adrian Smith. Janick had proved himself worthy on Bruce Dickinson’s solo album, “Tattooed Millionaire,” so as far as I was concerned, it was business as usual for Iron Maiden. Unfortunately, I have to jump on the bandwagon and agree with those who say that “No Prayer For the Dying” isn’t Iron Maiden’s best album. It does pale to classics like the debut, “Killers,” “Piece of Mind” and “Powerslave,” but there is still quite a bit to like about the album.

Starting with the obvious, at least in my eyes, the album produced Maiden’s only number one single, “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter.” This was in spite of it being banned by the BBC. The song was written by Bruce Dickinson with the intention of being used on the soundtrack for “Nightmare on Elm Street 5,” however, Steve Harris liked the song so much, he insisted it be recorded by the band and as history shows, it was the right choice. Amusing thought: I haven’t seen any evidence of the song being released in the US. Was this because of a possible backlash from the Jesus freaks there?

My song for the album is “Holy Smoke” because it pokes fun at TV evangelists and those who use religion for monetary gain. With that said, it is done in true Iron Maiden fashion, especially with the guitar solo. As for the rest of the album, the songs are good but not spectacular. I wouldn’t dismiss any song from it and one must remember, this is Iron Maiden. There are a lot of bands who could only dream of putting out an album as good as this one. Conclusion: The band had set such a high bar with their earlier albums, that this one couldn’t quite reach it.

A perfect example of what I mean is the opening track, “Tailgunner.” It is as good a song as any done by Iron Maiden but as far as an opener goes, it doesn’t set the bar of other album openers like “Aces High.” Of course, there is a hidden gem here and that happens to be “Run Silent Run Deep.” As some of you might have guessed, I have a thing for songs which start with an acoustic intro before exploding into full metal madness and Iron Maiden does this superbly here. Also in true IM form, history forms the basis of the songs as it’s about U-boats attacking convoys in World War 2, nicely done. The closer, “Mother Russia” fulfills its task as such very well.

Track Listing:

1. Tailgunner
2. Holy Smoke
3. No Prayer for the Dying
4. Public Enema Number One
5. Fates Warning
6. The Assassin
7. Run Silent Run Deep
8. Hooks in You
9. Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter
10. Mother Russia

Iron Maiden

Bruce Dickinson- lead vocals

Dave Murray- guitar

Janick Gers- guitar

Steve Harris- bass

Nicko McBrain- drums

Additional Musicians:

Michael Kenney- keyboards

In case my American friends didn’t get the opportunity first time around.

While it doesn’t quite reach the bar set by the earlier classics, “No Prayer for the Dying” is still a good album. A lot of bands would still kill to put out and album even as good as this.

Next post: Megadeth- Rust in Peace

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: Alice in Chains- Facelift

Warning: This post might offend some people. However, I must be perfectly honest, see, I never really got into grunge back in the 1990s. Maybe it was because even then, I was already a dinosaur still living in the golden decade of heavy metal. The only grunge album I owned, which was given to me as a Christmas present in 1993, was Pear Jam’s “VS” album and it didn’t have me seeing skyrockets when I listened to it. Therefore, I didn’t listen to grunge all that much. Sure, I knew Nirvana and others through the hits but that’s it.

Linking this post with the above, throughout the 1990s and beyond, I knew the name Alice in Chains and probably heard a few of their songs but never really listened to them. With that said, Alice in Chains and the grunge movement are a part of our history, so I will give it their due here. Now with my rambling over, I can move onto the debut album from the band, “Facelift.” Like Pearl Jam, I didn’t dislike it but it did take a few listens before I could really comment on it. It’s an okay album but doesn’t float my boat.

