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Whenever anyone thinks of any genres that have female musicians, they often think of pop. Whilst it’s great to see women dominating the music charts, there is a multitude of fantastic women showcasing their talents in rock and metal. For this year’s International Women’s Day, we at Distorted Sound Magazine are highlighting the top five women who are influential to the scene in 2024, as well as one who is leading the next generation of rock music.



SCENE QUEENScene Queen live @ O2 Academy Islington, London. Photo Credit: Karolina Janikunaite

Whenever anyone thinks of heavy metal fans, the stereotype is men and women with long hair, piercings and dressed in all black. But there are also hyper-feminine people who love metal as well. SCENE QUEEN – real name Hannah Collins – is one of them. Ever since her 2020 debut single Aren’t You Tired? was released, she has been carving out her own path, combining heavy metal, pop and rap to create the genre of Bimbocore. Her unapologetic hyperfeminine show outfits are bright and colourful, complete with sequins, feather boas and a lot of pink, and her concerts embrace being a safe space for anyone who feels like an outsider, SCENE QUEEN is changing the way that people perceive the alternative rock scene.

Whilst some might raise their eyebrows at the hypersexual lyrics, it is empowering to see a woman reclaim her sexuality with outrageously funny and over-the-top lyrics. But there is also a serious side to her music. In 2023, she sent shockwaves throughout the rock music scene with her single 18+, which was about calling out musicians who abuse their power. Then there is Pink Push-Up Bra, which deals with women getting justice for sexual assault. With her debut album, titled Hot Singles in Your Area, due out this spring, there are plenty of more opportunities for SCENE QUEEN to continue to challenge assumptions about what alternative music looks and sounds like.


HALSEYPhoto Credit: Joseph Okpako/ WireImage

She might be best known for her indie-pop songs, but on her fourth album, 2021’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, HALSEY – real name Ashley Frangipane – teamed up with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (NINE INCH NAILS) to create a raw and powerful industrial rock concept album about the horrors and joys of pregnancy and childbirth, which was written and recorded whilst HALSEY was pregnant with her first child. However, this wasn’t the first time that HALSEY delved into the rock scene. There’s the pop-punk song 3AM on her 2020 album Manic, the stadium rock of 2019 single Nightmare, and the fast-paced metal of 2020 single Experiment On Me, which was produced by Oli Sykes and Jordan Fish (BRING ME THE HORIZON).

As with all the genres that she has played throughout her career, she has made industrial rock her home. Furthermore, she has raised awareness around endometriosis, which she has been open about having since her diagnosis in 2016 and been open about the long and difficult process that she went through to get diagnosed. This showcases a vulnerability that most musicians in the alternative scene have only just started to showcase in the past few years. HALSEY‘s music has also been the soundtrack to many young women and girls since the mid-to-late 2010s. Throughout her career, her ever-changing music and fashion style has shown young women that they do not have to fit into a box that society has built for them.


BEX



BEX is one of the newer artists on the list, but she is already she is already being hailed as punk’s new daughter, and with the release of her EP, Scum, in 2023, she is taking the music world by storm. Whether it is exposing misogynistic men on the song Hazmat Suit (My Ass), which was written in response to a man she knew at university who was trying to persuade her to go clubbing at a club where there had been frequent reports of girls having their drinks spiked, or using the metaphor of a spider to prove that the smallest thing to some people are the biggest fears for others in the song SPYD4 K1NG, BEX’s lyrics are raw and complex, but – when you dig under the surface, you’ll find an important message about issues that are not spoken about enough.

BEX’s take on punk music is unique as it is very bass heavy. In fact, there are two basses in her songs. After she became popular on Instagram and TikTok for playing the bass, her and her bassist Josh decided to both play the bass. She also creates her own clothing that she wears when playing concerts, which she thought was something that all musicians do. With her unique style, sound and passion for music, BEX is one of the scene’s brightest new stars.


Ren Aldridge – PETROL GIRLSPetrol Girls live @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester. Photo Credit: Polarise

On their 2022 album Baby, UK punk band PETROL GIRLS used some sardonic humour to bring serious issues to light. They covered every topic from abortion with the tongue-in-cheek Baby, I Had an Abortion (with the proceeds going to the charity Abortions Without Boarders), to the seriousness and horror of femicide – which is the killing of women and girls based on their gender on Fight For Our Lives. They are led by vocalist Ren Aldridge, who also campaigns for issues that affect women; such as attending protests in Austria, where she lives, and giving a TED Talk about how to stop violence against women and girls.

