This is the continuation of two prior posts: Part 3 of 3. This is it! Numbers 4, 3, 2, and 1!
#4.
METALLICA: ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988)
Well, you might be able to guess why this album is in the top five for me. It's a cross between heavy metal and social science (broadly defined). Basically, it is America. Well, my America. I mean, seriously, those of you who know me would have no problem guessing that if I ruled America, it would be dominated by heavy metal ... and justice ... for all. Heavy metal begets justice. Duh. For a real-world example, see my ancient post about the effects of heavy metal on communism (obliteration).
The album has been criticized for its production. Particularly, the percussion has no depth, no balls. The guitars come across as weak. These are all recording/mastering issues, which do not reflect the quality of the material that was created for the album. The songs on the album are very good. The opening guitar melody for "...And Justice for All" is very distinct (and unique). The percussion disappoints, when it "kicks in," because of the aforementioned recording issue (the bass drum has an oddly snare-like sound, which should never, ever be the case on a metal album). The album also contains "Blackened," which is heavy, "Harvester of Sorrow," which has some sweet riffs and good time changes (for Metallica), "The Frayed Ends of Sanity," despite having a cheesy song name, is a really good metal-sounding song. It has guttural riffs, complimented by some pussy-ass percussion that had the potential to be amazing. "To Live is to Die" is the only song that sort-of stands out as different, because it slows down at times and extends into protracted guitar riffs that are like mini-solos, which is kind of cool. The best song on the album, though, by far, is "One." This song is deserving of it's entirely own paragraph... so that's what it'll get. [presses "Enter" twice]
The album has been criticized for its production. Particularly, the percussion has no depth, no balls. The guitars come across as weak. These are all recording/mastering issues, which do not reflect the quality of the material that was created for the album. The songs on the album are very good. The opening guitar melody for "...And Justice for All" is very distinct (and unique). The percussion disappoints, when it "kicks in," because of the aforementioned recording issue (the bass drum has an oddly snare-like sound, which should never, ever be the case on a metal album). The album also contains "Blackened," which is heavy, "Harvester of Sorrow," which has some sweet riffs and good time changes (for Metallica), "The Frayed Ends of Sanity," despite having a cheesy song name, is a really good metal-sounding song. It has guttural riffs, complimented by some pussy-ass percussion that had the potential to be amazing. "To Live is to Die" is the only song that sort-of stands out as different, because it slows down at times and extends into protracted guitar riffs that are like mini-solos, which is kind of cool. The best song on the album, though, by far, is "One." This song is deserving of it's entirely own paragraph... so that's what it'll get. [presses "Enter" twice]
"One" by Metallica -- it is probably my favorite song by them (closely rivaled by "Bleeding Me" and "Hero of the Day" from Load (1996)). It tells the story of a young man ravaged by World War I. He goes off to fight the Germans, but ends up being blown up by an artillery shell. His arms and legs are blown off, in addition to his face. However, he is kept alive by the miracles of "modern medicine" in the 1910's. The doctors think he is a vegetable, so they keep him alive, doing tests (none of which are physically painful).
"One" -- an ominously simple name
This music video is excellent, containing
video clips and sound bites from the film described below.
So very very good.
And now the song in violin
(or cello? what are they playing?).
(Warning: very epic cover)
And now the song in violin
(or cello? what are they playing?).
(Warning: very epic cover)
The thrust of the story is how the man is trying to figure out whether he is alive or dead, sleeping or awake. This is his personal hell. He has no face, therefore he cannot see, no mouth, therefore he cannot speak, and no arms and legs to walk or run away with. He is helpless. He can do nothing. He tries to communicate with the medical staff by tapping his head on his pillow in Morse Code. The medical staff... well, I won't tell you how the story ends. The song is based off of a 1970's anti-war film called Johnny Got His Gun (1971), which was based off of an earlier novel. This movie is the subject of a very early post of mine, probably the first one I made on this blog, actually. (Not sure, but I think I reveal the ending of the movie in that post, so spoiler alert.) It is a favorite film of mine, and the song is one my favorites as well. It blends history, film and heavy metal all in one... no wonder it's so high on the list.
Despite the poor production, the album is excellent. Solid, straight through.
Favorite Lyrics: "I can't remember anything, can't tell if this is true or dream. Deep down inside I feel to scream, this terrible silence stops me . . . oh please god, help me." - One.
Album Cover: What do you think!? Amazing, of course! It has lady justice chained to a stone wall, trying to break free from her bonds. That is epic in any context, but when mixed with metal, it makes me feel uncontrollable urges that I rarely feel otherwise...
#3.
