jeff hanneman RIP

I wanted to do a quick comment on the death of metal legend Jeff Hanneman.  This blog has a fair connection to organ failure, myself having a kidney transplant.  Any sort of organ failure is bullshit in my book.  Jeff's liver failure is suspected to be related to an untreated spider bite.  My sympathies go out to Mr. Hanneman's family and friends.

I don't want to sound like a brown noser but Hanneman was the element of slayer I always linked most.  All my favorite Slayer songs were written by Jeff.  He just had a sound I like.  The riffs were the thing and regardless of being at blazing speed or not, the remained the focus.  Tension and release are what I think of with Slayer and I think Jeff was the king of that.   He just had a great since of tone and mode in his music.  The groove that came to dominate metal in later years is nowhere taking over the riff and mood with Jeff.  Even Shredding takes a back seat to great riffs.

Music Review: Tytan, Rough Justice

I found a song called the watcher on youtube a couple of days ago.  I have since become totally raving mad for this long dead new wave of british heavy metal band.  These guys are great!  Very D&D metal just the way I like it.

Ok lets be straight up this is going to be a touch lighter than most of the other bands of the era.  Sort of like Def Leppard there is a glam element hidden down in the rifts.  But that is small, coming out as being a more slick than some of the other recorded of the early 80's.  I think this was put down in 83 and finally released in 85.  It does not have the gritty sound of something like Burning the Cross. 

Many of the other songs have the similar fantasy feel you hear in The watcher.  Blindmen and fools has a pretty quiet beginning and then gets chugging along finally.   I think you are going to enjoy this if you are a Maiden fan, Saxon Fan or Manowar fan.  It has the high clean vocal of all of those, mildly aggressive riff based guitars and a driven but by no means speed metal rhythm section.

A plea for comments

You know if you folks want to comment that would be great.  Seriously , I am happy for any feedback.  If you want me to write more on a particular topic or less on another.  If you want to let me know I suck that is find.  If you from DDO and want to let me know how crappy I played Svegrund in Cabal for One last night I am cool with that.  If you are from World of Tanks and want to let me know I am a noob; I agree.  You can tell me I am a wuss for playing arti, its ok I just really suck at everything else.   I am really open to any feed back.  You need a topic let me know about your favorite Dungeons and Dragons character or the best concert you went to. 

My favorite character was a human paladin back in first edition of the AD&D game.  I inherited him from a guy named Rocky who was really not great at playing a pally.  He was named Thomas of Paladaria which seemed a bit goofy so I renamed him Thomas Strongheart after the Dungeons and Dragons action figure I had just got.  The campaign was really fun there was a war that we got to participate in and a who big quest with silly things constantly happening to us.  It would probably seem juvenile now but for being a kid it seemed great.  I got to use a sword of sharpness on a type 5 demon it was very mondo and fun. 

I have a couple of favorite concerts.  One was Dio opening up for Iron Maiden at the shoreline it was a few years ago but it was really fun.  Dio was fantastic really sort of stealing the show, he was just so awesomely Dio.  Seemed super happy to be there and genuinely loving each and everyone of his fans.  Maiden was great everyone knows they do fantastic shows.  The combination was perfect.  The other show was the first time I saw Testament.  It was in concord at some little bar, I want to say bourbon street or something like that.  It was a great intimate setting to see them and they were awesome, Testament are one of the most solid trash bands out there.  Really it should have always been the big 5 but Testament was a little slow to the punch not releasing a record in the seminal year of metal 1986.

Piece of Mind the Pumpkin

Iron Maiden Pumpkin

Well Happy Halloween everybody.  Here are a couple of pictures of my pumpkin for this year.  Based off my favorite Iron Maiden Record piece of mind.

Two and a half hours of work put in on this one.  It probably doesn't seem like it should have taken that long, but pumpkin is a new medium.  I Carved out using Exacto knife and a cheap set of sculpture tools I picked up at Michael.

