pantera

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The results are in. We crowned our first 4theloveofmetal, Hall of Albums, tournament champion; And the winner is…..

Here’s the breakdown

We started with 32 albums, and whittled them down to 1. This is how the brackets looked like:

The first round had some pretty interesting match-ups. Slayer’s Undisputed Attitude destroyed any hopes for Metallica’s Garage Days Re-Revisited to advance to the second round. We also saw Cannibal Corpse’s Evisceration Plague fall to Six Feet Under’s Maximum Violence and Anthrax’s Among The Living inch out SOD’s Speak English Or Die.

Round 2 was just as exciting as the first round. Suicidal Tendencies’ debut, self titled album left Ozzy Osborne’s Ultimate Sin in the dark, while the Battle of the Sunset Strip saw Motley Crue’s Too Fast For Love beat Motorhead’s Orgasmatron, even though Lemmy had an ace in the hole.

The Quarterfinals saw the Led Zeppelin 4 album continue dominance, with a win over The Misfits’ Earth AD album, while Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell showed how unstoppable of a force they are when they beat Suicidal Tendencies, to advance to the finals.

The Championship Round is now set. We have a battle of the ages. On one side, we have one of the most iconic hard rock albums of all time with Led Zeppelin 4, and on the other side, Cowboys from Hell; A career-defining album from the monsters of metal themselves, Pantera. It’s hard to pick one album over the other, but in the end, Cowboys From Hell prevail and become the first ever inductees into the 4theloveofmetal Hall of Albums. Thank you to everyone who participated. We’ll see you next year. In the words of Max Cavalera, Stay Metal! \m/

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Have you ever heard a song over time that you believed was the original version, later to find out it wasn’t the original version at all? You may have listened to the song for years before finding out. If you’re a fan of these artists, you probably know most, if not all of these already, even if you’ve never heard the original version of the song before. There may be 1 or 2 of these that may surprise you.

6. Blitzkrieg / Metallica:

This is common knowledge for any fan of Metallica, but when is the last time you heard the original version by the band Blitzkrieg? Released in 1981 as a B-Side to the single “Buried Alive” , Blitzkrieg is a raw, chunky, classic heavy metal song with higher vocals and a slightly slower tempo than the thrash version, released by Metallica in 1984 as the B-Side of Creeping Death and later appearing on the Kill ‘Em All album.

5. Metro / System of a Down:

If you grew up in the 80’s like myself, you may be more familiar with the original Berlin version of the song “The Metro”, released in 1981, than you are with System of a Down’s interpretation “Metro”, that was on the Dracula 2000 soundtrack, among other places. If you grew up in the 90’s or later, you may never have heard of the band Berlin.

4. Antisocial / Anthrax:

This is a song you heard was a cover, but weren’t exactly sure who did the original. The number of times I’ve seen Anthrax live, singing along with them and the rest of the crowd, “You’re anti, you’re antisocial.” Then you hear the original version done by the band “Trust.” It starts out with an acoustic guitar, goes into an 80’s European vibe, building itself into a rock song. The vocals begin, and you realize the whole song is in French. It’s different on so many levels, but it’s pretty much the same song. Trust’s version even has an “antisocial” chant at the end of the song.

3. All Along the Watchtower / Jimi Hendrix

Featured in numerous movies and a staple in classic rock radio, (it always reminds me of Forrest Gump), I wasn’t aware until some years back that Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” wasn’t the original. It was first recorded by Bob Dylan in November 1967 for the John Wesley Harding album. Before the album was released, Jimi obtained a copy of it. He liked the song so much that he started recording his own version of it just 2 months after Dylan first recorded it. Hendrix even recruited Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones to play the vibraslap, which helped provide a signature sound at the beginning of the song.

2. Disorder / Slayer, Ice-T:

I don’t remember much from the Judgement Night movie aside from the epic soundtrack. Pearl Jam/Cypress Hill, Mudhoney/Sir Mix A Lot, and of course Slayer/Ice-T. This was a much anticipated track for me because it was my first taste of Slayer since the “Seasons” album. I wasn’t aware until a few years later that this collaboration was a medley of 3 different Exploited songs: War, UK 82, and Disorder. As much as I enjoy all three of these Exploited songs separately, they happen to blend together well to form a single song. The aggressive vocals of Tom Araya, and the pissed off, no bull shit attitude of Ice-T mesh perfectly in this updated, 90’s version.

