Heavy Metal Xmas Songs from Christopher LEE!

I have some awesome and interesting news on the man best known as Count Dracula.  Horror movie legend Sir Christopher Lee is releasing a a collection of Christmas songs- that are heavy metal.   Hell yes, Dracula!!

The 90-year-old actor has dabbled in heavy metal over the last few years, recording several of his own albums and working with bands including Rhapsody of Fire and Manowar, as well as Judas Priest star Richie Faulkner.
Lee, who is both a vampire and a classically-trained singer, is now offering up a collection of holiday songs, including heavy metal covers of Little Drummer Boy and Silent Night.  Seeing as metal and horror are two of my favorite things, I would like to think of this as a personal Christmas gift to mwah from Mr. Lee.
The festive tracks, titled A Heavy Metal Christmas, are available through iTunes.

Some thoughts on Dio

No one seems to be unaffected by the death of possibly the best voice in all metal- Ronnie James Dio.  I could go on and on about what a great guy he was or about his amazing talent, but really this is nothing that wasn't wildly obvious.  Here are some thoughts from those who were close to him.
Tony Iommi:

My Dear Friend Ronnie, Yesterday 16th May my dear, dear friend Ronnie James Dio passed away at 7.45am LA time. I’ve been in total shock I just can’t believe he’s gone. Ronnie was one of the nicest people you could ever meet, we had some fantastic times together. Ronnie loved what he did, making music and performing on stage. He loved his fans so much. He was a kind man and would put himself out to help others. I can honestly say it’s truly been an honor to play at his side for all these years, his music will live on forever. Our thoughts are with Wendy Dio who stood by Ronnie until the end, he loved her very much. The man with the magic voice is a star amongst stars, a true professional. I’ll miss you so much my dear friend. RIP - Tony

Geezer Butler : 

GOODBYE MY DEAR FRIEND.

Wendy Dio:

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.

Lars Ulrich: 

Dear Ronnie,

I just got off stage in Zagreb. I was met with the news that you've passed on. I'm kind of in shock, but I wanted you to know that you were one of the main reasons I made it onto that stage to begin with.

When I first saw you in Elf, opening for Deep Purple in 1975, I was completely blown away by the power in your voice, your presence on stage, your confidence, and the ease with which you seemed to connect to 6,000 Danish people and one starry-eyed 11-year-old, most of whom were not familiar with Elf's music. The following year, I was so psyched when I heard the results of you joining forces with my favorite guitar player. You guys sounded so right for each other and I instantly became Rainbow's #1 fan in Denmark.

In the fall of 1976, when you played your first show in Copenhagen, I was literally in the front row and the couple of times we made eye contact you made me feel like the most important person in the world. The news that you guys were staying in town on your day off somehow embedded itself in my brain and I made the pilgrimage to the Plaza Hotel to see if I could somehow grab a picture, an autograph, a moment, anything.  A few hours later you came out and were so kind and caring... pictures, autographs and a couple minutes of casual banter. I was on top of the world, inspired and ready for anything.  Rainbow came to Copenhagen a couple more times over the next few years and each time you guys blew my mind, and for a good three years were my absolute favorite band on this planet.

Over the years I've been fortunate enough to run into you a half dozen times or so and each time you were as kind, caring and gracious as you were in 1976 outside the hotel.

When we finally got a chance to play together in Austria in 2007, even though I may not have let on, I was literally transformed back to that little snot-nosed kid who you met and inspired 31 years earlier and it was such a fucking honor and a dream come true to share a stage with you and the rest of the legends in Heaven & Hell.  

A couple of weeks ago when I heard that you were not going to be able to make it to the Sonisphere shows that we would be sharing this June, I wanted to call you and let you know that I was thinking of you and wish you well, but I kind of pussied out, thinking the last thing you needed in your recovery was feeling obligated to take a phone call from a Danish drummer/fan boy. I wish I'd made that call.  

We will miss you immensely on the dates, and we will be thinking of you with great admiration and affection during that run. It seemed so right to have you out on tour with the so-called 'Big Four' since you obviously were one of the main reasons that the four bands even exist.  

Your ears will definitely be burning during those two weeks because all of us will be talking, reminiscing and sharing stories about how knowing you has made our lives that much better.

Ronnie, your voice impacted and empowered me, your music inspired and influenced me, and your kindness touched and moved me.  Thank you.  Much love.