It is really hard to do that thing where you get the light to shine through a pumpkin without fully cutting it.  I scraped and scraped with the loop tool and still only got a bit of a faint pink that would come through.  I hope the folks over at ATAC like it and my wife wins the contest with it.  I am proud of it at least.  It wasn't a template all free hand.

Well thanks for looking hope you like my tribute to Maiden.

Piece of Mind Pumpkin

Temple of the Wings

I wish someone would open up a Ronnie James Dio's Temple of the Wings fried chicken restaurant.  I don't even like chicken but I think it would be pretty cool to go there and listen to Rainbow in the dark while I had my coleslaw.  I imagine it would have a nice selection of soda on tap and a few in bottles.  Painted labels I mean Dio was total class all the way.  The Black Sabbath mac and cheese would have just a touch of brown sugar like in a soul food place.  If Kenny Rogers can have a roaster this would be huge.  Wings are really the most metal of all foods, totally in you face and loaded with powerful sauce.  Yet like the blue cheese dressing metal has a soft side that frolics through a Sylvan glade.  Topped of with a slice of the holy cobbler that sounds pretty good right now.

Metal Evolution a review

Last night i watched a couple episode so Sam Dunn's series Metal Evolution.  Obviously this is a subject close to my heart and a metal fan.  I have blogged several times in the past about early metal bands and was really surprised how few were mentioned.  In this post I want to review some of my thoughts on the show so far.  I will also try to call out a few element that seem to rear there head a lot in early metal bands.

First off this is a great series, that I think any fan of metal should watch.  Young metal heads should be forced to watch this series.  Metal as a community has always had respect for where it came from.  Knowing Sabbath and Priest is mandatory for any true fan.  Everyone should know how important Maiden is to Metal and not just think Eddie is cool!

The presentation is good though it uses interviews with musicians a bit too much.  You almost need a music historian to be talking or a professor of music.  Just to all out some of the specifics of the music.  We hear Bill Ward mentioned as a jazz drummer but we don't really get it.  Drumming at the time was more keeping a beat, metal broke away with using drumming to theatrically underpin the performance.  Ward was using drums to ad tension to Ozzy's dramatic performance, which was less singing and more melodrama.  They talk about the sounds moving away from blues, but they don't often say well they have moved from this sort of chord structure to this other.

While the show has a clear focus of showing the evolution of metal, i wished they would have shed light on a few of the one off bands.  Sir Lord Baltimore specifically is a band that really was doing some early metal in America.  They deserve more mention than someone like Aerosmith.  Aerosmith sucks! Fraction is another band that comes to mind the deserves attention.

My last criticism is the lack of mention of progressive rock.  I see they have that saved for the last episode, but I think perhaps it should have been with these early episodes.  Progressive Rock and Metal are sort of like kissing cousins. They both were birthed in roughly the same time period and often were tackled by the same bands.  King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man is often mentioned as a metal song.  The rest of the record is clearly prog.  Deep Purple often flirts with progressive rock.  Would their even be Dream Theater without Perfect Strangers.  Kraut Rock often concurrently developed metal only to forget and move onto industrial in the same song.  I really just wish they would have moved this discussion up a bit.

Moving onto a few things I kept noticing in the show that were not clearly called out.  Sam Said this is in A Headbangers Journey but industrial areas very often spawn these metal bands.  I am not sure if its a rough and tumble sort of populace or the bleakness or even the machinery itself.  But time and time again metal comes from a town associated with heavy industry.  Birmingham in England, Detroit in America, Jonquière Quebec, Even the thrash bands hail from Oakland, Martinez and Richmond here in California.  Most people say San Fransisco but really it was the industrial east bay that birthed the thrash scene.

Watching the show and focusing on the performances another element that kept cropping up was the equipment.  The Rickenbaker 4001 was almost always the bass of choice, as it was for Progressive Rock.  The guitars were split but very often these early metal guitar men were playing Gibson's with marshal amplification.  I think there may be a relationship with the increased sustain these instruments brought and the sonorous sound early metal used.

