Even masterpieces can have imperfections. Sometimes those flaws contrast the overall brilliance, paradoxically elevating the greatness of the piece. Or sure, sometimes, the missteps are just blemishes on an otherwise great work of art, nothing more. (In plain English: sometimes shit songs end up on great albums.) Either way, it can sometimes be fun to …
The Signs were everywhere in 1990. A certain strain of Heavy Metal had become commercialized and commodified to ascend the Pop charts, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Mariah Carey, Wilson Phillips, Madonna, etc. It felt like an invasion of coiffed, lecherous, big-haired dudes on our TVs and radios, either leering through obnoxious hit fodder …
By: Rich Catino “Hair”, Glam Metal’s last stand before hard rock music changed as grunge, alternative, and later in the 90s/early2000’s the worst abomination, nu “Metal”, which was everything to be the anti-metal of Heavy Metal. I knew it when I started seeing the band pictures in Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs magazines, the fashion …
Don’t Call It Hair Metal: Part 3, 90-93ish & the Canadians Read More »
Now listen up. Their sophomore album may have released in September 1983, but Motley Crue’s dominant era truly began in 1984. That’s when the major singles broke, and when many of us first discovered them. “Shout at the Devil” was an absolute obsession in my circles, supplanting Def Leppard’s “Pyromania” at the prime position in …
I’d like to talk to you today about someone who is very shy, quiet, and timid. . . Just kidding. As soon as he hit the scene in 1989, Sebastian Bach was subjected to scorn, resentment, love, admiration, envy, and lust from various aspects of the audience. Everyon e had an opinion about Sebastian Bach …
Most bands suck. It’s a fact. Very few produce even one great studio album, let alone back-to-back masterpieces. Some of the greats have done as many as 5 in a row, but how many bands/artists have managed 6 or more consecutive classics? The Six Straight Society is the most elite of clubs, and – …
It’s the return of Metal trash-talk! Here are the rules of the game: Single out an absolute masterpiece of an album, a timeless release from a great band, full of brilliant songs and priceless treasures. We’re talking desert-island-disc material. Identify the bad song(s). That’s it. We don’t want crap songs from crap artists; we …
by Rich Catino Hopefully you have, or will, read the first part to this topic here at the Metal Hall titled Don’t Call It Hair Metal: Part 1 1982-85. My article title inspired by a new book of the same name by Canadian guitarist Sean Kelly, currently from the Lee Aaron band and Cony Hatch. …
AC/DC started the Metal 80s with tragedy and triumph. Tragedy in February of 1980, with the shocking loss of their lead singer, Bon Scott, at the far-too-young age of 33, and then triumph in July of the same year, with the release of their legendary “Back in Black” album. Almost directly after Bon Scott’s death, …
The older kids spoke with reverence for their recent hits: “Breaking the Law,” “Livin’ After Midnight,” “Hellion/Electric Eye,” “Heading Out to the Highway,” and especially “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.” But some of us had a different point of entry into the music of Judas Priest. My introduction was the third and final single for …