It is her willingness to speak up about issues that make her one of the best women in punk today. She wants to normalise abortion as just another part of healthcare. However, PETROL GIRLS talking about feminism isn’t a recent thing. On their 2019 album Cut & Stitch, there is the song, Big Mouth, which is about society says that how women and other minorities should be seen and not heard. Music can change the people who listen to it, and by talking about issues that society tend to shy away from, PETROL GIRLS – and Aldridge herself – are inspiring people to educate themselves further on the issues that women face today and creating a community of passionate fans.


April Kae – FEVER 333Photo Credit: Fender

FEVER 333 have been changing the punk scene ever since they debuted onto the scene in 2017. They have spoken out against racism, imperialism, and fascism. Whilst April Kae has only been a member of the band since 2023, she is not only an incredible bass player who went viral for covering Up by American rapper CARDI B, but also a passionate singer, songwriter. Her distinctive bass style is edgy and has a funk-pop sound. It’s because of this that she has been on the cover of magazines such as Bass Player and Guitar Girl.

Also known for her activism, she has been involved in raising money for displaced people after Hurricane Katarina, as well as being in a band/art collective called IMANIGOLD with her younger sister Nikki, which is currently on a break. Her versatility is commendable. Kae also teaches people how to play the bass from beginner to expert level, in accessible and easy to understand videos. Bass guitars are an overlooked instrument when it cones to music, but a great bass can make or break a song. Thankfully for FEVER 333, they have Kae, who is one of the greatest bassists who is making a name for herself in the scene.


One To Watch: CODY FROSTPhoto Credit: Dev Place Photos

CODY FROST might be known for featuring on The Voice UK, as well as the fantastic ENTER SHIKARI single Bull, but she is a brilliant singer in her own right. Her mix of rave-punk is causing a stir across the music scene with EPs It’s Not Real (2021) and Teeth (2022). However, it is her single WOT? that has tipped her into the public’s consciousness. She participated as a contestant on The Voice UK back in 2016 and got through to the finals.

However, when the hype died down, she took some time away from the spotlight to craft her sound. In 2021, she released her debut single Verbal Warnings, and has expanded her sound from there. Her energetic live shows are infectious, and her refusal to fit into a box is extremely admirable. Her music covers indie rock, rave, punk, and everything in between. She has played at festivals such as 2000trees and has appeared on the new albums by BURY TOMORROW and YOU ME AT SIX, adding some elegant vocals that instantly captivate the listener. With new music due out this year, CODY FROST is set to be one of the most exciting new musicians in 2024.


These are just some of the most influential and fantastic women that are in the rock scene at the moment. There are so many women in the scene, including crew members, photographers, journalists, and many more musicians who constantly inspire us every day. Whilst the alternative music scene often seems like a boys club at times, it is brilliant that there has been a significant rise in championing the brilliant women who constantly inspire us every day, and – in turn – inspire more girls and women to write songs, pick up an instrument or start a career in the music industry. Long may it continue.

GUITARIST TEEMU MÄNTYSAARI ON JOINING MEGADETH - "THERE WASN'T MUCH TIME TO BE NERVOUS"

GUITARIST TEEMU MÄNTYSAARI ON JOINING MEGADETH - "THERE WASN'T MUCH TIME TO BE NERVOUS"

March 9, 2024, an hour ago

news megadeth teemu maantysari heavy metal



Featured in a new interview with Guitar World, new Megadeth guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari discusses replacing Kiko Loureiro, working with Dave Mustaine, what he hopes to accomplish with Megadeth, and more. Following is an excerpt from the chat.

Guitar World: What led to getting the call to join Megadeth?

Teemu: “I was doing some shows with my other band, Smackbound. I got a call from Kiko Loureiro, who explained the situation and asked if I’d possibly be available for some touring in the fall of 2023. I was immediately very excited and said, ‘Yeah, I’m available.’ He asked if I could record some video clips as an audition to send to management to check out my playing, and I did. Things progressed from there.”

[ IRON MAIDEN ] - 46 ANOS DE HISTÓRIA DE UMA PAIXÃO BEM SUCEDIDA

[ IRON MAIDEN ] - 46 ANOS DE HISTÓRIA DE UMA PAIXÃO BEM SUCEDIDA
Sábado, Dezembro 25, 2021 Birthday , Featured , IRON MAIDEN , Steve Harris

Todos os fãs do Iron Maiden que eu conheço têm uma coisa em comum: A paixão. Por algum motivo que ainda não sei, as músicas desta banda tocam tão fundo, que são capazes tornar as pessoas corajosas, guerreiras ou se sentirem livres.



O Iron Maiden foi criado a partir da jovem cabeça setentista do baixista Steve Harris, depois de um momento em que sua cabeça vivia o sonho de ser jogador do West Ham ao mesmo tempo que ele era incentivado ao amor à música, pelas suas irmãs beatlemaniacas.







