Ah, Christmas time is upon us! Maybe you love it, maybe you don’t, but there’s no denying the fact that it’s that time of year again. I debated, with myself as I tend to do, if I should include any holiday themed tracks. After a lot of internal deliberation, I decided that I had no choice but to include a track by the amazing Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This is the title track from their fourth album, and while not as energetic as some of their other tracks it delivers a great vocal performance and tells an interesting story.
Tag Archives: hard rock
Week 49: Tenacious D – Tribute
I recently started listening to Tenacious D more frequently again, and this track in particular. It’s fun, well written and performed with a lot of energy which makes it stand out. Kyle Gass is a very talented guitar player and the acoustic guitar parts are simply amazing.
Week 48: Judas Priest – Breaking The Law
Probably one of the best early examples of metal, this track is a songwriting masterpiece. With today’s standards. you’d probably call this hard rock instead of heavy metal, but back in the day this was pretty much as metal as it would get. With an amazing guitar riff and Rob Halford’s more than competent vocals, this track brings it all home with an amazing last quarter.
Week 40: Danzig – Mother
This week’s track is one of the most iconic heavy metal tracks from the late 80s. The simple but highly effective instrumentation does a lot to highlight the amazing vocal performance by Glenn Danzig. This is one of those tracks I listen to when I need an energy boost.
Week 36: ZZ Top – Precious And Grace
The masters of hard rock blues released this classic back in 1973. Maybe not the most well known track by ZZ Top or even from their excellent Tres Hombres album, but one of my favorites. The guitars are very dark and the main riff is super catchy. About a minute and fifteen seconds in the track really opens up which fits the lyrics of the track perfectly. An example of really imaginative song writing.
Week 35: Alice Cooper – No More Mr. Nice Guy
This week’s track is a real classic by legend Alice Cooper. I’m always intrigued when you consider just how long people like Alice Cooper have been active and actually relevant. This track is a great example of 70s hard rock with interesting lyrics and great composition.
Week 32: Ugly Kid Joe – Cats In The Cradle
It’s been a while since a cover was track of the week, so what better track than this as the next example of why covers can be fantastic? Ugly Kid Joe’s version of this classic is not only great, but I have a lot of early teen memories attached to it. I remember thinking it was super cool, and even though I’m so, so much older now I still think it’s pretty awesome.
Week 30: Volbeat – Still Counting
I wanted a track from Volbeat’s 2008 album Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood to be the track of the week, but I honestly had a very hard time choosing which of my two favorite tracks to go with. In the end, it was the first few lyrics from this track that made me go with this one over Hallelujah Goat, which has a great title. What I like most about this track is that it’s hard and heavy with great vocals.
Week 26: Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
When I heard this track for the first time, I had no idea about Dave Mustaine’s past. I just knew I liked it, and that I liked it a lot. In fact, I still do. This track remains my favorite by Megadeth, and I think it’s a great piece of heavy metal songwriting.
Week 21: Queen – Tie Your Mother Down
I’ve listened to countless hours of Queen, and picking a track to include as the track of the week wasn’t as easy as one might think. When it came down to it, I picked this particular track because I think it’s a great representation of their style and song writing.
I still consider the riff that comes in after the minute long intro to be one of the best ever recorded.