Great Metal Albums of 1982: Riot- Restless Breed

Having reread my post for the previous Riot album, “Fire Down Under,” I realise that I did post a picture of RATT when I meant to post a picture of the band Riot. Therefore, I have come to the executive decision that I will no longer use google images when I post pictures of albums or bands. Instead, I will use the heavyharmonies.com site which actually takes getting its facts right seriously. Enough of that now, let’s get to another great album from Riot that I should not have waited til the late 80s to listen to.

Again, after listening to the 1982 offering from Riot, “Restless Breed,” I am again asking why this band didn’t have more commercial success. As I listened to the album, I could hear songs that, in my mind, influenced some of the bands that came after and had more success. For instance, the track “C.I.A.” sounds like something that WASP would have done and “When I Was Young” reminds me a little of Y & T. However, Riot was around long before either of these bands were so they drew influence from Riot. Saying that, I could hear a little Judas Priest influence in “When I was Young” as well. However, the rest of the album is straight ahead no frills heavy metal, the way heavy metal was supposed to be played.

“Hard Lovin’ Man” may not be the greatest song in the world to open an album but it does the job in preparing the way for the rest of the album. It may have influenced WASP but “C.I.A.” is still a brilliant song and the next one “Restless Breed” is even better. The middle of the order on the album is for me, the strongest. The songs “When I Was Young,” “Loanshark” and “Loved by You” are the stand outs for me. The latter has one of those catchy choruses where you are still singing it long after the album has finished and you are three miles down the road in the car. They are just loveable rockers. And the best guitar solo goes to the next track, “Over to You.” “Slow Down” is the token ballad on the album but it’s not bad with some good guitar work on it. Things return to normal with the last two songs. “Dream Away” sounds like it might be another ballad but don’t let the title fool you. It has that Southern rock boogie vibe to it and the closer, “Violent Crimes” ends things very nicely. All in all, “Restless Breed” by Riot is one I should have had on cassette blasting out of the car as I cruised down the road.

Track Listing:

1. Hard Lovin’ Man
2. C.I.A.
3. Restless Breed
4. When I was Young
5. Loanshark
6. Loved By You
7. Over to You
8. Slow Down
9. Dream Away
10. Violent Crimes

Riot (and this time it actually is them)

Rhett Forester- vocals, harmonica

Mark Reale- guitar

Rick Ventura- guitar

Kip Leming- bass

Sandy Slavin- drums

Let me venture a theory on why Riot didn’t get the notoriety they so richly deserved back in the day. I think that people were so caught up in the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) that possibly American metal bands got pushed to one side. Whatever, the case, Riot was a band who rocked and those who were fortunate to listen to them can vouch for it.

Next post: Y & T- Black Tiger

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

 

Great Metal Albums of 1982: UFO- Mechanix

Confession time, when I posted about UFO’s “The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent” album nearly a year ago, I promised to listen to more of UFO. The fact is, I haven’t done so, not as much as I would have liked to. My admitted lameoid excuse is the fact that 2015 is in serious danger of being the year 80smetalman disappears up his own asshole. Work, family and other commitments like my hobby I get paid for doing, (I referee American football here in the UK) have made even posting twice a week difficult, though not impossible. Excuses aside and to quote a famous saying from the marines, “Excuses are like assholes, everyone’s got one and they all stink,” I did listen to the 1982 UFO “Mechanix” and that might go someway into making up for not listening to UFO more.

Everything I said on their 1981 “The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent” can be echoed with the “Mechanix” album. This album is another reason why I should kick myself for not listening to more UFO, (maybe I was a monk in a previous life on account of all the self harm I’m threatening myself with here.) The album just flat out rocks. UFO are definitely one tight band and that comes through with every song. The opener, “The Writer” is a great one to grab you and make you listen to it. The second track, “Somethin’ Else” provides the perfect bridge between the opener and the more softer, not too soft, third track, “Back Into My Life.” However, it is the fourth track, “You’ll Get Love” that really gets me going with that blistering guitar solo. Of all the solos on the album and there are many, this one stands out for me the most. Saying that, the solo on the next track, “Doing it all For You” isn’t bad either.

