Fights With My Father, Part 1 - Thrash Metal

It was tough being the son of a junior high school teacher, especially when I was in junior high.  I was fortunate not to go to the same junior high that my dad taught at, but it was still brutal.  My dad is a judgmental asshole.  He judges everyone, and not based off of anything other than appearance.  I remember my dad telling me about this "troublemaker" he had in class.  I asked him what the kid did that made him a troublemaker.  He then went on to physically describe the boy:  His hair was long, he always wore these AC/DC shirts, and his jeans had holes in them.  I waited for him to tell me what this "troublemaker" did, but was only left with a physical description.  I was probably seven or eight at the time, and I took my dad's word that he had a "troublemaker" in one of his classes.



1981 - Wearing my dad's Ken Stabler Jersey.  This jersey now

resides in my closet.

Years later, I discovered a new music genre:  Thrash Metal.  The thrash scene had already exploded in the Bay Area a couple of years before, but by the time I was in seventh grade, it was beginning to gain nationwide popularity.  And we were right down the street from where it all started (across the bay, actually, except for the Omni, which was right down the street).  Several of my friends had older brothers who would go across the bay into San Francisco to the Fillmore, the Stone, or they would head into Berkeley and hit up Ruthie's Inn or the Keystone.  Us younger boys would sit and listen to their stories and wish we were old enough to go.  The stories were great, but in 1987, as I was entering junior high school, I was at my friend, Marc's house and we discovered his brother's room was unlocked.  We ventured in and found his album collection.  The first one we listened to was the newest one of the set.  It was still in its cellophane.  The cover had a bunch of long-haired guys leaning over a bar, and there were skulls in front of each guy.  The album was Pleasures of the Flesh by Exodus.  Marc tore open the cellophane (this act later earned him a black eye), and we played the record.  The first thing we heard was this lunatic's voice talking about salad and guns, and then the music kicked in.  Marc seemed used to the music, but it was completely different from anything I had ever heard.  The only music I had ever really heard at that point was what my parents would play, which usually involved the Beach Boys, the Moody Blues, or the Beatles.  The sheer energy of the music was intense, and I remember at first I hated it.  It was fast, it was loud, and my ears didn't want to handle what they were hearing, but by the second song, Til Death Do Us Part, I was getting into it. 

We listened for hours to the records we found; Ride the Lightning, Bonded By Blood, Master of Puppets, Reign in Blood, and Peace Sells... but Who's Buying.  We were captivated.  When Eric, Marc's older brother returned, we were immediately kicked out of the room, but we had the bug.  We needed more.  I had a tape player in my room, so the next weekend Marc and I rode our bicycles to a local Sam Goody record store, and I bought the cassette tape of Metallica's Ride the Lightning.  We weren't three feet in the door of my room, when I had the cellophane off and the tape in the player.  We got through Fight Fire With Fire, and about halfway through the title track my dad barged into the room.  He demanded to know what we were listening to.  When I showed him the cassette case, he got really angry, and drove me to the Sam Goody.  He told the clerk at the counter that I wanted to return the tape.  The clerk explained that since the tape had been opened, he couldn't give a full refund.  He allowed my dad to exchange the tape for one of the used tapes in the store.  My dad exchanged Metallica Ride the Lightning for U2 The Joshua Tree.  On the way home he explained that only the "troublemakers" in his class wore Metallica t-shirts, and that the good kids listened to U2.  I tried arguing, but he wasn't listening.  His mind was set.  This was the first moment I truly realized how brainwashed I'd been by my dad.  I decided from then on, I would never take anyone's word again.  I would need to find out the truth by myself, because if a boy can't trust his father, who can he trust?

