Metal fans and followers will remember that yesterday we posted news that The Big 4 (meaning Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer) would be making a major announcement today via their Facebook page regarding a U.S. tour dates. Everybody assumed, justifiably so, that it would be the announcement of a major Big 4 U.S. tour. Boy, were we way off, and the resulting rampage of fury and anger from metalheads across the country should make the so-called Big 4 hang their heads in shame!

It turns out that the “major” announcement was that the 4 bands would be playing a show. That’s “a” show. As in one. Singular. Uno.

The Big 4 will be playing their one show in Indio, California on April 23, 2011, at the Empire Polo Club and…

Wait, what? A club? The Empire Polo Club doesn’t seem to have seating charts in many places in the short Google search I did, but one report I found mentioned a capacity of no more than 1,000*. I cannot vouch for the reliability and accuracy of that information, but if there is any validity to it, why choose such a lame venue for one show?

Looks like The Big 4 metal tour will be making its way to the United States!

Who are The Big 4? Oh, only the greatest metal bands of all time — Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax — touring together on the same bill! Back in June, the thrash metal giants did a two-week stint in Europe, using footage from one of the shows for a DVD/Blu-ray release titled The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria. At the time, it seemed that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime event, but now the tour plans to expand to other parts of Europe this Summer AND into the United States, too!

Here at Geeks Of Doom, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of some of the great music that was released in 1986. It was a big year for music, notably the genre of metal, with major groundbreaking releases coming out from Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and much more.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll be seeing some 1986 music flashback-related posts popping up here at Geeks of Doom, and to help keep the theme going, we decided to join forces with the Social Blend and get some tunes crankin’ in the lead up to some of these upcoming posts.

Social Blend mainly focuses on news and stories posted at Mixx.com, but every couple of months we do a special music edition of the show called CRANIUMELODY. Essentially we try and select some obscure and underrated songs for people to check out, and other times we make selections based on a topic or theme for the show.

Looking for ways to teach your child the alphabet? Well, allow me to direct your attention to this very awesome poster titled “The ABC’s of Heavy Metal,” which makes the alphabet out of various heavy metal band logos.

Check out the poster image here at right (click for larger full view).

This 18″ x24″ art print, by Aye Jay, comes in a hand-numbered edition of 80 and is available here for $25. The two-color image is printed on metallic silver currency paper.

There’s also a version that’s the same size that’s printed on a sheet of metal stainless steel for a super limited edition of 10. That’s so metal!!! Another variant is the Glam Metal edition, which looks real cool, but “glam” doesn’t apply to the bands represented on this print. The glam metal edition is on black paper with metallic gold ink and “a righteous split fountain” and is limited to 20.

It took me all of 60 seconds to figure out which band logos 21 of the 26 letters came from. It wasn’t too difficult considering I’d spent a good portion of my teen years drawing these same band logos all over my school notebooks, folders, and binders.

Can you guess which bands are represented in this poster?

I’ve put my choices here below, with an asterisk next to the ones I didn’t know right away.

MEGADETH
That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires
Image Entertainment
Release date: Sept. 4, 2007

I’m going to tell you right from the beginning — I unapologetically love Megadeth.

I remember clearly that day back in 1985 when I discovered them. I was combing the “metal” LP bins at my local record store when I came across Killing Is My Business … And Business Is Good, which boasted a sticker on the cover stating that it was the debut album from former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine‘s new band. That’s all I needed to know. Seven bucks later, the low-production quality of opening tune “Last Rites/Loved To Deth” was blaring through my speakers, Mustaine’s raspy voice screaming, “I loved you to deth!!!”

Mustaine’s connection to Metallica — more specially, that Mustaine was fired from the pre-recording contract line-up of Metallica — has followed the Megadeth front man throughout his career, but not always to his benefit. Throughout the 1980s, a feud between Mustaine and his former bandmates was fought out in public during magazine interviews, which prompted thrash metal fans to take sides. But while Metallica spent much of the 90s in musical experimentation (much to the dismay of fans), Megadeth stayed true their metal roots, releasing now platinum albums Rust In Peace, Symphony of Destruction, and Youthanasia.

While Megadeth has endured numerous line-up changes, the long-red-maned Mustaine, who turns 46 today, has been the band’s one constant driving force, writing most of the music and lyrics. Even when in 2002 Mustaine suffered an arm injury which doctors believed would prevent him from ever playing guitar again, the singer/guitarist went through physical therapy to once again shred!

In 2005, California native Mustaine, along with guitarist Glen Drover, drummer Shawn Drover, and then-bassist James MacDonough, recorded That One Night – Live in Buenos Aires live at Obras Stadium in Argentina in front of 25,000 screaming — and I mean screaming — fans.