04-30-2012: Yngwie Malmsteen - I'll See The Light, Tonight

I can't believe we haven't posted any Yngwie!!  Let me be the first.  This song was my intro to the awesomeness of the classical metal guitar god.  I'll still never forgive my wife for making me go with her to see the band H.I.M. at The Pageant about 4 years ago to watch the lead singer not give a shit and focus his energy on smoking 2 packs of cigs instead of seeing Yngwie at Pop's the same night.  I will never let this happen again!  Fortunately I did get to see him in the early to mid 200's and Pops was packed.  Probably the most people I've seen myself at a show there.  Plus this cheesy video has the coolest, most bad ass stage dragon I have ever seen.  I want one for my basement.

4-30-2012: W.A.S.P - Inside the Electric Circus

The Critic will remember the epic 1998 search for this album on CD that ended in victory!  80s metal was a rough thing to come by back in the late 90s if you wanted it on CD.  Sure, it was in every bargain bin on cassette or in some rare cases, vinyl, but on CD?  Shit, half the stuff didn't even exist on CD yet!  The glory of the hunt!  It was a damn good time!

04-29-2012: Michael Schenker Group - Are You Ready To Rock

Michael Schenker rules!!  'Nuff said

4-29-2012: Iced Earth - Declaration Day

When Ripper Owens took over for Matt Barlow, I think no one really knew what to expect.  They delivered with The Glorious Burden IMO.  The follow up could have been better (I don't even remember the name of it).  This is the first we heard of Ripper in Iced Earth and fuckin A!  It does not disappoint!

4-28-2012: 3 Inches of Blood - Deadly Sinners

This song has fantastic music even if you hate the vocals.  This is really the only song I've ever heard by them, and it's pretty damn good.  I just haven't checked them out more because of my disdain for death vocals.

04-27-2012: Lizzy Borden - Tomorrow Never Comes

This was one hell of a comeback album (Appointment With Death) from a band that has mostly been dormant since 1990.  This is just killer.  Probably the best stuff they've ever done.  I guess an old dog CAN come up with new tricks after all.  If you like your metal with catchy hooks and melodies then this is it.  Another Rocklahoma 2008 highlight for me.

4-27-2012: Tarot - Warhead

I just can't get enough!  For the Glory of Nothing is their 1998 album is very transitional.  I view Tarot as having 3 distinct eras that sound almost like 3 different bands:  The early, late 80s stuff, the 90s stuff, and the 2000s.  This kind of fits into the 90s stuff, but not really.  Some transitional albums are done well, others not, but this is one I can't recommend enough.  It might be my favorite Tarot album!

4-26-2012: Mercyful Fate - The Oath

I've never really been a King Diamond fan until recently.  This is another one of DirecTV's SonicTap favorites and I credit them for hooking me on King Diamond and Mercyful Fate.  Give him a chance!  Eventually, King Diamond's voice becomes bearable!

04-26-2012: Fireball Ministry - Sundown

I heard this band a couple of years ago for the first time back when the Sirius/XM Boneyard station would play occasional obsure stuff.  If you like this song, go out to Youtube and check out the songs King and  The Broken.  Looking forward to whatever they come out with next.  You can never go wrong with a triple guitar attack can you?  Didn't think so!

4-25-2012 (2): Testament - DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)

Shit, I actually forgot to post yesterday!  So here's a bonus post!

This is an absolute killer track from what we thought would be their last album:  1999's "The Gathering".  This album was a strange hybrid of their classic shit and the Demonic era weirdness they had started on.  I don't like most of this album, but this one stands out as the diamond in the rough.

4-25-2012: Overkill - The Wait/New High In Lows

For my first Overkill post (and continuing the thrash theme), I have to go with this great track from 1994's WFO!  We used to call each other on the phone as teenagers and say "You think you're big time?  You're gonna fuckin die...BIG TIME!".

HERE COME THE PAIN!

4-23-2012: Exodus - Hammer and Life

From their awesome 2010 album "Exhibit B:  The Human Condition", Exodus is considered by many to be one of the best non-big 4 thrash bands.  I don't know if I can get behind that though.  Certainly they've been around longer than almost all others, but I question the quality of their stuff.  I agree with the critic that their recent stuff kills their "classic" material.  So if you never cared for the old shit, be sure to check their newer shit out!

4-22-2012: Slayer - Disciple

Alright, so let's do all the big 4 this week!  This is one of my favorite tunes from the modern Slayer years.  This song opened up their concert (of course after the playing of the studio version of "Darkness of Christ") back then and it really marked a return to form for them.  I saw them on this tour for the first time and it was just brutal!  You gotta see these guys in a small venue to appreciate how loud and brutal they can be.