My new found love, Thrash Metal, was deemed the enemy by my father, so I did what all good children do...  I went back to Sam Goody, bought Metallica's entire collection, brought all three tapes to Marc's house, made copies of the tapes, mislabeled the copies as U2, Pink Floyd, and Three Dog Night, and went home with them.  I asked my dad if I could have a Walkman to listen to my new U2 album.  Seeing that I was inspired by his decision for my taste in music, he agreed.  After I received my new Walkman, I was never without it.  I didn't listen to Thrash Music out loud (at home anyway) for several years, but man, did I listen to Thrash Metal on that Walkman.  The best part was my dad thought I was listening to U2, Pink Floyd, and Three Dog Night.  I'd be sitting on the couch, reading an Isaac Asimov novel, listening to Jump in the Fire, and my dad would just smile.

My collection began to grow as 1988 turned into 1989, and by 1990 I had over thirty albums disguised as other records.  1990 also marked my sophomore year in high school; the year where kids start to turn into adults.  Most sophomores turn sixteen, which allows them to drive, which gives them freedom never before experienced.  1990 also marked the year my family moved from Oakland down to Los Angeles.  I was furious because I was just getting to the age where I might actually get to go to some of the shows at the clubs I'd heard so much about.  I was happier to be closer to my Raiders, who moved away from my home town when I was eight, but I always associated Los Angeles with the poser crowd who listened to Poison, Ratt, WASP, and Winger.  I wanted no part of that Los Angeles.  We moved into a house in North Hollywood, and I was enrolled in the local high school. 

On my first day of high school in LA, I immediately saw a divide in the crowd of students.  There were the typical cliques you see everywhere; the jocks, the stoners, the geeks, and the prima donnas, but I noticed one group was entirely different in LA, than in Oakland; the metalheads.  In Oakland, all the metalheads wore denim and leather, had long hair, and tended to take up a lot of space.  In LA, there were three groups of metalheads.  The largest of the three groups was the Sunset Strip Posers (as I would later refer to them).  They used more hairspray than the girls in the prima donna clique.  They also wore makeup and these loose, button down shirts that they would roll the sleeves up.  The second largest group was a bunch of skinheads.  They weren't really metalheads, but they loved the hardcore punk scene, which I understood, because I had recently been introduced to Crossover Thrash.  The smallest of the metalhead groups was the Thrashers, which included some of the old school metal lovers (The guys who still worshiped Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath).  I wanted to be a part of the Thrashers, but again my dad's criminal profiling mentality was prohibiting me from that.

My dad believed (and still believes) that boys with long hair are "troublemakers," so I always kept my hair cut short.  When I got to Los Angeles, I decided I was going to be who I was.  I got my haircut the first week of August, and decided I wasn't going to cut it again.  The months went by and my hair really started to look long around mid October, and that was when my dad told me to get a haircut.  I told him I would, but just ignored his command.  For the next six weeks he continued to ride me about my hair, telling me I looked like a "troublemaker."  I decided it was time to make a stand.  I took the bus to Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard.  I bought a Megadeth, Rust in Peace t-shirt and put it on.  I rode the bus back home and walked into the house.  My dad was so angry, I think I actually saw steam coming out of his collar.  He screamed, "What the hell do you think you're doing?  You know what you look like?"

I replied, "Probably a troublemaker."

"You're goddamn right!  Take that off now, and get in the car!  You're getting a haircut!" he yelled.

I walked to my room, turned to him and said, "No.  This is who I am.  Deal with it!"

I slammed the door and locked it behind me.  My dad pounded on the door demanding I open it.  I could hear my mother trying to calm my dad down as I put my headphones on and started listening to my new copy of Rust in Peace, which I had also bought at Tower Records.  I could still hear him pounding on the door for a couple of minutes, but then it went away, and I slipped into my own little world of Megadeth's newest album.  After listening to the entire album and finishing a couple of chapters of The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, I took the headphones off and just laid in my bed listening for what was happening outside my room.  After a little bit, my mother knocked on my door and asked if she could come in.  I asked where Dad was, and she assured me that he wouldn't come into my room.  I walked over and opened the door.  My mother and I sat and had a little conversation.  I told her that Dad was wrong labeling people just because of the way they look.  I explained that Dad was being a hypocrite for hating racists because of their close-minded attitude, but then he would turn around and call someone a criminal for having long hair and a band t-shirt.  My mother told me I didn't have to cut my hair, and that she loved me for who I was, and not for what I looked like.  She told me my dad did too, he was just a little upset at the moment.