The final element I noticed as a commonality between these early metal bands was a sense of dissatisfaction with the counter culture.  Metal shares this a bit with the Hell's Angels and since that while they are not main street American they are not Haight Asbury either.  Metal always has seemed to react with a sense of suspicion to youth and traditional culture alike.  In this since Metal sets itself up as a Counter Counterculture.  Truth is a cardinal virtue of metal, as such it often finds fault in they contrivances of youth.  The hippies look like self serving frauds, preppies and jocks look to be towing the line.  Musically metal is very structured which can be seen as a reaction to the free form psych of the 60's.  Thrash was a reaction to the Glam rock of the 80's. I desires to be direct ,powerful and to the point.  While there is a side of metal that frolics through a sylvan glade we hide in deep in our records.

A last though before I sign off, Dio and Lemmy are perhaps the two embodiments of Metal.  Lemmy for direct in your face excess and Dio for the inviting and open nature of metal.  The latter of these is a crucial element of Metal that I am not sure has been said on the series.  In metal you are welcome to join us, everyone is.  You just need an honest love for the music and you are welcome, and this is extended perhaps most to those of us who feel out of place elsewhere. Dio was the greatest ambassador for this aspect of metal.  RIP RJD

Record Review: The Outer Limits by Voivod

Many of you know my love of both progressive rock and metal and of course their combination.  I have mentioned Voivod in the past but I wanted to give a focus to their outer limits record here.  Voivod are sort of the velvet underground of metal, not very well know but with many fans that are musicians.  God even Ryan Adams has expressed being a fan of theirs.  It's really funny as bands like Dream Theater, Queensryche and to a lesser extend Fates Warning all had success with the prog metal sound.  Voivod was always an outsider, though their sound was actually far nearer to traditional prog rock than the others, well at least in the progressive arch of Nothingface, Angel Rat and The outer limits.

Perhaps the biggest difference her was Voivod kept an edge that was often lost in other prog metal bands.  In a word dissonance! Where prog metal often flows naturally into power metal this was never true for Voivod.  They weir raw, weird and something else all together.

The Other limits was the last of Voivod's progressive arch and the last record to feature Snake.  Blacky had left the band prior to this recording, and while I love his bass and miss it here, there is good bass work on the record.  Away and Piggy are here of course adding what no one else could.  Again Away has taken the art duties here, with the inner art being all 3D.  Even my tape came with wee little red and blue glasses so it was pretty fun.  Away has a unique and spooky style, I think the only cover art like his is Skinny Puppy's Too Dark Park.

This record is dissonant but a lot less distorted than their other work.  Some have said its not has metal but I disagree.  I think Angel Rat is not near as hard as The Outer Limits.  In any event these are not the Rockers of Nothingface and Dimension Hatross.  The songs are often long and it wouldn't be Voivod if they were not spacey.

I will not be covering all the songs one the record but i will call out three.  I really love their Pink Floyd covers they really get the feel right.  They took on Astronomy Dominae in Nothingface and here they tackle The Nile Song.  They rock it hard! The song goes from Pink Floyd's airy buzz to an absolute murk.  I always think of a camera going through swamp water when I hear the song the sound is so raw and sludgy.  When piggy's solo cuts through its almost like a golden glowing thread distinct and pure in the murk but there in it too.

Voivod often hits upon this sad and dark french cabaret sound, almost like the Bone Daddy band in The nightmare before Christmas.  They do again in Le Pont Noir they paint a picture here that almost feels like you have walked through the scream and gone to lunch in the city behind. 

Finally there is the one song that I am not so fond of, Moonbeam Rider.  This was a little too pop and goofy for me.  It is just a pretty regular song, not really proggy not really metal.  It almost seems like they are singing about the silver surfer and comic books have never been my thing.  It doesn't ruin the record just not my taste.  I would write about Jack Luminous but I think many people have covered it on the web and I don't know if I really need to.

Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind record review

Piece of Mind is one of those records you know is great but if you don't give it a listen from time to time you forget just how great.  When you come back to it you get this damn that's good, feeling.  It just rocks hard and face melting but in an eerie intelligent sort of way.  for me this has always been Maidens high water mark.  This is such a solid record but it also has an contemplative nature.  You can hear the band looking for the next sound. 

