Crashdïet have had a hard time since spear-heading the Swedish sleaze rock revival in the early 2000s. With five studio albums, and nearly as many lead singers, under their belt since 2005, it hasn’t been easy for the band to stay atop of the scene they helped define – and…
We here at Heavy Blog like to ponder the big questions: Who are we? Why are we here? Thrash ballads: yay or nay? You know, the big stuff. In order to better address such pressing matters, we bring you Heavy Issues: a now-monthly column by which we plan to get…
Ah, the good old days! When we were all shining golden gods and the name of metal struck fear into the hearts of parents everywhere! Not only is this post about those good ol’ days, but we’re also looking at the specific part in them where metal really started taking off in…
This should go without saying, but women have always had the ability to excel at playing guitar, and they often have. The rock and metal scene specifically has benefited from the contributions of players like Chelsea Wolfe, Liz Buckingham (Electric Wizard), Simone Dow (Voyager), Nancy Wilson (Heart), Lori Von Linstruth (Ayreon), Sarah Longfield, Laura…
Some might say hair metal died in the 90s when Nirvana disrupted the rock industry. Yet, all of hair metal’s celebration of excess and sexism, musical dilution, and market oversaturation is present in today’s mainstream country scene. The factory seems to have just moved from the Sunset Strip to Nashville. It’s massive appeal to young listeners has created a divide in the country music scene not unlike the divide in the metal scene in the 80s. On one side industry titans argue that Bro Country is just the music of the times and that old people are just whining about being left behind. On the other side, more “authentic” artists are rising under the banner of “real country.” This is all quickly acessible on Wikipedia and Saving Country Music in more depth. But is Bro Country really just the second coming of Hair Metal? Or does Hair Metal deserve a little more credit?
Power ballads are in and of their nature sentimental sap-a-thons. They also happen to be one of the staples of metal and hard rock that kept its faint heartbeat alive at a time when the form had gone out of style with the mass public, if it had ever well and truly been “in.” These songs also served as gateways into metal for many a budding metalhead along with the more accessible songs that weren’t quite pop but had those sensibilities of melody and catchiness. This list is by no means definitive but it’s ours spanning a few decades and variants worth of feels. A number of contributors have added their favorites but please do share yours with us in the comments!
For something as purposefully abrasive and extreme as metal, it makes perfect sense that those who poke fun at this style of music are often met with a flurry of criticism. Few other genres of music have gathered such a cult following and a “lifer” mentality, so there’s no surprise…
You want a brain teaser? Take a peek at the picture below of the band Black Veil Brides. I literally spent about a half an hour staring at the photo trying to find the girl. I still honestly don’t believe that there is only one girl in the photo. Yes,…
What an idiot. Dumbass fractured his nose and busted his lip. Play Bret Michaels off, Keyboard Cat I fucking love that cat. He makes better music than that douchebag could any day. Give HIM the reality show. – JR
