Great Metal Albums of 1985: Metal For Breakfast

 

Welcome to the first heavy metal compilation album I bought. It was early February 1985 when I saw "Metal For Breakfast" at my local record store. Since I often used to feel like the way the dude on the cover looks, I thought it was worth a look. When I flipped to the back cover of the album and saw who was actually on it and their songs, I knew I had to buy it straight away. Who couldn't resist an album with Ted Nugent, Saxon, Y&T, Quiet Riot, Ozzy and Judas Priest on it. Furthermore, the songs from these artists with the exception of Judas Priest's hidden gem, (I had never heard "The Ripper" until this album), was more incentive to get it. But that's only half the story!

Attic Records, being based in Toronto, seemed very eager to unveil much of its local talent and they chose a good group to do so. I had heard of Anvil but never listened to them. "Forged in Fire" changed all that. Any band called The Killer Dwarfs had to be granted a listen and "Heavy Mental Breakdown" did not disappoint. This was the first step on their way to them becoming my all time favourite Canadian band. I know Mercyful Fate are from Denmark but the fact that "Black Funeral" comes right out and sings "Hail Satan" sticks one in the ear for the American religious zealots. On the second side is the lovely Lee Aaron and "Metal Queen" is mind blowing. Of course, there's always a hidden gem and on "Metal For Breakfast" it's the track "Metalhead" by Blotto. It takes a dig at metalheads but it's done in a really funny way plus, it's a good song. So what you have is a great combination of well known metal tunes and ones that weren't so well known coming together to make a fantastic album.

Track Listing:

[caption id="attachment_2368" align="alignnone" width="226"] 1. Anvil- Forged in Fire[/caption]

2. Ted Nugent- Cat Scratch Fever

[caption id="attachment_3211" align="aligncenter" width="223"] 3. Killer Dwarfs- Heavy Mental Breakdown[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4225" align="aligncenter" width="259"] 4. Accept- Balls to the Wall[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3680" align="aligncenter" width="287"] 5. Mercyful Fate- Black Funeral[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4619" align="aligncenter" width="276"] 6. Blotto- Metalhead[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3675" align="aligncenter" width="204"] 7. Lee Aaron- Metal Queen[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1148" align="aligncenter" width="259"] 8. Saxon- Princess of the Night[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1309" align="aligncenter" width="194"] 9. Judas Priest- The Ripper[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3552" align="aligncenter" width="272"] 10. Quiet Riot- Metal Health[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2875" align="aligncenter" width="300"] 11. Y&T- Mean Streak[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="238"] 12. Ozzy Osbourne- Crazy Train[/caption]

And I think you should listen to the hidden gem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzu4L4ZnMvQ

Back in 1985, "Metal for Breakfast" was the classic metal combination of what was known and not so known in the heavy metal world. Nowadays, it's just a classic 80s album but it still kicks ass!

[caption id="attachment_4620" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I probably looked more like this back then.[/caption]

Next post: Dokken- Tooth 'N' Nail

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com  

Triumphs and Other Happenings in 1984

 

Evidence that heavy metal had truly established itself in 1984 can be sited with the 1984 Monsters of Rock Festival at Donington Park, in England. This was the first and probably only Donington to feature seven artists and you can only look at the poster here, see which bands played on draw your own conclusions as to whether or not it was a kick ass day. I wasn't there but I know people who were and they can confirm it. The only negative comment I heard about the day was that Motley Crue had bottles thrown at them for making too many comments about sex, drugs and rock and roll. Something an opening band should probably not do. Anyway, to see Ozzy, Van Halen and AD/DC all on one stage must have been mind blowing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRMl9OgSOak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Q3lSvhr3M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwWagee-BNM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3dZesrQS6E

I must apologize for Youtube not having any individual songs recorded from this memorable day.

[caption id="attachment_4130" align="aligncenter" width="259"] Cyndi Lauper[/caption]

You are probably asking yourself, "What is she doing here on an 80smetalman's post?" Well, some misguided individuals thought that Cyndi Lauper had replaced Joan Jett or Pat Benatar as the Queen of Rock in 1984. Nonsense, I say. I will never recognize Cyndi Lauper as such and will go to my grave stating that fact. Yes, I liked "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" the very first time I heard it but afterwards, I wanted to take an Uzi to the television every time the video came on MTV. The only song from of hers I nearly liked since was "Money Changes Everything" and a few years later, grew to like "I Drove All Night" a little.

