W.A.S.P – The Headless Children
Even with all the hate that this guy gets, I’m not ashamed to say that Blackie Lawless is a goddamn genius. He’s like the heavy metal Pete Townsend when it comes to creating conceptual awesomeness. The title track from The Headless Children is so bad ass and is without a doubt one of my favorite WASP albums. Blackie just kicks so much ass and has to be one of metals most unsung hero.
Kingdom Come – Seventeen
Yet another band that seems to get a lot of hate but ya know, fuck them all. I LOVE this damn band. So they had an album that had a bunch of songs that sounded like Led Zeppelin. I’d rather sound like Zeppelin than fucking L.A. Guns so there. This is one of my favorite songs from the debut album that was also re-recorded for their latest album Rendered Waters. Lenny Wolf is an amazing singer and an equally amazing songwriter. This song always reminds me of 1988 and hearing this at a school dance. What the hell were they thinking playing this song? Who cares. It kicked ass.
White Wizzard – Heading Out To The Highway
Hearing these New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal bands cover these timeless classics is fun but there’s generally not much exciting or different from the original. It just ends up sounding like a really great new band doing a cover note for note. Again, this is far from sucking but I’d much rather hear bands like this do their own shit. Well, unless it’s Holy Grail’s version of “Exciter” but that’s another story.
Def Leppard – Rock Rock Till You Drop
This shit really did not stand the test of time very well. Talk about watered down metal. It’s hard to believe that these clowns were considered NWOBHM. Def Leppard has had some pretty awesome moments early in their career but this isn’t one of them. This song is just lame and stupid.
Queensryche – The Killing Words (Live)
Now THIS is a killer song. Queensryche really knew how to channel their inner Pink Floyd and bring it to life in heavy metal. The “Rage For Order” album just ages so well and as time goes by, I find myself really loving that album so much. There are a ton of great songs on this album and they always nail this one live. Great song that I never get tired of.
Five Finger Death Punch – The Way of the Fist
What a brutal fucking band. One of the only bands I can think of that do the Pantera thing better than anyone else. The songs are well structured and the band plays their asses off. I can only take so much of it though because it is so intense and brutal. This song isn’t my favorite of theirs but it is a great song and it’s one of those songs that I never change when it comes up on the player. Great band and great song.
Alice Cooper – Teenage Lament ‘74
What a timeless anthem and song for growing up. Even though some of the lyrical content is a bit dated to the 70’s, the message is still very much accessible to kids of any generation. Being a teenager sucks and it’s a life I would never want to relive in a million fucking years. While being a teen was a bitch, having music like Alice Cooper to get me through it made it all that much easier and enjoyable. A song for the generations without a doubt and a great one at that.
Black Sabbath – Neon Knights
Every time I hear Black Sabbath with Dio it reminds me of just what a fucking juggernaut that band was. This song sounds every bit as heavy if not heavier now than it did back in the day. Can you imagine hearing this song back in 1982? People must have been flipping the fuck out at this stuff. It’s one of my many favorites and a smidgen of the amazing legacy left behind by Ronnie James Dio. RIP Ronnie.
Megadeth – Wanderlust
“Risk” gets hated on a good but but in all honesty, I like some of the songs off this album as I feel that ol’ Dave was trying to spread his wings a bit and try some different things. Some great acoustic playing and a great structure and a great vocal delivery from Dave. This is one of those songs I would never go right to when wanting to hear Megadeth but if it comes on, it’s definitely not a skipper. I dig this one.
Black Sabbath – Solitude
Man, this song just makes me want to zone out and, well, nevermind. This song is so mellow and awesome. I remember freaking out when I found out this was Black Sabbath. It’s such a beautiful song and very much appropriate for the time it came out. Songs like this made Sabbath one of the THEE bands to get stoned to. It’s such a blissful tune with some killer bass work from the legendary Geezer Butler! Love this track so fucking much.
Anthrax – Keep It In The Family
Persistence of Time is in my opinon the last great Anthrax album ever made. They really broke the mold on this album. This album and this song is proof enough of just why Anthrax deserves to be part of “The Big 4”. I’m so glad they got Joey Belladonna back on vocals. They sound better than ever. Every time I hear a song from this album I find myself having to go back and listen to it straight through.
Queensryche – The Promised Land
Much like their “Rage for Order” album, I find myself really digging “The Promised Land” album more and more as I get older. This album was like a perfect marriage of the Rage album and the Empire album. The production on this album is so dark and perfect. This song has so many little subtleties and the sax in this song really created a Pink Floyd like vibe. I can’t even say how much I love this song and this album. Brilliance. Pure brilliance.
Tangier – Fever For Gold
These poor guys didn’t even stand a chance. They released one awesome album (the debut that has this song on it) and a 2nd one w/ a new singer that was horrible. This song was from the kick ass debut “Four Winds”. Very rootsy, bluesy soulful singing and some very roots inspired music. This song is a great one and one of many from this album. Definitely a band worth checking out.
Lita Ford – Back to the Cave
What a killer fucking song from Lita Ford’s “Lita” album. This song is really dark and groovy and damn if Lita doesn’t play her ass off on this track. She’s such an underrated guitarist and I think she’s amazing. It’s too bad that this was the best album of her career as she never released anything that was nearly as good. Matter of fact, I consider this song to be one of her best. Great song and a great way to close out this one hour of metal!
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