Eventually I came out of my room that night, but if memory serves me correctly, it wasn't until a couple of weeks later that my dad spoke to me.  The next time he talked to me was when he came home one Sunday and found me watching the Raiders game in the living room.  My hair was still long, but I was wearing my Ken Stabler jersey.  We watched the game together, and I think that was what ended that fight.

10 New Thrash Bands You Must Check Out

As a thrash metal fan, I used to be very closed-minded, especially in the 1990's when grunge and nu-metal killed my favorite genre of music, but starting in the early to mid 2000's I noticed a resurgence of bands that harnessed the power of my favorite thrash bands of the 1980's.  Here are ten new (post Grunge) Thrash Bands that I think every thrash fan should listen to:

1.  Municipal Waste - Of all the new wave of Thrash Metal bands out there, Richmond based crossover band, Municipal Waste might have had the most success so far.  There is a reason.  They really know how to put together great albums.  I was first introduced to them when a friend was listening to Hazardous Mutation.  I was blown away.  Not since Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power had I been so excited to hear a new album.  There catalog has grown since then, and every album they release, they continue to impress.  Another favorite of mine is their most recent release, The Fatal Feast.  I particularly like the song Idiot Check.  I can completely relate to the lyrics and the anger it addresses.
 

2.  Fueled By Fire - This Los Angeles band was one of the first new Thrash bands to show up on the scene.  Around for thirteen years, they have three full length albums, all of which are great.  My personal favorite is their debut, Spread the Fire.  The title track on it is amazing and worth the price of admission on its own.  Their most recent album, Trapped In Perdition has taken the band to a new level.  There have been comparisons made to Exodus and early Vio-Lence.  If these guys were around in the mid 1980's, they would have been right there with the Bay Area Thrashers.


3.  Warbringer - Another Southern California band, Warbringer has a serious heavy sound.  My introduction to them was with their debut album, War Without End.  It's sheer energy and attitude drive into my soul.  Whenever I'm at the gym or decide to go for a run, War Without End is ready on my iPod.  Their most recent album, IV: Empires Collapse is nothing short of magnificent.  I strongly recommend all thrash fans to check these guys out.


4.  Lich King - This Massachusetts based band has a pretty solid catalog.  They have riffs which remind me of Slayer, a vocalist who reminds me of a young Zetro Souza, and solos that rival Phil Demmel.  Their lyrics are quirky, but not to the point that the music is not listenable.  If you want to get a new batch of old school Thrash, check these guys out.  A couple of the gems I've found in their library are A Storm of Swords and Grindwheel both on the album World Gone Dead.  Born of the Bomb, and their brand new EP, Do-Over are also fantastic finds.  Some of their earlier albums could use an upgrade, but even then, their songwriting skills are ever apparent.


 5.  Razormaze - Another Massachussetts band, Razormaze is an often overlooked band, but they have an amazing sound.  They really outdid themselves on their latest album, Annihilatia.  Being on the West Coast, I can't speak for East Coast radio stations, but I found many radio worthy songs on Annihilatia,  and I am surprised they don't get airplay on some of the hard rock / heavy metal stations.  I highly recommend their entire catelog.


6.  Havok - I first discovered these Colorado thrash masters when I accidentally stumbled upon the initial release of their second album, Time Is Up.  I was hooked immediately.  These guys know how to shred.  D.O.A. and Killing Tendencies are my favorite tracks off Time Is Up.  After listening to it for a couple of weeks straight, I decided to give their debut album a try.  Burn is a great album.  Perhaps it's just my second release man mentality, but I always end up tuning back into Time Is Up.  Another gem of theirs is their cover of Black Sabbath's Children of the Grave on their most recent release, Unnatural Selection.