So, why is she here you ask. Back when I posted about my weekend at Download, where I went to see wrestling, I mentioned that the Rock and Wrestling Connection began in 1984 and it began with Cyndi. At the time, wrestling manager, Captain Lou Albano, claimed she managed Cyndi Lauper on wrestling shows. Cyndi refuted that claim and without going into great details, she made a challenge to Captain Lou that she could manage a wrestler better than him. So, while Lou took Women's World Champion The Fabulous Moolah under his wing, Cyndi managed challenger Wendi Richter. I'll leave  you to watch the video to see who won but the Rock and Wrestling Connection started here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePHS6dHfjT0

There was a tragedy too in 1984 but that happened at the very end of the year, so I'm saving it for the end of the 1984 tour. So here, let us reflect on the happy times with all the great heavy metal and some wrestling too.

Next post: My Underrated Band

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Great Metal Albums of 1983: Ozzy Osbourne- Bark at the Moon

 

Way back in the beginning, when I first began posting about 1983, I stated that it was the year that the dam well and truly burst and that heavy metal flooded the valleys. With all the great albums from metal artists in this year, one would be forgiven if they believed that an album from one of the legends of metal, Ozzy Osbourne, wouldn't have made much difference. Besides, he did put out a live album in the form of "Speak of the Devil" earlier in the year. However, Ozzy did come out with an album anyway, and while I wouldn't debate anyone who said that it wasn't quite as good as his first two solo albums, I still think it's a fine album nonetheless.

The title track of "Bark at the Moon" just happens to be one of my all time favourite Ozzy singles. It's definitely in the top five. When I saw him live, he opened the show with it and that set the tone for what was going to be an historic night. I do commit it to pen in "Rock and Roll Children." There are other tracks on the album that are pure blinders as well. "Now You See It (Now You Don't) and "Rock and Roll Rebel" are two perfect examples and "Center of Eternity" is a real cool song. I do like the keyboard intro. In fact, "Bark at the Moon" seems to use more keyboards than the previous Ozzy albums. This is especially the case in the closer, "Waiting for the Darkness" and on "Slow Down." Another feature with the album is that there are two ballads on it, "You're No Different" and "So Tired" which was released as a single and I remember it getting a fair amount of radio play back then.

The big question that was asked when "Bark at the Moon" came out was if Ozzy's new guitarist Jake E Lee would fill the void left behind by the death of Randy Rhoads. The short answer is that nobody can replace Randy, he had a style all to his own. However, Jake E Lee's talents with the six string can never be ignored, especially on this album and when he played live. His playing goes a long way in making the album as good as it is.

[caption id="attachment_3756" align="aligncenter" width="194"] Jake E Lee[/caption]

Track Listing:

1. Bark at the Moon
2. You're No Different
3. Now You See It (Now You Don't)
4. Rock And Roll Rebel
5. Center of Eternit
6. So Tired
7. Slow Down
8. Waiting for the Darkness

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]

Ozzy Osbourne- lead vocals

Jake E Lee- guitar, backing vocals

Bob Daisley- bass, backing vocals

Don Airey- keyboards

Tommy Aldridge- drums

Ozzy Osbourne joined the flood of heavy metal in 1983 with the album "Bark at the Moon." Ozzy's drinking problems would manifest themselves in the months following and he would eventually have to go and dry out. He wouldn't release a studio album for nearly three years after but he did leave us a good one to bide the time.

Next post: Billy Idol- Rebel Yell

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Metal Albums of 1983: Ozzy Osbourne- Speak of the Devil

 

Welcome to another 1982 album that came to my attention while I was still serving with the marines on Okinawa. Even when I first heard it then, I, like many others, speculated on why Ozzy would put out an album featuring live performances of his Black Sabbath material. Further investigation turned up that the reason was that this album was a contractual obligation album with Jet Records. That could explain many things like why Ozzy has publicly renounced the album.