Com um lar perfumado de tanto mulher, cheio de música, alegria e uma vovó que cedia a garagem para eles ensaiarem, o franzino Arry, tinha o solo fecundo para fazer de um sonho, um tremendo golpe de sorte que iria trazer um novo estilo de música, conhecido como “New Wave of The British Heavy Metal”. Este estilo nascia como uma flor de Lótus na Londres nacionalista, também berço do orgulho pela RAF, e um momento em que os anos 70 fervilhava de uma moda peculiar e de alguma forma hippie, tropicalista ou colorida, podemos dizer assim e no West London, os Punks e os Hooligans enchiam as ruas com seus movimentos revolucionários, que dariam a origem à todo movimento reformista da juventude europeia pós guerra, uma vez que o país só se recuperou de suas consequências 10 anos depois, em 55 e os garotos do Maiden são descendentes do renascimento de uma Londres carente de novas idéias e projetos de cultura e arte.


Steve escolheu a data de Natal para montar uma banda de rock, como outra qualquer mas tudo já estava sendo arquitetado antes. Desde então personagens entraram e saíram, e hoje é considerado o lugar de nascimento o “Cart and Horses” na região leste londrina, em Stratford.







Paul Day, Terry Rance, Dave Sullivan, Ron Matthews, Dennis Wilcock, Bob Sawyer, Terry Wapram, Barry Purkis,Tony Moore, Doug Sampson, Paul Di'Anno, Paul Cairns, Paul Todd, Tony Parsons, Dennis Stratton, Clive Burr e Blaze Bayley são nomes de ex integrantes famosos ou não, e são parte de tudo que formou esta banda.







Os caras lançaram em 1980, 5 anos depois da formação oficial, o seu primeiro disco com o mesmo titulo da banda. Nos vocais, o espetacular Paul Dianno, muito respeitado pelos caras que curtem Iron Maiden e os que simplesmente admiram-no como artista de Heavy Metal, com fortes influências do Punk. Paul sem dúvida nenhuma se tornou um ícone de Bad Boy, o que recheou a atitude do Iron Maiden na transgressão suficiente para se tornar uma das feridas culturais mais importantes do movimento juvenil de Londres.







Em seguida, 1981 já entrava um álbum muito mais robusto e respeitado pela crítica: Killers, com uma qualidade de gravação superior e uma proposta bem mais elaborada; no entanto ainda presa aos conceitos setentistas com influencias diversas como em bandas progressivas da época.







Mas foi em 1982, com a entrada magistral do vocalista do Samson, Bruce Dickinson que as coisas tomaram uma proporção grandiosa. O lançamento de The Number of the Beast ia entrar como um furacão no mundo da música e na América, sofreu até mesmo represálias religiosas, que tomaram aquele nome e capa feita pelo incrível Derek Riggs como apologia ao demônio, e isso rende até hoje, dúvidas em muitas pessoas. Pessoas estas que ainda não perceberam que o que eles fazem vai muito além de provocações religiosas e comportamentais. Eles são acima do bem e do mal, e reafirmam a potência de algo que vinga, sem bloqueios existencialistas, perdas, ganhos, e se perpetuam como algo único e eternamente inovador, ainda que isso seja inimaginável para muitos. Afinal, tantas bandas perderam força, e não se adaptaram à mudança dos tempos.







Os caras saíram do anonimato definitivo, e até hoje deleitam riqueza, poder e competência. Ainda sim, são geniais, são “simples” e nunca buscaram os holofotes do Mass Media. Eram e ainda são contra, a publicação ostensiva dos meios de comunicação de massa e se tornaram o que são com a competência das suas composições e os concertos energicamente incríveis.





Nos anos seguintes foram lançados discos de ano em ano, praticamente. Veja quais são: (não cito os EPS, compilações, lançamentos ao vivo, coletâneas, singles, etc...)


1983- Piece of Mind
1984 - Powerslave
1986 – Somewhere in Time
1988 – Seventh son of seventh son
1990 – No prayer for dying
1992 – Fear of the Dark







Este período acima foi considerado o ápice da história estrutural da banda, uma vez que permeou uma fase que durou mais de uma década de extenso e exaustivo trabalho por parte de todos os membros, com tours consecutivas e cheias de expansão, fama e uma evangelização impressionante de fãs, seguidores e compradores de discos e ingressos. Os Golden Years...







