4 Years Ago (2017)
Another slow week for the site. Three weeks in a row and no posts. And I’m not sure as to why.
8 Years Ago (2013)
Dream Theater broke through in 1992, it seemed that they just appeared overnight. Breaking through for Dream Theater still meant “obscurity from the mainstream” however with a “cult audience” that appreciated them.
And when they signed with Roadrunner in the 2000’s, a pile of money was thrown their way. Each new deal means a larger advance paid up front by the label which needs to be recouped in some way.
And for their self-titled release, Dream Theater partnered up with organizations that have nothing to do with their core audience like US Today and Grammy Awards websites as the first online sites to stream the new songs. Because the money they got needs to be recouped.
We are living in the era that is all about creativity. Artists need to be creating and releasing all the time, otherwise they are here today and gone tomorrow.
Metal bands have weathered the storm so far, as fans of these genre’s still tend to purchase albums, however the writing is on the wall. It’s about listens.
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN
The Fury was being clueless and talking about a music industry that didn’t exist because no one was buying his albums.
PIRACY
People
In
Revolt
Against
Copyrights
monopolY
I was constantly listening to the Avenged Sevenfold “Hail To The King” album as it connected with me. I admit that the connection comes from the similarities of the songs on the new album to the bands that I grew up on.
Spotify streams for the song “Hail To The King” at this point in time was 1,884,995. Today, 8 years later, the song has 336,620,443 streams.
Shepherd Of Fire had 495,889 streams in 2013 and now 128,897,165.
Is Nikki Sixx a revisionist?
Going back in time, I remember going to the record store with about $20 to $30 in my back pocket. I always looked forward to those days. It was what I lived for. However as exciting as the experience was, it always had to end with me deciding which albums to buy at that moment and which albums to buy next time around as I could never afford everything that I wanted.
With the rise of the CD, this only got more expensive.
When I used to purchase albums, money was the factor as to what I decided to purchase and listen too. Fast forward to now, time is the factor as to what I decide to listen too.
What is it with artist’s dishing out hate on a producer that was involved in producing their greatest triumph?
I was flicking through a Guitar World issue from 1995 that was talking about albums that came out in 1994.
I mentioned the magazines Top 10 and then provided my Top 10.
Motley Crue – Motley Crue
What can I say, Bob Rock killed it in the producer’s chair, capturing Motley Crue at their heaviest. It is groove rock, mixed with classic rock, mixed with heavy metal. Listen to the interludes of Droppin Like Flies and Hooligan’s Holiday for supreme Korn like heaviness.
Machine Head – Burn My Eyes
Robb Flynn’s vocal style is his life style. A lot of people have tried to imitate it however you have had to have lived his lifestyle in order to pull it off.
Leviathan – Deepest Secrets Beneath
A progressive metal band that deserves greater accolades. Think Geddy Lee vocals on a bed of technical metal riffs.
Dream Theater – Awake
Worthy follow up to “Images and Words” and the last album to feature the talents of Kevin Moore. Of course Jordan Rudess is a far more accomplished pianist, however to me Kevin Moore is a better band member, due to his lyrical and vocal melody writing.
Pantera – Far Beyond Driven
What else can be said about Pantera that hasn’t been said. They kept the flag flying for groove and thrash metal, while other leaders jumped ship or broke up.
Korn – Korn
Any album that has an ominous shadow of a man in a kids playground on the cover already has a lot to live up to. In this case, Korn delivered a brutal first album. Not bad for a band that got signed solely based on their demo and no live shows.
Savatage – Handful Of Rain
Dark and sorrowful. The best way to pay a tribute to a fallen brother is to keep the music alive. Savatage and especially Jon Oliva, did exactly that.
Megadeth – Youthanasia
Dave Mustaine and Megadeth never achieved the “success” in sales as Metallica however to me, they defined and pushed the boundaries of technical thrash metal. Can you ever imagine James Hetfield singing over the “Holy Wars” riff. With “Youthanasia”, Megadeth delivered a killer rock album, which if i had to pick between “Youthanasia” and “Load” from Metallica, “Youthansia” wins hands down.
Testament – Low
When a band is more or less written off by the press, that is when they deliver. However due to a lack of label support, the album didn’t get out of the gates properly.
Slayer – Divine Intervention
I was going to put Kyuss or Soundgarden here, however my loyalty to Slayer wins out in the end.
And that’s another wrap for another week.
destroyerofharmony 
Crue along with Rock delivered a huge sounding album thats for sure. MegaDave had a good run from Rust to Youthanasia. I was on the fence with some of the stuff that followed. What can I say I’m picky
MegaDave and MetaJames should get together
The Crue one is the only one of those albums I have. I was not in to the 90’s music. It was a rough time for me and music.
In the 90s I was still sourcing music from the bands I liked in the 80s (if they were still around), purchasing second hand LPs from the 70s and 80s and seeing which bands Dream Theater toured with and buying albums from those bands. Lol.