What is Heavy Metal?

Forgoing the usual content of this blog, I've decided to write an entry that takes a more generalized look at Heavy Metal, the role it has played personally in my life (and undoubtedly many others), and what exactly it has to offer in society. Starting off with some background information, I've been a fan of this music since 1993 when I was merely a 3 year old child. Though I didn't become a rabid follower of Heavy Metal until roughly 10 years later, I've been devoted to it ever since and have never once come close to considering another form of music as my favorite. In 2004, I began to play Electric Guitar as a hobby due to my interest in Heavy Metal music and have also stuck with all things Guitar related ever since.

Skipping over many small details of my time as a Metal fan and Guitarist, I can safely say that 2007 was the year that I truly learned how powerful this form of music can be in the context of life itself. Up until April of that year, I had mostly listened to and performed Heavy Metal music merely for enjoyment, entertainment, and to challenge myself in a variety of ways in terms of playing the Guitar. After a fateful day in April of 2007 in which my life began to drastically shift away from that of childhood, I never saw Heavy Metal music the same way ever again. 

That sunny Apri day, I arrived home from school and upon feeling about as empty as I ever would emotionally, I listened to Control Denied's "The Fragile Art of Existence" album. For the next hour or so, I took in the furious yet melodic guitar riffs of Chuck Schuldiner that were mixed with Tim Aymar's melodic singing of some of the most introspective lyrics I would ever hear. Though the emotional burden and emptiness I felt did not suddenly leave and would not for nearly 2 years, the music I was hearing and taking in gave me a sense of clarity about myself and what was happening to me.

Over the next 6 years right up to the present day, amidst re-occurrence of hardships and tough times, I've had this same experience happen to me time and time again. Even at this present moment of typing this while at likely my lowest point I've ever been in life, I'm currently experiencing the same feeling (while listening to the hidden track after Sylosis - Enshrined in particular). The musicians, bands, albums, songs, lyrics, etc. have all differed over time and the message conveyed to my mind, body, and soul has differed at times, but the music has always been consistent...Heavy Metal. It is with these thoughts and experiences in my mind that I rhetorically ask in a general context...what is Heavy Metal?

To non-fans and non-musicians in particular, Heavy Metal is sometimes considered terrible noise, an annoyance, and merely a means of rebellion amongst it's listeners and followers. Frequently, critics refer to the genre by terms such as "the Devil's music", "Screamo $hit", "depressing music", etc. Furthermore, in the media and other well-known outlets, Heavy Metal has occasionally been characterized as a main cause of numerous school shootings, murders, suicides, and other violent or tragic acts. To those who do not understand Heavy Metal, it's as if the music and/or lyrics influence an awful lot of negative acts in society and must not be accepted as a mainstream form of music in order to limit such a supposed "negative" influence. To those people, Heavy Metal is the lowest form of music on earth and must be censored or removed completely from society.

As for myself, I can personally testify against such ridiculous outspoken claims and make a case for why they are not true and why Heavy Metal does indeed have value. For starters, I have no problem admitting that it's because of Heavy Metal that I'm still alive and breathing right now. If not for this form of music, I firmly believe that I would have taken my own life sometime between the ages of 17 and now. Even through all of the times that I felt like everything in my life has been hopeless, that there is no answer, that I have no purpose in life, etc., listening to Heavy Metal has guided me safely in stabilizing my own thoughts and emotions when I felt that I was beginning to lose control of myself. Even though I pay more attention to the music and instrumental aspect of the genre, some of the lyrics in Heavy Metal songs are so amazingly ambiguous, introspective, and thought-provoking. It is when hearing these lyrics that I remind myself that other people in this world have faced the same obstacles that I have and overcame them. In terms of violent acts, I have never been influenced by Heavy Metal music to commit an act of violence. In fact, the only time that Heavy Metal ever related to violence at all in my life was during a day in 2008 when listening to Death's "Human" album therapeutically calmed me down out of the extremely angry state of mind that I was in.

Thus, I can now conclude this entry by answering the question stated in the opening title. Heavy Metal is a not just a form of music; it is a way of life, and to many listeners, a lifeline and guidebook throughout the journey of human existence. In times of sadness, grief, heartbreak, etc., Heavy Metal offers a clarity, support, and understanding that no other form of music (and sometimes other human interactions) ever can. For it's musicians, Heavy Metal offers a creative release and outlet unlike any other. There is no greater satisfaction than expressing thoughts, words, and emotions and channeling all of those into new music and lyrics. Though there will always be a few outliers, it is safe to say that Heavy Metal provides it's followers with something greater...something that prevents them from committing tragic acts, giving up in life or ending a life entirely, etc. 

Ultimately, my reason for writing this isn't really something I can convey. There have been plenty of writings in the past that support why Heavy Metal is a not a negative force in life and is in fact an asset in society when all of its facets are considered thoroughly. This writing is merely a small personal take on a subject that has been argued to death since the first condemnations of Heavy Metal very many years ago. I suppose that it is through facing yet another difficult period of my life that I can still take solace in the fact that this music is here for me and is still keeping me going when nothing and no one else can understand how I feel. My hope is that in sharing this, I can help to spread the good name of Heavy Metal in 2013 or at least provide other fellow listeners with a voice that understands how they feel in life and lets them know that they are NEVER truly alone no matter what the circumstance is...