Após a decisão definitiva de Bruce Dickinson em seguir sua carreira solo, já iniciada em 1990; tendo seu último show na banda realizado no Raising Hell, um concerto promovido pela MTV em 1993; um novo recomeço faria com que Steve (que também estava separando de sua mulher), tomasse força suficiente para continuar. E depois de um tempo de escolhas que até envolveu o vocalista brasileiro André Mattos, finalmente o vocalista do Wolfsbane, Blaze Bayley de Birmingham fora escolhido.




Lançaram:


1995 – The X Factor
1998 – Virtual XI


Esta fase acima abraçou boa parte da década de 90 e se encontrou num momento em que a MTV estava no auge, o que direta ou indiretamente, popularizou ainda mais o Iron Maiden. Blaze Bayley teve uma importante participação na permanência da banda, e durou tempo suficiente para fazer o carro andar. O vocalista ainda está em plena atividade e ainda faz uma importante carreira solo!






Como se não fosse possível, o funil de possibilidades do Iron Maiden e de Bruce Dickinson em sua carreira solo findaram-se no mesmo momento e lugar (Embora Bruce ainda lançaria discos). E Bruce, foi convidado à voltar para a banda. Aquele seria uma nova fase, um novo mundo em que definitivamente a tecnologia bridava sua introdução no mundo, ainda que timidamente começada nos anos 90.




Os CDS começavam a decair, mas ainda se vendia. O mundo tecnológico invadia a música, e os MP3 chegariam à toda força para mudar a forma como o mundo iria consumir música. Um novo e admirável mundo surgia para novas mentes e corações. O Iron Maiden agora tinha Bruce Dickinson de volta. De cabelos curtos e mais maduro, parecia que todos estavam preparados e seguros para o novo momento da banda. Lançaram:


2000 – Brave New World
2003 – Dance of Death
2006 – A Matter of Life and Death
2010 – The Final Frontier
2015 – The Book of Souls.
2021 - Senjutsu






Não sabemos para onde a banda vai, mas eles ainda fazem tantos planos! Novos discos, novas tours, lançamentos individuais e paralelos. Uma grande faixa de seres humanos vestem as camisas de seu ícone principal, o EDDIE que é parte de todos nós, representados de tantas formas, de tantas fantasias que há em nossas cabeças. Civilizações, Situações Psicológicas, Emoções, Histórias que viajam por campos que nem imaginamos.






O que podemos aprender com esse legado é que algumas coisas realmente dão certo com persistência e sorte. E seu legado é algo como uma vida que também deve ter seus sacrifícios e tanta experiência que faz parte de uma escolha de vida pela música, que é uma das melhores coisas que há. O Maiden trouxe para seus fãs, junto com outras grandes bandas de metal, a possibilidade de se adequar às mudanças dos tempos, e hoje; ainda que haja o tempo dos Streamings e músicas gratuitas à todo lado, permanece no mercado. E ainda assim, consegue fazer parte de grandes coleções, fãs e adoradores. O Brasil é um desses grandes exemplos em que ser fã é algo que vale a pena. A paixão combina conosco.






A notícias boa é que os velhos rapazes ou jovem senhores ainda estão em plena atividade e podem estar em atividade ainda mais anos, visto que bandas como Rolling Stones ou vocalistas como Robert Plant ainda seguem lançando discos e participando de tournês. Desejamos ao Maiden um Feliz Aniversário. Um Natal de possibilidades que parecem nunca acabar. Enquanto isso, fiquem ligados no Iron Maiden Brasil (facebook e site) e nas notícias do Iron Maiden Brasil Notícias. Para você fã, a eternidade de ouvir várias vezes a mesma música e sempre se sentirem bem.


46 anos de Iron Maiden. Uma vida longa, uma vida extraordinária, e eles sempre nos contaram suas histórias, eles sempre nos transportaram para lá.


Uma vida longa. Não só conheceram como dominaram o mundo e trouxeram para nós as histórias dos mundos. Do mundo da fantasia, do mundo real, do mundo que existe apenas no nosso consciente, do infinito universo ao microcosmo.


O fizeram através de algo que até parece simples, mas que mexe com nossa existência. Fizeram isso através das cordas de aço, das cordas vocais, bumbos, pratos, amplificadores e a genialidade da mente.


Entre nesse carrossel de imagens e faça uma viagem no tempo. Tire essa final de semana para celebrar através de sua vitrola, celular ou aparelho de som os 46 anos da maior banda de heavy metal deste planeta.


Vida longa aos reis. Deuses existem e são seis.


Up The Irons!


Apaixonados e cheios de energia. Feliz 2022!