What strikes me as I listened to the album is the similarity in vocals between Phil Mogg and Sammy Hagar. Maybe it’s because I listened to a Sammy album last week but it just sounds like they sound alike, I don’t know. Anyway, there are some real rockers that follow on from “Doing it all For You.” Two really hard tracks in fact before things slow down a little with “Terri.” I emphasise the little here but it is the closest they come to a ballad. However, things pick up again and go out very nicely with the two final tracks. So with an album as great as “Mechanix,” I ask myself, “Why did I wait so long before listening to UFO?”

Track Listing:

1. The Writer
2. Somethin’ Else
3. Back Into My Life
4. You’ll Get Love
5. Doing It All For You
6. We Belong to the Night
7. Let it Rain
8. Terri
9. Feel It
10. Dreaming

UFO

Phil Mogg- vocals

Pete Way- bass

Paul Chapman- guitar

Neil Carter- guitar, keyboards, sax

Andy Parker- drums

This time, I will promise myself to not to wait until the next time I post a UFO album before I listen to these guys again. So far, the two albums I have listened to have been mind blowing and from what I heard, there is better to come.

Next post: Riot- Restless Breed

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Great Metal Albums of 1982: Diamond Head- Borrowed Time

“Borrowed Time” by Diamond Head another album that passed me by in 1982 but then again, I had never heard of the band until a year later when I came to Britain and happened to see them at Donnington in 1983. While I thought they were okay, I still never got around to buying any of their albums. When I came to Britain to stay in 1986, it was only then I got to experience them because two of my new friends were heavily into them. In fact, one was nicknamed Diamond Head Andy because of his love for the band. Although the character based on him in “Rock and Roll Children” is called Diamond Head Martin. Even then, I can’t say that I really listened to them. That is why, like a good number of the albums of 1982, I am only listening “Borrowed Time” for the first time before making this post.

What is my impression of Diamond Head? Well listening to “Borrowed Time,” my first reaction is Led Zeppelin. It is very obvious that Diamond Head draw a major influence from the great Zep, not that I can blame them for that. Lead singer Sean Harris sounds quite a lot like Robert Plant on most of the tracks and guitarist Brian Tatler has a style very similar to Jimmy Page. The tracks which prove the point the most are “Borrowed Time” and “Don’t You Ever Leave Me.” However, there is a little of the Zeppelin influence in the other tracks too and that includes the closer, “Am I Evil” which any metalhead knows was covered by Metallica. But calling Diamond Head Led Zeppelin clones would be grossly unfair and inaccurate. Sure the Zep influence is definitely there but they aren’t clones. Take “Am I Evil” for an example. There is some good power metal riffs in that song that I can see why one of the most famous thrash bands in the world would cover it. The same can be said for “Lightning to the Nations.” That is another song where Diamond Head put their own stamp on it. Comparisons and contrasts aside, I found “Borrowed Time to be a great album to sit back and bang your head to and I have to give credit to Tatler as a guitarist, he can cook.

Track Listing:

1. In the Heat of the Night
2. To Heave from Hell
3. Call Me
4. Lightning to the Nations
5. Borrowed Time
6. Don’t You Ever Leave Me
7. Am I Evil

                         Diamond Head

Sean Harris- vocals

Brian Tatler- guitars

Colin Kimberly- bass

Duncan Scott- drums

My trip through 1982 has been full of pleasant surprises for me. Because so many albums passed me by that year due to my military commitments, (though I can’t use that excuse here), I have had the pleasurable experience of having to catch up on them. So far, every one of them has been a good experience but I have to say that Diamond Head’s “Borrowed Time” has been the best surprise thus far.

Next post: UFO- Mechanix

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Great Metal Albums of 1982: Sammy Hagar- Three Lock Box

By 1982, Sammy Hagar was attracting the attention of many people in the rock world, including mine. After several kick ass albums and some great songs on a couple of soundtracks, my curiosity was certainly aroused. It was this 1982 album “Three Lock Box,” that allowed me to listen to the Red Rocker in his fully glory.

The opening title track ever most definitely sets the pace for the album straight away. His opening vocals, “Suckers walk, money talks, but it can’t touch my three lock box,” has been etched in my mind for all eternity. It’s not just the lyrics though, that fuzzy blues rock guitar that kicks in a second later propels it through to the ionosphere. The song not only allows me to appreciate Hagar’s vocal ability but I can also give him respect as a guitarist. Funny thing is that “Three Lock Box” isn’t my all time favourite Hagar song, that’s still to come.