1. The Badge / Pantera:

To be honest, I had no idea until very recent, the song “The Badge” by Pantera, was a cover song originally recorded by Poison Idea. It was a track on the “Feel the Darkness” album, released in 1990. The Pantera version was recorded for The Crow soundtrack in 1994, and also appeared on a limited release of Far Beyond Driven. I liked the punk rock version by Poison Idea, but I thought the Pantera version took it to a new level. \m/

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I felt this would be a fitting first blog for me to post. I know that it’s easy to become complacent and set in your ways the older you get. I’m 45 years old, so I’m starting to figure that out in a hurry.

I can always remember music associated with my life. Some of my earliest memories was playing records I had. Disco Mickey Mouse, the soundtrack to Grease and Scooby Doo are the titles that come to mind now. When my family first got cable, I remember staying up all night in the tv room with my sister, watching MTV when it was the big new thing. I also liked making mixed tapes. I would sit next to the radio and wait for that perfect moment to push record.

I was probably in my early teens when I first recall hearing a particular rock song on the radio. For whatever reason, it clicked with me. It was Tom Sawyer by Rush. I would search for it on the radio, and that’s probably when I switched from pop to rock radio. That’s about the time I started listening to the hair metal bands of the time like Whitesnake, Motley Crue and GnR. My musical tastes would eventually grow heavier over the years. I probably first got into metal with Metallica and Anthrax. It took a little longer with Slayer, but when I first saw them on the South of Heaven tour back in ’88, it was on from there.

I was around 19 or 20 when I experienced a life changing event. My friend Peach introduced me to Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power. It was the finger of god pointing down from the heavens. That album was definitely a game changer. The first song Mouth of War played. My eyes got really big. I looked at my friend in amazement. She looked back at me and said “I know”. The next song came on and I’m like, alright, this is good. The next song played and my eyes got even bigger. Now we’re at Fucking Hostile. That’s when it blew my mind. I was hooked.

Around the same time, grunge started to become the next big thing, even though us locals hated that word. Having grown up in the Seattle area (Tacoma), it was a huge influence on my early 20’s. This is the time my wings started to sprout, and I moved away from the parental nest. I was working at Tower Records at the time. I was surrounded by music, and I had friends that shared the same passion for music that I have. My musical tastes were becoming much more diverse during that time.

I like the crossover music, with bands like The Accused and D.R.I., where thrash and punk unite beautifully. I’ve always appreciated classic rock legends such as Jimi, Beatles, Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. These musicians form the foundation for rock and metal we listen to today. Bands such as the Misfits and Bad Brains provide that punk edge and a different attitude that I find appealing. I’m also a big fan of 90’s rap and hip-hop. Ice Cube, Ice T, Cypress Hill, Tupac. These artists provide the stories and beats that I find fascinating. It was always fun discovering new music. Whether it’s hearing Iggy Pop on the Trainspotting soundtrack or driving around listening to the Stones. I would hear something I like and seek out similar artists to listen to in that genre.

Fast forward a bunch of years. I still go to concerts and I still love music, but I find myself becoming more set in my ways. I still venture out on a new artist once in a while, but it’s easier for me to listen to the wealth of music I’ve accumulated through the years. It seems like everything new is recycled garbage of the past. Most of the music today I find to be boring and unoriginal. I keep getting older, but I’m not getting that kick in the ass from music that I have in the past.

So much for all the build-up. I now go back to the original question, “Why should I give a shit about listening to new music?” It’s a simple answer; The joy I get for listening to something good for the first time. When I connect with that certain beat, riff, or vocal, my eyes widen and my ears perk up. It’s like a Dorito, I need more. Granted, I’ll probably never have another Pantera moment. Youth may be the perfect storm for my positive music connections until now, but it’s still possible to have that one moment that keeps the flame alive. Whether it’s hearing an old band for the first time like Terrorizer, a classic like AC/DC – Powerage, that I just bought on vinyl, or a newer, torch carrier like Power Trip, it’s still possible to experience joy from listening to something new.