As December begins, with only twenty-three shopping days to Christmas, we thought we'd give you headbangers an early Xmas pressie. As mentioned on Journal News, here's the inaugural dance at the Devil's Ballroom!
Here you will find only the loudest and heaviest music. Many heavy metal bands are capable of writing really sensitive ballads and slow songs, but you won't find any of those here! If you can't shake your head to it, it ain't got a place here. Loud, fast (usually), hard and heavy is the name of the game in this section, which will be the largest selection we've ever attempted, usually thirty videos per session, with seven videos from our “featured artist”.
Along the way, we'll be doing our best to fill you in on who the bands are (in case you don't know them), what albums the music is from, and so on. The intention is to feature a good mix of old, classic, new and obscure bands, so that there's something here for everyone. The only unalterable criterion is that the band MUST be Heavy Metal, and recognised as such.
So drag on your raggiest jeans or try to squeeze into those old leather pants, let your hair down (any who have it, unlike me!) and turn your amp or headphones up to 10, cos this is gonna be LOUD!
The Devil's Ballroom: Inaugural Dance, December 1 2011: “If it's too loud you're too old. I SAID, if it's too LOUD...”
And to get things off to a rockin' start, here's Megadeth, who are of course the rival band formed by Dave Mustaine after he was kicked out of Metallica. This is from their contribution to the Black Sabbath tribute album “Nativity in black II”, and their version of Sabs' “Never say die”.
And if THAT didn't get you headbangin', how about something from the real deal? Here are Ozzy and the boys, back in '71, when they were arguably the heaviest band around. This is from “Master of reality”, a great album, and a powerhammer called “Children of the grave”.
Time for some new blood on the dancefloor! The Gate are a band from a country which has long been a bastion of metal, Germany, and which is also the native land of our featured artist, Helloween. But though they've been together since 2009, The Gate only released their debut album, “Earth cathedral”, last month. I'm working through it, but what I hear I like! This is a taster, called “Face your fear”.
Something from Anvil's new album “Juggernaut of justice”, this is “Not afraid”.
Time for the first track from our featured artist. Helloween are a metal band from Germany, who have been together for over twenty-five years now, and are still turning out class albums. They are seen as one of the pioneering influences on metal in Germany, along with bands like Scorpions, Accept and Kreator. They have had, to date, thirteen albums (not counting live and compilations), their most recent being last year's “7 sinners”. This is taken from their third album, released back in 1988, “Keeper of the seven keys part 2”, and one of their best-known songs, this is “I want out!”
Great stuff! More from Helloween later. But you couldn't really expect to have a Heavy Metal disco and NOT invite the Gods of Heavy Metal, now could you? So here they are...
One of my favourite metal bands around at the moment is these guys from Spain, who call themselves Cain's Dinasty. Dodgy spelling and lyrics apart, they sure know how to rock the house! Here they are with a track from their current album, “Madmen, witches and vampires”, this is “Devil may cry”.
Dragonforce get a hell of a slagging, and no-one seems to consider them proper metal. Not sure why, with tracks like this!
Time for another classic from another classic metal icon. This is Thin Lizzy, from the album “Chinatown”, and “Killer on the loose”. We miss ya, Phil!
One of the loudest bands to come out of the NWOBHM --- and that's saying something! --- this is Tank, from their album “Filth hounds of Hades”, with “Run like Hell”.
Time for some more from our featured artist, Helloween. This is taken from their most recent album, last year's “7 sinners”, and it's a question we all know the answer to: “Are you metal?”
Crossing over the Atlantic now, here's Kiss with the title track from their album “Creatures of the night”.
Personally, I loved Manowar for about the first two albums, then I thought they became a real joke, but there's no faulting their music. Title track from the album “Sons of Odin.”
Back over to this side of the pond now, for Germany's favourite sons, the Scorpions, with a belter of a track entitled “Speedy's coming”. Sadly, the Scorps are due to disband this year, but they've left us a hell of a lot of great metal to remember them by.
What happens when you get “Fast” Eddie Clarke from Motorhead together with Pete Way from UFO? Fastway, that's what. They released their debut album in 1983 and they're still going strong. This is from that album, self-titled, and it's “We become one”.
And speaking of Motorhead, here they are with the bombastic “Overkill”!
Back to our featured artist now, for another sampling of the delights served up for over a quarter of a century by Helloween. This is the song that they take their name from, or vice versa. Or something. Anyway, it's from their second album, “Keeper of the seven keys, part 1”, and it's called --- anyone?
Some classic metal now, from Budgie, this is taken from the album “Power supply”, great song called “Gunslinger”.
And from budgies to tigers, here are the Tygers of Pan-Tang, before they went all AOR. This is from their debut album “Wild cat”, featuring original vocalist Jess Cox, with “Suzie smiled”.
Time for another trip across the ocean, but this time it's the Pacific, as we travel all the way to the land of the rising sun, where Vow Wow were flying the flag for heavy metal in the eighties. This is “Rock me now”.
And staying in Japan, here's the shredder king himself, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, with a stormer of a track called “Far beyond the sun”.
Back to Hell(oween) we go, this time it's a track from our featured artist's album “Rabbit don't come easy”, and it's called “Back against the wall”.
On the anniversary of the sad death of the great Ronnie James Dio, here's a doubleplay from him, first with his own band, Dio, from their “Sacred heart” album, this is “Hungry for Heaven”.
And this is him with Rainbow, with the powerful “Kill the king”. RIP Ronnie.
How about something from Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society? This is “Concrete jungle”.
The blackest of black metal now, here's Venom!
Coming slap bang up to date now with Swedish metallers Coldspell, this is from their current album “Out from the cold” and it's called “Save our souls”.
I don't think anyone is likely to ever mess with Ted Nugent! Here he is with a rant against gun law, snarling “Kiss my Glock!” Gulp!
Let's have two tracks back-to-back from our featured artist now. First, here they are with a track from the album “The dark ride”, the hilarious “Mr. Torture”.
And now a track from 2007's “Gambling with the devil”, this is “Paint a new world”.
Back to the NWOBHM we go, for one of Diamond Head's best, this is “It's electric”.
Finland isn't normally a place you think of as shaking with heavy metal, but these guys are good! This is Excalion, from their second album “Waterlines”, and a track entitled “Ivory tower”.
Getting near time to wrap things up, guys, but we couldn't leave without something from the mighty Saxon! Here's one of their best, the thundering “Princess of the night”.
Just time for one or two more. Let's squeeze in Damn the Machine, from their self-titled, this is “The fall of order”.
Time for the last track from our featured artist, Helloween. This is from the album “Time of the oath”, released in 1996, and it's simply, and appropriately, entitled “Power”!
And we'll leave you with another German band, this is Avenger, from their album “Prayers of steel”, and “Rise of the creature”. Hope you enjoyed our first Devil's Ballroom, and haven't hurt your neck headbanging or wrecked your fingers playing air guitar! We'll be back with another selection after Christmas, with a new featured artist. Until then, keep rockin' and keep it metal!