Another thing it explains is the shockingly bad production of the album. Yes, this is a live album but it sounds like it was recorded live at a local pub. I can hear why many people found this album off putting. A further reason was that Ozzy's drinking problem was getting to him big time. The vinyl version has pictures of a road crew member who suffered from dwarfism, bringing Ozzy drinks in between songs. It also explains why his voice wasn't tip top on "Speak of the Devil."

In spite of all my negativity here, if you really want all the Black Sabbath classics and are too cheap to go out and buy all their albums, then this is a decent substitute. Yep, all the great songs are there. "Iron Man," "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," "Snowblind," my all time favourite Sabbath song, "War Pigs" and as always, the live show is ended with "Paranoid." They're all there although some songs sound better than others and none of them come up to the standard of when they were first recorded. Personally, I think "The Wizard" sounds the best on it.

One more positive I can add is that Ozzy always gets a good crew of musicians behind him and this is the case on "Speak of the Devil." Here, we have Brad Gillis, before he joined Night Ranger on guitar, Rudy Sarzo, who would go to Quiet Riot on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums. When the production allows, the talents of these three men show through and make the album listenable.

Track Listing:

1. Symptom of the Universe
2. Snowblind
3. Black Sabbath
4. Fairies Wear Boot
5. War Pigs
6. The Wizard
7. N.I.B.
8. Sweet Leaf
9. Never Say Die
10. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
11. Iron Man/Children of the Grave
12. Paranoid

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="245"] Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]

Ozzy Osbourne- vocals

Brad Gillis- guitar

Rudy Sarzo- bass

Tommy Aldridge- drums

"Speak of the Devil" isn't one that is mentioned along with the other great Ozzy Osbourne albums. In fact, it has been universally agreed that a better live album would come out four years later. Don't worry, I'll post about that one in due time. Still, if you fancy a trip down memory lane and want to hear Ozzy sing some Black Sabbath classics, then this album is okay to do that.

Next post: Iron Maiden- Piece of Mind

To buy Rock And Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

1983 Triumphs and Tragedies

 [caption id="attachment_3349" align="aligncenter" width="539"] The Alamo[/caption]

The only tragedy I remember from 1983 actually happened the year before. Due to my military service, I didn't find out about it until 83 when I read about all the fallout from it. I'm talking about when Ozzy Osbourne pissed on the Alamo. He claims he was drunk as a skunk, (I've never seen a drunk skunk so I have nothing to compare it to.) Ozzy also said he didn't know it was such a national shrine, well it is in Texas. The result of his action got him banned from the city of San Antonio for ten years, although that was lifted a few years later when he made a large donation to the Alamo charity.

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]

Ozzy was already getting himself a reputation outside the heavy metal world for the wrong reasons. His infamous biting the head off a bat was making its rounds. Of course, the religious element in America embellished things further. There were rumours he blew up goats on stage and at one show, he supposedly threw a puppy into the crowd and said he wouldn't sing anymore until the audience killed the puppy. While this was all untrue hype, it didn't help Ozzy when he actually did something for real. So for Ozzy and somewhat in the metal world, this was a bit of a tragedy because it overshadowed the two albums he released in the year. I'll be covering those soon enough.

Now for the triumphs. It seems that 1983 was a cool year for festivals. I got to go to two of them. The first one, I mentioned when I posted about the Nantucket and Doc Holliday albums a few months ago. Those two bands topped the bill at the Mayfair Festival at Jacksonville, North Carolina. The other five bands remain pretty much unheard of with the bottom three being cover bands. So, I thought I'd include them in this little piece of history. They were Skeet Kelly, Roxy, Avalanche- who did a great cover of Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal," Peer Pressure- who did a reasonably decent cover of John Cougar's "Hurt So Good" and Eraxle- who closed their set with a fantastic cover of Van Halen's "Ice Cream Man." I consumed loads of alcohol and there were some interesting events between the bands like a wet t-shirt and a men's ugly legs competition. A fine day from what I remember.

[caption id="attachment_1322" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Nantucket[/caption]

Military commitments kept me from attending this festival but my sister went. I tried to pick her brains but she didn't remember much. In the June, Journey headlined in Philadelphia and with them were John Cougar, Sammy Hagar, The Tubes and Bryan Adams. From what she can remember, my sister says that Journey sounded great and had a fantastic light show. John Cougar and Bryan Adams were both very good as was Sammy Hagar despite his red spandex. Unfortunately, The Tubes weren't up to the rest of those who played that day. If this line up played in more cities than Philly, I would love to hear your account of the day.

