life, and a little more

Impellitteri – Wicked Maiden

Mar 03

metalman777music, videos heavy metal, impellitteri, metal, music, Rob Rock No Comments

I posted a new video by metal shredder extraordinaire Chris Impellitteri on my las blog post.  His band, Impellitteri, has just released a new album entitled Wicked Maiden and it just might be the best album of 2009!

Just in case you missed the video, here it is again.

[viddler id=97ac7beb&w=437&h=392]

Yes, it is metal in all its glory!  And yes, that is Rob Rock on vocals again!  Rock and Impellitteri form an incredible writing team.  Below is the track listing:

1. Wicked Maiden
2. Last Of A Dying Breed
3. Weapons Of Mass Distortion
4. Garden Of Eden
5. The Vision
6. Eyes Of An Angel
7. Hi-Scool Revolution
8. Wonderful Life
9. Holy Man
10. The Battle Rages On

Every song on this record is pure, undiluted freakin’ metal.  Chris Impellitteri is an old school metal guitarist who brings some phenomenal chops to the record.  How in the world can this guy play guitar so fast?  Rob Rock brings his soaring vocals to the mix to create a perfect metal record. The mix is awesome.  Drums and bass are clear and not muddy.

I don’t think this album will be leaving my iPod anytime soon!

Impellitteri's New Video for Wicked Maiden

Feb 26

metalman777music, videos heavy metal, impellitteri, metal, music No Comments

[viddler id=97ac7beb&w=437&h=392]

Woman

Jan 27

metalman777audio, humor, music christian metal, metal, music, sodom and america, XL and DBD No Comments

So I’m pulling out some old music and I run across XL and DBD’s Sodom and America. XL and whosy-whatsie you say? Imagine putting a rapper with a bunch of heavy metal dudes and you have XL and DBD (Death Before Dishonor).  They released an album called Sodom and America in 1993 and it is still a favorite to listen to.

This album is on my iPod and it started playing the other day.  A song entitled “Woman” came on and it just brought  a smile to my face.  It chronicles a story of a woman who starts living a “loose” life and ends up in a very bad situation.  Listen below:

[audio=https://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/08%20Woman.mp3?w=844dec09]

I know a beautiful woman in her early 20′s – she thinks she ain’t worth a red cent
She looks in the mirror, but it couldn’t be clearer that she’s pretty but isn’t content

But the way she lives and is so she gives herself to any guy gets hurt(?)
so  she is lifting up her skirt for a jerk who don’t work now he’s gone and she feels like dirt

Always trying to be accepted don’t wanna be rejected so she tags along with the clique
cuz today Bobby Jones(?) on Cosmopolitan it seems she aint ever gonna fit

So I try to break it down for the woman it doesn’t matter how good she looks anyway
cuz I was reading in the Bible that it says all of us are fearfully and wonderfully made

Woman – your beauty is fleeting
Girl – your charm’s misleading
Woman – your beauty is fleeting
Girl – your charm’s misleading

I saw a beatiful girl walking down the hall with her school books in her hand
all the guys know her in an intimate way cuz she gives herself up to any man

As time goes on her lust grows strong and her mind starting to get real sick
cuz now she likes women and she got cold busted in the corner giving Lisa a kiss

Now she’s out of high school playing the fool cuz she’s a centerfold in a magazine
Making 10 grand a year it doesn’t seem clear why she’s in the porno video scene

Once to tease now she aims to please at magazines made only for adults
She used to go to church now she’s living like dirt the high priestess of a satanic cult

Woman – your beauty is fleeting
Girl – your charm’s misleading
Woman – your beauty is fleeting
Girl – your charm’s misleading

Why don’t you just renew your mind and stop acting like a stupid little kid
But that won’t happen no that’s never gonna happen until you find out who Jesus Christ is

Now sick and tired of pretty young ladies feeling like that ain’t worth trash
Doing anything just to feel accepted but they’re losing their integrity fast

Quit trying to be what other people want and realize who you finally are
Cuz God is the One who made you woman and to Him you’re nothing but a star

Woman – your beauty is fleeting
Girl – your charm’s misleading
Woman – your beauty is fleeting
Girl – your charm’s misleading

Why don’t you just renew your mind and stop acting like a stupid little kid
But that won’t happen no that’s never gonna happen until you find out who Jesus Christ is

Woman

Woman

Woman

Woman

Yeah, they just don’t write songs like that any more boys and girls!

I love the content of the song and the message it is trying to get across.  I love the humor and the seriousness as well.  Plus the guitar work is pretty good too!

The last song on the album is entitled Afrock and it is awesomely awesome.

[audio=https://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/12%20Afrock.mp3?w=5f2819bf]

I’ll just give you the chorus to this song and you can see why it is so great!

I’m a hardcore-afro-wearing-hip-hop rocker
NO SELLOUT! (x3)

I’ll bet you can’t find that in any other song!

