1-31-2012: Drizzit - Last Child

It's not the final mix from the epic "American True Metal" LP released in 2006, but you get the point.  Yes, this is one of the few tracks available from the Critic and I's old band on YouTube.  Enjoy!

Rage - 21

New Rage song!!!! Taken from the upcoming album "21"

Anthrax - The Devil You Know

New video from their new album Worship Music. I apologize, this was posted already but this is the official video and I thought it was pretty cool.


Trivia: Guitarist Scott Ian's wife, Pearl Aday, is the daughter of singer/actor Meat Loaf

Running Wild - Bad to the Bone

Since I just heard Running Wild is back together with an album on the way!

Metal Bytes Trivia:
How Rolf received the name "Rock'n'Rolf". One day the band was practicing in the basement of Matthias Kaufmann's house. Matthias's little brother Markus was trying to follow all the terms he was hearing, such as "Rock'n'Roll", "Heavy Metal". One day, he was listening to his brother and Hasche talking about Rock'n'Roll. The doorbell rang and, when Markus opened the door and saw Rolf there, he shouted confused, "Rock'n'Rolf is here". And the rest is history.

Iced Earth - Anthem

Taken from the 2011 album "Dystopia" Album is damn good in comparison to some of their previous efforts.

1-30-2012: Black Label Society - Fire it Up

This song was released for the original Guitar Hero all the way back in 2006.  Holy shit, that craze is now 6 years old and has pretty much officially come and gone.  I still get a kick out of the games, though.  How can you not?  I mean a grown man with a plastic guitar?!  Raise the horns!

1-29-2012: Stratovarius - Kiss of Judas

Another band we found in the great power metal hunt of 1997-98.  Visions is a great album which I still bust out at least a few times a year.  Destiny and Infinite are also worth your time as is the newest album Elysium.  The rest of their stuff is kind of hit or miss, but this is one of their best.

1-28-2012: Kix - Midnight Dynamite

This was one of those songs I heard on the Boneyard over and over 2-3 years ago and just couldn't get enough of.  Not really the greatest band out there, but still a great song.

Kalisia- How Could I

Kalisia does a cover of Cynic's How Could I with Arch Enemy's Angela Gossow on what Cynic calls, the death grunts. What could go wrong? Nothing...fantastic cover!

1-27-2012: Hammerfall - The Dragon Lies Bleeding

After the Critic and I discovered power metal via Helloween and Iron Savior in 1997, we were hungry for more!  A guy named Hayes turned us on to a brand new band kicking ass in the power metal genre.  The first album was played in heavy rotation among our friends for a LONG time.  Strangely, I didn't really get into them all that much until 1998's Legacy of Kings.  This is the first Hammerfall song I ever heard though, and it's a beaut!

1-26-2012 (extra): Riot - Swords and Tequila

Unfortunately, we lost Riot's founder Mark Reale today.  Riot is a very underrated founding father of metal and it sucks that we lost their founder right on the heels of the excellent Thundersteel reunion album:  Immortal Soul.

This is by far Pandora's favorite Riot track, and one of mine, from the Fire Down Under album.

1-26-2012: Testament - Electric Crown

Looking forward to their next album later this year.  Back to one of my recurring themes, this was the first Testament song I ever heard (unless you count Signs of Chaos).  The Ritual stands as my favorite album, with the Formation of Damnation a damn close second.  Very rarely does Testament steer us wrong, though.

1-25-2012: Anthrax - The Devil You Know

Indeed, one of the top albums of 2011 IMO.  By far the best Anthrax album with Belladonna, and very likely their best of all time.  This was the epic first single!

Testament - More Than Meets the Eye

Since Steve and I just mentioned this song over beers Monday. If one is interested in a great live show, it doesn't get better than Testament. Chuck is intimidatingly big and I'm sure kicked the shit out of some poseurs in his day.

1-24-2012: Firewind - Maniac

Firewind's version of this song is incredible.  The original is a symbol of my childhood because you just couldn't escape it...even though I've never seen "Flashdance".  I would watch it now, but I'll bet it's terrible.  In the meantime, I'll listen to Firewind's version of this song and be satisfied.

1-23-2012: Armored Saint - Loose Cannon

I really don't think Armored Saint has ever done any wrong!  They were broken up for the majority of the 90s, which is a plus to any metal band, really, unless they were so underground, they were able to hold their ground.