“Three Lock Box,” the album, doesn’t depreciate as it goes further down the line with more songs. “Remote Love” has a good intro and I like it as a rock song but it’s the very next song that wins my award for the album’s best hidden gem. “Remember the Heroes” is a true rocker with a great rocking introduction and some fantastic guitar soloing in the middle. What a great song, maybe they should of released that one as a single but instead, the known single from the album is “Your Love is Driving Me Crazy.” The song is what it is, great single material and I did like it when it came on the radio in the day. After the single, the album goes back to some more good Hagar sounding rock. He stretches out a bit with the next song, “In the Room.” Maybe he was trying to sound more new wave here, I don’t know. Saying that, I won’t take anything away from it, I do like it. Things go more hard rock with the next track, “Rise of the Animal” and I can hear some good guitar tweaking in that one. It does go out with a cool guitar solo. That leads the album to the end with the four remaining tracks although I really dig the straight forward rocker, “Growing Up.” It precedes the closest thing Sammy has to a ballad on the album, “With Never Give Up.” That too was released as a single but it didn’t do as well as “Your Love is Driving Me Crazy.” Still, it’s not a bad song and then there’s the closer, “I Don’t Need Love.” Another cool rock song that at first listen had me asking myself, “Why is this the last song on the album?” Then I answered my own question when I heard how the guitars ended the song. In short, after hearing “Three Lock Box,” I was converted to Sammy Hagar.

Track Listing

1. Three Lock Box
2. Remote Love
3. Remember the Heroes
4. Your Love is Driving Me Crazy
5. In the Room
6. Rise of the Animal
7. I Wouldn’t Change a Thing
8. Growing Up
9. Never Give Up
10. I Don’t Need Love
11. 

    Sammy Hagar

    Sammy Hagar- vocals, guitar

12. Bill Church- bass

Gary Pihl- guitar

David Lauser- drums

Guest musicians

Jonathan Cain- keyboards on “Remember the Heroes”

Mike Reno- vocals on “Remember the Heroes”

Sammy Hagar not only made a believer out of me in 1982, he made one out of many people. “Three Lock Box” is the reason why. It is my favourite album of Sammy’s and listening to it, reminds me why.

Next post: Diamond Head- Borrowed Time

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Bloodstock: Friday August 7, 2015- Part II

When we last left our story, our heroes had just been completely blown away by Fire Red Empress. Uplifted by such a great set from the fore mentioned band, we now move back to the main stage and take our positions close to the stage in order to appreciate the full impact of Overkill who were coming on next. While we waited two fellow metalheads came up to me saying that the recognised me from attending both Armoured Saint and Nuclear Assault. One gentleman, Waylon from Mid-Wales as he introduced himself as, stated that the thing about a metal festival is that metalheads from all over can get together and enjoy great music. I fully support his sentiments and Waylon, if you are reading this, thanks for that. It has given me food for thought at the end.

Waylon and pals showing their love of metal

Anticipation increased as the sound checks were carried out before Overkill made their dramatic entrance onto the main stage. Some caught a glimpse of lead singer Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth prompting a guy near me to shout out “Hey Bobby!” I don’t think Bobby heard him. Then the inevitable happened and Overkill were out on stage bringing mayhem and destruction with them. As soon as they were out, mosh pits opened either side of where I was standing and wave upon wave of crowd surfers started being passed overhead. I’m sure I passed the same young lady to the front three times because those skimpy denim shorts and thin black tights were looking all too familiar. One person told me that I was getting too old for this shit, I beg to differ.

At first, I thought there was something wrong with Overkill’s sound because I could hear the bass over both guitars and it just didn’t sound right, not that it mattered that much to the crowd. They were all enjoying the mayhem. Fortunately, it must have gotten sorted because twenty five minutes into their set, Overkill played the song I wanted most to hear, “In Union We Stand,” and it sounded fine. What was better was that they followed it up with “Rotten to the Core.” So it was a double helping of metal nostalgia for me. Other great Overkill anthems included “Hello From the Gutter,” “Electric Rattlesnake” and saving it for the end was “Fuck You,” to which Bobby got the audience singing along to. Yes, a very appropriate song to end things with I thought.