While the record is perfect from track one to end, its Revelations that has always floored me.  Its very mystical and Dungeons and Dragonsey.  You don't get this English fantasy feel until you hit Bruce's Chemical Wedding. 

Everyone knows the trooper rocks and its hard as anything.  But, its also inspired by The charge of the light brigade. It's this kid of stuff that made me get into the writing and reading business.  Rush and Maiden both doing songs about Coleridge's poem's made me say OK I'll check this guy out.  Metal saved my life!

Another personal favorite is Still life.  Its dark and powerful and overlooked.  I love this song.  There is a bit Nico does with the drums that is just great.  I never get excited by drums he has me up in my seat cheering at this bit.

Most of the remaining songs on the record are rockers but similarly on dreamy subjects.  The flight of Icarus is mythological.  Die with your boots on take prophecy into hand and Where eagles dare is based off the movie. 

Finishing off the record is to tame a land.  Who sings about Dune?  Iron Maiden does!  You are going to be hard pressed to find something nerdier than this, perhaps Blackamoor's Knight playing at a ren faire.  But its a real deal metal song that sounds good. 



All in all its the best.  It even has a great pun title that is always fun in metal.   And I have 6th row seats for their show here in August.

Crescentstar Progressive Rock Score Card 11

Fascination Street
Monkey gone to Heaven
Omaha
Linus and Lucy
On the Dark Side
So it Goes
Pigs on the wing
Grievances
to the morning - a title mix up on my part i was thinking of Drake non fogleberg
Sundown
Killing Moon
Midnight City
Say what you will
The Amazing Pudding
Go for a Soda
South side of the Sky
Grand Designs
Lost for Words
solitude aeturnus
Carrie
Tyranny for You
Science fiction double feature
Security

Heavy Metal and Hard Rock references in Dungeons and Dragons Online

Being a fan of both Dungeon and Dragons online and Heavy metal, I have noticed a few in jokes that are part of the game.  I wanted to present a few for players not so fond of metal.  If you know of any others references please let me know.  jameslrickel@gmail.com

Rainbow in the dark: Well this is a reference to the Dio song of the same name.

Trial by Fire: Is a reference to the Testament song off The New Order

King Bendix: The end boss in a Cabal for One comes from Kim Bendix Peterson otherwise known as King Diamond.

Edward the Flesh golem: from Fleshmakers Lab is a reference to Eddie of Iron Maiden.

Elyd's Edge: has a Rush quote in the description of the item.

In the flesh: Is a reference to a Pink Floyd Song.

Running with the Devils: Comes from a Van Halen song

Schenker: The rare scorpion king in Ataraxia's is named after the guitarist of the Scorpions.

Fear Factory: This is the name of an industrial metal band, I saw them in Sac in July (HELL).

Crescent Star Progressive Rock score card 10

Machines of loving grace is actuall the name of a collection of poetry but it was also used by the band.  Where is a video I really dont know the band or any of their music.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEt86vB1seU

Summer Nights and my radio is something off 5150 Van Halen or Haggar depending.  My cousins cousin played this near constantly way back when so I have most of the record stuck in my head.  It's actually not nearly as good as I remember.  The choruses are solid but alot of the songs are sort of goofy.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LOkTGpaTYA

More Metal than you is something from Brian Posehn the commedian.  I like the D&D with Dio bit, I bet he would have been a fine DM. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y24MmylTeY4

Tin man is by America I really don't know the record, I heard the song and sort of started thinking the piece that is written there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3fI0mLz3ks

Hello It's Me is by Todd Rundgren it's an ok song here check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsezr0qiFIc

Working on a chain gang is by Sam Cooke though I think i was really thinking of Devos' working in a coal mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2XHYKWLGTg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WRjgv62Ayc

Bron Yr Arur is the the quiet song by Led Zepplin not the Stomp song which has a very similar name.  Its a great acoustic song really much better than a lot of the Zepplin they force feed you on the radio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xHvnMC7KFg

Cinema is by Yes, i know i like them too much.  I think that is from that super poppy record 90125 they had with all the hits from the 80s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqwmK_H0JcI

