One Hour of Metal is where I either put my iTunes on shuffle or tune into a metal internet radio station and for one hour I document what I hear. The good, the bad and the down right awful are always represented with honesty in this segment. Some hours are better than others as you will see in this series. So lets get started shall we?
Testament – More Than Meets the Eye
Testament really found their footing with their last album “The Formation of Damnation” and this song just as brutal, heavy and melodically driven as anything they’ve ever done. The chemistry is there and the production is probably the best sounding thing that they’ve put out to date. It’s sad that in the past their albums all sounded so shitty because the songs are so fucking good. I love that this song is awesome AND really well produced. Nothing but win. A great start for this One Hour of Metal.
Iron Maiden – The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Uggh, I’m not a huge fan of “Somewhere In Time” to begin with and this song is one of the reasons why. It just sounds so ridiculous and I just don’t feel this one. Musically it’s classic Maiden but it’s the lyrics and vocals that totally irk me. I love ol’ Bruce Bruce as much as anyone else but something about the way he sings this one just annoys the crap out of me. The lyrics are totally ridiculous too. Didn’t I already say all this shit? C’mon man… please be over soon.
Firewind – I Confide
It’s amazing how much this song sounds like a lost Scorpions ballad. I really like this song a lot. Some beautiful acoustic guitar work from Gus G. Sometimes even those Metal dudes need to chill the fuck out and sing about love or something like that. I mean, how else are they going they going to get laid ya know? Under all that hair and volume is a heart that can love you girl. Besides, I love how he says, “Vun more night…”
Municipal Waste – Mind Eraser
Man, talk about night and day. Leaving the tender, loving side of Firewind we wind up in the gutter with Muni Waste. These guys have mastered the classic sound of punk metal that bands like DRI and Nuclear Assault launched many moons ago. This song in particular is a fucking brain melter with all kinds of cool tempo changes and Tony Foresta’s kick ass vocals. Short and sweet dude! That’s all it is.
Forbidden – Omega Wave
I know Forbidden gets a lot of praise but I just don’t feel it. I mean, these guys definitely don’t suck but I don’t find them to be all that exciting to listen to. Technical prog based thrash that does very little to stand out on it’s own in opinion. I’m sure I’ll be ducking bottles of Jenkem because of this but hey, that’s just how I see it. It’s good, not great but totally forgettable.
Lillian Axe – Visions In The Night
These guys are one of the most unsung hard rock bands of their era. This song from their 1988 debut album is a great song full of killer melodic guitar playing and the always awesome vocals of lead singer Ron Taylor. Steve Blaze is also one of the most underrated guitarists in hard rock/metal. Even though they always got lumped in with “hair bands”, I always thought that they stood above the pack with great songs and spot on delivery that totally exceeded that of most of their peers. Great song that brings back a lot of great memories.
Metallica – Metal Militia
YES! I just threw my horns up and banged my head like Butthead. This song is so fucking brutal that it makes me want to stage dive off of my desk. Maybe my cats would catch me? Nah. Anyways, when I hear this it just reminds me of the powerful force that Metallica once was. What I hear here is a band that had that hunger, that fire and a band that just didn’t give a fuck about selling records, selling out arenas or any of that shit. I really wonder if Metallica now ever listens to this shit and realizes just how far they’ve strayed from the very path that they laid down themselves.
Dio – Dream Evil
My boy Ronnie D. didn’t miss a beat recruiting Craig Goldy on guitar when Vivian Campbell decided that Dio was just too heavy for him and went running off to be one of David Coverdale’s minions. Anyways, this song and album were just killer and this title track is yet another testament to just how amazing presence not just Dio the man was but Dio the band. It’s bombastic, melodic, dark, and evil as all hell. I love listening to this song the solo section is what Metal guitar solos are all about. Great fucking song.
Kix – Cold Blood
Kix is one of those bands that I never got full into but damn did they have a handful of great songs. This is definitely one of their best moments from their Blow My Fuse album which was chock full of cool songs. This song is so much fun to listen to. It’s kitschy, melodic yet it still rocks my face off with it’s AC/DC inspired riffage and groove. Totally reminds me of the summer of 1990 and hanging out with my friends at the apartment complex swimming pool. A good song is one that can take you back to fun times and this is definitely one of those songs.
Overkill – Live Young, Die Free
This song sounds like it could straight off of Metallica’s “And Justice For All.” So much so that I literally thought this was a Metallica song that I didn’t know until the ever distinct vocals of Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth came through the speakers. I love me some Overkill but this one just didn’t do it for me. Maybe it’s because this song sounds like a total hybrid of Metallica and Anthrax’s “Chromatic Death.” This definitely doesn’t suck but it does little to wow me Just kind of “eh”.
Pride & Glory – Found A Friend
Man, I love this album. Next to his acoustic album Book of Shadows, the Pride & Glory album is probably the greatest thing Zakk Wylde has ever done. Southern friend hard rock that was full of soul and this song just kills me. I could almost hear Gregg Allman singing this one. Zakk even managed to not kill my ears with all those goddamn pinch harmonics. This is some really inspired stuff. I wish he would’ve continued down this road instead of going into that corny Black Label Society crap. This is just one of many amazing songs off an amazing album. Reminds me that I need to go listen to this one again soon.
Seduce – Face To Face
Most people remember Seduce as that Detroit band that was cruising around in those fancy convertibles in the movie Decline of the Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. I remember thinking that they were definitely the best unknown band in that movie. This song just reminds me that there were so many bands that got lost in the shuffle. These guys never broke big but in my opinion they had the songs, the talent and the sound to really be as big as anyone else. Great heavy song with some amazing vocals, drumming and guitar playing. This song is awesome.
Black Sabbath – The Sign of the Southern Cross
FEEEEEELS LIKE THE SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGN! What a way to close out this installment of One Hour of Metal. Hands down in my top 5 Black Sabbath songs of all time. It was on this song that I felt like Dio’s Rainbow influence married with the dark, doomy and heavy signature sound of Black Sabbath. This is what epic Heavy Metal is all about. This song never gets old and everytime I hear it it’s like hearing it for the first time. Ultimately timeless and without a doubt one of the greatest Metal songs of all time.
About The Author