[caption id="attachment_3350" align="aligncenter" width="387"] Journey Live[/caption]

It didn't matter that I was in the military for this one, I couldn't have gone to the US Festival because it was 3000 miles away in California. The US Festival was a three day festival where the first day consisted of new wave bands, the second day's line up was heavy metal and the third day's was a rock line up. From what I heard, all three days were fantastic although I do recall an interview with a local sheriff saying that he was going to try to ban such events following the festival. I didn't think about it then, but that was the first salvo fired at music in the 1980s. I think the best thing to do is just to let you look at the line up for the three days and I'm sure you will be just as awestruck as I was.

[caption id="attachment_3351" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Us Festival Showbill[/caption]

I did get to the final festival in 1983. This was my first Donington Festival as I happened to be in England at the time. From my memory, I can recall that Diamond Head were all right and Dio were very good. I didn't twig on who the lead singer was until they played "Heaven and Hell" but that was okay. They were brilliant. Then came Twisted Sister. I can still remember Dee Snider's quip: "We're not Culture Club or any of those gay boys or Duran Duran nor any of those other wimps. We're Twisted Sister and we play heavy metal rock and roll!" Of course I knew there must of been something about them when they were introduced as Twisted Fuckin' Sister. Their music was great too.

For me, ZZ Top took the concert. They played a magnificent combination of old and new material during their time on stage. Of course it helped that they played my two favourite ZZ Top tunes, "Jesus Just Left Chicago" and "La Grange." They also played quite a few songs off their new "Eliminator" album so they basically rocked. The big let down after ZZ Top was Meatloaf. I was not impressed, he just sounded terrible that day. Worse, my friend's English girlfriend didn't realize that they ran a special train after the concert so out of fear of getting stuck, we left early and missed headliners, Whitesnake. I remain gutted but overall, Donington 1983 was a kick ass day and proved that Great Britain could rock.

 

That was 1983 in a nutshell. The only real tragedy was Ozzy pissing on a national shrine but all the great concert festivals more than compensated for it. Just posting about it has me psyched for Bloodstock in two weeks. It was no wonder I was super excited when I got out of the marines that year.

Next post: Great Soundtracks

To buy Rock And Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

A Metal Tragedy: The Death of Randy Rhoads

 [caption id="attachment_2796" align="aligncenter" width="220"] Randy Rhoads[/caption]

Actually, I'm quite surprised that no one pointed this out when I posted my "Triumphs and Tragedies" post for 1982. While the death of John Belushi was certainly a tragic occurrence, for metalheads, the terrible loss of Randy Rhoads was a far bigger tragedy because on March 19, 1982, the world was robbed of a guitar god. That is why I felt that Rhoads's death deserved its own post because for metalheads, his death overshadowed everything else in 1982 in the same way that John Lennon's murder did for the world in 1980.

For any metalhead, it's standard 101 to know that Randy Rhoads was killed in a plane crash on that tragic day in March, 1982 but it is only now that I have fully learned the full details behind the crash. The pilot had taken Randy and the band's make up artist up in a small plane for a little bit of show boat flying. After making two successful attempts to fly close to the tour bus that was parked nearby, the pilot botched the third attempt, hitting the bus, severing the top of a pine tree before crashing into a garage of a nearby mansion. The contact with the bus forced Rhoads's head to crash through the windscreen and then he was immediately incinerated when the plane exploded into a fireball after hitting the garage. While only God himself could have saved the three people in the plane, it still took over a half hour before the fire service arrived on the scene and then it was only one engine. This leads me to speculate two possible reasons for this. One was the fact that it was rural Florida and the local fire department would probably have been a volunteer one so there would have been a great delay in the response. The other, a result of me seeing anti- metal conspiracies all over the place, is the fact that the locals weren't too bothered in responding quickly because it was a bunch of heavy metal people involved. In any case, heavy metal and the world lost a truly magnificent guitar player on that day.