Brian May: 

It's a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone. Even though we had all known he was battling with cancer for some time, he was such a wiry fighter, and of such an amazingly optimistic nature, I think I assumed he would go on forever.  

Well, he fought to the very end... was gearing up to go back out on tour.  I know this will be a very hard blow for my friend Tony Iommi.  When I last saw Ronnie in Los Angeles, he was as full of life and positivity as anybody I've ever known .. and sang up a storm with Heaven & Hell in the Universal Amphitheatre.  In my opinion, Ronnie was one of the creators of the genre of heavy metal.  I'm not an expert on his work — there are many people much more knowledgeable than me... but our paths crossed many times over the years, and I had clear glimpses of his unique spirit and personality. He was in many ways the antithesis of the current mould of TV-bred singers.  He had no apparent desire for fame, in the sense that so many 'X-Factor' contestants seem to.  He was not a TV face, a 'celebrity.'  He just loved doing what he did.  So, to his millions of fans, there was an unquestionable feeling of reality to his persona, his songwriting, and his performances.  His lyric-writing was very distinctive, and set a style in heavy metal which has influenced many bands over the years.  To me, it was as if his mind operated in layers — on the surface, a hard-working honest singer, with a great humanity and strong sense of humour — and underneath, in the world of his songs, his subconscious seemed to be populated by hobgoblins of all kinds, and palpable evil forever on the march.  His lyrics, dark and mysterious, in tune with the metal ethos, always represented the sword of goodness in triumph over evil.

I don't know if he invented the devil-horn salute [On a sidenote- yes, he did!], but he was certainly the man who, more than ever, made it a universal symbol, a worldwide salute of metal.  He was universally loved in the community of rock music, and will be sorely missed.

Ripper Owens: 

A sad day, just a very sad day!!!  We have lost a great human being and the best singer of rock in the world.  Ronnie was my hero and my friend, I will miss him and his kind words. He taught me so much on stage and off stage.  I also would like so say that my heart is heavy for Wendy Dio [Ronnie's wife], and we should all keep her in our thoughts and prayers.  I do not think of Wendy without Ronnie and I don't think of Ronnie without Wendy.  We all love you, Wendy... and we all will miss you, Ronnie, and we love you for everything you have given us!

Richie Blackmore: 

Ronnie had a unique and wonderful voice. He will be sadly missed in the rock and roll world.

Judas Priest: 

We are filled with great sadness at the terrible news about our friend Ronnie James Dio.  Our condolences and love go to Wendy [Dio, Ronnie's wife/manager] and Ronnie's family.  Ronnie was a wonderful man and will be sorely missed.

Tuesday's Metal Releases

As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise (Metal Blade)
Attila - Rage (Razor & Tie)
Beneath The Sky - In Loving Memory (Victory)
Brain Drill - Quantum Catastrophe (Metal Blade)
Howl - Full Of Hell (Relapse)
I Am Abomination - To Our Forefathers (Good Fight)
Judas Priest - British Steel Deluxe Edition (Sony)
Karma To Burn - Appalachian Incantation (Napalm)
Laethora - The Light In Which We All Burn (The End)
Lacrimas Profundere - The Grandiose Nowhere (Napalm)
Low Twelve - Splatter Pattern (DBC)
Misery Index - Heirs To Thievery (Relapse)
Nefarium - Ad Discipulum (Agonia)
Nightbringer - Apocalypse Sun (Ajna Offensive)
Skyforger - Kurbads (Metal Blade)
Solution 45 - For Aeons Past (AFM)

THOUGHTS: Pick Of The Week goes to Howl.  Howl are Relapse Records sweethearts who break the label's overall track record by playing straight up metal-metal.  No fancy experimentation or doom/ambient avant garde shit going on.   I also give a nod to As I Lay Dying, I think this album is a bit different from their last few and I like that they were up for that.  (Lots of ____-core bands are formulaic).   And, of course hats go off to Priest  for this new live version of British Steel.  The cd/dvd combo is more than just that album live.  Expect a ton of bonus tracks, and don't expect it to sound flawless.  
Pick Of The Weak goes to Solution 45 and Low Twelve. Useless.