From a historical point, “Facelift” was the first grunge album to go gold and break the Top 50 in the US album charts. Therefore, it can be said that the album opened the door for the bands which would follow on. However, with my weird mind, if the word grunge hadn’t been thrown around so much back then, I would have called the album, doom metal. It does have that depressing feel to it and Layne Staley’s vocals fit that feel very well. It’s one of those albums you play when you’re not feeling yourself but still want to rock out but mainstream metal, thrash or power metal won’t do it for you because you just want to be alone with your thoughts. Trust me, there were times in my life when it would have been a perfect time to listen to it. The track, “I Can’t Remember” is more likely to make me slice my wrists than any track on Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album. “Love, Hate, Love” might be another candidate.

In spite of what I have just written above, “Love, Hate, Love” is one of the standout tracks on the album. I got to be careful here but if I did want to end it all, it would be the perfect song to do so. Note: I’m being sarcastic and wouldn’t want anyone to take me literally. This track, along with “Man in the Box” and “Sea of Sorrow” revealed that Jerry Cantrell is a pretty good guitarist. He plays some good solos on all three and does some cool riffs on my vote for hidden gem, “It Ain’t Like That.” It has a doom metal vibe but it’s still quite upbeat and the performance of the rhythm section is particularly noteworthy. Speaking of other standout tracks, “Bleed the Freak,” which was released as a single, ticks that box. Another song to note is “Sunshine” which was written as a tribute to Jerry’s mother who died in 1987. In fact, the second half of the album is a little less depressing than the first.

Track Listing:

1. We Die Young
2. Man in the Box
3. Sea of Sorrow
4. Bleed the Freak
5. I Can’t Remember
6. Love, Hate, Love
7. It Ain’t Like That
8. Sunshine
9. Put You Down
10. Confusion
11. I Know Somethin’ (Bout You)
12. Real Thing

Alice in Chains

Layne Staley- lead vocals

Jerry Cantrell- guitar, backing vocals

Mike Starr- bass, backing vocals

Sean Kinney- drums, percussion, backing vocals, piano

I couldn’t really get absorbed into the grunge scene back in the 90s and it doesn’t really resonate with me now. This does not stop “Facelift” from being a good album, it’s just not one I’d reach for when I’m feeling very happy. On another note, it would probably be a well suited for listening to when making a long drive home from a concert.

Next post: Iron Maiden- No Prayer for the Dying

Message: I will be working a 72 hour shift from Saturday till Tuesday, (I get paid to sleep in) so it will be a week before I post again.

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition giving Bruce Dickinson his knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Great Metal Albums of 2025: Eclipsera- The Era Beyond the Eclipse

With the changing times and the advancement in technology, it’s not surprising that AI generated music would come to pass. Now, I’m not going to get into a debate on the subject, but I was privileged to hear the album from Eclipsera, “The Era Beyond the Eclipse,” compliments of John Neff, who writes a blog called The Realistic Juggernaut.

Because the album is AI generated, there is no band line up, the album was put together by John with the help of his crew. He is passionate about what is happening in the world around us, governments, liberties at risk and our personal lives being stolen by hackers to name just a few. On the twenty songs which make up the album, we are warned about all what is happening around us but to some really good heavy metal music.

My only complaint and this is just a personal issue, is that there aren’t any great guitar solos on it. Is that something AI isn’t capable of doing? With that said, the songs have passion and the metal guitar chords accentuate that passion. However, with 20 songs, it is sometimes hard to choose standout tracks, especially when John posted about the album on his blog, he posted six sample tracks, all of which are very good. However, I do endeavor to pick a favorite from those six and that is “Velvet Suits and Poison Tongues.” The song, of course, is a real head banger but at the same time, warns us about corporations and their double dealing. “Whispers in White Coats” is a brilliant track too.

It’s only in the past day I have finally received the full album, which I am listening to. “Heaven’s Fire” and “Echoes of the War” are brilliant tracks but “Puppets on the Wire” is even better. As I listen to the album, the songs keep getting better. Then some of the songs which he featured in his post are down at the end, so there is a lot to look forward to on the album.

