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Editorials
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Friday, 06 November 2009 08:35 |
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A band logo is a vital part of a band's identity. Some band logos are iconic enough to warrant creation of their own font family (for example Iron Maiden and Metallica). Some other band logos are distinctive enough to be able to identify the band with just a glance. In fact, a well trained eye along with a well made logo can help the viewer identify the genre of the band as well. Power metal bands have clean, high-impact logos while thrash metal bands have classic and sometimes retro themes. Death metal and black metal bands in keeping with their anti-establishment views also have distorted and sometimes impossible to read logos.
Example #1:
Dracula, a grindcore band from Long Island, NY. For seasoned metalheads, this won't be that much of a challenge but from a purely pragmatic point of view, its not even funny how bad this logo is.
Example #2:
 
The Texan black metal (or so I think based on their myspace) band has had 3 logos. These are their first two with the 3rd one being too legible to place in this list. The first one has the appearance of a mangrove while the second one looks like something in an ice cave. Based on these facts (mangrove forests are under the threat of extinction while ice caps are melting) I am led to believe that this band is fighting climate change. However, their album titles reveal otherwise. They are apparently occult mythological metal. The cheesiness never seems to end with these guys.
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 06:50 |
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In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we have looked at some of the most illustrious names and faces in the history of this amazing entity known as heavy metal. |
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Monday, 21 September 2009 06:47 |
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Last week we looked at prolific performers whose image was as iconic as the songs they performed. This week we look at 5 more individuals who played a vital role in shaping the evolution of metal.
 1. James Hetfield: While no less err… misbehaved than his predecessors, Hetfield is one of the most legendary faces in not just thrash or metal, but all music in general. This can be attributed to him to some extent but Metallica’s status also helps. His problems with alcoholism did not deter him and his mates from creating a musical machine that dominated world music for many years. His aggressive vocal delivery and excellent musical ability were the perfect foil for the blistering solos and riffs of his partner…
 2. Kirk Hammet: Many people consider him overrated. Many people consider him a legend. Either way, he is someone who contributed to the creation of thrash metal, whether it was through the creation of Bay Area thrashers Exodus, or his axe work with Metallica. His technical skills (which he learned from guitar god Joe Satriani) would place him into the annals of history as one of the best guitarists of all time and this also made him an idol for many aspiring guitarists.
 3. Dave Lombardo: One always hears about great guitarists or great vocalists but the spine of a band somehow tends to get forgotten. Pounding the skins for hours on end is a feat worthy of praise. Smashing the crap out of it as if pummeling you enemy takes things to a new level. Lombardo was amongst the pioneers of a new, devastating style of drumming that would prove pivotal to the evolution of metal drumming. His departure from Slayer in the early 90’s led to a slump, which could only end with his return. The time he took off, however, was not wasted. Sitting behind the kit on Testament’s “The Gathering”, he delivered one of the standout performances of the year thus cementing his place as one of the greatest drummers of all time.
 4. Kerry King: Slayer is one of the most popular bands that extreme metal has seen (and this should be obvious to anyone whose head was not under the sand for the last 2 decades). A band is only as good as the song it writes and credit for their gems must go to Kerry King (and partner in crime Jeff Hannemann). Guitar melodies that possessed a level of violence never seen before ushered in a new era of extreme music. His partnership with Jeff was on par with the other thrash duos of Hetfield/Hammet (Metallica), Ian/Lilker (Anthrax), Mustaine/Poland (Megadeth). This style of two guitarists playing off each other would go on to become a characteristic feature of thrash metal.
 5. Chuck Schuldiner: One of the few people in metal who has managed to earn himself the tag ‘father of …”, Schuldiner along with band Death went on to create what would become one of the most popular genres of metal, Death metal. Crushingly heavy riffs combined with monster vocals were unheard of in the early 80’s. By creating the kind of songs he did, not only did Schuldiner manage to take metal to the next level, he proved to be the inspiration for legions of fans in the years to follow. His change in songwriting in the early 90’s would also go on to create another sub-genre, Progressive Death. It would be a crime if his genius were not recognized and appreciated by any self-respecting metalhead. His untimely death would put him into the elite category of great musicians who died young.
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Tuesday, 28 July 2009 11:54 |
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In the fifty or so years that metal has existed, numerous individuals have made immense contributions to its development. They have contributed to its distinctive sound, song structures and image. Part 1 of this series lists 5 individuals (in no particular order) who gave metal its ‘bad boy’ image. Their contributions, though, are not just limited to image. They have influenced many musicians and subsequently many bands.
 Jimi Hendrix: Jimi Hendrix, what can I say about him that has not been said before. While not technically a ‘metal’ guitarist, his technical prowess and innovation spanned genres and can be considered an influence to anyone wielding an axe. His contribution to the development of guitar effects was brought about by his desire to create a sound that was radically different from his contemporaries. The colorful personality that accompanied his fretwork resulted in the creation of one of the greatest performers in the history of music.
Ozzy Osbourne: If not for him and Tony Iommi, heavy metal would probably not exist and the world would be a very boring place. As if singing about Satan was not enough, he had to go around biting heads off bats. His distinctive vocal style combined with Iommi’s crushing, doomy riffs inspired countless bands after them. Even after splitting from the band, he managed to build a successful solo career proving the legends will always be ... legendary (excuse the wordplay).
 Lemmy:Motorhead’s lead singer and bassist, his voice would become one of the most identifiable voices in the history of heavy metal. His raspy voice combined with wacky lyrics about gambling, sex and alcohol (aka general misbehavior) would go into creating the trademark Motorhead sound that we have all come to know and love. Not only is his voice distinctive, his flamboyant personality and playing style have become the stuff of legend.
Rob Halford: Lead singer of Judas Priest, he was almost like a counterpart to Lemmy.  With his gruff biker image, he was the symbol of masculinity. The aggression and ferocity of music didn’t hurt that image either. Even coming out with truths about his sexuality could not do much to tarnish his image as a metal God. His wide vocal range went into creating classics like “Breaking the Law” and “Living after Midnight.” Such is his importance in metal that he is also lending his voice in the metal themed game “Brutal Legends” alongside Lemmy (and funnyman/ rockstar Jack Black).
 Axl Rose: His name pretty much explains which band he is from (for those of you who still don’t know, its Guns N Roses). The image that he created was radically different from his peers like Metallica and Slayer. Makeup, fancy hairdos and glam were combined with unforgettable music to create a most unlikely fusion of styles. Controversy was his middle name (it’s actually Bruce for those of you who have pedantic tendencies) and was just one of the many facets of his unforgettable personality.
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