Chad's Heavy Metal Blog

After 1986 any year would be a letdown, but 1987 was pretty strong in its own right. Once again it was a great mix of genres, with thrash bands like Anthrax and Testament, more extreme groups such as Death and Napalm Death, and other bands that encompassed doom, death and black metal. Here are my selections for the best heavy metal albums of 1987. And as always, if you disagree or have your own best of list, please post it in the comments section below.

Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1987

When Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch announced in 2005 that he had found religion and was quitting the band, everyone was shocked. It blindsided his bandmates, and fans couldn't understand how someone could walk away from one of the most successful and financially lucrative bands in the world. There was a war of words in the press between Welch and frontman Jonathan Davis, and Welch took a barrage of criticism.

Last fall he got the chance to tell his story when Save Me From Myself was published. It's now available in trade paperback. After reading the book, it is crystal clear that Welch had two choices. He could stay in Korn and eventually die from his massive drug addiction, or he could quit and try to save his life. Welch chose life.

Read the complete Brian "Head" Welch - Save Me From Myself Book Review

(book cover courtesy Harper Collins)

The songs on Iron Will are generally fast and intense, not the slow, dirgy stereotypical doom metal. Grand Magus are able to slow down the tempo, as “Self Deceiver” proves, but for the most part their music is mid to up tempo. In addition to doom metal, Grand Magus incorporates psychedelic and classic rock along with a melodic sensibility in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal tradition.

Another thing that sets Grand Magus apart is their vocals. J.B. Christoffersson sings with a melodic NWOBHM or power metal style. He has a lot of range and emotion in his voice. Instead of gruff vocals used a lot in this genre, Grand Magus’s approach is more lilke the Dio era Black Sabbath.

Read the complete Grand Magus - Iron Will Review

(CD cover courtesy of Rise Above Records)

Don Caballero has also announced their first headlining tour in support of their upcoming CD Punkgasm. This tour will kick-off on August 19th in Arlington, VA, and will include support from Ponytail on a number of dates. August 19th is also the date the CD is released.

Don Caballero Tour Dates:
August 19 Arlington, VA IOTA Club & Café
August 20 Baltimore, MD Sonar
August 21 Virginia Beach, VA Steppin Out
August 22 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
August 23 New York, NY Knitting Factory
August 24 Allston, MA Harper’s Ferry
August 25 Montreal, QC Club Lambi
August 26 Toronto, ON Lee’s Place
August 27 Hamilton, ON Casbah
August 28 London, ON Call the Office
August 29 Pontiac, MI Pike Room
August 30 Chicago, IL Subterranean
August 31 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
September 2 Dekalb, IL The House Café
September 3 St. Louis, MO Bluebird
September 4 Cincinnati, OH Northside Tavern
September 5 Columbus, OH Café Bourbon Street
September 6 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small’s Theater

Every week I recommend a different metal band you might not be familiar with. Most metal fans know the major artists, but sometimes it’s nice to dig a little deeper to more underground or even unsigned bands.

This week’s recommended band is Watchtower. They formed in Austin, Texas in 1982. They were fronted by Jason McMaster. The band’s debut Energetic Disassembly was released in 1985. It was one of the earliest technical thrash albums, combining progressive arrangements and thrash metal riffs along with McMaster’s high pitched vocals.

McMaster joined another band, which ended up getting a record deal and changing their name to Dangerous Toys. They went on to have hit singles such as “Teas’n Pleas’n.” McMaster then left Watchtower and was replaced by Alan Tecchio. Guitarist Ron Jarzombek also joined the band during this era. Their second studio album Control And Resistance came out in 1989. Tecchio left the band in 1990 and they went on hiatus.

In 1999 Watchtower was asked to record a track for an Accept tribute album, and they reunited with McMaster as their singer. They’ve played live sporadically since then, but their third album Mathematics remains unfinished, with no immediate plans for completion.

Genre: Progressive thrash metal
Comparable Artists: Spock’s Beard, Voivod, Rush
Location: Austin, Texas
MySpace Page: www.myspace.com/officialwatchtower

If there’s an artist you’d like to suggest to be the recommended band of the week, send me an email!

Glenn Danzig's annual Blackest Of The Black Tour returns in October. This year's lineup includes Danzig, Dimmu Borgir, Moonspell, Winds Of Plague and Skeletonwitch.

Dimmu Borgir also has a new DVD coming out. Guitarist Silenoz says, ""Let there be no secrecy around the fact that we're really looking forward to the Blackest of The Black tour, finally joining forces with Danzig! To get the chance to share the stage with one of the most influential icons in metal and rock history, Glenn Danzig, is of course something we're very proud of! Combined with the other bands, this will be a night to remember - if you're into dark and heavy music, that is. We actually take it for granted that you will be there! This will also be a great opportunity for us to promote our new DVD coming out in October, appropriately entitled The Invaluable Darkness.