04-21-2012: Twisted Sister - Burn In Hell

Probably my favorite TS song along with Under The Blade.  They were still kicking butt at Rocklahoma when I saw them in 2008.  Take that Tipper Gore you ugly piece of trash!  Here's what we think of your Parental Advisory stickers. 

4-21-2012: Metallica - Escape

I recently saw Lars on TMS and he said they're going to playing Ride the Lightning all the way through on the upcoming tour!  Who doesn't think this is beyond excellent?  Apparently, James has never been a fan of playing this song (I assume because he can't sing like that anymore), but he apparently said fukkit and they're going to do it!  I'd love to see this...

4-20-2012: Megadeth - This Day We Fight!

Holy shit!  This is my first Megadeth post.  Shame on me.  The only other Megadeth post was the Critic's Public Enemy #1 Review.  This song is the first non-instrumental on their epic "Endgame" album.  And what a set of openers!  Dialectic Chaos leads into this thing and it's like pandemonium in your ears.  Fucking awesome guitar on both tracks and it's just constant!

Nocturnal Rites - Never Again

Why does the chick in this video look more like a man than the singer?
That was harsh wasn't it. Too bad, suck it!
Trivia:
In 1995 Owe (drums) had a zoo for reptiles in Visby, Sweden...Two crocodiles escaped and ran around in the central parts of the city. The whole thing was a huge scandal in Sweden.

4-19-2012: Anthrax - London

2 days in a row of John Bush!  Since he's easier one of my favorite singers ever, that's a damn good thing!  This is available on re-releases of Sound of White Noise as well as the soundtrack to a fucking classic hard rock movie:  Airheads!

4-18-2012: Armored Saint - After Me, The Flood

When Armored Saint's comeback album " Revelation" came out in 2000, St. Louis had an EPIC radio station called "The Rock" that was promoting the shit out of classic hard rock and metal.  It was great.  Really, the whole country had been void of melodic music since grunge had hit almost 10 years before so people were starting to get the need for great melodic music again.  A lot of bands were reinventing themselves, changing their signature sound, etc.  and for the most part, it wasn't working.  Armored Saint returned with this masterpiece which featuring a heavier sound, but the same hooks and catchiness you expect from the Saint.  The Rock played this song here and there, so I went out the day it came out and bought it.  I bought one of CD Warehouse's last copies because that fucker sold like mad!  The Saint rules!

4-17-2012: Priestess - Lay Down

These guys are a bunch of Canadians that I really though would take off when this song landed on Guitar Hero 3 back in 2007.  I was wrong.  Hehe.  According to Wikipedia, they refused to alter the classic hard rockin sound of their second album which ultimately got them dropped by RCA.  I guess that'll hurt you...

4-16-2012: White Wizzard - Flying Tigers

The opener from their latest album, these guys are worse than 90s Helloween with their lineup changes.  The story is shaping up a lot like old Iron Maiden, though, to where bassist Jon Leon pretty much owns this band and he has a vision that he WILL get right one day.  They're definitely on their way.  Check out this greatness!

4-15-2012: Dream Evil - The Book of Heavy Metal

Another one of Gus G's creations, Dream Evil basically comes out and says:  We are melodic metal that most will deem cheesy, F U.  This song sums up the band nicely.  Great song, great band!

04-14-2012: Rainbow - Death Alley Driver

The first concert I ever went to was Rainbow's Straight Between the Eyes tour in 1982. Great song - super cheesy video. Probably one of the worst videos ever but I enjoyed the props to one of the greatest video games of the day - Turbo. Pretty killer keyboard solo near the end.

4-14-2012: Accept - Flash to Bang Time

Another classic from their latest "Stalingrad".  While I really like the album as a whole, there's not too many songs that really stick in your head like on "Blood of the Nations".  I give it a B.  Like most of the album, though, this is an ass kicker!

04-13-2012: Ozzy Osbourne - I Don't Know

This is where it all began for me – my road to Metal enlightenment. My stoner friend loaned me his Blizzard of Oz 8-track tape (yes, 8-track!) and I was completely blown away. I hadn’t heard anything like it before. I was hypnotized. Up to this point about the hardest music I had heard was maybe Van Halen or Sammy Hagar. From then on, there was no turning back. Ozzy even got me grounded for a month when I defied my parents in high school and drove up to the Kiel auditorium from Southern Illinois with some friends to see Ozzy with Motley Crue in 1984. Ahh..good times. LOL

4-13-2012: Warrant - Uncle Tom's Cabin

While Warrant is often lumped with all the other hair bands, this song seems to transcend both them and the hair metal genre.  Everyone remembers the song, despite it not being a super big hit at the time.  Everyone remembers the video because it was well done and kicked the ass.  Someone should do a modern day cover and bring it back because this song rules in every way.

