When Lemmy Dreams, He Dreams of Shadows

My dad doesn’t historically have the coolest taste in music, but a funny thing happened when he came to New York last year for a visit. I took him up to Sirius for a survey of the 36th floor view and more importantly a gorging on gear, glamor, and satellite tech photo ops. While we were talking to Jose Mangin, telegenic Hard Attack metal channel founder and prophet, a dapper clean-shaven Andrew WK walked in and started shaking hands. Before Mr. Hard Party Kit Kat could get a word in edgewise, though, an idea popped into my dad’s head and he sprung into a lecture to us young ‘uns about the Shadows and Hank Marvin, the original guitar hero. That’s Hank with the long face with 1960s instrumental outfit the Shadows up above.

I inherited a Shadows CD somewhere, but I really only knew them from interviewing Tony Iommi for Sirius. Turns out he’s an unsung hero of the Sabbath sound, I think his rapid-fire approach to the Strat is an overlooked indirect influence on metal guitar playing. Joe Satriani covered a Shadows song, so he knows. Tony Iommi knows. Look at the synchronized steps the Shadows use in the video — you can bet the Scorpions know. The suspenseful James Bond theme used from Moonraker through the N64 Goldeneye game is played by Hank Marvin, so 007 knows. Now you know, too. I’m impressed that the Shadows were a hit machine as an instrumental guitar group, that’s uncommon. I guess I like the gunslinger approach to the six-string, from Hank Marvin to Link Wray to Andy McCoy. Add your own distortion, and those triplets are Slayer.

Hip hop music cut its teeth on the drum break in “Apache.” So did Lemmy Kilmister, who began his life on stage doing Shadows covers. If you see him at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood, and want to drag him away from the video poker, pull his ear about Hank Marvin.

Chthonic at Ozzfest Debut

The first free Ozzfest is today at White River Amphitheater in Seattle. Jose and Mario from Sirius Hard Attack are there handing out T-shirts and dodging water balloons. So is RockMyMonkey.com, who has already delivered this great gallery of Chthonic live shots.

Ah, energy drink sponsors paying for corpse-painted Taiwanese symphonic black metal bands to praise death and abuse a screeching erhu (see above) on a bright sunny summer afternoon. The system is working just fine today.

LINK

Photo by Mark Carras

BLOODY ROOTS Presents: Demo-lition 3

This week’s episode of BLOODY ROOTS, my weekly heavy metal history show on Sirius Hard Attack, is based entirely on demos digitized for this blog. Here’s the playlist:

AT WAR – “Eat Lead” from EAT LEAD
DEFCON – “Descenders From Hell” from FIRST
FORCED ENTRY – “Thrash or Die!” from THRASHING HELPLESS DOWN
HOLY TERROR – “Distant Calling” from 1986
SACRILEGE BC – “Crucified” from PARTY OF GOD
DREAM DEATH – “Dream Death” from 1986 DEMO
INCINERATOR – “Mass Genocide” from LIVE INTO THE CREMATORIUM
PORN ORCHARD – “This Reflex” from HIT THE RIGHT PEOPLE HARD
INSECTICIDE – “Overpowerd” from 1987 DEMO
LEVIATHAN – “Leviathan” from LEGIONS OF THE UNDEAD
SAMHAIN (DK) – “The Courier” from THE COURIER
INCUBUS (FL) – “Engulfed in Unspeakable Horror” from 1987 DEMO
DEVASTATION (IL) – “Devastation” from A RE-RECREATION OF RIPPING DEATH

Airtimes are 9PM ET on Tuesday 6/5, 3PM ET on Friday 6/8, and Noon ET on Sunday 6/10.

The show is generally based on my book Sound of the Beast, and I can’t think of a better use for $500 million worth of satellites. Look over all the past playlists for 2007 here: LINK.

