Hey all you leather-jacket wearing, denim-jean ripping, pit-circle moshing, long-hair whipping, tattoo-covered mother effers”¦..it’s Christmas time! And you know what that means, it’s time to show those mangy metalheads in your life some appreciation by buying them gifts and stuff.
Now I know you probably don’t know nothing about no gift giving, which is why I’m here. That’s right, your good old metal mama is going to recommend some great gifts that you can give your metalhead friends without even having to get up from the computer. Okay, ready? Here goes…
Jimmy Bain, a Scottish bass player who was right in the thick of the entire hard rock/heavy metal scene of the 1970s and 80s, collaborating in an early version of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and with Ronnie James Dio‘s 1980s lineup, has died at the age of 68 of undisclosed causes, although some reports have stated that Bain had been suffering from pneumonia the last few months.
As we wipe the Grammy’s spit off of his grave, today’s edition of Massive Metal Monday is dedicated to the memory of metal’s greatest vocalist, Ronnie James Dio.
The last shred of any credibility that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences ever held amongst the metal community was put to rest last night when the Grammy for “Best Metal or Hard Rock Performance” went to Tenacious D for their cover of Dio’s “Last In Line.” Don’t get me wrong, I love Tenacious D, but they are, at best, a reverent parody of heavy metal. The fact that Grammy voters think that this, or any cover version, is more worthy of recognition than that of any of the hundreds of absolutely stellar original performances turned in across the metal spectrum last year is nothing short of disrespectful and appalling. SHAME ON YOU NARAS!
Meanwhile, let us crank up the legendary original recording of the title track of Dio‘s second album, The Last In Line and salute RJD with the devil horns on one hand and NARAS with a single digit of the other.
Recorded live in London during their 2005 An Evening with Dio tour, Holy Diver Live contains all the tracks from the original 1983 Holy Diver album, plus several other beloved songs, such as “We Rock” and “Man on the Silver Mountain.” Released 30 years ago, it’s still difficult to conceive that Holy Diver was Dio’s debut album because the sound is so tight, so accomplished and so thoroughly the essence of ’80s metal. The hard driving sounds and motivating message of Holy Diver fan favorites like “Stand Up and Shout,” ” Rainbow in the Dark,” and, of course, the title song “Holy Diver” are as timely in the polarizing world of today as they were back then, when all we feared was not having enough dough for both a tour book and a t-shirt. Download Holy Diver Live today and raise a fist in solidarity along with the man who brought so many of us together in the spirit of friendship and common ground.
Click the link above and browse the list of tunes, which contains tracks from artists like Aerosmith, Kansas, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Dio, Heart, Billy Joel, Bad Company, Janis Joplin, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Alice Cooper, Yes, Cream, The Doors, Van Halen, and many more!
MP3 songs usually sell for $.99 to $1.29 each, so 69 cents is a great deal! No word on when the sale ends, so grab the songs you want now at the discounted price. Also, all this month, Amazon is offering up 2,000 albums for $5 each in MP3 format, so be sure to check out that hefty selection, too.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
