Savage Distortion

HEAVY METAL MEMORIES

I just got back from another spree at Virgin. I bought yet another copy of Iron Maiden's 'Killers'. This is the record that caused me to incorrectly blog the word 'penultimate' a few months back. That's what great records do, they promote discourse from which we learn. At the risk of beating this particular issue to death, 'Killers' is the greatest Metal record ever. There are none better, and few even come close. The first Maiden record comes close, but suffers from grainy production. Martin Birch sorted that out. From the cover art that Tony Alva sports on his arm, to the last note of 'Drifter', this album is a gem. There is nothing sub par about it. This new 'Enhanced' version of the classic 1981 LP featured bonus video footage, photo galleries, band bio's, a monster color booklet, and oh yeah, the best fucking Metal ever!

I also picked up a Saxon compilation; 'Heavy Metal Thunder'. It features cuts from their first six LP's; 'Militia Guard', 'Wheels of Steel', 'Strong Arm of the Law', 'Denim and Leather', 'Power & the Glory', and 'Crusader'. The second two, Wheels, and Strong Arm, are great records, the others are spotty, and the last, Crusader, sucks. Fortunately they only included the passable title track from that one. I love Saxon, and frankly it's a passion that is hard to defend. Their riffs are derivative, and Biff Byford's vocals are so echo-dependent it makes one wonder what he really sounds like. They also look frightfully laughable. But that's exactly what I love about them, they look like guys you'd find in pub somewhere in the Midlands of England. Even back in '79 they had an aged biker thing going on, and that ouvre followed into the music. These guys were Hendrix and Tull fans who were not afraid to be just that. English Hard Rock Punters. Mostly what I love about Saxon is the guitar tones. So classic, so crunchy, so satisfying.

Lastly I picked up the new The Darkness CD, "One Way Ticket To Hell....And Back'. The title says it all, these guys have their tongue so firmly planted in cheek, it must be difficult for them to chew their food. The Darkness get it. They understand me, what I want, and that I'm capable of laughing at myself. I know this stuff is silly. In retrospect, post Spinal Tap, how can one not giggle a bit when you listen to Classic Metal. At the end of the day, I'm proud to be a ridiculous metal head, at least these guys could play the instruments credited to them on their records.