Track Listing:

1. Drums of War
2. Behind the Lens
3. Thrones of Ashes
4. Voices in Chains
5. Whispers in White Coats
6. Court of Thieves
7. Heaven’s Fire
8. Echoes of the War
9. Puppets on the Wire
10. Beneath the Skin
11. Hollow Kings
12. The Rebels Mark (Standing in the Face of Defiance)
13. Engines of War
14. Through the Blame
15. Through the Ashes
16. Velvet Suits and Poison Tongues
17. Ghosts in the Screen
18. Still We Stand
19. Whispers Behind the Doors
20. Ashes of the Hourglass

Here’s some of the sample tracks John features:

Have a listen to these and let me know what you think and hopefully you will like it and download the album. I have found “The Era Beyond the Eclipse” a brilliant, topical metal album. John’s son is an accomplished guitarist and drummer and this album makes me want to hear what his son may come out with in the future.

Next post: Alice in Chains- Facelift

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: Extreme- Extreme II: Pornograffitti

Here’s the funny aspect when a band releases a single which turns out to be a huge hit but the rest of the album sounds a lot different. This was what happened with a former teaching colleague of mine. He bought the “Extreme II: Pornograffitti” album solely on the hit, the acoustic ballad, “More Than Words.” The song was a huge hit for Extreme, going number one in five countries and number two in the UK. However, what my colleague quickly discovered, to his dismay, was that the rest of the album was pretty much a heavy metal album and not being a metalhead, regretted buying it. I never regretted it.

“More Than Words” was the only acoustic ballad on the album but not the only ballad. “When I First Kissed You” could have been recorded by Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra back in the 1950s or 60s. It has that club, swing feel to it. Penultimate track, “Song For Love,” is more of a power ballad, more of what you would have expected if you hadn’t first heard the other two ballads. Nuno nails a killer guitar solo indicative of a good power ballad on it. Both are well done.

For the heavy metal purists out there, the only tracks I would call ‘proper metal,’ is the opener, “Decadence Dance” and the title track. The former does the job of an opener and grabs your attention for the ride. As for the title cut, I had heard it, along with “More Than Words,” so I know that it was going to be a metal album.

As for the rest of the album, I still call it metal but many of the songs bring a lot of funk and swagger to the party. The use of horns on “Lil’ Jack Horny” is brilliant, well done for the band on that one. “When I’m President” adds a bit of a rap to it, adding another dimension to things. Then there’s the second single, “Get the Funk Out.” This could have been an Earth, Wind and Fire” song straight out of the 1970s. Again, there is a good use of horns and the backing vocals are phenomenal. On the other hand, I regret looking at the credits to the album because I saw that blues guitar legend, Pat Travers, adds backing vocals. That’s well and good but can you imagine how much better the song would have been if he was allowed to play guitar on it as well?

Pat Travers

Maybe Extreme realized their mistake because on the hidden gem, “He Man Woman Hater,” the guitar intro and outro is laid down by one Dweezil Zappa. I said when I posted his debut album, that Dweezil, like his father, has his guitar talents overlooked. He can play but so can guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, so one can imagine how great the guitar work is on the song. Another standout track for me “Suzi (Wants Her All Day What)” and “Money (IN God We Trust)” straddles the line between mainstream metal and funk very well. With all that said, it’s no wonder this album was such a hit.

Track Listing:

1. Decadence Dance
2. Lil’ Jack Horny
3. When I’m President
4. Get the Funk Out
5. More Than Words
6. Money (In God We Trust)
7. It (‘s a Monster)
8. Pornograffitti
9. When I First Kissed You
10. Suzi (Wants Her All Day What)
11. He Man Woman Hater (Includes the Intro from “Flight of the Bumblebee”)
12. Song For Love
13. Hole Hearted

Extreme

Gary Cherone- lead and backing vocals

Nuno Bettencourt- guitar, backing vocals, piano, percussion

Paul Badger- bass, backing vocals

Paul Geary- drums, percussion

Additional Musicians:

Barbra Glyn- backing vocals (track 1)

Pat Travers- backing vocals (track 4)

Jeanine Moultrine- backing vocals (track 10)

Dweezil Zappa- guitar (track 11)

Lil’ Jack Horn Section- horns (tracks 2 and 4)

In 1990 and 91 as well, Extreme were on top of the music world with “Extreme II: Pornograffitti).” “More Than Words” definitely helped but this was an album with plenty of swagger which would have been just as good if the big single wasn’t on it.