7.  The Law - I was introduced to The Law when I watched the documentary Get Thrashed, produced by former Overkill drummer, Rat Skates.  Their song Anthem was one of the featured songs in the film, and I had to find out who made such an incredible song.  I came to discover that it was these Swedish thrashers, which amazed me, because the topic of the song Anthem is a roadtrip across America by a band.  I bought their album, and I am so glad I did.  Distorted Anthems from the Suburbs is a hidden treasure within the thrash metal community.  I highly encourage all of you to look into it.  And if you haven't seen it yet, everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to watch Get Thrashed.  The documentary will pump all metalheads up, and make non-metalheads at least understand us a little better.


8.  Toxic Holocaust - Originally a one-member band, Toxic Holocaust has become one of the front runners for most versatile New Thrash Bands.  For nine years Joel Grind was the sole member of Toxic Holocaust, but in 2008, he got himself a couple of new additions to his band, a bassist and a drummer.  Adding the other members to the band has done nothing but great things for Toxic Holocaust.  Their first release as more than just Grind, An Overdose of Death, is still my favorite release by the band.  Their most recent album, Conjure and Command, is an absolute onslaught of Thrash.  I highly recommend you check them out.


9.  Evile - There is a good chance that many of you have already heard of the British band, Evile.  They started their recording careers with a bang, landing Flemming Rasmussen as their producer.  Rasmussen, known for producing many of Metallica's early albums, helped the band record Enter the Grave, a truly epic debut album.  Their second release, Infected Nations, continued to build their status as the elite, up and coming Thrash Metal band, but then they were dealt a major blow.  Similar to Metallica, Evile lost their bass player, Mike Alexander, to an untimely death.  But, just like Metallica, Evile rebounded from the loss and has since released two stellar albums.  My favorite is Skull.  If you haven't heard them yet, give them a try.  You won't be disappointed.


10.  Infinite Translation - The first time I heard these French thrashers, I was extremely drunk.  In my drunken state, I was in awe of their riffs and heaviness.  However, after sobering up I discovered that not only are they heavy and have great riffs, but they are extremely talented song writers.  Impulsive Attack was easily one of the best purchases I made back in 2010.  It's still on my iPod, five years later.  I highly recommend you give these guys a listen. 


If you know of any new thrash bands that I haven't included, and you feel they are worthy to be mentioned, please comment.  I plan on releasing more blogs of this nature in the future.

A Second Release Man

I’ve always been one to go against the grain.  To this day I still hate conforming, even when it comes to my non-conformist peers.  When you rebel against the rebellion, does it mean you are siding with the masses?  I don’t think so.  It just means you don’t agree with everything the rebellion stands for.  It means you’re thinking for yourself. 

So you may be asking, “Harry, why are telling us this?”  It’s because I’m a second release man.  I get chastised all the time for it, but I don’t care.  This is who I am.  Let me explain through examples:

Example 1:

Exodus

If you ask any metalhead, he will tell you that the best Exodus album of all time is Bonded By Blood.  As a second release man, I have to disagree.  While I find Bonded By Blood an absolutely incredible album, it’s not my favorite album.  I personally find Zetro a better front man than Paul Baloff.  I know this will piss off many of you, but I ask you to settle down, put down the baseball bat, and hear me out.  Then you can stone me to death or whatever else you plan to do.

Paul Baloff’s presence cannot be matched by anyone; there’s no denying that, but Zetro was better able to remain composed and took the band to a maturity level that Paul Baloff was not capable of achieving.  Zetro has a better vocal range than Paul ever did, and while Paul’s over-the-top antics were unmatched, Zetro still had (and has) a wild side he carried over from his days with Legacy.  He fit the role and I, personally, like Exodus’ material with Zetro more than Bonded By Blood.

With that being said, most metalheads would agree that Fabulous Disaster is the best Exodus album with Zetro at the helm.  Again, I disagree.  Pleasures of the Flesh is better.  Pleasures of the Flesh, Exodus’ second release, is a pure onslaught of thrash metal that is unmatched by any of Exodus’ other works.  Please don’t get me wrong.  I love Fabulous Disaster.  It is heavy, it has catchy tracks, and I can see why people hold it in such high regards, but I cannot justify saying it’s any better than Pleasures of the Flesh.  To me, Pleasures of the Flesh was the definition of thrash metal, especially the first side of the record.  I love Impact is Imminent, Bonded By Blood, and Shovel Headed Kill Machine.  Hell, I love Exodus’ entire collection of music, but Pleasures of the Flesh is my favorite Exodus Album.  Like I said, I’m a second release man.