The Grammys are useless, but what the heck

Some metal related winners from the Grammys include:
Best hard rock performance – AC/DC – “War Machine”
Best metal performance – Judas Priest – “Dissident Aggressor”

I love Priest, but it's really silly that they won for a live performance of a song written in '77.  Grammys have no idea when it comes to metal/hard rock.  The award didnt even make it to the live broadcast (surprise surprise), but here is the video of Halford accepting the award:


Also, Alice Cooper announced the nominees and winner for best Rock Album.  The nominees were:

AC/DC - Black Ice

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood - Live From Madison Square Garden

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
Dave Mathews Band - Big Whiskey And the Groogrux King

U2 - "No Line On The Horizon" 

Expectedly, Green Day won.  

Ripper Owens joins forces with Richard Christy to create his 18th side project

Charred Walls Of The Damned is the new band/side-project from drummer Richard Christy (Iced Earth/Death ), and Tim Ripper Owens  (Iced Earth/Yngwie Malmsteen/Judas Priest/Beyond Fear, etc...).  Their self titled debut album is set to be released this Tuesday (02/02) and being that Ripper and Richard are old school metalheads the band is hosting a release party at Fontanas that very day.  It's free to enter, plus the men of the hour will be their themselves to sign copies of the cd as you listen to it.  If that's not enough to get you there, there will also be free beer and free live music from Javelina, the Judas Syndrome and The Hixon.  None of the bands are that great I have to admit, but the price is right.  See you there.

Priest and 'snake hit the stage

Last night was an incredible Judas Priest and Whitesnake concert in NJ that you can read about here. The night ended at 9am, after taking a bus rented out from the bar Duffs in Brooklyn, filled with drunken metal heads. Ridiculous stuff, but beautiful.

Judas Priest and Whitesnake at PNC Arts Band - July 11 2009

I hate to report on a concert that is great. It's much much fun to talk about someone else's flaws, then kiss ass, but....Holy shit. What an amazing concert. Judas Priest with Whitesnake and some band called Pop Evil (who I missed) at the PNC Arts Bank Area in Holmdel, NJ last night.

Whitesnake came out looking bizarre. Yes, David Coverdale technically looks healthy and fit for a man who is nearly 60, but something about him reminded me a bit of a lesbian version of Raquel Welch, and his face was tighter than the bass drum. Still, I know 'its all about the music, brutha', and I got to say- his voice sounded damn good. I've never been a massive Whitesnake fan, although I do respect the little Robert Plant-Jr., and John Sykes is a brilliant guitarist. The set was short though- about 60 minutes- and although they did manage to fit a lot of their big hits into this, they also had 2 long solos, one guitar and one drums. It seemed strange to include these since time was pressed and I'd imagine the Whitesnake fans in the audience would rather see as many songs as possible. Still, it went over well. Songs they played included: a new version of 'Lay Down Your Love', 'Still Of The Night', 'Here I Go Again', 'Bad Boys', "Give Me All Your Love', and "Slow And Easy'.

Whitesnake

Whitesnake
Whitesnake

Whitesnake

Whitesnake

Up next wa sthe Metal God and co. themselves. Judas fucking Priest. It was no secrect that this tour was all about the 25th annivery of British Steel. So, when Priest came to stay (Halford decked out in his 'denim' outfit'), everyone new and sang along as they broke into 'Rapid Fire'. This is really heavy, amazing stuff. I've managed to see Priest quiet a few times since Halford got back with them and Ripper left, but being a young fan tonight was the night I got to see a lot of songs that I never heard before live. 'You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise' & 'Grinder' sounded amazing, but my favorite of the night was 'The Rage', which was heavier and more intense than even on the album.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about the British Steel part of the show (it was certainly my favorite part), but I did notice that Halford more of less stood dead center and didnt move at all. Considering a bunch of the songs they haven't played live in 20 years, I dont think it's crazy to assume he may have been looking down and reading lyrics a bit. Who knows though, because Halford basically always has just stood centerstage and headbanged forward as he sang.

Next up was the encore.... Coming out on his staple motorcycle and covered in leather and studs, the boys sang 'FREE WHEEL BURNING', which they NEVER sing live, or on the bike. Very fucking cool. They also snuck a few more hits in- 'Rock Hard Ride Free', 'You Got Another Thing Comin' (duh), 'Victom of Changes' and 'Diamonds are Rust'.

Didnt see a single person walk out of the venue unsatisfied.

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Today in metal....

In 1987 on this day, Judas Priest released the live album Priest...Live!  That same day, Keel released their self titled cd.

True metallic love

Kirk Windstein (Crobar, Down, Kingdom of Sorrow) is a cult figure.  Back in 87 he was in a Judas Priest & Iron Maiden cover band called Victorian Blitz.  I really hope he wore makeup.