Rolling Stone has great writers and the political commentary is usually amazing, but man, when it comes to music the editors and a majority of readers are just insane.
The magazine asked its readers to vote in an online poll for the worst songs of the ’80s. Starship's "We Built This City" came in at number one, but Europe's "The Final Countdown" was a close second. And it's not Glam, but "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! made the top 10, too which is absurd. Here's the full list:
01 – Starship – We Built This City 02 – Europe – The Final Countdown 03 – Chris De Burgh – Lady In Red 04 – Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 05 – Men Without Hats – The Safety Dance 06 – Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 07 – Bobby McFerrin – Don't Worry Be Happy 08 – Toni Basil – Mickey 09 – Taco – Puttin On The Ritz 10 – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up
There's a lot of really good songs here, yes? I don't remember the Falco song, so I guess I'll let that one slide. And the Taco song is bizarre, but still. A vast majority of these songs were hits - like all the way to #1 - type of hit. And Starship was cool. There. I said it.
Honda is using Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" to promote their 2012 Pilot. The commercial is too cute: a family, progressively - then collectively - singing "Crazy Train." Once again, a metal song takes center stage in a major advertising campaign. I think it says something when major corporations invest big money into ad buys with our music as the cornerstone of the messaging.
You might recall Honda used a Judas Priest song for their "The Van Beckons" campaign.
The Los Angeles County coroner has confirmed that Jani Lane died from "acute ethanol intoxication." In plain English, that's alcohol poisoning. The ruling closes the death investigation.
Jani died on August 11 at the age of 47.
For whatever reason, I was hoping the cause of death would be something different. Jani was too young to die but also in a lot of pain from his demons.
In case you haven't seen it, here's Jani's segment on That Metal Show, taped just a few weeks before his death. He looks good, but thin, in the clip.
Oh snap! James Durbin just announced his bassist is none other than Tyler Molinaro (you may know him as Tyno) from Dirty Penny! His guitarist is Dylan Rosenberg from the band Archer. In case you don't know, all three guys live in the Santa Cruz, California area. The addition of Tyno greatly increases the chances of a Durbin Glam record. Yes!
Benedictum is not Glam, but I really, really like them a lot. They are very metal with a female singer and honestly have a lot of Glam connections (see below). I'm so glad they are touring so more people can learn about their great sound. I really dig their albumDominion. It's out on Frontiers. Here's a release about the tour:
Benedictum & DesDemon team up for Path of the Valkyries tour to promote their recent studio releases.
Benedictum reign from Arizona, fronted by the diabolical mistress “V” Veronica Freeman. The band is known more in European markets and will finally showcase their talent in the U.S. with their current release “Dominion” via Frontiers Records. Previous releases include “Seasons of Tragedy” and “Uncreation”.
DesDemon hail from New York, fronted by new vixen Chelsea Knaack. Finally released their debut “Through the Gates” via Radtone Music Japan and will soon be available in all retail and on-line markets. DesDemon have been described as a new force in female fronted symphonic metal!!!!
See Benedictum and DesDemon on their Path of the Valkyries in the following cities.
November 10th - The Haven – Orlando/Altamonte Springs , FL November 11th - The Pathfinder Metalfest 3 - Marietta, GA
November 12th - Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC November 17th - Metal Thursday @ Ralf's Diner - Worcester, MA (with Joe Stump)
November 18th - Dublin Pub - New Hyde Park, NY (with HolyHell) November 19th - Flight of the Valkyries Festival - Sonar - Baltimore, Maryland
Benedictum recently selected as the pick of the week on VH1 Classics “That Metal Show. “Dominion” is an exciting musical episode building upon their great foundation by adding Grammy Award winning producer Ryan Greene (Megadeth, F5, NOFX) and are firing on all cylinders. From the onslaught of the opening track Dominion to the epic Epsilon and the heartfelt acoustic track Sanctuary, this album has it all. Adding to the already explosive sound of “Dominion” are guest appearances by Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio, Foreigner), Craig Goldy (Rough Cutt, Dio, Giuffria) and Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quite Riot, Whitesnake).
DesDemon “Through the Gates” transcends you through dark majestic symphonic metal passages with supreme musicianship. “Through the Gates” has an impressive list of guests musicians from Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex-Judas Priest, ex- Iced Earth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Beyond Fear, Charred Walls of the Damned, Hell Yeah!), Amanda Somerville (Trillium, Avantasia, Somerville / Kiske, HDK, Epica), Sander Gommans (Trillium, After Forever, HDK) & Joe Stump (Holyhell, world renowned guitar virtuoso).
DesDemon and Benedictum individually have shared the stage with the likes of many international artists like Doro, Primal Fear, Tyr, Korpiklaani, Rotting Christ, Epicurean, Mantic Ritual, Paul DiAnno, Icarus Witch, and have graced the stage of several festivals throughout Europe.
Thanks to Metalboy! for introducing me to Flame, an underground band with a great sound. Their debut is called Blaze and it was released around 1989. Check them out. If you like what you hear, you can track down Blaze from Z Records.
Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 12:02AM