Everything you want is by Vertical Horizon or someone like that.  They played that song almost too much awhile go I heard it recently and was sort of like this again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZoD8JEFjAE

The song remains the same. Led Zepplin i dont thing you need to say any more on it. I actually was probably thinking of the organ bit in the movie but here is the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcYZlRWWxO0

I should be singing but I am tired out of breath is a line from the fountain of lamneth by Rush this is off of Caress of Steel the kick ass record you should go buy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UeDqx84ND8

Wait for you is by that Bonham group they had in the 80's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mciP59WSnNw&list=PL4D2195630FF548EF&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Back in the Village again is by Iron Maiden off of powerslave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ1tBzH1Cek

Live Undead is the title of Slayers live record from way back when.

The swan is a murderer is Cherry Five/Goblin some hard core italian prog.  The bass player is insane http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap6sZMJRWgY

Through fire and flames every guitar hero player will know is Dragonforce they are pretty cool in that they try.  Not enough of us try. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jgrCKhxE1s

In the garage is Weezer they are a bit hipster and lame for my tastes but at least its a song about D&D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCOTW5AD9a8

Meddle is one of Pink floyds records but I am sure you know that.

Bullet hits the bone is by Golden earring they probably play that on your radio all the time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrnDm72sdQE

Who Cares wins is Anthrax http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtD_GUvu-wc

A murder of one is Counting crows on their first record http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ePfsdr94ow

The New Order

I love Testament they have always been my favorite band in the Thrash scene.  They do everything right for me.  Its fast, riffy, with clean voice and a few growls.  Skolnicks sound is distinct and comes across immediately. 

My favorite record is actually "The Legacy" but I must concede "The New Order" is a superior record.  It's sort of the perfect Thrash album.  Its hard and not goofy.  It side steps fantasy elements and goes for a futuristic concept album.  Personally I love the fantasy bits, Alone in the Dark is my favorite Testament song; but I understand  how the vague apocalyptic theme works better for a broad variety of listeners.

The music is first rate,hitting you like a heavy metal assault.  Eric Peterson should get a mention here, he is very solid but is overshadowed by Skolnick all the time.  He and Greg Christian are the heavy soul that Skolnick dances over on this record.  Drumming is solid I sort of wish Louie was still in the band and not the revolving door they have going on.  A single presence on the drums would be nice.

Vocally Chuck billy is great, also Erics growls are a perfect fit.  There isn't the ballady metal Bob Dylan singing that Chuck used on practice what you preach.  The record is full on metal.  The tracks are great with many crowd favorites.  Musical Death is a nice quiet moment at the end of the record.

If you are looked at thrash and don't have this record you are missing something.  I would put it up there with Rust in Peace, Seasons in the Abyss and Among the living as thrash metal must haves.

Blue Cheer

I arrive finally at some of the Bay Area’s local roots in the Metal story.  These bands being the Count Five and Blue Cheer.  Neither are metal bands.  To speak briefly of Sabbath they played metal and were a metal band.  They had dark occult interests in their time off in some cases.  This is not going to be true for the two bands I am talking of.

Count Five are most often talked about as punk.  They were pretty much a typical sixties rock band, their song psychotic reaction really just has an energetic solo.  I would not even mention them except for their dressing up in capes and standing in front of the Winchester Mystery House for promotional photos.  I think you may give them something of a shock rock credit there but I do not believe they were taking this into their stage show.  Arthur Brown or even Howling Jay Hawkins has a better claim to the title.

As for Blue Cheer, they are a blues band that turned it up to twelve, they tried thirteen but it was a little loud.  In researching the Cheer, I don't really see them as attempting to do anything other than play loud.  They very much seem to be hippies or bluesies for the late 60's with extra amplification.

Metal is not a counterculture but a counter counterculture.  Metal arises out of the hypocrisy of the Hippies and throws it in their face, and that is what metal always does.  It seems to come from and for the outsider.  It seems to find those who need it and exclude or even repulse those who don't.  Even the horns are a statement of difference and unity.