Example 2:

Overkill

All Overkill fans will tell you that The Years of Decay is far and away the best Overkill album.  Right?  Absolutely not.  Many will tell you that Horrorscope is better than The Years of Decay.  As an avid Overkill fan, I will tell you that I think Taking Over is the band’s finest album.  As with Exodus, I find the entire Overkill catalogue awesome.  However, at the end of the day I’m still a second release man, which means to me, Taking Over, Overkill’s second album, is their masterpiece.  I don’t prefer Taking Over because I’m a second release man.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  I am a second release man because I prefer Taking Over to their other albums.

With that being said, I also have to admit that my second favorite Overkill album is Under the Influence, and my third favorite is Feel the Fire.  Coming in fourth is The Years of Decay.  Maybe I get too caught up in the origins, but I feel the band was better when Bobby Gustafson was the guitarist.  I also tend to prefer Rat Skates on drums.

Truth be told, Overkill has been incredible throughout their history.  I’m pretty sure you could put Bobby Blitz and D.D. Verni with any group of musicians, and they would put out excellent music.  You could put them with a seventh grade group of clarinets and they would manage to put together an album that the average metal head would say, “I love it.  I know I shouldn’t love it, but I do.”

Example 3:

Sepultura

I'm a thrasher.  I've never enjoyed Death Metal that much.  The growls of Death Metal, to me, take away from some pretty amazing music.  Sepultura pushes the line between Thrash and Death Metal.  It is because of this that I find Schizophrenia, Sepultura's second release, to be my favorite of their albums.  It might be my favorite because Schizophrenia has less of a Death Metal feel than their later albums, or it might just be because I'm a Second Release Man. 

It still amazes me to this day how many articles I read and websites I visit that show Sepultura's masterpiece as either Beneath the Rmaines or Arise.  I think both albums have stunning musicianship, but they are both much closer to the Death Metal genre than I prefer.  Schizophrenia, on the other hand, seems to swim in the aura of Thrash Metal.  Yes, Max Cavalera's vocals take Schizophrenia to the line between Thrash and Death Metal, but the guitar work, the bass and drums, and the tempo of the album are absolute Thrash Metal at it's best.

Schizophrenia also has a massive weapon in it's arsenal that makes it one of the greatest Thrash Metal albums of all time:  Inquisition Symphony.  In my opinion, it is the single greatest Thrash instrumental piece ever recorded.  I know many Metallica fans will chastise me for this, but I stand by my statement, Inquisition Symphony buries the competition when it comes to Thrash Metal instrumentals.

Example 4:

Metallica

Metallica is one of the examples that will get people's blood boiling.  Early fans, and I mean Thrash Metal fans of Metallica, will tell you that the band only made four true albums:  Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...and Justice For All.  Some of those Thrash Metal gurus will tell you that only the first three really count, and that the loss of Cliff Burton on the bass was the end to the Metallica they love. 

Later fans, and I mean the poser crowd who actually like Metallica's later albums, will tell you that Metallica's first great record was Metallica (aka The Black Album).  These poser fans don't even like Metallica's first three albums.

Now that I've described the different type of Metallica fans there are, now I will go on to explain.  For the metalheads who worship Metallica's early work, there is no album in the entire world better than Master of Puppets.  For the posers who claim they worship Metallica, but are actually closet Britney Spears fans, the greatest Metallica album of all time is Metallica.

I have to disagree with both the metalheads and the posers.  Metallica's greatest album is Ride the Lightning.  You see, I'm a second release man, and Ride the Lightning is one of the main reasons I am.  Don't get me wrong, I think Master of Puppets is a masterpiece, and I don't think Metallica has ever achieved a higher level of song writing than that of masterpiece, Seek & Destroy off of Kill 'Em All, but Ride the Lightning is my de facto Metallica album.  No matter what mood I'm in, I can always listen to Ride the Lightning, from beginning to end.  The other albums require a certain mindset to listen all the way through.  I go through spells where I will listen to nothing but Master of Puppets, but those spells are few and far between.