Having never seen Overkill before and having seen a lot of bands with front men who possess varying degrees of charisma, I have to say that I was more than impressed with the showmanship of Bobby Ellsworth. He definitely knew how to work the crowd even if did refer to us as mother fuckers throughout. I guess it was a compliment. Overkill could have covered a Wham song and Bobby would have had me singing along to it. It just shows how good he and Overkill are live and credit to Bloodstock for getting them to play there.

Overkill playing to the crowd

Playing In Union We Stand

Overkill establishing their dominance

 

Teal with his souvenir from the festival

Just when we had recovered from the carnage caused by Overkill, Sabaton took the stage with intent of causing more destruction. Being second from the top of the bill, they had more use of lights and effects and they took full advantage of it. The drums was on the turret of a tank and I also liked the army helmet and M-16 theme on the microphones. Coming out below the strobe lights and through the dry ice all dressed in camouflage trousers, it gave me the notion that this was somebody to see. Their music proved the notion right. The combination of power, speed and viking metal was a sound to behold. Admittedly, I don’t listen to the bands of today as much as I should because of my love for the golden decade, the name of the blog bears witness to this but Sabaton has made me promise to myself that I will pay more attention to them and other more modern bands. I have to say that I was very impressed with them.

The mosh pits dwindled down to one and the waves of crowd surfers thinned out during Sabaton’s reign on the stage but it didn’t matter. They orchestrated a new way to go nuts by having the entire audience start jumping up and down. I could do that and so I did. In fact I jumped a lot during their performance. Still it was the music that won me over. I knew very little of their music before that particular evening but one song that I remember and loves was “Panzerkampf,” which was about a big battle in World War 2 between the Germans and the Soviets. Maybe metal would be a good way to teach history. That’s the one thing I found paradoxical about them. They played several songs from their “Art of War” album and that had me wondering that for a band from Sweden, a country who hasn’t had a proper war in 250 years, they seem to write a lot of songs about war. It didn’t matter that much because again, the power metal had me until the end when Sabaton released blue and yellow confetti into the crowd marking the finale of a really great show.

Sabaton’s ascent to the stage

Sabaton wowing with their sound

Great fire effects

Jumping to Sabaton

Need I say more?

Hail to Sweden

Wanting to avoid having to leave before the end, my stepson and I went and got some energy drinks and rushed back to the main stage to await the headliners, Trivium. The stage set up alluded to the idea that this was going to be a great show. I loved the two devil skulls in the background on either side of the stage. When they came out, they didn’t disappoint the huge crowd assembled in waiting before them. However, their appearance didn’t go as smoothly as hoped. Guitarist Corey Beaulieu disappeared for two songs. When he came back, he stated he kept getting shocks of the electrical system but thank God, it was fixed and he showed what a good guitarist he is.

Back in full flow, Trivium let their music do the talking for them. Sure they had some great effects being the headliner but it was the music that did it for me. They were another band who I considered too modern for me, (yes I got to stop being such a stick in the mud,) but like Sabaton, they made a believer out of me. At one point, lead singer Matt Heafy stopped to talk about the time he met Ronnie James Dio when Trivium supported Heaven and Hell in Japan in 2007. Heafy explained how gracious Ronnie was in talking about his vocals and what a great man Dio was and reminded the Bloodstock fans that the main stage was named in honour of him. I thought that was cool but of course, Trivium went back to making great music and taking the crowd all the way to the end, even playing three encore songs and ending a great day in metal history.

The stage

 

Trivium in full swing 

Beaulieu wailing away

Trivium in a blur

Near the end

One thing I noticed on this very eventful day is that metalheads are a family. There was one blind man who had to be led by his friends to the front of the stage and another with profound special needs in a wheel chair. In both cases, fellow metalheads accommodated them, allowing them to get through the crowd. I wonder if a One Direction audience would have been so thoughtful and considerate. Another thing I would like to see as a result of the day is Armoured Saint on a UK tour with Fire Red Empress as support. They could play the Thekla in Bristol, I would go see that show for definite.

Next post: Sammy Hagar- Three Lock Box

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Bloodstock: Friday August 7, 2015, Part I

Metal concerts aren’t just simply concerts, they are pieces of history. I said that about many of the concerts that appeared in “Rock and Roll Children” and it applies today as much as it did back in the 80s. On August 7, literally less than 24 hours before the time I am writing this now, another chapter in heavy metal history was carved in stone. History was again made at Bloodstock.

