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 down right awful are always represented with honesty in this segment. Some hours are better than others as you will see in this series. So lets get started shall we?
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Bruce Dickinson & Godspeed – Sabbath Blood Sabbath
As much as I love ol’ Bruce Bruce I don’t really find myself digging this one so much. In all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of this song to begin with so maybe that has a lot to do with it. I just feel like this particular cover sounds kind of tired and uninspired. Next.
Great White – Fast Road
I always thought that Great White got a bum wrap. As a band, these guys were fucking killer. Yeah, they turned out a few crappy songs here and there but their “Once Bitten” album is still up there as one of my favorite albums. This particular song is such a great driving song with some killer double bass drumming and the as always spot on vocals of Jack Russell. This song kicks a bunch of ass as does this entire album.
Kyuss – Demon Cleaner
I don’t think I’ve heard a Kyuss song I don’t love. This is a great, sludgy, stoner metal classic that always makes me stop what I’m doing to just relax a bit and take it all in. Every time I hear Kyuss I’m reminded that I need to listen to them more often.
Twisted Sister – Under The Blade (Live)
Twisted Sister, because of their silly videos, was always looked at as this kind of cartoonish, goofy band but what people failed to recognize was that these guys were heavier than all hell. This song is a great example of just how fucking heavy of a band Twisted Sister was. They were mixing elements of punk and metal and forging a sound that was all their own and way ahead of their time. This song always brings it!
Sodom – Storm Raging Up
Sodom is one of the most pleasant surprises I discovered and their album “In War and Pieces” was an instant favorite. These guys actually play the way I always thought Slayer should perform. They are so tight and singer/bassist Tom Angelripper fucking kill on this song. It’s so heavy and aggressive yet melodic and well produced. Another reminder that I need to listen to this album more.
Heaven & Hell – Lady Evil (Live)
I feel so bad for my poor face everytime the Heaven and Hell “Live @ Radio City” album comes on. This was such an amazing performance of a song that I never really paid much attention to in the past. The overall sonic vibe of this song is just so heavy, in your face and played with all the gusto and conviction of a band two generations younger. It’s so sad that this resurrected line up had only begun to skim the surface of just what they were capable of doing.
War Babies – Killing Time
When I first heard War Babies back in 1992 I had no idea that their singer was Brad Sinsell formally of TKO. War Babies put out one amazing album and just barely got it in before the demise of hard rock/metal that year. There isn’t a bad song on the entire album and this song is one of my favorites. It’s just classic sounding hard driving hard rock that has great vocals, great guitar playing and plenty of hooks. Just a great song by a great band.
Ratt – Best of Me
Lately so many classic hard rock bands have been returning to the stage to wax nostalgic and take their fans back to when they could actually fit comfortably into spandex and actually pull off halter tops. Very few of these bands put out new music so when Ratt released a new album of material, it was a great and welcomed change. Nothing has changed. They have a formula and stuck to it but managed to put out new material as good and fun as anything they put out back in the day. This song is infectious and in the right day and time could’ve been a huge a hit for them. Great song!
Powerglove – Omnishred (We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Sword)
You gotta love a band who dresses like video game warriors and performs instrumental metal versions of cartoon and video game theme songs. While Powerglove is without a doubt a band you must see live, it is still really awesome to listen to as a soundtrack to whatever you’re doing. This song isn’t my particular favorite by them but again, ANY Powerglove is awesome so this song rules by default!
Hell – Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us
Hell managed to put out one of my favorite albums of 2011 and this particular song is a dark song about the corruption of religious leaders who have misused their power. Of the bunch on this list today, it’s the darkest themed song but the performance is so classic and awesome that it doesn’t bring you down at all. Killer track and the best King Diamond song that he never did.
3 Inches of Blood – Trial of Champions
Beside Holy Grail, 3 Inches of Blood are one of my favorite modern metal bands and this song ALWAYS melts my face. I could listen to this song on repeat all day and never grow tired of it. Cam Pipes just owns as a lead singer hitting notes that only King Diamond can dream of. This dude is just ridiculous and this song is awesome. Nuff said.
Annihilator – Alison Hell
I remember when this album first came out back in 1989 and I thought these guys were just awesome. This song is so full of cool dynamics and is just all in all a buried piece of classic metal. Annihilator was never a band that got the respect they deserved but this song and this album in general.
Taking Dawn – Godless
If I would’ve never seen this band live, I would’ve never believed in a million years that they are really as amazing as they are on album. Their album is so slickly produced and it sounds like it could’ve been a Mutt Lange (Def Leppard producer) project. This is a great song with some amazing harmony vocals and just the right amount of pop sensibility thrown in there to create a catchy, infectious hook. That and it just kicks ass. Great song from a great band!
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