The Invaluable Darkness DVD will be a three-disc release: 2 DVDs plus a bonus audio CD.

Blackest Of The Black Tour Dates:
Oct. 09 - Ft. Laudersale, FL @ Revolution
Oct. 10 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
Oct. 11 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Oct. 13 - Richmond, VA @ Toads Place
Oct. 14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
Oct. 15 - New York, NY @ Roseland
Oct. 17 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium
Oct. 18 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Oct. 19 - Toronto, ONT @ Sound Academy
Oct. 21 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Oct. 22 - Minneapolis, MN @ Myth
Oct. 24 - Detroit, MI @ Fillmore Theater
Oct. 25 - Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater
Oct. 26 - St. Louis, MO @ Pageant
Oct. 28 - Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
Oct. 30 - Dallas, TX @ Palladium
Oct. 31 - Kansas City, KS @ Uptown
Nov. 01 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Theater
Nov. 03 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater
Nov. 04 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
Nov. 05 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater
Nov. 07 - Portland, OR @ Roseland
Nov. 08 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox At Market
Nov. 10 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

For over 40 years Time Life has been releasing music collections in many different genres of music. Their latest is a bonanza for hard rock and hair metal fans. Hard And Heavy is 152 songs on 9 CDs, plus two bonus DVDs.

Hard And Heavy is a massive collection of songs from the '70s and '80s. It includes classic rock artists like Foreigner and Bad Company, pop artists like Pat Benatar and Billy Idol, hair bands such as Winger, Warrant, Skid Row and Poison along with more traditional metal bands such as Judas Priest, Motorhead, Megadeth and Queensryche.

Read the complete Various Artists - Hard And Heavy Box Set Review

1986 was the best year of the '80s when it came to heavy metal albums. It was the year of Metallica's Master Of Puppets, Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? and Slayer's Reign In Blood. There were also several other great releases from bands like Kreator, Bathory, Candlemass and Iron Maiden. Thrash ruled in 1986, but a few other genres made the Top 10 as well. What did rate as number 1? You may disagree with my list, and if you do make sure to post your comments and picks in the comments section.

Here are the Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1986

And in case you missed any of the earlier lists, here they are:

• Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1985
  
• Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1984
  
• Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1983
  
• Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1982
  
• Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1981
  
• Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums of 1980
  

Comment below on which album YOU would rate as the best of 1986. Slayer? Metallica? Someone else?

The Rotted's sound has changed somewhat on Get Dead Or Die Trying. They still play intense death metal mixed with grindcore, but it's more focused and precise than ever before. Razor sharp riffs are played at warp speed, but The Rotted's dual guitar attack of Tim Carley and Gian Pyres is also able to throttle back and get into a tight groove.

New drummer Nate Gould also excels. He has no problem flailing away with a barrage of blast beats one moment, then playing crisply with controlled fury the next. The songs on this CD are a nice mix of grind, technical death metal and even slower downtuned doomy parts. Things wrap up with a trippy instrumental that's slow and psychedelic.

Read the complete The Rotted - Get Dead Or Die Trying Review

(CD cover courtesy Metal Blade Records)

Sigh will embark on their first-ever North American headlining tour this September. Supporting bands will be Zimmers Hole and Unexpect. Sigh's six song Venom tribute CD will be released September 2nd.

Frontman Mirai Kawashima says, "We've played several times in the U.S. before, but this is our first full U.S. tour and we're really looking forward to it! This is going to be a great opportunity for our fans to see a full Sigh set. As you know, we're are going out on the road with two great bands: Zimmers Hole and Unexpect. I'm a fan of both bands and excited to share the stage with them."

Sigh, Zimmers Hole and Unexpect Tour Dates:
09/06/08 Sat @ Jumping Turtle - San Marcos, CA
09/07/08 Sun @ Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
09/08/08 Mon @ Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
09/09/08 Tue @ The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
09/10/08 Wed @ Gators - Farmington, NM
09/11/08 Thu @ Lola's - Ft Worth, TX
09/12/08 Fri @ White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
09/13/08 Sat @ Meridian - Houston, TX
09/14/08 Sun @ The Muse - Nashville, TN
09/15/08 Mon @ Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
09/16/08 Tue @ B.B. Kings Blues Club - New York City, NY
09/17/08 Wed @ FouFounes - Montreal, ON (*Unexpect not playing this show)
09/18/08 Thu @ Jubilee Centre - Sudbury, ON
09/19/08 Fri @ Wreck Room Toronto - ON
09/20/08 Sat @ Peabody's DownUnder - Cleveland, OH
09/21/08 Sun @ The Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
09/22/08 Mon @ 4th St Station - St Paul, MN