Best Music of 2008

Dec 30

metalman777music, videos ac/dc, avantasia, best of 2008, black tide, brave, death angel, disturbed, extreme, gama bomb, hammerfall, harem scarem, hyper static union, joe satriani, jorn lande, journey, king's x, metal, metallica, mudcrutch, music, paul gilbert, pillar, reviews, starbreaker, tempestt, Tesla, testament, theocracy, whitesnake No Comments

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Ratt versus Whitecross

Oct 21

metalman777audio, music christian metal, metal, music, ratt, whitecross No Comments

So our music comparison continues.  We’ve looked at Iron Maiden and Queensryche, two 80′s metal icons.  The next two bands to look at are Ratt and Whitecross.

Ratt was one of my favorite bands and their music was as catchy as it was flashy.  Their lyrics were a little less than uplifting, so a Christian alternative was “needed”.

Enter Whitecross, one of Christian metal’s finest bands. Whitecross was formed in 1986 and they sounded incredibly like Ratt.

[audio=https://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/Round%20and%20Round.mp3?w=6992c141]

Ratt – Round and Round

[audio=https://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/06%20Because%20Of%20Jesus.mp3?w=09da8cb7]

Whitecross – Because of Jesus

(sorry this post is so short! had a root canal today and this is about all I can manage!)

Iron Maiden versus Barren Cross

Oct 18

metalman777Christianity, audio, music, videos barren cross, christian metal, iron maiden, metal, music, rock 3 Comments

If I had to nail down the most bestest metal band in the world, I’d have to give the title to Iron Maiden.  They’ve sold over a 100 million records, have the best vocalist and bassist ever, and just generally kick major butt.

As I posted in a previous blog entry, I never listened to Iron Maiden as a teen.  What I did listen to as a young Christian was the clean, “non-satanic” alternative,  Barren Cross.

I do have a very special place for Barren Cross in my heart.  My very first metal concert ever was in Fresno, CA, and headlining was BC!!  Well, headlining is a slight misnomer, as they were the only ones playing, and it was in a small church.  But they rocked my face off!  (I still cringe with embarrassment as I remember my mom talking to the lead singer after the show.  She told him to cut his hair!)

Remember, I didn’t listen to Iron Maiden, but my friends kept saying that BC sure sounded a lot like them.  Years later, I was listening to the local rock radio station and I heard a song that I swore was Barren Cross.  I thought to myself, how cool, playing some old Christian metal!  The DJ then announced they had played an Iron Maiden song.  I couldn’t believe at how similar they sounded!

That was the day I went and got the entire Iron Maiden discography and Iron Maiden became my favorite metal band ever!

Is it really possible to duplicate Bruce Dickinson’s soaring vocals and Steve Harris’ galloping bass lines?  Mike Lee and Jim LaVerde come as close as your going to get.  You take a listen below.

[audio=http://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/07%20Powerslave.mp3?w=c40494b2]

Iron Maiden – Powerslave

Powerslave was Iron Maiden’s fifth studio album and it was released in 1984.  The two most notable songs that are always garner airtime are Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight.

[audio=http://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/10%20Two%20Thousand%20Years.mp3?w=432043b3]

Barren Cross – 2000 Years

State of Control was Barren Cross’ third album and was released in 1989.  It is a very well produced and is still one of my favorites!

So, do you think Barren Cross sounds a lot like Iron Maiden?  If you need another listen, here are two different videos I found on youtube.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLvBwPOjZWI]

Iron Maiden’s Can I Play With Madness

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAWYP64ip3Y]

Barren Cross’ Imaginary Music

Metal Pesado

Oct 07

metalman777music, videos adgar, dragonfly, heavy metal, metal, music, spanish heavy metal No Comments

It was a dark and stormy night….

Nah, not really but I’ve always wanted to start a blog like that.  Actually, it was a bright and sunny day as I read through my various music blogs.  I ran across this:

It was a review from Metal Reviews, a metal review site that I happen to agree with quite a bit.  So when I saw that it was given a 97 out of 100, I new I had to check it out. (click on the link above to read the great review)  Of course I love the music, even though I don’t understand what they are singing about.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqemeR4Wagw]

I honestly didn’t read the review very carefully, so I had no idea they were a Hispanic metal band that sung in Spanish.  I have a friend that loves the kind of operatic symphonic metal that Dragonfly plays, so I sent him the information.  He in return sends me a video from a band called Adgar.  They are from Spain and can really tear it up!  Imagine Judas Priest singing in Spanish!  Below is the video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPqAvVIPhsA]

I’m just bummed that I can’t find Adgar’s new album, Tiempos de Cambio, anywhere!

So, if you’re in the mood for some great heavy metal in a language you might not understand, check out Dragonfly and Adgar!