IRON MAIDEN: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2000)
I wrote an entire post about this album before. It was Iron Maiden's last album to have an "edge" all the way through. This is because it was perfectly produced. It wasn't sanitized, and the songs still have balls. This is one of those rare albums that make me noticeably happy when it comes on, every time. It specifically reminds me of when I was 17, when I was still playing national tournament paintball, doing my thing, the thing that I love most. I used to be a janitor, when I was 17. I worked at a "classy" grocery store called Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, NJ. Frequent shoppers were Queen Latifa, Bruce Springsteen, and some player (memory's fading) from the N.Y. Jets circa 2004-ish. Anyways, I remember playing it very loudly in my car on the way to and from work. I seriously never took this CD out of the player for weeks on end. "Ghost of the Navigator" blows me away every time. By far, however, my favorite song is "Blood Brothers." See my prior post about "Blood Brothers" for an explanation of why. The album also contains great songs like "Dream of Mirrors," "Brave New World," "Out of the Silent Planet," "The Thing Line Between Love and Hate," and "The Nomad." I don't dislike a single song on this album.
The album opens up with "Wicker Man," which is probably the most mundane song on the album (but not really mundane at all). I say "mundane" because it is just more of a straight-through rock song, versus the sweeping guitar and vocal melodies, coupled with the solid time changes, which characterize Maiden.
This album is excellently produced. It is not too modern (as in flat sounding), and it isn't quite a rough-cut, so to speak, where you can hear noise, and pretty much everything else you don't want to. It is Maiden's last well-produced album (well, Dance of Death (2003) wasn't done that bad, but Brave New World kind of overshadows that album in my opinion -- Brave New World is Dance of Death's older, more-successful, brother).
The album just reminds me of another time -- an awesome time in my life.
The album opens up with "Wicker Man," which is probably the most mundane song on the album (but not really mundane at all). I say "mundane" because it is just more of a straight-through rock song, versus the sweeping guitar and vocal melodies, coupled with the solid time changes, which characterize Maiden.
This album is excellently produced. It is not too modern (as in flat sounding), and it isn't quite a rough-cut, so to speak, where you can hear noise, and pretty much everything else you don't want to. It is Maiden's last well-produced album (well, Dance of Death (2003) wasn't done that bad, but Brave New World kind of overshadows that album in my opinion -- Brave New World is Dance of Death's older, more-successful, brother).
The back cover.
(From left to right: Janick Gers, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson,
Nicko McBrain, Steve Harris, and Dave Murray)
The album just reminds me of another time -- an awesome time in my life.
Favorite Lyrics: I can't pick "favorite" lyrics from this album, because they are all very good, but here are some that I like: "And if you're taking a walk through the garden of life, what did you think you'd expect you would see? Just like a mirror reflecting the moves of your life, and in the river, reflections of me. Just for a second, a glimpse of my father I see. And in a movement he beckons to me. And in a moment the memories are all that remain. And all the wounds are reopening again. We're blood brothers, we're blood brothers!" - Blood Brothers
Album Cover: Pretty good. I like the shade of blueish-purple for some reason. It's always caught my eye. I like Eddie's face kind of being created out of the clouds, and the expansive city, the "brave new world," below.
#2
IRON MAIDEN: NUMBER OF THE BEAST (1982)
Woe to you, oh earth and sea, for the devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short. Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. It's number, is six-hundred and sixty-six. (written from memory) This is the opening to the classic song "Number of the Beast," by Iron effin' Maiden, from the classic album Number of the Beast. This album was the third studio album released by Iron Maiden, and the first one to feature new singer Bruce Dickinson. Well, suffice it to say that this Iron Maiden was completely different, apparently, from the first lineup with frontman Paul Di'Anno. Dickinson added a vocal element to the band, that few bands ever get (for this style of music). He doesn't have the range of some singers (Rob Halford, Freddie Mercury, or Ian Gillan, for example), but he has a powerful quasi-operatic quality, which is pretty damn unique. Plus, he is really fun to watch on stage, pretty much running back and forth non-stop, quite similar to a small dog.The original music video for "Number of the Beast" --
1980's clothes and all.
For me, this is the pinnacle of 1980's heavy metal. Number of the Beast represents all that is good in the world (ironically, through satanic symbology). This album is when Iron Maiden was still hardcore to the bone. They wrote nasty-as-shit riffs, and just plowed through album after album. As mentioned in the last post in this series, they released Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, and Powerslave, back-to-back, in years 1982, 1983, and 1984, respectively. This is damn impressive, considering the sheer quality of those albums.
