Tag Archives: heavy metal

The Big 4 to Thrash Indio, CA For A Day

Posted on by Arleigh

First news that 70,000 tons of metal wasn’t a scam and thus automatically becoming the greatest cruise ever to put out to see. Now, news of The Big 4 doing a show in the US a week after the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California.

Who are The Big 4 and why do I sound excited about this news. Well, The Big 4 are the four greatest thrash metal bands and one could say four of the greatest metal bands to ever grace the land of heavy metal. The Big 4 show will include the bands Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer with the biggest of the four in Metallica looming over everyone. Yes, these four bands will be performing together for the first and only time on U.S. soil. They had done a similar tour over in Europe last year and each show were sold out and were a headbanging success.

While I won’t be able to make the show (already committed to attending Anime Boston which will occur the same weekend) I’m sure there’s enough people who read this site who live in California and wish to partake on this very metal of an event.

Tickets will go on sale on January 28, 2011 so metal fans who want to attend better get to buying them tickets and raise the horns!

*I’m sure necromoonyeti wishes he could attend this show as well as 70,000 tons of metal.

*Also, the fact that the Coachella Music Festival seems to be lacking in the metal department makes that 3-day event an #epicfail

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio \m/ \m/

Posted on by Arleigh

It is a sad day in the metal world today. Legend metal frontman Ronnie James Dio has passed away at the age of 67 after battling stomach cancer for the past couple years. His death was confirmed by his wife, Wendy Dio, through his website.

Ronnie James Dio would always remains one of the pioneers of metal and one of its gods. He fronted such hard rock and metal bands like Elf and Rainbow during the late 60’s and early 70’s before finally landing his most famous gig in his career: frontman of Black Sabbath. Ronnie James Dio was chosen to replace Ozzy Osbourne after he was fired by the band. It was during his stint with Black Sabbath where Dio popularized the use of the so-called “devil’s horns” hand symbol during concert shows. While this symbol has been used in the past it was Dio’s use of it as Black Sabbath frontman which soon epitomized the “devil’s horns” as metal’s own symbol.

Ronnie James Dio would continue to beyond Black Sabbath as he formed his own metal band named Dio and in the latter part of his life another band called Heaven and Hell. His death puts a pall of sadness on the world of metal. While he’s now gone to Valhalla with the rest of the rock and metal gods of past his music will live on forever.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Song of the Day: Iron Man (by Black Sabbath)

Posted on by Arleigh

I think it would’ve been quite remiss of me to not set this as song of the day just days before the release of Iron Man 2.

Black Sabbath’s iconic song from their second studio album (Paranoid) should be well-known to everyone by now. I’m not even talking about metal and rock fans, but even those who wouldn’t be caught dead listening to the so-called “devil’s music”. If people have seen 2008’s superhero film Iron Man then they’ve heard of this song. This song is pretty much classic heavy metal before all the different metal sounds started appearing years later.

Iron Man wasn’t your typical current heavy metal where sometimes speed and overly complex playing has been the choice of some metal bands. Not with Sabbath and definitely not with this song. It’s pretty straightforward and still has some of the progressive stylings that Led Zeppelin introduced with their third and fourth album. Where Black Sabbath really made the song their own was how heavy they made it. Whether it was Iommi’s lead guitar starting off the song right up to Butler’s near Bonham-like tree-trunk drumming.

With the sequel to Iron Man right around the corner I wouldn’t be surprised if this song ended up on iTunes top ten song download for the whole summer of 2010.

Iron Man

Has he lost his mind?
Can he see or is he blind?
Can he walk at all,
Or if he moves will he fall?
Is he alive or dead?
Has he thoughts within his head?
We’ll just pass him there
Why should we even care?

He was turned to steel
In the great magnetic field
Where he traveled time
For the future of mankind

Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfold

Now the time is here
For iron man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved

Nobody wants him
They just turn their heads
Nobody helps him
Now he has his revenge

Heavy boots of lead
Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron man lives again!