10. Tenacious D – Tenacious D

This album gets the wrap of a “comedy album” but it’s far from that, albeit it is humorous in nature but there is some great musicianship on this album. Produced by the Dust Brothers and accompanied by greats such as Dave Grohl this album holds its own as a great rock album.

9. Black Keys – Attack and Release

This was my last Album of the Minute and it’s a doozy. Check out more about this album here.

8. Foo Fighters – One by One

The Foo Fighters release this album in 2002 and boasts hits such as “All my Life” and “Times like These”. This album won the Grammy for best Rock album in 2002.

7. Metallica – Death Magnetic

Metallica’s triumphant return to heavy metal did not disappoint fans like St. Anger did. This album was released in 2008 and shows what the reigning kings of metal can do when they’re not sitting around in therapy sessions.

6. Megadeth – Endgame

Metallica may have had their triumphant return but Megadeth never left. Megadeth has been churning out the same bone crunching awesomeness since 1983 and this album is the cherry on the cake for the last decade.

5. Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist

The Pumpkins first album after reuniting in 2005, this album had 3 goals according to Billy Corgan. (From Wikipedia) “Corgan said the albums’ goals were threefold—to make an accessible, mainstream rock record, to comment on the “emerging fascist” political climate of the United States, and to explore the nature of his band and his friendship with Chamberlin.” I don’t know if they accomplished all that, but I thought it rocked!

4. The Darkness – Permission to Land

The band’s first commercial success after forming in 2000 the album was released in 2003. I liked the retro sound and how it was almost a parody without being so.

3. Audioslave – Audioslave

The super group consisting of Chris Cornell and the members of Rage against the Machine’s first album had a unique sound that consisted of both Rage and Soundgarden influences.

2. Tool – Lateralus
-Not available on Amazon-
The double platinum 2001 release was received well by both fans and critics. With the song Schism the band, Tool, won the Grammy for best metal performance that year.

1. The Black Crowes – War Paint

I had to have some Crowes on here and since Nick chose Before the Frost as one of his Honorable Mentions, that left me with this or Lions. Shockingly I chose this album over Lions even though Lickin’ is one of my favorite Crowe’s songs. I think this album means a little more to me than Lions just because I’ve seen so many of its songs performed live over the last 2 years. Regardless of my reasons Warpaint is great.

As far as honorable mentions go, here are a few:
Chinese Democracy – Axl Rose and some dudes
Black Ice – AC/DC
No Deliverance – The Toadies
With Teeth – NIN
Contraband – Velvet Revolver
Lions – The Black Crowes

Well, there you have it. Music I’ve been listening to for the past 10 years, hopefully the next 10 years will have less Nickleback and “nu” metal and be a little more rockin’.

Happy New Year,

Dave

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Don’t wear a band shirt for the band you’ve come to see. This is a pretty common rule and it just makes sense. I’ve heard people argue this rule and say it’s like going to a sporting event and that’s how you support the band. You’re supporting the band by being there and you can support them even more by buying a shirt at the show.

Don’t yell out song requests. Seriously you’re not cool when you yell out “Free Bird”.

Don’t make out. Unless it’s with me or you’re two hot chicks. But seriously you’re there to watch a band that you should, in theory, like or love; you can make out after the show.

No texting or phone calls. You paid good money to see the band, enjoy it. Work can wait if it’s an emergency step out for your phone call. The guy next to you doesn’t want you screaming in his ear anyway.

No tech. I assure you that your Twitter/Facebook update of how awesome the show is will be just as overlooked after the show.

Participate. When the band asks for it give it to ‘em. Don’t be afraid to clap or sing.

No sitting down. I hate when I’m really excited to see a show and I’m surround with the “old crowd” that wants to sit. I understand certain bands bring a certain crowd, but not the ones I go to. And if you really need to sit down, don’t bitch about the people standing.

Tall guys stand still. At 6’4″ I’m considered tall but I always try to be, at least, aware of who is standing behind me and if they are reasonably shorter than I am I try to give them the ability to see. Step to the side, let them in front or just stand still so they can get a positioned to see the show. They may be half as tall but they still had to pay full price.

Don’t be “that guy”. Sure everyone want a drink or two or ten, especially at a concert, but know your limits and don’t be the guy falling all over the place and/or puking on people.

