The below was posted on the original version of Life in the Vinyl Lane back on July 28, 2018. I made a few small edits and added a bit of content, specifically from an interview with N.M.E. vocalist Brian Llapitan that appeared in the 2020 book Rusted Metal: A Guide to Heavy Metal and Hard […]
Tag: Heavy Metal
Destructor – “Cleveland Was MADE For Metal!!!” (2012)
Destructor rose leather-clad from the mean streets of 1980s Cleveland to preach the thrash gospel. Taking on noms-de-metal like Dave Overkill and Paul Warhead they brought forth riffs and angst and apparently a hatred of Michael Jackson. Cleveland was made for metal not Michael Jackson! they shout from the stage prior to the song “Iron […]
Dio – “Holy Diver” (1983 – Japanese Pressing)
In a way Holy Diver informed my thinking about music without me having heard it. I was living in Columbia, South Carolina in 1983 when Dio released their debut, just discovering music for the first time thanks in large part to MTV and while not quite yet in high school already seeing how musical tastes […]
Destruction – “Sentence of Death” (1984)
Destruction are considered part of the “Big Four” of German thrash bands, alongside Kreator, Sodom, and Tankard. I of course did not know this when I picked up Sentence of Death at Rough Trade during our visit to New York City a few months ago. What I did know, however, is these guys look like […]
Skálmöld – “Upptaka Frá Bræðslunni 2022” (2025)
Skálmöld have been Iceland’s kings of viking metal for about 15 years now. Their talent wasn’t immediately recognized at home, however – no local labels showed interest in putting out their debut album, Baldur. Instead they had to look to an even smaller market to find a label, signing on with Tutl in the Faroe […]