For the record, I really like ...and Justice For All and Metallica, and I've also come to really appreciate Death Magnetic, but Metallica was at their best when Cliff Burton was still alive.  When he died, the Metallica that I loved and worshiped died too.  Long live Cliff!

Example 5:

Anthrax

This was a very tough one for me to determine, because I love Among the Living so much, but after listening to both Among the Living and Spreading the Disease about twelve times each over the past three days, I'm going with my second release man gut and saying that my favorite Anthrax album is Spreading the Disease.  Most die hard Anthrax fans will choose Among the Living.  It contains fan favorites like Caught in a Mosh, Indians, and I am the Law, but Spreading the Disease, to me, has just more songs that I love.

Madhouse was my first true exposure to Anthrax.  The video, before MTV decided to ban it, was amazing, and I love Scott Ian's rhythm guitar in the song.  I also have always had a soft spot in my heart for Lone Justice.  It was the first song I could truly relate to, mainly because I was a huge fan of Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Westerns.  Other classic tracks that bring my head into an instant state of banging are Medusa, A.I.R., S.S.C./ Stand or Fall, and Aftershock.

While Among the Living is heavier than Spreading the Disease, I still feel that Spreading the Disease set the stage for who Anthrax is, and it is the best representation of their style.  I don't need to explain this to you.  I'm a second release man, and that's all there is to it.

Obvious Examples:

1.  Testament - I've heard arguments that Testament's best album is The Legacy, and I've also heard arguments for Low, Practice What You Preach, and The Gathering, but most Testament fans will tell you that their second release, The New Order, is their masterpiece.  I'm not going to argue with them.  The New Order is not only Testament's best album, but it ranks as one of the greatest Thrash Metal albums of all time.

2.  Megadeth - Maybe this isn't as obvious as I initially thought.  Most of the 80's and 90's MTV generation (You know, the era when MTV actually played videos) remember the opening bass line of Peace Sells as the intro to MTV News, but it goes further than that.  To me, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying is one of the greatest Thrash Metal albums of all time.  Many lists and reviews put it second in Megadeth's catalogue to Rust in Peace, let alone one of the greatest albums of all time.  I love both albums, but my all-time favorite Megadeth album is Peace Sells... but Who's Buying.  I'm a Second Release Man, what can I say?  Plus there is nothing quite like Wake Up Dead, Good Mourning/Black Friday, and the title track, Peace Sells.  I love anything Megadeth from 1984 to 1992, but Peace Sells... but Who's Buying is their masterpiece.

Exceptions to the Rule:

1.  Slayer – I love Hell Awaits, but it’s not my favorite Slayer album.  The intro to the title track of Hell Awaits is epic, but the rest of the album lacks the caliber of thrash power Slayer’s other albums have.  If I had to rank my top four Slayer albums, this is what we’d have:  1. Reign in Blood  2. South of Heaven  3. Show No Mercy  4. Seasons in the Abyss

2.  Vio-Lence – When I first heard Eternal Nightmare, I fell in love with Vio-Lence.  Phil Demmel and Rob Flynn were a masterful duo on the guitars, while Sean Killian’s voice gets stuck in my head for days.  I had such high hopes for Oppressing the Masses, because after all, I’m a second release man.  While Oppressing the Masses is good, it isn’t even in the same league as Eternal Nightmare.

3.  Forbidden – Twisted Into Form is amazing.  I’m actually having a tough time with this portion of my blog.  I keep going back and forth.  My first thought was that Forbidden Evil is my favorite Forbidden album, but then I listened to both albums again to get my writer’s mind working and I forgot how much I love Twisted Into Form.  Fuck it.  I’m a second release man.  Put Forbidden on the list.  Twisted Into Form is my favorite Forbidden Album.  I guess my progressive side is coming out.