Our Corpse Destroyed – Strength to Strength

Sep 16

metalman777music, videos christian metal, christian punk, metal, music, OCD, our corpse destroyed, punk No Comments

Our Corpse Destroyed has finally released their new album, Strength to Strength.  For those of you who might not have heard of OCD, you sure have missed out on some phenomenal punk music.

I originally thought that the new CD wasn’t coming out until October.  I was browsing around iTunes and actually found it.

It looks like iTunes thought it would be released in October as well!  The “buy album” button worked and poof! I now own the new OCD album.

The video below plays some music from the first album as well as the second album.  The sound is different enough to be noticed.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQhdTxQ7r8Q]

OCD’s first album, Avenge Your City, is pure punk goodness.  Big bass lines, catchy barking background vocals, short songs that pack a huge punch – these are all on the first CD.

Strength to Strength hit me more as a metal album.  The big bass lines are way more subdued and the guitar is prominent.  The gang vocals are there, but just not as pronounced.  One song even has a mini guitar solo!  This is a great album, but I was taken aback at the sound change.  I will need to listen to this one a few more times before I absolutely love it.

I had the chance to see OCD about a year and a half ago when they came to Merced.  The put on a phenomenal show, packed with high energy and exuberance.  All the guys were super nice.  I took some pictures and made this crappy slideshow:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Po5Tn1REug]

Cyanide – Metallica’s New Song

Aug 15

metalman777music, videos death magnetic, metal, metallica, music No Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzxoMpfNwEM]

Found this on youtube and got me excited for the new album.  Not exactly a return to Master of Puppets, but sure is light years better than St. Anger!!

I love the bass from Robert Trujillo.  He is turning into one of my favorite bass players!

Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden

Jul 29

metalman777music avenged sevenfold, black tide, dream theater, iron maiden, machine head, maiden heaven, metal, metallica, tribute album No Comments

So I’m in my car yesterday and I catch the tail end of the local DJ saying “And that was Metallica’s new single, a cover of Iron Maiden’s Remember Tomorrow”.  Craptastic! How’d I miss that?  Metallica covering Maiden?  Can you say freakin’ awesome!

I do a quick Google search when I get home and find the album on which this song resides.  It is called Maiden Heaven:  A Tribute to Iron Maiden. Now this is a monster tribute album!  It is mostly great, with a few sucky covers thrown in for good measure.

Black Tide starts us off, and boy do they.  Their cover of Prowler is amazing.  Black Tide pulls off the energy and feeling of the song.

Next up is Metallica, covering Remember Tomorrow.  Awesome song!  Metallica stomps and pushes and thrashes their way through it.  Great to hear Metallica on top of their game again.

Avenged Sevenfold nails Flash of the Blade.  I’m liking them more and more as I listen to them.

Glamour of the Kill (who?)  tries to cover the classic 2 Minutes to Midnight and just can’t pull it off.  They sound like some bad 80′s glam band trying to sound tough. 

Coheed and Cambria step things up with their cover of The Trooper.  Although the singer’s voice is, um, unique, it still fits with the song.

Devildriver delivers one of the worst covers on the record.  Those cookie monster vocals just don’t give the song what is needed.

Maybe I spoke to soon….as Sign slaughters Run To the Hills.  How the crap did this band get onto the record?  I know covers are tricky.  You want to stamp the song with your own touch, but you have to pay homage to the original.  You would never ever in a million years recognize this song as the Run To The Hills that all Maiden fans love.

Thankfully Dream Theater does a phenomenal job on the next song, To Tame A Land.  Dream Theater is a natural fit on this cd.  They have their own bootleg album, where they covered the entire Number of the Beast record.  That is a must own for any DT or Iron Maiden fan!

Madina Lake (again, who?) gives us crap with a version of Caught Somewhere In Time that is sucky and horrible and should never have been made.

Gallows covers one of my all time favorite Maiden songs, Wrathchild.  This version is punky/hardcore, but still lets you know it is an Iron Maiden song.  Personally, I like Ultimatum’s cover way better.

Fear of the Dark is covered by a band named Fightstar. It isn’t bad.  They keep the feel of the song pretty well.

Machine Head rumbles in with Hallowed Be Thy Name and they rip it up (in a good way!)  This is a straight cover, almost note for note, and it sounds great!

Trivium brings us Iron Maiden and they do a good job too.  Again, the sound of the song is mostly kept, but with a lot of the growling vocals that Trivium is known for.

Year Long Disaster tries to cover Running Free, but like all of the alternative bands, they just can’t pull it off.  Sounds like a bad sleaze band trying to sound cool.

This last song, Brave New World, is performed by Ghostlines and it is soooooooooooo horrible that it barely deserves mention.  Sounds like The Cure or some crap like that.  How the heck did this even make it on the album?

All in all, this is a great tribute to one of the greatest Metal bands that has ever graced our planet.  It is worth the download!