Standard Metal knowledge 102 teaches that while Randy is no longer with us, his legacy will never die. From that fateful day, the tributes to Randy Rhodes and what he has done for music continue to pour in. His former band Quiet Riot dedicated a song to him on their next album and Ozzy Osbourne released a tribute album to Randy a few years after that and rest assured, I'll be visiting both when the time comes. Young guitarists still study his guitar style and Jackson Guitars still sell a replica of the one he used to wow audiences with his playing. Randy might have only lived for 25 years (way too young) but his memory has lived on for the last 33 years and will go on forever. Here's where I should urge everybody to go out and listen to some album where Randy appears. There's really no need because I know that everybody reading this will have already done so in the recent past and will continue to do so well into the the future.

R.I.P. Randy Rhoads

Next post: Anvil- Metal on Metal

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Metal Albums of 1982: Ozzy Osbourne- Diary of a Madman

 

With former band Black Sabbath riding high, after Ozzy's departure with two successful studio albums and one thrilling live album, Ozzy Osbourne was not about to disappear in a puff of smoke. He let the world he was still around and still able to rock with his second album, "Diary of a Madman." In fact, when people talk about this album today, it is often in the same breath as his fantastic debut album, "Blizzard of Oz." Many go on to boldly declare that these are his two best albums ever! Even though I'm inclined to agree, I won't enter into that debate but what I do know is that "Diary of a Madman" made my 1982 that much nicer.

What I find so great about this album is that every song has something to like about it. As much as this has been stated about so many albums, there literally is no song to dislike on "Diary of a Madman." Hell, there isn't even a mediocre song on it. "Over the Mountain" lets you know that this is going to be a great album, so prepare for the ride. "Flying High Again" gave me that "I remember that song and it was cool" feeling and brought back memories to when I used to rock to it back in the day. "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll" could have and should have been used a statement against the anti- rock movement that would manifest itself a couple of years down the line. Oh, I'll go into that much more when the time comes. "Believer," "Little Dolls" and "S.A.T.O." all show what a great guitarist Rhoads was although he works his six string magic all over the album. "Tonight" is the token ballad and it is done very well and with the title cut closing out things, the result is one brilliant album from Ozzy. His first two solo albums alone are plenty of reason why he should be knighted.

Track Listing:

1. Over the Mountain

2. Flying High Again

3. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll

4. Believer

5. Little Dolls

6. Tonight

7. S.A.T.O.

8. Diary of a Madman

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]

Ozzy Osbourne- vocals

Randy Rhoads- guitar

Bob Daisley- bass

Lee Kerslake- drums

Like Black Sabbath with "Live Evil," Ozzy's band would have similar problems during the recording of "Diary of a Madman." Bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake would be fired from the band when they approached management about not being paid. From what I've heard and read, that may have been down to new manager, Ozzy's wife Sharon, stamping her authority. However, the biggest blow would be the loss of guitarist Rhoads and that is something that I feel needs its own post. But whatever went on behind the scenes, this album is a sure fire cracker.

Next post: Judas Priest- Screaming for Vengeance

To buy Rock and Roll Children,

Great Metal Albums of 1981: Ozzy Osbourne- Blizzard of Ozz

"Heaven and Hell" proved for Black Sabbath that there was life after Ozzy, however, in 1981, Ozzy's debut solo album "Blizzard of Oz" proved for him there was life after Sabbath. Since his departure from the band in 1978, the Oz had been battling with booze and drugs but he managed to clean himself up enough to put out an album that would forever be a major rock in the foundation of heavy metal. "Blizzard of Oz" changed the way many people, me too, at the time thought about hard rock music. It was in this year that I acknowledged heavy metal as its own genre of rock music and this album was one of the reasons why.

There is preciously very little about "Blizzard of Oz" that I could say that hasn't been already said. The only thing I can do is to share how it has influenced me over the many years and I still worry if I will be able to do it justice. What I like most about it is the fact that Ozzy didn't go out and recreate an album that sounded like his former band. His brand of metal here is totally unique but you still know that it is Ozzy at the mike. That comes through clearly with the opener "I Don't Know," a good opening song as any. It leads the listener onto to want to listen to the rest of the album while letting you know, (if this was 1981), that Ozzy was back. But there are so many great classic songs on the album that are still popular among metalheads today. "Suicide Solution," "Mr Crowley" and the single "Crazy Train" will forever go down in the annals of metal history as classic all time great metal songs. Even the ballads "Goodbye to Romance" and the powerful "Mother Earth" play their part in making "Blizzard of Oz" the iconic album that is still is.