Blue Cheer was not looking for that otherness.  Black Sabbath was born out of it, their music as Earth doesn't have it. Metal often comes out of harder more industrial areas.  Here in the Bay that is the east bay not San Francisco, which the Cheer seemed a part of. Their early album Vincebus Eruptum is certainly metal, but they arrived at it almost on accident. It’s that heavy blues that metal was birthed from, they just took it too far.  This in itself is pretty damn metal!

Electric Funeral

With a name like Electric Funeral we can start off by saying yes post Sabbath inspired band.  They are from Switzerland I believe but I am not sure on that.

The first song you need to listen to is Fly A way.  Oh my god that isn't early Sabbath you are hearing but early Maiden.  If you said oh its Smiler I would have taken your word for it.  It's fast and riffy with a high lyric.  This isn't like this all the way through, and songs like Rock Ba Rock are often proggy.  But there are a lot of songs where they take those riffs or solos have have them speed up to almost NWOBHM levels.

Lyrically and musically its like these guys loved Sabbath but took a more Robert Plant approach to the vocal.  I am really blown away but how this clearly early 70's band captured of a later sound.  I think this may be a live recording which can account for some of the speed and excitement in the performance.  But DAMN!!  The image is taken from William Tell's Guitar where these is also a review.

Sir Lord Baltimore

Another early metal band for you to check out is Sir Lord Baltimore.  I really hope you like these guys.  They are very raw and heavy but a touch more refined than some of the other early bands. 

Metal is much more orchestration over improvisation.  Some of these early bands I am mentioning have a very sixties sound that is muddy.  A lot of people doing a lot of music.  There is not the focus on the riff that is metal. This is not so with Sir Lord Baltimore.  Tracks like Kingdom come are riff focused.  Its not heavy sludgy its heavy then crisp quiet.

I am not the hugest black sabbath fan, well at least Ozzy sabbath.  I love Dio Sabbath.  One of the reasons is Ozzy's vocal.  He is sort of unique in his approach and vocally dissimilar to the leather lunged style that would dominate metal.  Sir lord Baltimore are a touch more in line with this vocal style.  I like that.

There are even some quiet songs or semi ballads.  These fall more in the metal camp of frolicking in a sylvan glade ballad that would come.  Some of the quiet music of other groups is where they would fall out of metal and back to musical style popular in their day.

In this series of review I am talking about bands I like, so consider this a recommendation.  I am trying to not be negative here.  If you would like me too, screw Vanilla Fudge and Strawberry Alarm clock.  You people that call them metal or protometal or anything metal are just plain wrong. 

Image stolen from snow records blog

Crescent Star Progressive Rock score card 9

Silly Love: This was sort of my reaction and tribute if you will to hearing Daniel Johnston's song from the Fun album.  I recently watched the movie the devil and daniel johnston and learned about him there.   It was a really good documentaty I really recommend.


The Metal: This comes from the pick of destiny soundtrack by Tenacious D.


Shadow Self: This comes from Kevin Gilberts Thud record.  I think I was getting at a past or second self here.

Cuz theyre more than meets the eye: Is a line from We care a lot by faith no more back when they had chuck mosley on vocals.   I have no idea why I used this as the title really.

Sad wings of destiny: This is the second of Judas Priests records. I think I liked the idea of destiny as everything is speeding out of control but not crashing at this point.

They call me the working man:  Obviously from Rush's first record.

Ladybug's picnic: Comes form Seasame street and was written by Bud Luckey and Donald Hadley

Head Games: Is the title track from Foreigners third record.  I really just wanted something with game in the title lol.


Sleep Come on me soon:  This is a line from david gilmours so far away from his first solo record.


Toy Soildiers: comes from Martika's record, i think she only had one.  There are no songs about painted pewter miniatures that I know of so this had to do.


Bytes break into bit: You should know my love of Rush by now.  This is a line from the body electric off Grace under pressure.  An underrated record as all of them are awesome.

Used with Conviction:  This is a line from Hallowed Point off Slayers Seasons in the Abyss.  I was just looking for a song about guns, saturday night special by lynrd skynrd would have done just as well, but i like metal.