John Bush is easily my favorite singer of all time, and while I like his Anthrax stuff, you can't beat the Saint!  Their newest album is an instant classic IMO, and this is the opener.  Unfortunately, I can't find a good quality vid, so this live version will have to do.

1-22-2012: Helloween - Halloween

OK, so in terms of ridiculous videos, this one just might take the cake over any cheesy ass video we've posted so far.  After being friends with BrettRox for about 3 years, I really think this video is the reason he never liked Helloween!  I'm turning him on to some of their newer stuff, which I personally think is considerably better than the old stuff, but hey, that's just me.

I'm still a fan of the old stuff, though.  Without it, there would be no Helloween!  Next Helloween song I post, I'll have to talk about how the Wine Critic and myself first heard them on his record player almost 15 years ago!

1-21-2012: Def Leppard - Paper Sun

I've always been a huge Def Leppard fan.  I imagine it's because they're probably the first hard rock/metal band I ever got really into back in the late 80s as a kid.  Hysteria was I think the very first audio tape I ever bought.

In a change of pace from posting the first song I ever heard by a band, this is actually the last song I deem worthy as being called "Def Leppard".  Their output since 1999s Euphoria from which this came, has been utter shit, and that's being nice.  Even Euphoria was really only half good, but this song stands out and really always will.  If you gave up on them when Adrenalize or Slang hit, at least give this particular song a shot!

Queensryche - Silent Lucidity

When MTV use to play videos, I remember this video playing in their rotation consistently like it was the "stairway to heaven" of 1990. Here's a neat factoid. Not only is the child in this video old enough to drive but he could drive home intoxicated from the local bar.

1-20-2012: Motley Crue - Too Young To Fall in Love

Here's another classic cheeseball video from the early days of music videos.  The Crue visits Japan, kicks ass, takes names (and the Japanese women to boot!).  Great song, great vid.

1-19-2012: Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon

Since the Tasteless Wine Critic busted out an epic video of awful 80s music video effects, I decided to break out one of my favorite bad-effects videos by the Prince of Darkness himself.  This thing is just loaded up with "special effects", you can't beat the Jekyll and Hyde transformations of the quick zoom effect on all the people at the beginning that seemed to be so popular back then.  Is that Carmine Appice on Drums?  Tommy Aldridge supposedly drummed on the album, but that looks a lot like Carmine Appice in the vid.

1-18-2012: Dio - Sunset Superman

The first time I heard this song was on HardRockin80s.com like 5 years ago.  Now, like any Dio song, it has just fantastically cheesy lyrics talking about God knows what.  Like riding tigers and rainbows in the dark and shit.  We heard the song title "Sunset Superman" laughed our asses off.  What the fuck is a sunset superman?

1-17-2012: Judas Priest - Painkiller

This song is way ahead of its fucking time.  You take the speed of the guitars and drums added with Halford's incredible vocals on this song, I'd guess it to be made sometime in the 2000s if I didn't know better.

One of Priest's finest (especially live as I recently found out)!

Voivod - Ravenous Medicine

Even Voivod wasn't safe from cheesy 80's music video effects. I have the album Rooooaaaaarrr!!!!! on vinyl.

1-16-2012: Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time

The band the Wine Critic and I used to be in, Drizzit, played half of this song exactly one time in our "cover medley" that we did at every show.  In rehearsals, it sounded excellent.  On stage, it was pretty bad.  I believe one of us broke a string that was very needed for that awesome intro, and it was just generally mediocre compared to rehearsals.  Oh well, it was a damn fun song to play because well, it kicks so much ass!

1-15-2012: Fastway - Trick or Treat

From the ultimate cheesy metal movie Trick or Treat from 1986, it's Fastway's "hit" title song!  As if any self respecting metal fan needs any more reasons to go out and watch this movie RIGHT NOW, I'll give you a complete Joe Bob Briggs-like rundown on why this movie kicks so much ass!

• Great boob shot of Lori Laughlin (of Full House fame!)
• Gene Simmons as Nuke the DJ!
• Ozzy Osbourne as a PREACHER!
• complete soundtrack by Fastway!
• classic metal memorabilia throughout!

Need I say any more?

1-14-2012: Crimson Glory - War of the Worlds

Another one of those albums I didn't get into when it came out, but thoroughly enjoy now.  This song is even better when it's started by Marching to Glory on their excellent 1999 album Astronomica.  If you've never checked out Crimson Glory, do it today!