Overkill - Horrorscope

In late 1991 into 1992, Thrash Metal was more or less at the end of its glory years. Metallica's extremely successful and commercialized (but enjoyable!) self-titled 'Black' album, along with the original rise of Grunge, had begun to lay the commercial progress and viability of Thrash Metal to waste. MTV and radio outlets all across the United States were now becoming increasingly concerned with discovering and promoting the next breakout artist, hit, and album instead of pushing forward and promoting new music from established acts with several years and albums to their credit. For the majority of these 'career' artists in the confines of Thrash Metal, this meant following Metallica's lead set forth on the aforementioned 'Black' album by simplying song structures, utilizing slower rhythmic tempos, and incorporating more groove elements into their songs. One-by-one, bands including Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, Annihilator, and several others would follow this trend over the next several years in an attempt to maintain a commercial presence in the face of a changing Rock/Metal musical landscape during the 90's.

Overkill is another such band that would be no exception to this fact. However, before Overkill would likewise shift it's musical direction from 1993 onward, the band would release one last pure Thrash Metal assault that would more or less solidify the band's legacy as one of the greatest practitioners of Thrash Metal during the genre's greatest period of success (musically and commercially).

Overkill's 5th studio album, 'Horrorscope', was released on September 3rd, 1991. The band had recently parted ways with original guitarist Bobby Gustafson over the course of the prior year and a half. For many fans, this was a cause for concern as Gustafson had been one of the band's principal songwriters on the previous 4 albums and was most definitely a major reason for the band's success up to that point. Add that to Gustafson's exceptional Rhythm and Lead guitar skills that rivaled the likes of Thrash giants such as James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine, Scott Ian, and Lee Altus, and it's easy to see why Overkill's fanbase would enter into the new album with some apprehension.

However, 2 new guitarists in Merritt Gant and Rob Cannavino were recruited into Overkill in order to expand the band's sonic palate and introduce a new 'dual-axe' attack that the band had not previously had the luxury of utilizing in both studio and live situations. Simply put, the results of bringing Gant and Cannavino into the fold were more than spectacular. For all of the accolades and success that Overkill's 1989 album, 'The Years of Decay', had enjoyed, 'Horrorscope' simply would up the ante and surpass its predecessor in terms of speed, heaviness, brutality, and musicianship...all band members included. Fortunately, the album also received a strong production, courtesy of producer Terry Date, that allowed the band to retain thick and solid guitar, bass, and drum sounds that were progressing and continually improving on the previous few albums.

The album opener 'Coma' begins on a dark, but melodic note with an extended clean guitar intro that is somewhat reminiscent of Metallica's album intros in their works throughout the 1980's. However, 'Coma' soon launches into a pure speed fest that most definitely convinced many loyal Overkill fans to that point that the band still belonged among the ranks of Thrash Metal's elite artists. The intensity continues throughout the rest of the album's songs including 'Infectious', 'Bare Bones', and 'Live Young, Die Free' that respectively feature the elements of speed, controlled chaos, and complex and progressive song structures. Elsewhere, the band also makes use of atmospheric and slower, 'doom-metalish' elements in the album's title track 'Horrorscope', which notably had its own music video prominently featured on MTV; one of Overkill's last crowning acheivements as a so-called 'viable' commericial Thrash Metal artist before the previously mentioned Rock/Metal restructuring. Additionally, the band also showcases its sense of melodicism and introspection in the album closing ballad entitled 'Soulitude.' All of these elements are spread throughout the album in different amounts and mixtures among the album's 11 tracks and combine together to create a 53 minute experience worth sitting down and getting lost in for the sake of admiring the band's instrumental showcases or thought-provoking lyrical contents.

Without mentioning the other tracks on the album that not are not highlights (though they are also very memorable and are worthy of several more paragraphs in their own right), 'Horrorscope' is simply one of the last true examples of old-school Thrash Metal that has stood the test of time in the years following its release. Guitarists Gant and Cannavino execute and deliver some of the most memorable guitar riffs, rhythms, and solos ever featured in Overkill's music before or since their arrival and later departure from the band. Bassist D.D. Verni plays more 'in the pocket' with less bass guitar fills and deviations than he had utilized in the previous few albums, but he nonetheless delivers a solid performance worthy of praise. Vocalist Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth once again proves that he is one of Thrash Metal's most under-rated frontmen through his writing of inspired and thoughtful lyrics concerning rebellion, death, introspection, and other topics, and his delivering of such lyrics with his convincing trademark snarl. Lastly, drummer Sid Falck, who would be playing on his last album with the band, delivers complex drum patterns, creative fills, and pure intensity that ranks him among some of Thrash Metal's all-time best drummers.

In closing, this album truly stands out as one of Thrash Metal's last triumphs before the genre's eventual downfall from commerical viability and recognition. Undeniably an essential album in the rich history of Heavy Metal, the band would never quite recapture the raw, intense, and aggressive 'near perfection' that it had acheived upon unleashing 'Horrorscope' to the masses in late 1991...