Signal to noise:  This is a song off Peter Gabriels Up record.  It also is what I find too often on my HD stations

Too many things are evident: This is a line from Iron Maidens Infinite dreams.  This is on their Seventh Son record, their most progressive record.

Tyr:  I was sort of getting at the viking metal band from the Faroe Island here.  Just trying to go with a viking them.

My Last Attack:  This is a song by Holy Grail off Crisis in Utopia.  These guys are great and give me hope for metal.

Colorado: This is a song off of Flying Burrito Brothers self titled third record.  This was back when Rick Roberts had vocals for the band.

The Metal

My wife and I went to the Mayhem Music festival to see Megadeth and Testament a couple of weeks ago. Those bands were great but only had a short time on stage. There were many other bands there as well so we got to experience a few groups we would not have gotten the chance to otherwise. And Oh my god did many of them suck. Seriously one was so bad I would have been upset to see them at the Pony Express Pizza Parlor.

I was left sad and dejected, with a feeling that something was very wrong in the land of metal. And so I searched for bands that might restore my faith a little. Happily, there is hope.

Holy Grail sounds a mix of nwobhm and thrash, maybe a little like wrathchild USA or Armored Saint. They make me happy in a way that only Anthrax and Killer Dwarfs have. They are serious but something about the sound coming out of youths is a little odd. But in a delightful sort of way. I bought Crisis in Utopia and I think you should too.

OK Dawnbringer wow, just wow. I think you need to just go buy the nucleus record now, its cool Ill wait. OK, to me it sounds very progressive with a mixing of harder metal. The voice used is clean but different maybe a mix of Lemmy and King Diamond perhaps. Musically its very old school almost has a hint of Rainbow. Very much to my liking.

Ghost I am a little more hesitant about, It sounds like Mercyful Fate come again. Which in and of itself isn't every ones cup of tea. The stage show is also very King Diamond melodramatic. I think its worth a try if that is your thing.

Well I have hope again, Denim and Leather my friends.

Crescent Star Progressive Rock Score Card 8

Don't break the Oath comes from one of Mercyful fates records.


A short Lived Galaxy is a line from Rush's natural science. This is off the Permanent waves record

Watcher of the Skies is a song from Genesis off Foxtrot


Veteran of the psychic wars is from Blue Oyster Cult, I know it form the heavy metal sound track but it actually if from Fire of unknown origin

Lessons of course is from Rush off 2112

Good day is from Abdominal i guess flowtation device is the record


To tame a land is from Maidens Piece of mind

Stand up you don't have to be afraid is a line from I love it loud by kiss, from the creatures of the night record.

Games without frontiers is from Peter Gabriels Melt i think

Touch and go is Emerson lake and Powell. For some reason i always through of this when i heard the name industrial music, maybe its just the video.


Skeleton on my shoulder comes from Coroners Punishment for Decadence.

Mudmen is from Pink Floyds obscured by clouds

Going up the Country is by canned heat not really something i like but whatever.

Sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display is a line from Rush's lakeside park off Caress of Steel

Crescent Star Progressive Rock score card 7

"I am Superman" is a song by R.E.M. of one of their sucky ass records. I really don't care. They suck and have sucked. Will suck, shall suck. I was righting about comic book shops and wanted a title or some with super heroes. I should have used Bowie or Sabbath. I am truly sorry.

"I've read all the books about being ill" is a line from Bruce Dickinson's "no way out" I think this is from Balls to Picasso. I was just looking for something related to illness.

"I talk to the wind" Is by King Krimson. I heard the song and these are some of the thoughts that it conjured up. here is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJG6AJz-puk

"Private Eyes" yeah hall and oats its dumb. I was just talking about my Role playing game so nothing inspired.

"When Lights go down" is a line from Europes Carrie which is off The Final Countdown. I was writing about my daughter Keri so used it.

"Winters Call" well that's by Badlands off first record called Badlands oddly enough. I think I caught that on the radio ,or something, before writing.

