Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “metal”

(Archive April 2017) Ned Flanders-Themed Metal Band Shows How Pursuing Your Ideas Pays Off

By editorialteam on September 10, 2024

By Jason D. Greenough | Observer Contributor

Okilly Dokilly

Have you ever had an idea that you thought would be great, but then never built onto it because you second guessed yourself? Did something ever cross your mind, and you got excited about it, but feared that some people might look at it like a joke, so you passed up the opportunity? Well, I have a story about how going through with that one really strange idea can really turn out to be an awesome experience.

I love going to concerts. Metal and punk shows, mostly. The atmosphere is wonderful, and especially when there are lesser known bands on the bill, it makes it even more interesting, because I get to hear some new music that I usually wind up liking later on. Every band has something to offer, and when those opening acts blow the roof the place, which they often times do, I sometimes feel a sense of connection to the band, and it’s mainly due to the fact that I could be on that same stage if I just worked out a single idea longer than a week or so. I know I could be, but I second guess myself too much. I always have that feeling of connection, but it really hit me hard when I went to see Mac Sabbath at the Worcester Palladium on March 25th.  read more

(Archive November 2016) A November to Remember for Metal Fans: November Music Preview

By editorialteam on November 10, 2016

By Jason D. Greenough | Web/Social Media Editor

The temperatures may (finally…possibly) hit freezing, but the metal is burning hot! November 2016 is sure to bring any metal fan a few moments of bliss.

Want to get away from the awkward family get-together? Need something to keep you awake before you go shopping on black Friday? With retrospective releases galore, ranging from Queen’s …On Air: The Complete BBC Sessions, and Pink Floyd’s The Early Years: 1965-1972, to REM’s Out of Time  celebrating it’s 25th anniversary with a re-issue, and Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, you’re pretty much all set. But, I have a few other suggestions as well…

For all the hair metal misfits, Bon Jovi is back with their second album in just over a year, This House Is Not For Sale, due out November 4th, and I can honestly say that, to me, it is a sign that Bon Jovi is back. With as much as grit and riff rock as Slippery When Wet, but as much personal discovery and uplifting as Have a Nice Day, Jon Bon Jovi further cements his rightful place among the best songwriters and musicians in all of rock history. While Richie Sambora is AWOL from this studio effort, the New Jersey quintet didn’t skip a beat in creating one of their best records since the turn of the century, and I know I won’t be disappointed, and I have a feeling that, if JBJ is your jam, you won’t be either!

While Bon Jovi & Co. tucks you into bed, Metallica is under your bed, waiting for you to fall asleep. With Hardwired…To Self-Destruct on the horizon, the Bay Area Thrash vanguards have blown me away with their first two singles featured on the album (“Hardwired” & “Moth To Flame”), and it just makes me wonder how much more they have in store when the album hits shelves on November 18th. It was no secret that many metal fans, and even those who eat, sleep, and breath Metallica were not too enthused by 2008’s Death Magnetic, so you could probably assume that the Rock n’ Roll Hall-of-Famers knew they had to redeem themselves with their first full-length EP in 8 years. And you know what? So far, it has blown my mind as much as it has the speakers in my headphones.

Nikki Sixx, legendary bassist for Motley Crüe, and founding member of Sixx:A.M., is going to have a busy month in November!

Although Crue’s 35-year career came to a close at the end of last year, the full-length feature DVD documenting their final concert, Motley Crüe: The End Live in Los Angeles, is set to make its way to the masses on November 4th as well, and a limited edition version seeing daylight on November 25th. Also on Sixx’s plate is the release of Sixx:A.M.’s Prayers For The Blessed: Vol. 2, dropping on November 18th, a follow up to their smash hit Prayers For The Damned. A tour to support the new release will also bring them to Worcester’s DCU Center on November 25th, in case you really dig it and want to see it played live!

November is sure to be a great month for music, and if you wind up picking any of these up, be sure to let the Observer know what you think!