Next post: Eclipsera- The Era Beyond the Eclipse

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: The Great Kat- Beethoven on Speed

Some things just happen to fall into place very nicely. I didn’t consciously plan to post The Great Kat after Vixen, but it turned out that way when I wrote my list for 1990 albums. This turned out to be a good thing because while I spoke out about the sexism in heavy metal at the time and how Vixen were victims of it, the same could be said about The Great Kat.

When most people think of thrash metal bands, they usually get the picture of four or five greasy, unkempt, leather clad men. The Great Kat definitely does not fit that picture, in fact, from what I have seen, I think she performs in bra and panties. Note: I follow her on X and see lots of photos of her dressed accordingly. However, this is beside the point, the real point is that she can hold her own with many of the great thrash metal bands which were around at the time. Like I pointed out quite a lot when I posted about her previous album, “Worship Me or Die,” she can shred on the guitar and she carries it on with this album, “Beethoven on Speed.”

Very rarely does an album title actually fit the album so well. She takes Beethoven and some other works from classical composers and thrashes them out. There are two version of Beethoven’s Fifth, the opening title cut where she just lays down the fast power chords behind some interesting lead guitar work. Then she does it again on “Beethoven’s Mosh.” If you ever wanted to form a mosh pit to a Beethoven song, then this would be the perfect one for it.

There are a total of nine instrumentals on the album and all done in a thrash metal style, paying tribute to some of the great classical composers. True, she does play the violin on some of them and that adds to the flavour. My personal favourite is her rendition of Nikolai Rimsky-Karsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee.” She takes this classic and just shreds her way through it, on the guitar of course. “Guitar Concerto in Blood Minor” is a killer track too and she does play a mean violin on “Sex and Violins.”

Moving onto the seven songs where she does sing, Kat breaks down a stereotype there as well. Unlike some male thrash singers, she does have a melodic voice. She doesn’t need to scream although she sometimes does, like on “Kat Abuse.” Even then her shredding on the guitar takes over. For me, this is further evidence that female musicians, especially lead guitarists, weren’t taken seriously back then.

Another reason why the album title is so appropriate is down to the fact that it consists of sixteen songs played in less than half an four. Beethoven might have been on speed but so was The Great Kat. Yes, you might blink and miss a song but the power chords and shredding hold your attention to the point of making that difficult.

Track Listing:

1. Beethoven on Speed
2. Ultra-Dead
3. Flight of the Bumblebee
4. Revenge Mongrel
5. Funeral March
6. Kat Abuse
7. God
8. Made in Japan
9. Sex and Violins
10. Beethoven’s Mosh
11. Gripping Obsession
12. Paginini’s 24th Caprice
13. Worshiping Bodies
14. Guitar Concerto in Blood Minor
15. Total Tyrant
16. Bach to the Future (For Geniuses Only)

The Great Kat

Kat- vocals, guitar, violin, synthesizer

When I posted about The Great Kat’s “Worship Me Or Die” album, my good buddy 1537 said that he saw an interview with her and she came across as a bit of an asshat. Since I have no reason to doubt him, I will just stick to listening to her albums and “Beethoven on Speed” is one I will listen to again.

Next post: Extreme- Pornograffitti

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Great Metal Albums of 1990: Vixen- Rev It Up

Warning: I’m about to get on my soap box and have a little rant. It should not have taken till the end of the golden decade of heavy metal for an American all female metal band to emerge. Britain was way ahead of the US in this respect because in the early part of the decade, they rocked out to Girlschool and even had one album wonders, Rock Goddess, while in the US, we had the Go Gos, which were pop rock but nowhere near metal. I can only offer theories as to why this was the case but they would only be that. However, as usual, I welcome opinions from others on the topic. Rant over.