"Got me running" is by Def Leppard's high and dry. I had been listening to that song a bunch at the time and just worked it in.

"My Blue Heaven" i have no idea, my Granma sang it to me as a very young child. I was thinking of my little family on a drive which makes me very happy and is my idea of heaven on earth.

"Midnight Rider" is by the Allman brothers. Its odd i really like on version and dislike the other. I like the one that uses the single repeated riff over and over again. I think there is a musical term for that. I am writing about my thoughts on that line of the song i mention.

"The Ballad of Jane" is by La guns maybe. I know it was on the radio which is weird, they don't often play that stuff. I think it was something about the loss they guy is singing about that sparked me. But whatever something came out I'm happy about that.

"Sheer Heart Attack" is actually just a record from Queen. I was feeling like i was about to have one that day.

"Soothsayer" Is a song from Buckethead's 18Th , yeah eighteenth record, Crime Slunk Scene. I really love and respect his work and he is a freaking weirdo. Here is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adV8-_hgL4g

"Here is her cup, filled with its poisons" this is part of the spoken bit of Bruce Dickinson's Jerusalem. This is from The Chemical Wedding. One of the best recorded works out there. It may be my favorite metal record of all. I would have to think about it.

Crescentstar Progressive Rock score card 6

Cuts like a knife, well everyone knows pretty much. its from Bryan Adams and is the title track of his most popular record. I really don't know why i used this for the title probably was just thinking about that song at the time.

One Pill Makes you Large One Pill makes you small is from Jefferson Airplane off the surrealistic pillow record. I was talking about my meds so figured pills was the theme.

Green is the Colour of her kind, is from Pink Floyd's soundtrack to More. It was a song I listened to back when I had more free time to drive. I remember listening to the record when driving Hicks road in San Jose, which is what I am talking about in the piece.

Party Hard is by Andrew W.K. off his I get wet. I had read some of his twitter stuff and just found it awesome. Simple Joy sort of like his song. Silly but direct to the point.

Most of the time is by Bob Dylan. Its off his Oh Mercy record but isn't the folks crap most people know of him. I think i was going for the imply opposition of my words that is inherent in his song.

All About Us is by American Analog Set. Off of the golden band record. I was just listening to this around the time i was writing so it became the title.

Trust is by Megadeth off Cryptic Writing. The piece is about my wife who loves Megadeth so I figured i would use one of their songs as the title.

Where does the time go is a miss remember of Sandy Denny's who knows where the time goes. Which is off Fairport Conventions unhalfbricking. I had listened to the song before writing so it was in my mind.

This is Halloween is off the nightmare before Christmas soundtrack. I was just looking for something about Halloween for the title so I used this.

Ready to Roll is by Flashlight Brown off My degeneration. I was just looking for a song about AD&D. There was actually a Camper Van Beethoven song I was trying to remember but couldn't. Let me know the title if you remember it.

Envy Life is by Testament who are a favorite of mine. Its off their Practice what you preach record. I was thinking about death so i thought of envy life.

One more red nightmare is by King Krimson off Red i believe. I like the Early KK but one of the people from my group is a fan of all their stuff so I thought about this song.

Keep on walking that road and I'll follow is a line from from Europe's Superstitious off Out of this world. I dont know how this song and the piece fit together, i think I may have wished i was out driving and listening to this song.

Memories sleep in dust is a line from Voivod's into my hypercube. This is off the fantastic nothingface record. I stole some of the imagery for the piece so i figured credit where it is due.

VintersKugge is a record from Isengard. I was mainly thinking of the frozen north and winter plus its viking metal so i figured why not.

The ripper is a song from Judas Priests, Sad wings of destiny. I think i was comparing the character i am playing to the ripper but i don't know its a good song anyway.

Hammer smashed face comes from Cannibal corpse. There is a lot of violent imagery associated with the band so i figured it fit.

Man in the mirror by Michael Jackson just seemed to fit for a self portrait. its from the Bad record.

Neal's Fandango is off Stampede by the doobie brothers. I was thinking of the rambling and traveling aspect so i used it.