1-13-2012: Iced Earth - Burning Times

Easily the song that hooked me on Iced Earth for the first time.  My buddies loved the Dark Saga and Burnt Offerings and was mildly impressed, but not even enough to go buy the albums.  Then along came Something Wicked this Way Comes.  Out of the gates, you get this classic, and the rest of the album barely lets up.  Still their strongest offering IMO.

1-12-2012: Lion - Love is a Lie

OK, so this is epic cheesiness here.   To add to the awesomeness of this song, I've included the absolutely classic clip of Mr. Crispin Glover doing his best dance to this song in 1984's "Friday the 13th IV:  The Final Chapter".  The song finally made Lion's final album, "Trouble in Angel City" 5 years later.  And of course, Friday the 13th was a long way away from the final chapter.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they made a new one before too long.

For good measure, the timeless Glover dance:

1-11-2012: Motorhead - Rock Out

This song was the theme to a WWE Pay Per View (I think Summerslam) 2008.  Quite honestly, not to take away from Motorhead's classics, I think this is my favorite Motorhead song of all time.  I was lucky enough to get to hear it when they came through back in February.  Motorhead is a must-see live act for any self-respecting metalhead!

1-10-2012: Heaven and Hell - Bible Black

I heard this song back in 2009 in Louisville KY at about 1 in the morning.  Louisville had a station that was playing late night metal on Saturday nights at the time and they busted this new "Black Sabbath" song w/Dio!  I has pretty drunk but remember making my cousin crank it up (to which he had no problem because it rules).

1-9-2012: Icon - On Your Feet

We used to see this album at St. Louis' great Record Exchange back in the 90s and just never took the plunge on it.  Luckily, BrettRox had the album and made me a copy in 2009.  This is 80s metal at its finest.  About as cheesy as you can get.  Love it or hate it, it's what makes the metal stereotype.

Myrath - Merciless Times

From the 2011 album Tales of the Sand, Myrath's distinctive metal style is blended with oriental rhythms, scales and harmonies. One of my 2011 favorite albums.

Megadeth - Public Enemy No. 1

I am not a huge fan of the new album th1rt3en. With that said I am a fan of this song and the video. Come on it has monkeys.

1-8-2012: Pretty Maids - Future World

The only even mildly popular hit by an incredibly underrated band.  They're still out there and they're one of those rare bands that actually kicks more ass now than before.

1-7-2012: Primal Fear - Bad Guys Wear Black

From the upcoming Primal Fear album Unbreakable, this is the first single.  Back to their roots type vibe that I'm really digging.  Can't wait to hear the whole thing!

1-6-2012: Sister Sin - Sound of the Underground

I have never been a fan of the whole female singer craze in rock.  Evanescence thought they were doing something original 10 years ago, but I guess they forgot Warlock was out there with Doro years before.

Sister Sin is by far the best female-fronted band I've heard since Warlock.  You know you have a winner when you cover UDO on your first album!  Plus Liv is the hottest female rock vocalist I think I've ever seen!

1-5-2012: Vinnie Vincent Invasion - Boyz are Gonna Rock

This video is spectacular!  Typical 80s, over the top excellence.  I especially enjoy the guitar in the amp at the end, and I know you will too!

1-4-2012: U.D.O - Holy

By far UDO's finest moment in my opinion.  Last May, the Tasteless Wine Critic and I were en route to Louisville to see Primal Fear and I included this in the mix CD to jam on the way down.  Neither of us had heard it in a while, and it was a great throwback.  Then between the opener and Primal Fear, the house sound system blasted Holy for us once again making my fucking day!

1-3-2012: Saxon - Unleash the Beast

Certainly not the first Saxon song I ever heard, but by far the one that affected me the most.  I never really looked at metal the same again.  This ranks up there with albums that really changed my life.  If you've never listened to Unleash the Beast, I highly recommend it.

1-2-2012: Judas Priest - Bloodstone

I'm not exactly sure why I chose this as the first Priest song to grace our blog...probably just because the Stratovarius version is stuck in my head.  Killer song by both bands, but you can't beat the original.

1-1-2012: Black Sabbath - Into the Void

I had the luxury of FINALLY seeing Ozzy on a solo tour last January, and despite being 62 or something, be blew the roof off the place!  Awesome.  The second to last song he played was this, and how terrible is it that 3 metalheads couldn't figure out this song when it was happening?  Shame on us!