METALLICA 'KILL 'EM ALL': 10 WILD STORIES BEHIND ALL-TIME THRASH CLASSIC

METALLICA 'KILL 'EM ALL': 10 WILD STORIES BEHIND ALL-TIME THRASH CLASSIC
From haunted mansions to "sour notes"

Metallica' James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, 1984
photograph by Pete Cronin/Redferns




On July 25th, 1983, Metallica made metal history with the release of Kill 'Em All, their debut album. The first full-length album of thrash metal to be released by an American band, Kill 'Em All featured such classic blasts as "Hit the Lights," "The Four Horsemen," "Whiplash" and "Seek and Destroy," along with Cliff Burton's mind-blowing bass instrumental "(Anesthesia) — Pulling Teeth," all of which sounded significantly more intense and dangerous than anything on the mainstream metal scene at the time.

"They were on fucking fire," wrote Scott Ian in his book I'm the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax, recalling Metallica's jam sessions at the New York rehearsal complex that they shared with Anthrax (and often slept in) during the run-up to the recording of Kill 'Em All. "It literally seemed like flames were coming out of their fingertips. They were so ready to seek and destroy. Every time I heard them, I was totally inspired."

Kill 'Em All would go on to inspire and influence countless other musicians, even though it would take another three years before the success of Master of Puppets finally pushed the album into the Billboard 200. But frankly, it's kind of a miracle that Kill 'Em All is as great as it is, considering the less-than-ideal circumstances of its creation. Recorded on a shoestring budget — about $15,000, paid in installments (and out of his own pocket) by band manager Jonny Zazula — by a heavy-drinking (and totally broke) band in an unfamiliar city with an unsympathetic producer, Kill 'Em All could have easily gone off the rails any number of ways. And of course, there was that little matter of the band firing their lead guitarist just four weeks before heading into the studio ...

Decades on, however, Kill 'Em All still ranks as one of the greatest and most important metal debuts. Here are seven insane stories surrounding its birth.


1. Kirk Hammett joins the band barely a month before the album sessions began
Despite having already temporarily relocated to the East Coast to begin work on what would be their full-length debut, Metallica's ongoing conflicts with lead guitarist Dave Mustaine had deteriorated to the point where the band saw no other choice but to bring in a new axeman for the recording sessions — even though they were only a month away from going into the studio.

The Metallica vacancy was a golden opportunity for Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett, even though it meant diving straight into the deep end. "I had a week to learn the songs," he told Music Radar in 2008. "At the end of that week I flew out and I had a week to rehearse with them, and then we started playing shows. Every show just kept on getting better."

But when it came time to actually go into the studio, Jonny Zazula, the band's manager, insisted that Hammett recreate Mustaine's solos on the album. "[He] said, 'You know you have to play Dave's solos.' I said I didn't really want to. 'Then why don't you take the opening to every solo, so that people think that they're Dave's solos and then you can go somewhere else with them,' he said. As a 20-year-old kid, put in a position like that, you don't want to rock the boat too much, especially being the new kid in town — the fresh guy. So I said, 'Sure.' That's exactly what I did. I took the first four bars of most of the solos and changed them. When I changed them it was always for the better and everyone liked it."


2. The album is recorded in a haunted mansion
Kill 'Em All was recorded at Music America, a low-budget recording studio located in a large old house in Rochester, New York. Though the ballroom on the mansion's second floor was acoustically excellent — the band recorded their drums and guitar amps up there for extra ambiance — it also contained some decidedly disconcerting supernatural energy.

"The actual studio was in the basement of this huge old colonial-type of clubhouse," Lars Ulrich told Metal Hammer in 2008. "On the second floor there was a huge ballroom, perfect for getting a good drum sound. The problem was the place was fucking haunted — I had to have someone else up there the whole time I was recording. My cymbals would start spinning for no reason, shit like that. It was scary."


3. Dave Mustaine contributes two songs about sex — until James Hetfield rewrites the lyrics
"The Four Horsemen" and "Jump in the Fire," two of the four Kill 'Em All songs that bear Mustaine songwriting credits (the others are "Phantom Lord" and "Metal Militia"), initially had lyrics that were all about getting laid.

The first — which would end up on Megadeth's debut, Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good, in its original form and under its original title, "Mechanix" — imagined a tryst at a gas station, inspired by Mustaine's time working as a gas station attendant. The second was the first song Mustaine ever wrote — at age 16 — and dealt with teen angst and sexual desire. James Hetfield flipped the first into a menacing anthem about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; the second became a cheerfully satanic ode inspired by Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills."

"It didn't make a lot of sense to me at the time," Ulrich told Metal Hammer of Mustaine's raunchy lyrics, "but we knew that was the sort of thing we wanted to move away from — the sexual stuff that hard-rock bands were singing about at the time, which we we thought was a little light and a little obvious. You didn't find stuff like that on the first Witchfynde album."