Number of the Beast contains some of the best songs that Iron Maiden made. The album starts off with "Invaders," which could be called average by Maiden's standards. But the album immediately goes into "Children of the Damned," which is a slower, more percussion-driven song. It is a heavier song, setting the stage for the rest of the album, closing out with the classic fast-paced squealy guitars. Next comes "Prisoner," inspired by the British television show of the same name. The song opens with the memorable lines "Who is number 1?" "You are number 6." "I am not a number, I am a free man!" It next goes into "22 Acacia Avenue," which has the nastiest opening riff on the album. Next is "Number of the Beast," described supra. Next is "Run to the Hills," an Iron Maiden classic, likely their best known song, and which they use to close out most of their live shows. The song is about American Indians fighting the white man, and retreating into the hills. So good. Next is "Ganglands," the weakest song on the album, and is the only one I usually skip when listening. But it's okay, because they sandwich "Ganglands" in between two great songs, because the album closes out with the very very epic song "Hallowed be Thy Name." This song opens with a man sitting in a cold prison cell, awaiting his trip to the gallows. And builds and builds and builds until it ends with Bruce Dickinson howling "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, hallowed be thy name!" over and over again. It is certainly an amazing ending to an album, leaving you wanting more.
Later releases also included the song "Total Eclipse," which was excluded from the original album, probably for length reasons. It is a very good song, but I don't really know what it's about. It has some nice lyrics though.
Number of the Beast contains some of the best songs that Iron Maiden made. The album starts off with "Invaders," which could be called average by Maiden's standards. But the album immediately goes into "Children of the Damned," which is a slower, more percussion-driven song. It is a heavier song, setting the stage for the rest of the album, closing out with the classic fast-paced squealy guitars. Next comes "Prisoner," inspired by the British television show of the same name. The song opens with the memorable lines "Who is number 1?" "You are number 6." "I am not a number, I am a free man!" It next goes into "22 Acacia Avenue," which has the nastiest opening riff on the album. Next is "Number of the Beast," described supra. Next is "Run to the Hills," an Iron Maiden classic, likely their best known song, and which they use to close out most of their live shows. The song is about American Indians fighting the white man, and retreating into the hills. So good. Next is "Ganglands," the weakest song on the album, and is the only one I usually skip when listening. But it's okay, because they sandwich "Ganglands" in between two great songs, because the album closes out with the very very epic song "Hallowed be Thy Name." This song opens with a man sitting in a cold prison cell, awaiting his trip to the gallows. And builds and builds and builds until it ends with Bruce Dickinson howling "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, hallowed be thy name!" over and over again. It is certainly an amazing ending to an album, leaving you wanting more.
Later releases also included the song "Total Eclipse," which was excluded from the original album, probably for length reasons. It is a very good song, but I don't really know what it's about. It has some nice lyrics though.
Favorite Lyrics: "I'm waiting in my cold cell, when the bell begins to chime. Reflecting on my past life, and it doesn't have much time. 'Cause at 5 o'clock, they take me to the gallows pole. The sands of time, for me, are running low........ohhhh!" - Hallowed be Thy Name
Album Cover: Memorable, but otherwise average. It has the band's mascot, Eddie, being the puppet master for the devil, which is kind of funny. It has a unique color pattern, which is cool.
#1
BLACK SABBATH: HEAVEN AND HELL (1980)
Sing me a song, you're a singer! That's right folks, the intersection of Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath produced a few hellishly awesome albums, one being Heaven and Hell (the other two being Mob Rules (1981) and Dehumanizer (1992). Dehumanizer was surprisingly good, too, considering it was a one-off (ish)).
Rarely do you have two legends cross paths. Even more rarely do you have two legends cross paths and achieve something so mind-blowingly awesome. Contra Ian Gillan and Black Sabbath; David Bowie and Queen.
This album was the first Black Sabbath album after Ozzy Osbourne left the band in 1979, to go off on his highly successful solo career as the "prince of darkness" (giving us classic songs like "Crazy Train" and "Bark at the Moon"). People thought metal was dead, or on the decline. Sabbath was (and is, in many ways) the hallmark of metal. Without Sabbath, what was left? Much was riding on how Black Sabbath handled its vacancy at vocals. Enter Ronnie James Dio. Dio had been in Elf and Rainbow, two modestly successful hard rock bands in their own right (playing with the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, star guitarist of Deep Purple). Dio secured his place in the great halls of metal by joining Sabbath.