Having never driven to the festival on a Friday morning, I was concerned about getting caught in Birmingham rush hour traffic. I have been caught in it in the past and it’s not fun. Furthermore, I’ve never driven through the British city of Tamworth on a weekday morning, so I had no idea what to expect. The in flight entertainment provided by Axel Rudi Pell’s “The Masquerade Ball” and “A Real Live One” by Iron Maiden did a great job in taking the edge off my anxieties. It also helped that my worries were for naught as I cruised around Birmingham and straight through Tamworth with little bother.

Arriving earlier than expected, my stepson and I had to wait to be let into the complex as they had no one to take the one day ticket but fortunately, the wait was only a few minutes. It was the same with access to the Ronnie James Dio stage. Once we were let in, we went to the main stage. Not much seemed to be happening, so like two years prior, we went to the New Blood Stage in the hopes that I might discover another Black Emerald. However, people seemed to be blundering about with no sign of any band taking the stage. Suddenly, a riff from a guitar coming from the Ronnie James Dio Stage sent us back there. Things were looking serious so we found a place near the stage and eagerly awaited Nuclear Assault to emerge. After nearly half an hour of waiting and listening to lots of sound checks, Nuclear Assault’s bassist, Dan Lilker, came out on stage and explained that the band’s gear had gotten tied up at the airport. He further explained that they had left Frankfurt on six hours prior so the band was feeling “a bit bushed.” I’m nuot sure if he convinced the crowd but he left to let the crew sort out the sound checks.

Dan Lilker talking to the crowd

When Nuclear Assault finally came out on stage, they put to rest any question by me or anyone else in the audience over the wisdom of the promoters to put such an iconic band as the very first act of a three day festival. The answer came straight away. Normally, the very first act on any day at Bloodstock plays to about fifty people and in some cases, that band is very gracious in thanking those fifty people for turning up to see them. Not the case with Nuclear Assault. A brief glance over my shoulder saw that there was a very large crowd and they were lapping up everything the band on stage threw out. I now see the move of putting Nuclear Assault first was genius. Their hardcore thrash pummeled the Bloodstock crowd into submission. What songs they played have kind of slipped my ageing mind although I do remember the classic “Critical Mass” being played and they played “Died in Your Arms” from the new EP. Mental note to buy it. Nuclear Assault succeeded in setting the bar for the rest of the day and my stepson was converted.

Nuclear Assault in full assault

 

And again

When you are at a festival for three days, when a band leaves the main stage, you usually head for the bar. When you are only there for one day, you try to fit as much in as possible. So not even taking a second to catch our breath after being battered by Nuclear Assault, we headed over to the Sophie Lancaster stage to see what was there. What we saw was quite unique, a drum and bass act. You are now probably thinking ‘what in Sam hell is a drum and bass act doing at a metal festival?’ Well, they were a drum and bass act because they had a drummer and a bass player and boy the bass player could shred. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone shred a bass quite like it and it worked along with his heavy metal vocals. So, you have to give Oaf credit where credit is due. They rocked without having a guitar player. I did manage to catch the drummer a few hours later, you couldn’t miss him, he was dress in very bright colours, and compliment him on how good Oaf was. I just hope that the band forgives my unsteady hand when taking the photos.

Oaf, This one was the better of the two I took

When Oaf finished their highly amusing set, we headed back to the Ronnie James Dio stage to get ready for Armoured Saint. However, Raging Speedhorn hadn’t finished making their mark on history for the day. If Oaf hadn’t have been so entertaining, I would have seen more of Raging Speedhorn. I was fortunate enough to catch the last few songs and I did like the two lead vocalists trading off vocals they way dual lead guitarists trade solos. What I did hear did arouse my interest in them in the future.

Raging Speedhorn

Armoured Saint was the only band on the day who I had seen previously. That was back in 1986 and I partied a little too much before the show to fully appreciate them. This time was different. When they came onto the stage, I was ready and so was the crowd and so was Armoured Saint. From the moment they got onto the stage, they set out to dominate. The first song got my attention but the second one was their old faithful classic, “March of the Saint.” A few songs down the line, they premiered their new song, “Mess,” which only had me making mental notes to buy their new album. A veteran of thirty years of shows, vocalist John Bush worked the Bloodstock fans very well. Even going out to the sides of the stage to encourage audience participation. For me though, the big story was the guitar work of Phil Sandoval. He just shredded the whole set and it left me asking myself, ‘why hasn’t anyone taken notice of him before?’ Just when things were winding down, Armoured Saint pulled one more surprise when they brought out Sandoval’s young son to play with them on stage. He looked about five or six but he did genuinely play the song the band was playing, excellent. When they did finish, (they weren’t on stage long enough) I was pleased to have converted my stepson to another great band from my era.