4. Kirk Hammett tries to do Joe Satriani proud with "Seek and Destroy" solo, instead records "sour notes"
Ghosts weren't the only thing haunting the band during the recording sessions for Kill 'Em All — the judgmental specter of a (still-living) guitar hero hung heavily over Kirk Hammett as he recorded his guitar solos for the album, especially the one for "Seek and Destroy."

"I had been taking lessons from Joe Satriani for, like, six months prior to joining the band," Hammett recalled to Guitar World in 2008, "so his influence was pretty heavy in my mind and in my playing. He passed down so much information to me, I was still processing a lot of it. When it came time to do the ["Seek and Destroy"] solo, I was thinking, I hope Joe likes this. I hope this isn't something he'll just pick apart, like he has in the past."

Though it's become something of an iconic solo for Hammett, he wasn't totally pleased with the outcome at the time. "I didn't have much really worked out," he admitted. "I knew how I wanted to open the initial part of the solo after the break, so I just went for it two or three times. And then the producer said, 'That's fine! We'll use it!' There were no frills, no contemplation, no overintellectualizing — we weren't going over the finer points. On a couple of notes in that solo, I bend the notes out of pitch. For 18 years, every time I've heard that guitar solo, those sour notes come back to haunt me! [Laughs] I remember on that tour, whenever it came time to do that guitar solo, I was always like, OK, I'm gonna play this so much better than the way I recorded it!"


5. Cliff Burton records "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth" by himself in one take
Cliff Burton's epic Kill 'Em All showpiece opens with the words, spoken by engineer Chris Bubacz: "Bass solo, take one." And indeed, "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth" was recorded by Burton in just a single first playthrough, and only after he kicked everyone else out of the room.

"I remember him recording his bass solo separately from anyone or anything," Kirk Hammett recalled to Metal Hammer. "He was upstairs in this big empty room, standing there alone, just him and his bass amp. I watched him play while they were getting his sound right downstairs in the control room. After 15 or 20 minutes, he got the sound right and then he looked at me and said: 'Get away from me, man — I'm about to do this.' And then he took a hit off a joint, bent over and drank a beer, and I hightailed it out of there."


6. The album's original mix isn't "heavy enough"
Though Metallica already had a reputation for being a formidable concert act, they were still relatively inexperienced with studio recording, and could have really used a producer who knew how to translate the fire and fury of their live sound to tape. Unfortunately, their producer was Music America studio owner Paul Curcio, a music biz veteran best known for working with the Doobie Brothers and Santana, who thought James Hetfield's brutally overdriven guitar tones sounded way too harsh. Curcio also, according to Jonny Zazula (who was credited as the album's executive producer), originally mixed the record with Hetfield's rhythm tracks barely audible, and Hammett's guitar solos up much higher than the band wanted.

"[Curcio] had engineered Santana's earlier albums," Zazula recalled in Martin Popoff's Metallica: The Complete Illustrated History, "and he was just mixing Kirk like Carlos Santana ... I get there at the end of the album, after being broke from finalizing the recording, and James is all depressed. And Lars has to speak to me, and he says, 'Jonny, this isn't heavy enough.' So we went in and had James redo all the rhythms, with the big, big chunky sound he's famous for."


7. The band is "locked out" of the mixing sessions for the album
But even after James Hetfield was allowed to beef up his guitar parts, Paul Curcio and engineer Chris Bubacz chose to handle the final mixes themselves, and though Jonny Zazula relayed the band's instructions, Curcio and Bubacz took some sonic liberties that still rankled Metallica decades later.

"When everything was recorded, the engineer and the producer decided that they wanted to mix the album themselves, then pretty much locked us out of the studio while they were mixing it," Kirk Hammett recalled to Music Radar in 2008. "They added all these weird delays and reverb and these things that we wouldn't have done. That's why there's such a drastic sonic difference between Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning. There are also things that we would have liked to have fixed or re-recorded, but we couldn't because we just basically ran out of time."


8. The album's original title is too "obscene"
Knowing that a fierce and uncompromising debut album should have an equally fierce and uncompromising title, Metallica decided to call their new record Metal Up Your Ass. "Seriously, we had the whole thing mapped out — even down to the cover we wanted," Lars Ulrich said in an interview shortly after the record's release. "We were gonna have a hand coming through a toilet bowl, holding a machete, dripping with blood. And the toilet had barbed wire around it. That would've gotten everyone squirming uncomfortably."