Vixen came on the scene with their self titled debut album in 1988, which I did write a post about, and followed it with this, “Rev It Up” album in 1990. My initial thought on the album was that Vixen were looking for a little more commercial success with the adding of keyboards on some of the songs. “Not a Minute Too Soon,” while a nice rock tune, was still an attempt at radio airplay. Likewise, the opening title cut. With a title like “Rev It Up,” one might be inclined to think that it’s going to be a total burner and it could have been so if it hadn’t been for the use of keyboards. If they had not used those and turned the guitars up a little more, this song would have grabbed me by the throat til its end. With that said, it’s still an okay song.

Now it’s time to share a personal story in connection with probably the best song on the album, “How Much Love.” Although I had known the song for years, the lyrics hit me big time in 2001. The new millennium wasn’t a good year for me in the ways of love. My first marriage ended in the early part of the year but a few months later, I did meet someone else and thought things were going well. However, at the end of the year, she didn’t want a relationship and ended things but then a month later, wanted to get back together again. While we did, I was very cautious in how things were going. Then one day, the song came on and the line, “How much love is going to take to prove I’m not another heartache?” gave me the encouragement I needed and I did commit more to the relationship. It lasted three years but this song had an influence on me and it stayed with me a few years after when I met Mrs. 80smetalman. Okay, the story’s over, you can wake up now.

Like with many great metal albums, there is the ‘token ballad’ and “Love is a Killer” is one hell of a power ballad. Let’s go to some of the proper metal tunes which are on this album and the one that stands out for me is, “Hard 16.” That song just rocks! There are keyboards in the song but they support and don’t take over. The guitars take over the song as does the great vocals of Janet Gardner and the backing vocals are done really well and while I probably should have done so earlier, I’ll use this as the opportunity to say what a great shredder Jan Kuhnemund is. She also delivers a blinder on “Fallen Heroes.” With that said, “Streets in Paradise” and “Bad Reputation” really cook as well.

Thinking about it more, I will offer one theory as to why it took so long for an all female metal band to come to the forefront of metal. Yes, it was down to sexism. I have said in the past that female lead guitarists weren’t taken seriously back in the 1980s, citing Lita Ford and Kelly Johnson (Girlschool) as prime examples. Furthermore, although Gina Schock (the Go Gos) gave lady drummers an air of respectability, I believe Roxy Petrucci never got the respect she deserved as a drummer and probably the same for Share Pedersen on bass. Therefore, when listening to the album, I would advise you to do so with a modern attitude towards it.

Track Listing:

1. Rev It Up
2. How Much Love
3. Love is a Killer
4. Not a Minute Too Soon
5. Streets in Paradise
6. Hard 16
7. Bad Reputation
8. Fallen Hero
9. Only a Heartbeat Away
10. It Wouldn’t Be Love
11. Wrecking Ball

Vixen

Janet Gardener- lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Jan Kuhnemund- lead guitar, backing vocals

Share Pedersen- bass, backing vocals

Roxy Petrucci- drums, backing vocals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PlYFKw9U4U

Unfortunately, “Rev It Up” didn’t achieve the commercial success as the debut and therefore, EMI dropped the band, fools! Me thinks there was pressure on the band to be more commercial which caused this because the songs which weren’t geared toward radio play were great classic metal tunes. Yes, I’m going to play that card, but I wonder if they were an all male band, would the label have been so quick to drop them.

In case you’re wondering, the reason why I am fully supporting all females bands and ladies in metal in general is because of the lack of women throughout the genre. I never went to a metal gig with the expectation of meeting a lady, the numbers were not in my favour. Maybe more should be done to attract more ladies to metal.

Next post: The Great Kat- Beethoven on Speed

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

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