4-12-2012: Heaven - Show on the Road

One of those bands even the most knowledgeable metalhead might say "who the fuck is that"?  BrettRox and I had both heard of them however, when we met in 2009.  Great minds think alike one more time!

4-11-2012: Hammerfall - The Outlaw

Hammerfall's first 2 albums were epic, then they went slowly downhill from there until their most recent release: Infected.  This album was quite the change of pace for them, which is good and bad at times, but it has done what it had to do, give Hammerfall some new life.  This is my fav from the album.  Enjoy.

4-10-2012: Jackyl - I Stand Alone

Another early 90s gem that stands right on the edge of metal and hard rock.  If the 90s had continued this way without grunge getting in the fucking way, maybe music would be a lot better today?  Who knows.  Jesse James is one crazy mother fucker.  BrettRox insists I need to see a full length show with guy instead of the 45 minute set I saw them do a year and half ago.  He was nuts on TMS last year, I know that.  Jackyl rules.

4-9-2012: Living Colour - The Cult of Personality

Continuing our early 90s theme we have going, it's a song that's been recently resurrected by WWE star CM Punk as his new theme!  Everyone who hears this song loves it.  What's not to like really?  It's brilliant in every way.  A heavy, hard rock/metal tune typical of the time that somehow holds up really well today.
One thing I never hear anyone question:  what other hits do they have?  THAT is a good question...

4-8-2012: Ugly Kid Joe - Everything About You

Is this some kind of hip new music that I don't understand?

4-7-2012: Faith No More - From out of Nowhere

Are they Alternative?  Are they metal?  Are they hard rock?  Who the fuck knows, who the fuck cares.  They're a fucking excellent band with a ton of excellent songs.  This is one that often gets overlooked.  The first song from the Real Thing album.
Turn this fucker to 11!

4-6-2012: Dream Theater - Pull me Under

Yesterday's post reminded me of an epic track of the same name.  This is quite frankly Dream Theaters' reason for being as prominent as they are.  Without this song, I can't honestly say I think they'd be where they're at today.  This one graced the local KSHE airwaves back in Jr. High and brings back great memories.
Killer song that holds up!

4-5-2012: Winger - Pull Me Under

Yeah, I fucking know.  Winger.  WTF?!  Same guys that Beavis and Butthead mocked because Stewart wore their shirt?  Yeah.  Same guy that had his face plastered with darts in the Metallica video?  Yep.  Fact is, Winger are a set of talented ass musicians that don't get credit simply because of the shit I listed above.  Oh yeah, and I guess Kip was a pretty hard core tool back in the day.
Nonetheless, the talent is there, and their newer shit is better than ever!  This is one of my favorite songs they've ever done from their latest album Karma!  Give it a shot at least.  FUCK!

4-4-2012: Stargazery - Puppet on a String

Funny how you get real excited about something then you couldn't care less.  That's kind of how I feel about these guys.  It's not that it's bad...it's just that other shit (Megadeth, Anthrax) came along last Fall and made me not care about them real fast.  Anyway, they're still worth checking out.  I may be re-discovering them again today!

Shadows Fall - Fire from the Sky

The bridge is sick! "Fire From The Sky" is the title track to Shadows Fall's new album, out May 15

4-3-2012: Every Mother's Nightmare - Walls Come Down

The Critic will surely appreciate this one as it's in his personal vinyl collection!  I have this on a killer compilation gem I picked up in the late 90s called "Heavy Metal Hits of the 80s Vol. 4".  The songs on that thing are hardly "hits", but are great tunes anyway.  Enjoy this classic!

4-2-2012: Slayer - Evil Has No Boundaries

You see Slayer live nowadays and rarely will you get a chance to see a tune from "Show No Mercy".  I think this is their best album.  It's one of those albums that has incredible songwriting and just awful production.  Slayer should take its 30th anniversary opportunity next year and re-record the whole thing a lot like Tarot and Manowar have done.  This is Show No Mercy's first song...fucking excellent.

4-1-2012: Motorhead - The Game

We're big wrestling fans here at MetalBytes, so I have to celebrate Wrestlemania day with HHH's theme music and a Motorhead classic.  Enjoy your Wrestlemania!