Armoured Saint establishing their dominance

John Bull singing to the crowd

Phil Sandoval shredding away

Armoured Saint with their newest young member

After a morning and part of the afternoon of headbanging away to the likes of Nuclear Assault and Armoured Saint as well as being entertained by Oaf and Raging Speedhorn, we decided to go for lunch. Upon our return, we heard some very good metal sounds erupting from the Sophie Lancaster stage, so we had to check it out. Those responsible for that sound were called Re-Animator. We literally caught the last song of their set but it was a good song played well. Therefore, I decided it was worth taking their picture and putting it here.

Re-Animator

Once Re-Animator had cleared the stage, we decided to head back to the Ronnie James Dio stage. Shortly after, Norwegian prog metallers Enslaved ascended the stage. I had listened to a couple of songs in You tube in the days before the festival but hadn’t formed an opinion of them one way or the other. At first, I wasn’t so sure about them, especially when the lead singer made an awful joke. However, about fifteen minutes in, they were starting to grow on me. However, my stepson wasn’t impressed and asked if we could go back to the Sophie Lancaster tent. He stated that Enslaved were sending him to sleep and I wanted to avoid the situation of two years ago when we had to leave before the end, so we left.

Enslaved

Maybe Teal was guided by some heavy metal light because when we returned to the Sophie Lancaster tent, a better band called Neobliviscaris was on stage. These guys were unique in a couple of ways. Many bands have either a left handed guitarist or bassist. Neobliviscaris had both. Furthermore, they had a violinist in the band. The only bands where that has worked have been the Charlie Daniels Band, Jefferson Starship on their first two albums and most notably Kansas. I have to say, this was the second surprise of the day arising from the Sophie Lancaster stage. The violinist played a solo with guitar back up and he complimented the band very well. We were both impressed.

Neobliviscaris

When Neobliviscaris left the stage, it was announced that the next band would be Fire Red Empress. My stepson’s eyes lit up immediately. He has been following this band on line and so we had to see them. I had converted him to two bands so far this day so it was his turn to convert me. I had never heard of this band before so like Leaves Eyes in 2010 and Black Emerald in 2013, Fire Red Empress won my award for band I had never heard of who impressed the hell out of me. All of their songs were in excess of five minutes but with the musicianship they displayed, it was worth it. It was straightforward metal, I think the best comparison, actually I can’t think of anyone to compare them to, they were phenomenal. I hope all of you will keep your metal radar out for this band in the future.

Fire Red Empress entertaining the crowd

And again

As it’s late, I have decided to bring the post to a close and save the top three bands for next time. Sorry, if you’re disappointed but I think all would agree that the likes of Overkill, Sabaton and Trivium should possibly have a separate post where I can write with a clear mind.

Next post: Part 2

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My Concert Superstition

I thought I’d sneak one more in before I head off to Bloodstock on Friday. Are you a superstitious person? Normally, I’m not but I do have one that relates to music. Friends have found this weird and even frustrating at times but I have always had this one superstition about concerts. It is that when travelling to a concert, it is bad luck to listen to any of the acts you are going to see that night. My logic being that it would somehow detract from the live show. I don’t know where this idea came from but it’s firmly in my head even though it was disproven once when I went to see the Stormtroopers of Death and a friend put them on in the car on the way. My logic to why it didn’t ruin the night was the fact I hadn’t even heard of them until that day. Strange isn’t it? Although I have no problem with listening to any of the artists seen on the night on the journey home. That is why I told my stepson that we will listen to his Sabaton CD on the way home instead of the way up.

That’s my metal superstition, do any of you have any?

Great Metal Albums of 1982: Girlschool- Screaming Blue Murder

Everything I said in my last post about Anvil not getting the respect they’ve deserved for all these years can be said for Girlschool. Like their Canadian counterparts, Girlschool blasted onto the scene in the early 1980s only to disappear a few years down the line, although they were bigger in the UK than they were in America. But with all of the other bands from the UK who came on the wave of new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), Girlschool seemed to be the first to fade from view. Should I play the ‘it’s because heavy metal is sexist’ card? After all, Girlschool were an all female outfit. No I won’t do that unless clear evidence can be provided, but whatever the reason, one thing I know for sure was that they could rock just as hard as the men.