Don’t be a douche. This is a big pet peeve of my and supersedes all the other rules listed. I hate it when you’re the guy that got to the show 2 hours before the opening act and secured a great place right next to the stage and half way through the main act some douches, that just showed up, come busting their way to the front and position themselves right in front of you. It’s uncalled for; if you’re going to be late sit in the back. That’s a suitable punishment.

If you disagree or have some more peeves let’s discuss them in the comments section.

Later,

Dave

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Now to the task at hand, actually writing an article about my views on music. I was trying to think back to what may have been my first favorite band. I can go back to some songs that I liked as a child such as Thriller or Weird Al songs. But as far as a band that I could say was my favorite It always comes down to either Aerosmith or AC/DC. Most specifically two albums, Aerosmith “Pump” and AC/DC “Back in Black”. To this day these albums reign in my top 20 and maybe higher. I think part of what makes these albums so special is that they remind me of hanging out with my uncle when I kid. He always had one of these cassettes loaded in the tape deck in his car and whenever we go somewhere I would rock out in the back seat. I always felt like these albums helped change the way I thought about music and helped mold my current tastes. Interestingly enough both of these albums were also part of a reboot for each of the bands. AC/DC obviously replacing Bon Scott with Brian Johnson and Aerosmith becoming a musical force once again after suffering through drug problems, losing band members and lackluster performance of the “Done with Mirrors” album.

OK, enough nostalgia, fast forward to the present day and these albums has withstood the test of time. They are great, heavy, kick ass albums that are full of great songs. The songs off these albums are staples on classic rock radio and I challenge you to find someone who hasn’t heard “Janie’s got a Gun” or “Back in Black”. These two bands where pinnacle in the molding of the music of the era and influential in the movements to follow such as grunge. When it comes to AC/DC and Aerosmith for me there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure.

Well, until next week pop in “Highway to Hell”, skip to “Shot Down in Flames” and crank it to 11; I’m not sure if that metaphor applies to car stereos, but you get the point.

Later,

Dave

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I’m a pretty big fan of heavy metal, I have been since I first heard Metallica in middle school, and it’s all been downhill from there. As much as I love metal I can admit that there is a lot of bullshit out there, not to mention, according to my research on Wikipedia, about thirty sub genres and countless “fusion genres” of metal. For instance, I’ve found fusion genres of black metal that are completely ridiculous; genres such as viking metal, medieval metal and folk metal. And I actually like some of the stuff from these genres. Trust me though, they get weirder. I’m all for art and creation of “new” types of music but it almost seems to me that we are over classifying music because they may add classical instruments in, or it’s played with a “galloping beat” even though it still falls into one of the main genres of black metal. Maybe I’m an idiot and I just don’t get it, but it seems to be getting out of control. Does every new metal band need to have their own specific genre? Is it truly necessary when they are already as shitty as 99% of black metal bands out there? It seems to me like they spend more time trying to invent a name for their type of music rather than writing music that people actually like and can relate to.

OK, I know I’ve been picking on black metal in this article, but it also applies to death metal as well. I’m sorry to any “true” metal heads that will scoff at my opinions here, but I really just prefer metal where I can actually understand the lyrics and the instruments play legible riffs; not a bunch of noise. And I guess if you disagree you can blast me in the comments section or go start your own blog and all seven black metal fans can read it. And anyway, if you’re an elitist fan of black metal then the genres I’m bitching about are probably too mainstream for you. If the genre is listed on Wikipedia then there’s more than one band doing it and you can probably get their music on CD and it was recorded in a studio. I hate how to be a black metal elitist you can only buy metal on vinyl or a tape and the album was recorded the day before in someone’s barn with the sounds of pigs being slaughtered in the background on a 4 track recorder in Norway.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not condoning this crap “nu” metal, Linkin Park/Papa Roach bullshit either, but there has to be a middle ground of musicianship, understandability and baddassery. It worked in the ’70′s, ’80′s and ’90′s, but the last ten years have produced shit for metal. When is the next Megadeth or Anthrax coming? I need something new that I like before P.O.D comes out with a new album and forces me to stab myself in the ears with a power drill.

Anyway, I’ve bitched enough for one day. I’m off to go record myself bludgeoning someone to death with a guitar and a bass drum. Maybe then I’ll be brutal enough to sell fifteen black metal albums.

Dave

Amazon Black Metal Albums

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