Metalblog

I’ve been listening to We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year in secret over the last week. Now that Thanksgiving has passed and Black Friday is upon us, I can go ahead and come out of the closet and start listening to Christmas music in public for the next month. 

And when I do throw on some Christmas music this December, We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year is going to be the first CD I reach for.

Released by Armoury Records, We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year provides a dozen Christmas songs by a collection of musicians that includes some of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal.

The track listing and artists are:

1. We Wish You A Merry Xmas
Jeff Scott Soto / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick/ Chris Wyse / Ray Luzier

2. Run Rudolph Run
Lemmy / Billy F Gibbons / Dave Grohl

3. Santa Claws Is Coming To Town
Alice Cooper / John 5 / Billy Sheehan / Vinny Appice

4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Ronnie James Dio / Tony Iommi / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright

5. Silver Bells
Geoff Tate / Carlos Cavazo / James Lomenzo / Ray Luzier

6. Little Drummer Boy
Dug Pinnick / George Lynch / Billy Sheehan / Simon Phillips

7. Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens / Steve Morse / Juan Garcia / Marco Mendoza / Vinny Appice

8. Silent Night
Chuck Billy / Scott Ian / Jon Donais / Chris Wyse / John Tempesta

9. Deck the Halls
Oni Logan / Craig Goldy / Tony Franklin / John Tempesta

10. Grandma Got Ran Over By A reindeer
Stephen Pearcy / Tracii Guns / Bob Kulick / Billy Sheehan / GregBissonette

11. Rockin’ Around the Xmas Tree
Joe Lynn Turner / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright

12. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Tommy Shaw / Steve Lukather / Marco Mendoza / Kenny Aronoff

Most of We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year is fun hard rock/heavy metal versions of classic Christmas songs, but two songs stand above the standard rocking.

The first is the Alice Cooper led “Santa Claws is Coming to Town”. Leave it to Alice to make the “He sees you when you’re sleeping/ He knows when you’re awake” lines sound as creepy as I always thought they were.

The other standout track is the Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Rudy Sarzo and Simon Wright version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman”. If you like Dio and Iommi’s work together in Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell, you’ll love this.

Is We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year a great metal album? Not really. But it is a great Christmas album and I can’t think of anything I’d rather have on the stereo while knocking back eggnog and eating some figgy pudding.

It was one year ago today that the body of Quiet Riot singer Kevin DuBrow was found dead in his Las Vegas home.

For those who weren’t around back in 1983, it was Quiet Riot’s Metal Health album that brought heavy metal into the American mainstream. Quiet Riot’s cover version of the Slade song “Cum On Feel The Noize” went to number five on the single’s chart, while Metal Health went to number one on the album chart. The song “Metal Health”, in my opinion far better than “Cum On Feel The Noize”, charted at number 31.

From 83-84 Quiet Riot was everywhere, with the songs on the radio and their videos in heavy rotation on MTV. The follow up album, Condition Critical, went Platinum in the US, but was considered a failure by comparison to the runaway success of Metal Health.

By the time of 1986’s QRIII, Quiet Riot had fallen out of the public limelight. Kevin DuBrow was fired from the band at the end of a 1987 tour when all the other band members caught an earlier flight and left him stranded in Hawaii.

DuBrow later rejoined the band and led Quiet Riot through the 90s and right up until his death, though the band never again reached the lofty success of 1983.

Here is a video of Kevin DuBrow fleading Quiet Riot through “Metal Health” during the height of their popularity at the 1983 US Festival in San Bernadino.

R.I.P. Kevin DuBrow (October 1955 - November 2007)

Today marks the 17th anniversary of the passing of KISS drummer Eric Carr.

Eric Carr, real name Paul Charles Caravello, took over the drum stool from departing KISS member Peter Criss in 1980. Eric stayed with the band as they regained popularity in the 1980s until his death from heart cancer on November 24th, 1991 (The same day Queen’s Freddie Mercury died).

KISS were still in their original makeup phase when Eric joined the band and was known as “The Fox”. Here is a video of Eric drumming for KISS in full makeup in the video for “I Love It Loud” from 1982’s Creatures of the Night album.

The following year KISS removed the makeup, released the Platinum selling Lick It Up, and the band’s popularity was back on the rise after its early 80s dip.

The last song Eric Carr recorded with KISS was “God Gave Rock and Roll to You II” for the Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey soundtrack. Gene Simmons has stated that,”It’s not just a cover song for a soundtrack, but a testament to Eric Carr, and I think a lot of people don’t realize that.” Eric provided background vocals on the song and although his health was too poor to record the drums, he does play them in the video for the song.

R.I.P. Eric Carr (July 12,1950 - November 24,1991)

Drummer Steven Adler wants to rejoin Guns ‘N’ Roses according to a statment by his attorney, Barry Gerald Sands.

Sands told Reuters: “When he gets sober they’ll accept him into the band and then they’ll do a comeback album and a world tour, that’s the dream of Steven Adler.”

Adler pleaded no contest on Friday to a heroin possession charge in the hopes of avoiding jail time by entering a treatment program. He has a history of drug abuse problems, which was given as the reason for his firing from Guns ‘N’ Roses in 1990.

While I wish Steven the very best of luck getting himself clean and sober again, I get the feeling that I might have a better chance of being asked to join Axl Rose, the only remaining member from the bands late 80s heyday, in Guns ‘N’ Roses.  

The long delayed new Guns ‘N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy, will be released on the 23rd of this month. If the album and resulting tour are successful, I’m afraid the chances of Steven’s dream of returning to the band are all but over.

Here’s a segment featuring a sober Steven Adler that was aired on the TV program Hard Copy on Christmas Day 1996.