Alas, Jonny Zazula recognized that the already-challenging task of getting an independently-released thrash-metal album into stores would have been even more daunting with a title like that. "We got a phone call from our manager telling us half the record outlets wouldn't carry the album if it's called that, because the name was obscene," Hammett told Music Radar in 2008. "Cliff said, 'You know what? Fuck those fuckers, man, those fucking record outlet people. We should just kill 'em all.' Someone, I can't remember who, said, 'That's it! That's what we should call the album.'"

An equally disturbing (if significantly less comical) image of a bloody hammer was commissioned for the final album artwork, though Stephen Gorman's hemorrhoid-terrorizing "MUYA" image would thankfully be repurposed a few years later for Metallica T-shirts.


9. Kill 'Em All's final cover art is inspired by the hammer Cliff Burton took with him — everywhere
Jonny Zazula had enlisted photographer Gary L. Heard to do the front cover of the album as well as the band portrait on the back, and Metallica informed Heard of their new title as soon as they arrived at his studio.

"That's when Cliff Burton mentioned something about wanting there to be a bloody hammer on the cover," Kirk Hammett told journalist Jaan Uhelszki in 2008, "but then Cliff Burton carried a hammer with him everywhere he went… He always had a hammer in his luggage, and he would take it out occasionally and start destroying things."

Speaking to Kerrang! Radio in 2023, James Hetfield remembered of Burton: "He loved fishing and hammers... He would take his little Pocket Fisherman on tour and find any little lake. And he carried a hammer in his suitcase. I was, like, 'What are you doing with that?' He [was, like], 'I don't know. Just in case. Just in case you need a hammer.' He was quite a character — very, very himself. He was unapologetically Cliff."


10. Megaforce Records is created to release the album — because nobody else wants to put it out
Though it seems crazy now, the band that would become the biggest-selling metal act in history was unable to find an established record label to finance and release their debut album. Metallica's fast, raw and ferocious brand of heavy metal was considered utterly uncommercial, while the few independent labels that recognized the band's power and talent — like Metal Blade, which in 1982 had included Metallica's "Hit the Lights" on its first Metal Massacre compilation — couldn't afford to bankroll a full album.

As a result, Jonny Zazula and his wife Marsha decided to form their own label, Megaforce Records; the couple scraped together the start-up cash from money they'd made running Rock N' Roll Heaven, a record store at a flea market on Route 18 in New Jersey, which was a mecca for area metal fans.

"I figured, if we can buy [records] from a distributor, as we did as a record store, we could certainly sell them a record to sell to all the other record stores," Zazula recalled in Mick Wall's Endless Night: A Biography of Metallica. "We didn't know that nobody from the distributors wanted to talk to you. The whole thing was we just did it. Maybe I could have gone to someone like Metal Blade or Shrapnel on the West Coast, but this stuff was so new-sounding I didn't know if anyone else would get it, you know? I was like the guy who didn't know if he had a great idea or a stupid one, and I knew there was only one way to find out."

Jinjer confirma mais de 10 shows pela América Latina junto a Heaven Shall Burn

Jinjer confirma mais de 10 shows pela América Latina junto a Heaven Shall Burn
As bandas seguirão juntas por toda a tour, com exceção do México
Jinjer. Crédito: Lina Glasir



A banda ucraniana Jinjer, de metalcore progressivo, anunciou uma turnê pela América Latina com treze datas e Heaven Shall Burn, banda de melodic death metal/metalcore, como convidada.

Com exceção ao México, todas as outras datas contarão com a performance do grupo alemão. A turnê se inicia em Porto Alegre, no dia 30/11, no Bar Opinião e segue para Curitiba, no Tork and Roll, no dia 01/12.

Depois vem Belo Horizonte, no dia 03/12, no Mister Rock, Brasília, no dia 05/12, no Toinha, no Rio de Janeiro, dia 07/12, no Circo Voador e São Paulo, no dia 08/12, no Terra SP.

Após a extensa passagem pelo Brasil, os grupos seguem para Buenos Aires, no dia 10/12, Santiago, no dia 12/12 e Bogotá, no dia 14/12.

Antes de se separarem, as bandas passam por San José, no dia 15/12.

Agora, já em apresentações separadas, o Jinjer segue para o México, com três shows: 18/12, em Guadalajara, 19/12, em San Luís Potosi e 20/12, na Cidade do México no dia 20/12.

DEATH METALFEATURESHEAVY MUSIC HISTORY

By 2008, CANNIBAL CORPSE had reached a point where they had been active for two decades, an extraordinary feat for a band as extreme as they are. They had been accepted as respected elders of death metal with every album they brought out, eagerly devoured by their devoted and rabid fanbase. The fact that they had been active as a band for two decades by this point was a milestone to celebrate and to do so, the band brought out Centuries Of Torment, an all encompassing look back at their history from the bands inception all the way up to their current album at the time Kill.