I don't want to take anything away from the great Ozzy here because his vocals on here can't be duplicated and prove his abilities. Still, what catapults this album from being good to being great is the guitar work from the late Randy Rhodes. He is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time and he definitely shows why on "Blizzard of Oz." The solo on "Crazy Train" is one of my favourite and what he does on the other tracks is completely out of this world. So the math teacher in me concludes that Ozzy+ Randy = some memorable heavy metal.

Track Listing:

1. I Don't Know

2. Crazy Train

3. Goodbye to Romance

4. Dee

5. Suicide Solution

6.Mr Crowely

7. No Bones Movies

8. Mother Earth

9. Steal Away (The Night)

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]

Ozzy Osbourne- vocals

Randy Rhodes- guitar

 Bob Daisley -bass

Lee Kerslake - drums

Don Airey- keyboards

A few months ago, I shared a petition that Ozzy should receive a knighthood for his services to music. I was informed that the petition has nearly reached its quota for signatures and may have fully done so since then. "Blizzard of Oz" is a rock solid reason why he should get a gong. To sign the petition, go to: https://www.causes.com/campaigns/39911-knight-ozzy-osbourne

Next post: April Wine- The Nature of the Beast

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Download 2018- The Sunday

I'm going to the Download Festival on Sunday. Well, I went and returned and am ready to share all my experiences of this historical day with all of you. Before I do, I'd like to mention something that happened as I was walking into the festival. I happened to ask one of the security staff if there had been any fatalities or drunken brawls. The security person stated, "No, that doesn't happen at Download, it's a friendly festival." That makes my point which some of you mentioned in my post about the backlash. Everyone thinks awful things happen at metal concerts when indeed, it's the non-metal festivals these things happen at. Anyway, enough of that, here's Sunday Download.
First band up on the day was British hard rock band, Inglorious. They would have been my choice for band whom I never heard of who really impressed me had I not listened to them on Youtube mix. I was really impressed with what I had heard on Youtube and therefore had high hopes for them when they hit the stage. I wasn't disappointed, they won me over straight away. Lead singer  Nathan James really connected with the crowd and has a great range with his voice. I loved it when he got the crowd to chant "Fuck Gene Simmons" before the second song. I don't know what issue the band has with Gene but it must make an interesting story. The guitar work of Swedish born Andreas Eriksson was also very impressive. When they left the stage after a half hour of great hard rock, my thought was that if Inglorious don't make it to the summit of the rock and roll mountain, then there is no justice in the world. I urge all of you to have a listen to them.
[caption id="attachment_4578" align="aligncenter" width="297"] Inglorious open the day[/caption][caption id="attachment_4579" align="aligncenter" width="285"] Drew Lowe, Colin Parkinson and Phil Beaver make a great rhythm section[/caption][caption id="attachment_4580" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Nathan James singing his heart out to the crowd[/caption]
While I heard of the second band on the day, Cradle of Filth, I must I never really listened to them. My most noted experience is their excellent rendition of the Twisted Sister classic, "The Fire Still Burns" on the "Twisted Forever" album. I have also heard several versions of how they were booed off the stage at Bloodstock in 2009. The reason for that, I've been told, was that the Bloodstock crowd considered them too popular for Bloodstock although alternative reasons had been put forward. Therefore, I had no impressions or expectations of them beforehand.
They hit the Download stage in full frenzy. They had the hunger that many support bands I have seen over the years possess. It seems they were out to assault the ear drums from the first moment and they succeeded. I also liked their make up, it did remind me of something out of a zombie B-movie but it worked well. While I can't say that I've been converted to the Cradle cause and intend to buy their entire discography, I won't, I did think they were pretty good and kept things going quite well.
[caption id="attachment_4581" align="aligncenter" width="259"] Cradle of Filth- out to frighten young children[/caption][caption id="attachment_4582" align="aligncenter" width="255"] I thought this was a good shot of them[/caption][caption id="attachment_4583" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Guitars and bass do that 80s rocking back and forth close together thing.[/caption]