Sugar and Spice, and Everything Ice

I’m putting together a Women in Metal episode of my Bloody Roots show for Sirius later this month, listening to lots of Gallhammer, Détente, Girlschool, and 13. So I guess I’m feeling extra-receptive to this fair green 1986-87 demo from all-woman Swedish quartet Ice Age.

With its stop-start songwriting and relentless melodicism the band’s second demo “General Alert” is like a very tame precursor to the hometown Goteborg sound. Though their feathered hair is piled high, and their pouty faces are slapped on the cover of this cassette case, don’t be distracted — Ice Age knows their metal theory. Despite carrying loads of of baggage from before the girls discovered Exodus, they patch together rollicking good upbeat metal.

The first three tracks come from 1987, and evidence more thrashisms like shoutalong backing vocals, E-string chunking, and song titles like “A Case of Cerebral Death.” Sounds like the title of a Swedish crime film, doesn’t it?

The final two tracks came from side II and were recorded in 1986, and are of a much more classic style. Competent Yngwie classicism and gutsy Doro wails dominate. Point these songs at your nearest Euro-metal purist and they’ll gush all over you. I can’t help but think that Ice Age was thrilled to discover thrash, though, so they could be part of sculpting something new instead of joining the tail end of the legions of the past.

ICE AGE * “General Alert” 5-song demo 1987 [32.5MB .rar]

The band’s founder/guitarist/vocalist Sabrina Kihlstrand has launched an Ice Age MySpace page, which features a technical Coroner-esque 1989 song called “Instant Justice” that is truly astonishing. Though Ice Age traded talent across the seas and eventually recruited past and future members of Rock Goddess and Sentinel Beast, there isn’t any vinyl available.

If you’re looking for photos of these heartthrobs picking their noses, check an old SLAYER mag from Norway. Ice Age melted the heart of editor Jon Metali0n, dominating coverage in early issues — thus possibly delaying the second wave of Norwegian black metal for a few years? (Ha!)

Caught Between Heaven and Hell

If I owned a deli or a pizzeria, I would frame this photo and hang it on the wall. And I’d be wearing an apron.

28 Blast Beats Later

Hard Attack listener Sage wrote me to request Goatwhore, and passed along a Flickr link to her hell-possessed eyeball. She’s obviously infected with the Rage Virus, but some genetic mutation makes her a carrier instead of a full-fledged zombie, as she seems completely lucid.

Sage: “Disgusting, isn’t it? Well, yes, and it feels much like it looks — like being kicked in the face repeatedly by someone with a serious grudge.”

Link to Sage’s Flickr & full explanation of her traumatic iritis

Gratuitous Lordi Photo-Op

Eurovision winners/future Ozzfest heatstroke victims Lordi signing Pedon Meteli — the Finnish version of Sound of the Beast — as a gift for translator Jone Nikula.

Tony Iommi Signed My ‘73 Gibson SG Special

I had a chance to have Tony Iommi, grand wizard of the horned Gibson, sign my battered SG last year, but I passed. I didn’t want to blow a chance to uncover the secrets of the universe by turning into an autograph hound during an interview. But I kind of regretted it. So when I was told that Heaven & Hell, the Dio-era line-up of Black Sabbath, were coming to my Sirius show after their triumphant Radio City gig, I started hunting for a pen. Tony, Geezer, Dio, and Vinny Appice came up for a long talk session, and afterwards I plopped the SG on Uncle Tony’s lap. He gave it a good once-over, looked really serious when he asked, “What about this crack in the neck?” Ha! Iommi humor! Honestly, if there is a crack, it’s sealed with sweat and finger goo. I told him I hoped his signature would hold this banged-up thing with dented frets, rusting hardware, and countless divots together for a couple more years. “You ought to see mine!” he laughed. Now I’m in the market for a clear pick guard to protect and show off the blessing of the master of all metal riffs.

The interview turned out great, by the way. The meat of it will air starting Tuesday, April 10, at 9p Eastern on Hard Attack.