Iconic Shot: Still the Kings

Metallica recently observed their 30-year anniversary as one of the heaviest Rock/Metal groups ever to break into the mainstream. The picture below, shot in the Yucca Corridor of Los Angeles, was taken amid the earliest days of the “Black Album” era just as they hit a level of international success which, 20 years later, shows no sign of fading.

While the genre they epitomize presently lounges in a state of disarray, we can always expect Hetfield & Co. to set the standard by which all others will be judged.

© Metallica, via their “Through the Years” Facebook album

The "horror" of it all

Here's Glenn Danzig during an appearance on Fox News' Red Eye in June 2010 saying what few outside of the GOP dared to utter before it became apparent that our current President isn't as "chosen" as some would make him out to be:

Real Music: Whole Lotta Sabbath

For my 500th post, which includes all the weak stuff from the early days, I've decided to highlight the inventive forces at Wax Audio who mashed-up two of the all-time greats to create perhaps the ultimate Rock fantasy. Have a look:

Real Music: Ozzy

It seems a new mantra has penetrated mainstream music: If it sucks, it's cool.  With the push to promote audible garbage fronted by talentless hacks evidently growing stronger by the year, these are dark times for those who enjoy tunes possessed of emotion and substance.

Despite being practically abandoned by the big name record labels with whom Rock bands once enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, many among the Old Guard are still alive and doing quite well.  To demonstrate my point (as perhaps only he can), here is Ozzy Osbourne's newest song, a surprisingly strong effort -- one I didn't think Ozzy could produce without longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde -- which presents a moving challenge to seize the moment.

You probably haven't heard it, so kick back and enjoy Ozzy at his best because "Life Won't Wait" would be all over the place during any other time in the modern era.  And by all means, don't be put off by the still-shot below.

Psycho chicks are fun (in their own way)

One of the cheer teams from the University of Memphis (they have several) recently won the national championship in the "Hip Hop" category.  Winning is nothing new for the Tigers, as the Pom Pon squad has nine national titles to its credit.  Yet the reaction one girl in particular had after the U of M was declared the winner is the stuff of legend.

Having gone viral throughout the Internet-connected world about a week ago, the 45-second clip below offers her spasmodic reaction in two parts: first, as it really happened, and second, with some thrash metal playing in the background.  Enjoy:

Real Music: Hum

Last year was the first time that a Rock album failed to break into the Billboard top 10.  The same thing happened to Rap in 2009, but which is more surprising?

Music has changed considerably -- some might say the scene has devolved -- over a short period of time.  Although Rock remains driven by established statesmen such as AC/DC, Metallica, and Ozzy Osbourne, along with assistance by the reformation of Alice in Chians, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots, the newer breed can no longer count on the plenitude of support from MTV and mainstream radio stations the genre' once enjoyed for decades.

In fairness, there is also something to be said for a style of music that once-proudly flew the banner of masculinity and Americana which the brand now generally appears to shun.  Indeed being outshined by their quasi-transvestite forebears of hair metal's heyday doesn't seem to phase them one bit.

Whatever the reason, loyalists remain hopeful that the purveyors of Rock find their voice (and power chords) once again before enthusiasts end up cursed with permanent doses of the currently prevalent pseudo-rock from which the genre' may never fully recover.  So here's a throwback to a band called Hum -- an unassuming yet somewhat heavy group that peaked amid one of music's greatest eras -- who showed us that sometimes less can be more:

The Mighty Hetfield

I watched some old Metallica concert clips (Seattle '89, San Diego '92) on YouTube earlier today, along with a few new ones. I was once again struck by the force they bring to a live show, which is untouchable among the vast majority of other so-called bands of this era that shun power chords, favor "guy liner," and produce user-friendly songs that reach for mainstream success at the deliberate sacrifice of their musical art.

These bands simply lack balance, and in all fairness Metallica has taken their hardcore fans on a few valley experiences as well (St. Anger, for instance). But through it all James Hetfield has been the heart and soul of Metallica from the very beginning. He is the Warrior-Poet of the Hard Rock/Metal genre' and precious few are worthy to be mentioned in the same breath. None have ever surpassed him, and it's unlikely that anyone ever will.