Inglorious wasn't the only band I listened to on Youtube in the days before Download. I also listened to some Hatebreed. They didn't impress me as much as the first band did so they weren't on my 'must see' list. After Cradle of Filth, I decided to take a walk and ended up heading over to the Avalanche Stage. It was here that I discovered the band I truly had never heard of before but really impressed me, Puppy. They're a three piece band with the guitarist taking on the vocal responsibilities. His vocals are good and he has a good on stage rapport with the bassist but really impressed me was their power. While not thrash, they could collectively hit the right power chords and they really did impress me. Furthermore, they must have impressed a lot more people because at the end of their set, the guitarist remarked that he didn't expect that many people there to see them. I think that's a sign of things to come for this band. One I urge you to check out as well.
[caption id="attachment_4584" align="aligncenter" width="306"] Puppy- Sorry, this was the best shot I could get of the band under all of those lights.[/caption]
Puppy proved a good warm up to one of the bands I was dying to see. After eating an overpriced burger and watching the first bout of the NXT Wrestling, I headed over to the Zippo Stage to see the band I've been wanting to see for 32 years, Kreator. I managed to get almost to the front so I was in a great position to see them when they came out. Kreator hit the stage running at about 250 mph with "Phantom Antichrist" and didn't look back. They might have only been on stage 30 minutes but they didn't stop from start to finish treating the audience to "Hail to the Hordes," Hordes of Chaos," which Mille referred to the crowd as and "Suicide Terrorist" and ended with my all time favourite "Pleasure to Kill." Two things surprised me on what I saw. One was that most of the shredding was done by Sami Yli Sirnio. Don't get me wrong, Sami can smoke the six string but I've always thought that Mille Petrozza was just as capable. Saying that, it worked for them. The other thing was that Mille does know how to work a crowd and get them participating, he's a much better front man than I expected. Like I said, the band gave their all because when they left, Mille looked like he needed to use a different underarm deodorant and drummer Ventor was drenched in sweat. Thirty-two years and it was well worth the wait.
[caption id="attachment_4585" align="aligncenter" width="267"] Mille leads Kreator onto the stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4586" align="aligncenter" width="266"] Mille supports while Sami shreds.[/caption]
Still buzzing by Kreator's performance, I returned to the main stage in time to catch the final couple of songs of In This Moment. Lead by lead singer Maria Brink, the band backed up what looked to be an interesting theatrical stage show. Because I got there at the end, I couldn't get what the story was about but it looked like a woman who looked like Maria was acting like Maria's slave while she sang but while it would have been interesting to see the entire show, I don't regret giving it up for Kreator.
[caption id="attachment_4589" align="aligncenter" width="259"] In This Moment performing their theatrics.[/caption]
Rejoining my stepson Teal who had remained at the main stage, he did say that In This Moment's show was quite good and he thought Hatebreed were pretty good as well and they paid tribute to Kreator. That was cool but we both awaited the appearance of Black Veil Brides. These were on my "I have to check out" list so I made it a point to see them. I wanted to see if they were really Motley Crue for the twenty-teens. They weren't they were better and I must say that I was very impressed with their often melodic, sometimes power metal. Of course, they played the song they're known best for, "Fallen Angels" and I sang the chorus along with everyone else in the crowd. "Faithless" was played very brilliantly too and I found myself harmonizing the "Whoa-oh" along with the crowd. When they left the stage, they had definitely made a believer out of me and Teal because he wasn't too keen to see them at first, he said he didn't regret it after.
[caption id="attachment_4591" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Black Veil Brides make their appearance[/caption][caption id="attachment_4592" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Bassist Ashley Purdy comes to my side of the stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4593" align="aligncenter" width="251"] Andy , Jinx and Jake in action[/caption][caption id="attachment_4594" align="aligncenter" width="257"] Andy comes our way.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4595" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Guitarists rocking out on centre stage.[/caption]
