Venom - "Black Metal" (1982)
Ever wondered where the term 'Black Metal' came from? Now you know.
This song isn't actually what would be considered Black Metal today. You can understand what he is saying, which is not accepted in modern Black Metal. The guitar solo is also no where near fast enough. The guitar work in this song is fast, but not blindingly fast. Also, the drums are just standard rock drum beat at a fast tempo. Later Black Metal would use double and triple time bass drum kicks. This song is early Thrash Metal, but the name was so evocative it got used as a genre down the road. Lyrically the song does mention Satan and 'the gods of black metal', which is kind of lyrically in the Black Metal wheelhouse, but honestly the fact that the average listener can understand vocalist and bassist Cronos means that no one would consider it Black Metal today. The whole album Black Metal that it is on is considered influential on Thrash Metal, Death Metal and Black Metal, and in a way, Garage, because the technical quality of the musicians and the recording is not good. That opening noise is a chainsaw cutting metal, and they meant it to be there. The did put on a heck of a show though, with big hair, chains and spandex. But no makeup, they weren't Hair Metal, they were defining a new genre and a generation of modern extreme metal fans know that they were pioneers.
Showing posts with label thrash metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thrash metal. Show all posts
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
"Raining Blood"
Slayer - Raining Blood (1986)
/Now I shall reign in blood!/
Thrash Metal is the metal genre that begot Death Metal and Black Metal. Tying all of those together is the aggressive speed of the guitars and drums. Raining Blood is the final track off of Reign in Blood, the album that many consider to be the best Thrash Metal album recorded. At the time, Anthrax, Megadeath, Metallica, and Slayer were at the top of the Metal heap, each one trying to out rock the other. The trend was for longer and longer songs, powerful riffs repeated with flying fast shredded guitar solos over them. Metallica's Master of Puppets had the longest songs of the albums released by the four bands in 1985/1986.
Slayer had another idea. Cutting the songs down to just the basics: a great riff, fast drums, dangerous lyrics, and a blistering solo, they kept most of the songs on Reign in Blood under three minutes long. Even this four minute and seventeen second final track is actually over a full minute of rain sounds on either side of the song itself. The song starts with rain and drums then the intro riff based on the diminished scale. The main body of the song is fast guitar and bass work, with a hard snare drum sound dominating and keeping everything together. The vocalist is fairly easy to understand, there is no chorus. Just before three minutes into the song, as the vocal part ends, the bass repeats it's riff, the drums start getting faster and wilder, and the two guitars just play like the devil has taken them both, clashing with each other, the bass riff, just getting louder and faster and less musical until a thunderclap clears it all away leaving us with rain ending the track. This is the first metal album produced by Rick Rubin, known at the time for working with L.L. Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Run-D.M.C.
Lyrically the song seems to be about a killer, dead now and trapped in purgatory waiting and dreaming of a chance to overthrow heaven and rule. It could be interpreted as about Satan himself. But honestly, the song isn't about lyrics.Though to be fair, Tori Amos covered it, and it sure wasn't about guitars.
/Now I shall reign in blood!/
Thrash Metal is the metal genre that begot Death Metal and Black Metal. Tying all of those together is the aggressive speed of the guitars and drums. Raining Blood is the final track off of Reign in Blood, the album that many consider to be the best Thrash Metal album recorded. At the time, Anthrax, Megadeath, Metallica, and Slayer were at the top of the Metal heap, each one trying to out rock the other. The trend was for longer and longer songs, powerful riffs repeated with flying fast shredded guitar solos over them. Metallica's Master of Puppets had the longest songs of the albums released by the four bands in 1985/1986.
Slayer had another idea. Cutting the songs down to just the basics: a great riff, fast drums, dangerous lyrics, and a blistering solo, they kept most of the songs on Reign in Blood under three minutes long. Even this four minute and seventeen second final track is actually over a full minute of rain sounds on either side of the song itself. The song starts with rain and drums then the intro riff based on the diminished scale. The main body of the song is fast guitar and bass work, with a hard snare drum sound dominating and keeping everything together. The vocalist is fairly easy to understand, there is no chorus. Just before three minutes into the song, as the vocal part ends, the bass repeats it's riff, the drums start getting faster and wilder, and the two guitars just play like the devil has taken them both, clashing with each other, the bass riff, just getting louder and faster and less musical until a thunderclap clears it all away leaving us with rain ending the track. This is the first metal album produced by Rick Rubin, known at the time for working with L.L. Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Run-D.M.C.
Lyrically the song seems to be about a killer, dead now and trapped in purgatory waiting and dreaming of a chance to overthrow heaven and rule. It could be interpreted as about Satan himself. But honestly, the song isn't about lyrics.Though to be fair, Tori Amos covered it, and it sure wasn't about guitars.
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