The end of a saga: Judas Priest to break up

Earlier this week, I was idly browsing the interwebs as usual when I came across a piece of truly tragic news. It turns out that heavy metal legends Judas Priest will be among the first of the genre's OGs to hang up their axes for good. Their hugely influential blend of speedy riffs, twin lead guitar pyrotechnics, Rob Halford's ungodly shriek and flamboyant stage presence, and, of course, leather will live on in their large discography of (mostly) classic albums. It was back in the 8th grade that these guys first inspired me to listen to and play metal. Lots of good memories listening to Priest!

The good news is, you can still catch them on one last tour. I'm very glad I caught them on the Metal Masters tour in 2008; it was one of my favorite shows.

Here's two classic videos from the band: the heavy metal classic "Breaking the Law" and the shred-your-heart-out, demonic intensity of "Painkiller."

Good FREE metal continued: Converge

Here's another metallic freebie: download an ENTIRE Converge live album, courtesy of Deathwish Inc. The set, hailing from the You Fail Me era, features heaping helpings of the band's trademark catharsis-by-screaming-so-hard-it-sounds-like-my-voicebox-is-getting-ripped-to-shreds. An intense, intimate, and yes, brutal recording.

Good FREE metal

Wanna get some excellent metal tracks for free? The Adult Swim METAL SWIM sampler is one of the best free compilations in the genre I've ever heard, featuring the likes of Pelican, Isis, Boris, Torche and many others. Shred on.

Buckethead

Nobody shreds like Buckethead.

Buckethead - "Nottingham Lace"

Throwback Thursday: Pantera live in Moscow

Nobody's ever done groove-oriented metal as well as Pantera, and this 1991 performance in Moscow in front of an ocean of a crowd is a prime example of their dominance. This is Dimebag Darrell at his prime, shreddin' away at "Domination" with his famous, many-times-copied, Texas chainsaw guitar tone. Phil Anselmo equals the guitarist's energy with his frenzied howls. At :19 and :50, catch Dime giving a textbook example of some windmill 'banging. RIP Dime.

Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad was undeniably one of the heaviest bands that ever existed, thanks to Devin Townsend's over the top vocal delivery and wall of sound production. The group's 2005 release Alien is absolutely insane, an almost unabated crush of full-throttle guitars and machine gun double bass. Townsend's absurd ranting on various metaphysical and emotional crises, womens', mens', and childrens' choirs, and xylophones all add a distinct taste of weird to the album.

Here's "Shitstorm." This title is probably the closest you could get to an all-encompassing description of the song. After just a few seconds of fairly standard thrash riffing, the bass drops all the way down to the underworld and Strapping Young Lad pummels away for 4 minutes straight. Ex-Death drummer Gene Hoglan shines in this track, blast-beating away like there's no tomorrow. The carnage culminates with Townsend's fevered screams that range from guttural cookie-monster growls to the Rob Halford-esque shriek around 2:16.

Strapping Young Lad - "Shitstorm"

Since 2007, Townsend has shaved off his distinctive skullet and disbanded Strapping Young Lad. He's not just sitting around, however: the Devin Townsend Project is currently producing some excellent music (read my post about them here).

Lamb of God

To be honest, I used to strongly dislike Lamb of God. Their brand of straightforward, 100% American metal struck me as completely unmelodic and hookless, and on top of that, they were a favorite for the bros in the gym who declared their allegiance to "heavy" metal despite listening to nothing outside of the metalcore scene. I guess they grew on me after some of my friends played them over and over again and I got a closer listen. The band's latest album, 2009's Wrath, employs stripped-down production that emphasizes the songs' aggressive attack and pushes against the grain of similar bands' glossy, pro-toolsed-to-hell recordings.

Here's "In Your Words," the second track from Wrath. Chris Adler shows off his prodigious drumming while Randy Blythe experiments with a variety of different screaming styles, all of which are pretty intimidating. The surprisingly melodic outro is the best part of the song, bringing to mind something prog-metal masters Opeth would do.