Dio's time in Sabbath marked a departure from the style most associated with Ozzy. As Tony Iommi (Sabbath's legendary guitarist) said, paraphrasing, "Ozzy sang with the chords, while Dio sang across the chords." It's too much work to explain this, and it is only tangential, but those of you who are fans know what I'm talking about. Singing across the chords gave Dio more freedom, and let the power of his vocals really show. Iommi picked up the intensity of his guitar riffs, and the overall pace of the songs increased when Dio joined the band. Clearly, Black Sabbath was entering the 1980's.
Heaven and Hell was forged out of this backdrop. They lucked out, and scored an awesome album, even with the departure of Ozzy Osbourne -- a legend. Heaven and Hell has some awesome songs. My favorites are "Children of the Sea," "Lady Evil," "Neon Knights," "Die Young," "Lonely is the Word," and of course, "Heaven and Hell." Everything on that album is awesome: excellent percussion, excellent bass lines (simple and elegant), harsh, heavy, yet simple, guitar riffs (except for the solo, which is un-simple), garnished with the most powerful voice in hard rock and heavy metal history.
Dio wrote very symbolically. His lyrics conjured hardcore imagery in your mind. He sang about demons, wizards, kings and queens. His songs are about angels, fools, ships, and long voyages on the ocean. He paints pictures with his words. Sure, they are cheesy and not "hip," but I think that's the point -- it's just music, have fun with it.
Rarely do you have two legends cross paths. Even more rarely do you have two legends cross paths and achieve something so mind-blowingly awesome. Contra Ian Gillan and Black Sabbath; David Bowie and Queen.
This album was the first Black Sabbath album after Ozzy Osbourne left the band in 1979, to go off on his highly successful solo career as the "prince of darkness" (giving us classic songs like "Crazy Train" and "Bark at the Moon"). People thought metal was dead, or on the decline. Sabbath was (and is, in many ways) the hallmark of metal. Without Sabbath, what was left? Much was riding on how Black Sabbath handled its vacancy at vocals. Enter Ronnie James Dio. Dio had been in Elf and Rainbow, two modestly successful hard rock bands in their own right (playing with the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, star guitarist of Deep Purple). Dio secured his place in the great halls of metal by joining Sabbath.
The song "Heaven and Hell"
Video from (probably) 1980.
Dio's time in Sabbath marked a departure from the style most associated with Ozzy. As Tony Iommi (Sabbath's legendary guitarist) said, paraphrasing, "Ozzy sang with the chords, while Dio sang across the chords." It's too much work to explain this, and it is only tangential, but those of you who are fans know what I'm talking about. Singing across the chords gave Dio more freedom, and let the power of his vocals really show. Iommi picked up the intensity of his guitar riffs, and the overall pace of the songs increased when Dio joined the band. Clearly, Black Sabbath was entering the 1980's.
Heaven and Hell was forged out of this backdrop. They lucked out, and scored an awesome album, even with the departure of Ozzy Osbourne -- a legend. Heaven and Hell has some awesome songs. My favorites are "Children of the Sea," "Lady Evil," "Neon Knights," "Die Young," "Lonely is the Word," and of course, "Heaven and Hell." Everything on that album is awesome: excellent percussion, excellent bass lines (simple and elegant), harsh, heavy, yet simple, guitar riffs (except for the solo, which is un-simple), garnished with the most powerful voice in hard rock and heavy metal history.
Dio wrote very symbolically. His lyrics conjured hardcore imagery in your mind. He sang about demons, wizards, kings and queens. His songs are about angels, fools, ships, and long voyages on the ocean. He paints pictures with his words. Sure, they are cheesy and not "hip," but I think that's the point -- it's just music, have fun with it.
R.I.P. Dio. 1942-2010.
Favorite Lyrics: [For you, Sharkmann:] "Sing me a song, you're a singer. Do me a wrong, you're a bringer of evil. The devil is never a maker, the less that you give, you're a taker. So it's on and on and on, it's heaven and hell, oh well." and "The world is full of kings and queens, who blind your eyes and steal your dreams, it's heaven and hell, oh well." - Heaven and Hell
Album Cover: Probably my favorite album cover of all. I bet Number of the Beast would be my favorite album of all time if it had a better cover. Basically, in this case, the album cover is the tie-breaker, and the grammy goes to Heaven and Hell hands-down. It has three angels, wearing awesomely gray robes, smoking cigarettes and gambling. The art is simple, and says a lot about people -- the duality of man, I suppose. This makes the message transcend the music... almost. >;-)
Honorable Mentions: Appetite for Destruction (Guns N Roses), Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden), Piece of Mind (Iron Maiden), Powerslave (Iron Maiden), British Steel (Judas Priest), Sin After Sin (Judas Priest), Load (Metallica).
Fin.
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