Shinedown was another band I had only heard on Youtube just a few days before Download and as a result, which was also down to my not wanting to lose my place for Marilyn and Ozzy, I remained in place to see them. A wise decision this turned out to be. Shinedown were another band I had no familiarity with but really impressed me on the day. I'm probably way out of the ball park on this but they reminded me of classic 1970s hard rock. Their hour on stage went by too fast, playing a combination of old material and some from their latest album. Brent Smith is a good vocalist and showman as any of them and the band behind him played very well. I was quite impressed when bassist Eric Bass (no that's not a pun) played acoustic guitar. For some reason, it's what I remember most about them, probably because the song played to it was good.
[caption id="attachment_4596" align="aligncenter" width="276"] Shinedown begin[/caption][caption id="attachment_4597" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Playing in the smoke[/caption][caption id="attachment_4598" align="aligncenter" width="271"] A good shot of Eric Bass[/caption]
As the evening progressed, the excitement mounted for the top two acts on the card. Marilyn Manson came out first, stating that he hates the daylight but that couldn't be helped. He had the crowd eating out of his hand from the outset and all the things I heard about his kick ass live shows were true. I was personally pleased when he performed my personal favourite of his, "This is the New Hit" but the day had been going like that. He sang many other of his best hits as well and what surprised me a little was that while he performed his version of 80s synth pop song, "Sweet Dreams," he didn't do "Tainted Love," not that it bothered me. He did have several background and costume changes as well. Starting with the upside down black and white flag with the crosses, then a picture of himself and following that, the upside down cathedral. His final costume choice was bold because it was a large frilly black coat and it was still quite hot outside. While his show was top rate, I was a little disappointed about the end because he exited the stage without any thank you or acknowledgement of the crowd.
[caption id="attachment_4599" align="aligncenter" width="287"] Marilyn commands the stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4601" align="aligncenter" width="274"] Manson comes to the centre of the stage but too many hands got in the way.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4602" align="aligncenter" width="303"] Cool lights and Marilyn's guitarist and drummer[/caption][caption id="attachment_4603" align="aligncenter" width="287"] Marilyn singing without a shirt on[/caption][caption id="attachment_4604" align="aligncenter" width="291"] I used the large screen to get this shot of him.[/caption]
Finally, the main event: Ozzy Osbourne came to the stage. Before he came out, however, he called out from backstage, "I can't fucking hear you!" two times before he came out and only when the audience was good and loud. Once he did, it was Ozzy mayhem from beginning to end. While he wasn't doing acrobatics on stage, he still moved around fairly well for someone approaching 70. It was no surprise he began the show with "Bark at the Moon," he did that when I saw him 32 years earlier. It was the second song that got me going, probably my all time Ozzy favourite, "Mr Crowley." If that wasn't enough of a surprise, instead of "Iron Man" he sang my all time favourite Black Sabbath song, "War Pigs." So, you can imagine my euphoria after that. It was after that classic that Zak Wylde dazzled with his guitar skills. The funny thing was that during his solo, he started playing the opening riffs to "Perry Mason" and I thought that would be the next song. Unfortunately not, but it wasn't a disappointment. Instead, Tommy Clufetos went into a massive drum solo, thus further wowing the crowd. When Ozzy returned, there were more of the classics, "Road to Nowhere," "Dreamer" and I was a little surprised when he played "Shot in the Dark," It was overdubbed with keyboards but it still sounded okay. In all cases, he got the crowd fully involved and there was plenty of shouting and hand waving along to his songs to be had. When he left the first time, no one was surprised to see him come back quickly and when he did, he treated the crowd to "Mama I'm Coming Home" and of course, "Paranoid." However, when he left for good after all the good byes and fanfare, I realized his show was twenty minutes shorter than what it was billed for. Yes, he could have done a few more classics, but he went out on a major high.

[caption id="attachment_4606" align="aligncenter" width="256"] Ozzy's stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4607" align="aligncenter" width="262"] Ozzy's kick ass show[/caption]

I regret that there's only two photos of Ozzy's piece of history. That was because my memory card was full. Nevertheless, he ended what was a glorious Sunday at Download.
I did take videos of Kreator and Ozzy but stupid Wordpress won't let me upload them here. They won't even let me paste a link to it on Facebook.
Next post: Bryan Adams- Reckless
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