Decided to get back on the classic metal and rock posting by pointing out some amazing news and some cool but kind of upsetting music news. Good news, Huge Van Halen North American Tour just announced! Saw them in 2012 with Diamond Dave at the helm and it was AMAZING! Running with the Devil, Panama, and  Unchained have been on my playlist since the announcement! It should be an amazing tour, in support of their new live album.

In sadder news, Black Sabbath has announced their final tour, before officially breaking up (yes I know again for like the 200th time) but this time I think Sabbath is retiring, each to their own respective bands and projects. I am excited but sad at this last show, I am already going to see Motley Crue’s final show this coming august, ending with Alice Cooper “Killing” them, so having another one of my favorite metal bands call it done is really upsetting.

I swear I was born in the wrong era, considering all the bands I love are retiring, but I digress)

Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne were pivotal figures in starting my interest in horror (besides Freddy and Robert Englund of course). The dark music and themes lead many fans to understand the stories they tried to tell through songs such as “War Pigs” or “Electric Funeral”.  The classic and ominous guitar riffs and Ozzy’s/Dio’s eerie but amazing vocals painted a picture for listeners with each word, a story within each song. “NIB” about the devil, “Black Sabbath” also, and “Heaven and Hell”. Black Sabbath has been utilized in numerous horror films and documentaries, especially when mentioned how parents and groups protested because they thought the band was Satanic. Heavy metal itself was often questioned and labeled “the Devil’s Music” with bad influences within each song. However, most metal songs are like horror, they touch on subjects that society often wants to hide, it often tries to ask those hard questions.  Sabbath actually was inspired by a horror film playing across the street from their studio, and from there they wrote “Black Sabbath”. and the band started with themes about war and destruction because they came from a war torn England and saw the effects  of war on the land and the people. They simply used their songs to express some of the turmoil in the world at the time, like many other bands, that was their statement. Many people see them as Satanic and turn away, but when you get really down to it, a lot of metal and rock songs, like horror films, have deep underlying meanings. There is always a reason they are telling this story.

Van Halen and Sabbath have been on my “work” soundtrack while I live in the studio till my review in 2 weeks roughly. Below are my recent finished pieces, plenty more are getting done tonite after I get done posting, so I apologize there is less art this time, having multiple projects and crits going at once has me trying to juggle everything.

As always thanks for reading! Till next time I recommend breaking out Van Halen’s “1984” or Sabbath’s “Paranoid” if you want a new adventure during your hectic week or weekend, great songs, great albums.