With Kill, CANNIBAL CORPSE had more than established their status as legends, of not only death metal but metal in general and at this point, and they could have easily rested on their laurels but instead kept pushing forward with the follow-up album Evisceration Plague (released on longtime label Metal Blade) and with the talented Erik Rutan (who would actually later join the band as a guitarist years later) producing again and the results were an album that proved the band were as murderous as ever.Photo Credit: Alex Solca

Retaining the same lineup on Evisceration Plague that recorded Kill, which consisted of vocalist George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher, bassist Alex Webster, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, lead guitarist Pat O’Brien and rhythm guitarist Rob Barrett (who had returned to the band on Kill), CANNIBAL CORPSE produced an album with Evisceration Plague that saw them further hone their razor sharp death metal with a streamlined collection of brutally to the point songs, and the album’s relatively short running time of only 38 minutes felt like a rapid series of blows to the head audibly speaking.

The cover artwork for Evisceration Plague by longtime collaborator Vincent Locke was definitely understated compared to some of the band’s previous album covers in terms of over the top gore, but the cover still retains that feeling of the macabre that Locke does so well. Its eeriness and was once again delivered, keeping with the band’s horrific death metal style.


The twelve tracks on the album spill blood in typical CANNIBAL CORPSE fashion with album opener Priests Of Sodom setting the tone perfectly and from then on in, the album flows like fresh blood from an open wound with tracks like Beheading And Burning, Shatter Their Bones and the closing maelstrom that is Skewered From Ear To Eye all delivering on their bloodthirsty promise. The title track to Evisceration Plague also garnered its own suitably gruesome video (and one that plays like the band’s own horror movie with vibes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and various zombie movies) and is still part of their live set to this day, proving its staying power in the vast arsenal of CANNIBAL CORPSE tracks.


Upon the release of Evisceration Plague, CANNIBAL CORPSE undertook an extensive touring schedule that saw them playing whenever they could across the globe and shows the immense power of a live act that they had grown into at this point. The band undertook a huge tour supporting CHILDREN OF BODOM and while the band didn’t really need to be a support band at this stage of their career, they’ve never been a band with any ego whatsoever. CANNIBAL CORPSE also joined the lineup of the Mayhem Festival 2009 in the US that was headlined by MARILYN MANSON and SLAYER, with the band topping a stage that featured BEHEMOTH, JOB FOR A COWBOY and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER.

Following that festival, CANNIBAL CORPSE further added to their joining of varied bills by joining HATEBREED alongside UNEARTH, BORN OF OSIRIS and Erik Rutan‘s band HATE ETERNAL on the Decimation Of The Nation 2 tour, proving again that the band will play with anyone to further add to their formidable reputation.Photo Credit: Alex Solca

The Evisceration Plague tour went into 2010 and saw the band play many festivals across Europe including Wacken and Full Force as well as an epic set at that year’s Bloodstock Festival where they slayed the crowd with an intense set.

Evisceration Plague is an album that, like so many of their albums throughout their history, still holds up today and acts as a solid reminder of how powerful the band were during that point of their career. Ultimately, this album still sounded as fresh and as bloodthirsty as ever, despite having been releasing music for so many years prior to that. Evisceration Plague was a record that further elevated CANNIBAL CORPSE as a core pillar of the extreme metal community.



Evisceration Plague was originally released on February 3rd, 2009 via Metal Blade Records.

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DEVASTATOR - CONJURERS OF CRUELTY

DEVASTATOR - CONJURERS OF CRUELTY

March 1, 2024, 15 hours ago
(LISTENABLE)

Greg Pratt

Rating: 7.0

review heavy metal devastator



UK blackthrashers Devastator are back with album number two here, and the title track's opening riff gives a solemn nod to Slayer's “Seasons In The Abyss”, and I approve, before things take a step back as far as personality goes. But they go up a notch up in intensity, so, fair trade, maybe.

“Black Witchery” brings the fun Lemmy-lovin' scuzz riffing to the bike rally (Toxic Holocaust and Midnight are headlining); “Necromantic Lust” encapsulates everything I love about this microgenre so well, just the burning-hell two-step polka of death through and through, sly grins all around. Every song here, really, is a pleasure to listen to, but the issue is one inherent to the genre: these records can't be long or they just become a chore to get through.

51 minutes of this is a huge ask, and while I have fun during the first half, during the second, it's more of a task than anything (granted, two of these are CD-only bonus tracks, but, still). You lose power for every minute past 30 you go with this stuff, so why push it?