Lamb of God - "In Your Words"

While I'm at it, I might as well post the video for "Redneck," off of 2007's Sacrament. It's one of my favorite because of its ridiculous premise--the band crashes a little girl's birthday party.

New Black Label Society - "Parade of the Dead"

Here's a new offering from Black Label Society, ex-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde's main project. "Parade of the Dead" is the first single from upcoming album Order of the Black, and if it's any indication of the album as a whole, Wylde might just be breaking his string of recent mediocre releases. Like any good BLS song, the new track features the grizzled frontman's beer-soaked rasp, but it's really all about the rip-roaring guitars. Wylde unleashes nonstop six-string pyrotechnics, ranging from the descending, squealing post-chorus riff to the blues-by-way-of-shred solo. Pretty brutal.

Order of the Black drops August 10th.

Devin Townsend Project

Like my fellow writers on the Shebash, I too have been sucked into the inescapable whirlpool of catchiness created by noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells. The combination of insanely heavy beats, buzzsaw guitar licks, and massive hooks found on their debut album Treats strongly remind me of a group that has recently approached pop music through a similar lens, the Devin Townsend Project.

The band, led by eccentric metal genius Devin Townsend (in case you couldn't guess), had a huge year in 2009 with the release of both Ki and Addicted, my favorite album of the year. On Addicted, Townsend combines his trademark wall-of-sound heavy metal riffing with poppy hooks and melodies with great success.

"Bend it Like Bender!" is one of the standout tracks from Addicted (and it boasts the highest play count in my iTunes at the moment). The song starts off typically enough with simple, huge power chords behind Townsend's half-screamed vocals. However, the chorus changes everything. Anneke van Giersbergen, former singer for The Gathering, infuses almost over-the-top optimism with her vocals as a dance beat refreshingly rubs shoulders with double bass drumming. And don't forget Townsend's tremendous screams at the end of the track. Never has "We love you!" sounded more metal--and catchy.

Devin Townsend Project - "Bend it Like Bender!"

New Iron Maiden - "El Dorado"

Legendary metal group Iron Maiden has released a song from upcoming album The Final Frontier. "El Dorado" is classic '80s new wave of British heavy metal through and through--a ferocious galloping riff led by bassist Steve Harris propels the track through soaring choruses and an excellent lead break. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson isn't letting his age slow him down, either, working in his trademark high-flying style alongside more pronounced lower-register passages. The download also comes with some awesome exclusive artwork, featuring a cartoon version of an alien Eddie. The Final Frontier drops August 16th; hopefully, it will be a worthy follow-up to 2006's revitalizing A Matter of Life and Death.

Iron Maiden - "El Dorado"

RIP Ronnie James Dio - a metal legend

Singer Ronnie James Dio, one of the most influential musicians in metal, passed away yesterday of stomach cancer at the age of 67. He was a prolific artist who produced several legendary albums during stints in Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own solo project. Dio possessed a powerful mid-range voice that retained its strength all the way until the end of his career. His fantasy-based lyrics always had a positive side, encouraging people to live their lives in the best way possible. He also popularized what is now a rock-n-roll cliché, the devil horns hand gesture.

Dio's work has had a huge impact on the metal scene since the '70s. Virtually every single power metal band in existence has its roots in his fantastic imagery and highly projected vocal style. His music has inspired recorded references from artists from Killswitch Engage to Tenacious D.

Over the years, Dio's recordings have had a large influence on my life, as he was one of the first metal artists I listened to. I still remember when one of my friends first got his license and we piled into his car, screaming around the student parking lot while blasting "Stand Up and Shout." I also had the fortune of seeing Dio perform with Black Sabbath's latest incarnation, Heaven and Hell, in 2008. I remember getting shivers as the whole amphitheater sang along with Dio to guitarist Tony Iommi's mighty riff in the classic heavy metal track "Heaven and Hell." It was simply epic.

Here's the video for Dio's classic hit single "Holy Diver."


Dio performing "Neon Knights" with Heaven and Hell in 2007.