The 1982 album “Screaming Blue Murder” is proof alone that Girlschool weren’t just four pretty bimbos who decided to take up instruments. They could at least play them. Each song, except for maybe the closer, is a true metal tune and each contains something of the basic elements to be a true metal song. “Screaming Blue Murder” is a fantastic opening track and sets the pace to the album ever so appropriately. The introductory riffs on “Take it From Me” are the type to grab you by the ears and say, “Here’s a song you should listen to.” Other stand out tracks for me are “Don’t Call It Love,” “Live With Me,” “Turns Your Head Around” and “When Your Blood Runs Cold.” So, I ask myself, why didn’t these girls go onto to the same accolades as the likes of Saxon, Maiden or Priest?

Another issue I noted from listening to the album is the guitar work of one Kelly Johnson. She can shred, plain and simple. Just have a listen to “Don’t Call it Love” and you will be convinced. That’s the song where she shines the most but she certainly makes her presence known on the other tracks on “Screaming Blue Murder.” So, let’s all give Johnson the respect she deserves as a guitarist. P.S. You could probably add Kim McAuliffe to my list of great rhythm guitarists as well.

Track Listing:

1. Screaming Blue Murder

2. Live With Me

3. Take It From Me

4. Wildlife

5. Turns Your Head Around

6. Don’t Call It Love

7. Hellrazor

8. When Your Blood Runs Cold

9. You Got Me

10. Flesh and Blood

Girlschool

Kim McAuliffe- rhythm guitar, vocals

Kelly Johnson- lead guitar, vocals

Gil Weston- bass, vocals

Denise Dufort- drums

1982 was full of great metal bands, probably so many that some possibly slipped through the cracks and faded into obscurity. That might be said for Girlschool but in that year, they made their mark with the album, “Screaming Blue Murder.” For me, it was another metal album made in the way the gods of metal intended and it has played a major role in getting me psyched for Friday.

Next post: Bloodstock, the Friday

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

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Great Metal Albums of 1982: Anvil- Metal on Metal

The other night I was watching Anvil performing the title track to their 1982 album, “Metal on Metal” and it got me thinking about the now famous Anvil Documentary that came out a few years back. Many bands admitted that they were blown away by Anvil back in the day and seeing their performance on You tube, I now know why. They were just so full of energy and the way they played was just mind blowing. I wished I could have seen them back then. Fortunately, their first three studio albums were just as mind blowing, including this one.

While I can easily say that all the songs on “Metal on Metal” are mind blowing metal anthems, it is the title track that I like best. Seeing it performed live only makes it that much sweeter. It’s just metal as metal was intended. However, it is likewise for the rest of the album as well. I get the distinct impression that the band had a good time recording this one. “Mothra,” “Jackhammer” and “Heat Sink” all fall in line with the title track, all great head bangers. The instrumental “March of the Crabs” show that these guys can actually play. One thing I do find surprising is the closer “666.” I’m surprised that it hasn’t appeared on an American fundamentalist Christian hit list, just for the title alone. The other reason I’m surprised the album hasn’t appeared on the same list is that “Metal on Metal” is what metal was meant to be. If someone with no experience of metal, who wanted to hear it in its purest form, this would be one of the albums I would reach for.

Track Listing:

1. Metal on Metal

2. Mothra

3. Stop Me

4. March of the Crabs

5. Jackhammer

6. Heat Sink

7. Tag Team

8. Scenery

9. Tease Me Please Me

10. 666

Anvil

Steve ‘Lips’ Kudrow- vocals, guitar

Dave Allison- guitar, vocals on “Stop Me”

Ian Dickson- bass

Rob Reiner- drums

One observation I’ve made about Anvil today and was probably true back in the early 1980s, was that people either loved them or hated them. No prizes for guessing which side I’m on. Even when they played Bloodstock in 2012, these things were said. All I know is that their first three albums were all killer ones and though I didn’t experience them until 1984, I was glad for the opportunity.

Next post: Girlschool- Screaming Blue Murder

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html