One Hour of Metal is where I either put my iTunes on shuffle or tune into a metal internet radio station and for one hour I document what I hear. The good, the bad and the downright awful are always represented with honesty in this segment. Some hours are better than others as you will see in this series. This time around I just put the iTunes on shuffle and let it go. Kind of like a Russian Roulette of sorts. Pretty scare because you never know just what your going to get. So let’s get started shall we?
Kamelot – Farewell
Not a bad way to start. Kamelot is a band that I really just got into towards the end of 2012. This is an awesome piece of symphonic/epic metal goodness. This particular song is really great and very melodic. I really liked Roy Khan’s vocals and the arrangement is outstanding. This is kind of stuff that makes me excited about discovering a band. These guys have a lot of great songs and this was a great way to start.
Testament – Musical Death
I never really think of The New Order as one of my favorite Testament albums but every time I listen to it I remember that I liked it a lot more than I thought. This is a great instrumental track with a terrible title but what I really love about it is how you can hear the influences in it. Just listening to it you can hear that classic Black Sabbath instrumental influence and you can also hear the heavy Randy Rhoads influence. This is the kind of song that put Alex Skolnick on the map as one of metals great guitarists.
Alice Cooper – Simple Disobedience
Ah! Here’s a track from Alice’s comeback album Constrictor and probably one of his weakest albums. I really don’t like this album. There are maybe one or two good moments and this isn’t one of them. I’m really not sure what was going on with this song. It sounds horribly dated and it just isn’t any good. No wonder why Alice pretty much ignores this album except for Teenage Frankenstein. This song sucks.
Diamond Head – The Prince
Listening to this song makes it pretty clear just how huge of an influence Diamond Head was on Metallica. It still sounds every bit as awesome and it’s just a classic piece of NWOBHM. I’ll take this one over the Metallica version since you can actually hear the bass guitar. WIDDLE WIDDLE WIDDLE guitar! Yeah, Kirk Hammett stole that from these guys. Them or Skynyrd.
Epica – The Solitary Journey
Simone Simmons. I could listen to hear all fucking day long. This is from their epic symphony album “The Score” and this is a gorgeous piece of early Epica. Just a really mellow piano piece that makes me swoon. Ahhh, Simone Simmons.
Warlock – Out of Control
YYYYYYYES! (throws horns in the air). This is the shit. Doro Pesch is the female Dio. She is metal and she is awesome. This song just melts my face and reminds me of why I fell in love with metal music as a wee lad. This song has that galloping riff that shows some of their Iron Maiden influence while Doro just kills it. Great fucking song. Horns up bitches!
Lizzy Borden – Give ‘Em The Axe
LULZ. I like me some Lizzy Borden but ZOMG this is terrible. It sounds like it was recorded in a basement on a single speaker boombox. Haha. This song is just lame and his vocals are just so… wow. I can’t say much more about this one. I have to go to the bathroom.
Tesla – Modern Day Cowboy
This song kicks all kinds of ass. Some seriously great guitar playing here. The lyrics are a little bit corny but I’m always impressed with just how well Tesla songs hold up over the years. This isn’t one of my favorite Tesla songs but it does kick some ass and it’s a song I always enjoy whenever I hear it. This just reminds me that I need to listen to more Tesla.
Dangerous Toys – Sticks N’ Stones
Corny as fuck but damn I love Dangerous Toys. Dangerous Toys was always a fun listen and hearing this song now just reminds me of how much I loved this band. The only thing about this is that the production is absolutely horrid. This whole album sounds terrible but I like so many of these songs. This song is just a kind of modern anthem for the kids. “Sticks n’ stones will break my bones but rock n’ roll will never hurt me.” Testify brother! Testify!
Green Jello – Trippin’ on XTC
HAHA. This band was so fucking ridiculous. This was a total stab at the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I love how at the end of the song they go into this Danzig “How the Gods Kill” jam. Haha. This song just fucking kills me. I loved that these guys had such a warped sense of humor. You either got it and loved it or you didn’t and you hated them. Hell, even they knew that they were the worst band in the world. This shit is so much fun to hear now. Love it.
Dio – Man on the Silver Mountain (Live)
This version is from the “Live at Donnington” album and it fucking rules. It’s DIo doing one of the greatest metal songs of all time. LOOK OUT. THIS ROCKS!
Black Sabbath – Killing Yourself To Live (Live)
Goddamn this rules. Sabbath at Asbury Park, NJ in 1975 coked out of their minds and fucking melting faces. Ozzy’s vocals are so strong and kick ass on this and the band just sounds like they’re fucking melting on stage. It’s so raw, thick, and just metal as fuck. This is a great version of an awesome song. I need to listen to this show. Hell, maybe I’ll post it on the blog sometime.
Iron Maiden – Brighter Than A Thousand Suns
What a way to end this One Hour of Metal. I really love the songs off of A Matter of Life and Death but I hate how this album sounds. Why the fuck would Steve Harris NOT master his band’s album? It sounds like a demo. I prefer listening to the LIVE version of them playing this album in its entirety. That aside, this song is fucking epic and this album in general was a great release for these guys. This song is so kick ass and Bruce Dickinson just kills it as always.
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