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On March 5, 1983, Cliff Burton made his first show with "Metallica". (Photo: Metallica Twitter) The show was held at a club called "Stone" in San Francisco Bay Area, which today, in retrospect, is considered as the place where Thrash Metal was born. Cliff joined the band in December 1982 and replaced bassist Ron McGovney. This is one of Cliff Burton 's only appearances on stage with guitarist Dave Mustaine , who will be fired from the band about a month later. For more information about it, read here: Dave Mustaine Fired From Metallica . The show took place shortly after the band moved to San Francisco. As you may recall, Cliff first met James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich when he performed at the "Whiskey A-Go-Go" club with his band. He played the bass solo that would later become the instrumental piece " Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) ". James and Lars were stunned by Cliff's playing. They of course invited him to join their band immediately. Cliff agreed but on one condition. that the band move from Los Angeles to San Francisco, his hometown. The band agreed and this is what gave birth to the historic performance at the "Stone" Club. On that historic evening, the band played 12 songs, most of which will eventually be included on the debut album " Kill 'Em All ", except for " Hit the Lights ". The opening song, " The Mechanix ", was reworked as soon as Kirk Hammett joined the band, and his name was changed to " The Four Horsemen ". Dave Mustaine will keep the song close to the version played that evening and a few years later it will already be included on Megadeth's debut album " Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! ". It's hard to believe, but this historic performance was documented in a bootleg, recorded that evening. One of the highlights of the show was of course Cliff Burton 's premiere with the solo that will eventually become the instrumental piece " Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) ". For those interested in listening to history in the making, you are welcome to jump to about 35 minutes of the recording. List of songs played on that historical evening: 1. The Mechanix 2. Phantom Lord 3. Jump In The Fire 4. Motorbreath 5. No Remorse 6. Seek & Destroy 7. (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth 8. Whiplash 9. Am I Evil? 10. The Prince 11. Blitzkrieg 12. Metal Militia "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

In the early '90s, the MTV Unplugged TV series was in full swing, and bands that were on the runway towards stardom and great success were part of that series of shows. It was even a kind of certification that the show gave to the talent and skill of the bands at the time. After the 1990s the series had already lost its stardust and became a kind of "comeback" tool for bands that had lost their place at the top. The members of the band "Korn" decided that they wanted to do MTV Unplugged in 2007, long after their great success and at a time when they were not really at the top. The beautiful thing about "Korn" is that because of their huge and close fan base, they never lost their power, they were always there, sometimes we listened to them more, and sometimes we listened to them less, but they were always part of the playlist. But for the mainstream or "other" audience it was very surprising that a band like "Korn" would decide to do an MTV Unplugged performance in the middle of nowhere. Another interesting point is... If you remember we talked recently about "Breaking Benjamin's" album called "Aurora" consisting of only acoustic songs, for a band whose sound consists mainly of heavy walls of guitars and distortions. The case here is very similar, "Korn" have two heavy guitarists who use powerful riffs with mass that is not in the chemical marking table, with a bassist hitting the bass strings as if they were trampolines in iJUMP. So how did they make their songs ecstatic? Did they use the technique Benjamin used? Did it work? The December 9, 2006 performance at New York City MTV Time Square Studios consisted of only three band members. Singer Jonathan Davis , bassist Reginald Arvizu "Fieldy" and guitarist James Shaffer "Munky". Two years before the show, guitarist Brian Welch "Head" left the band to focus on his Christian strengthening, and drummer David Silveria left the band that year to focus on other interests. So the three members decided to perform an unplugged performance and to make up for the lack of electric guitars and distortions, by incorporating a set of many weird instruments. No joke... there is even a vessel there that consists of a revolving glass bottle, yes you will laugh at us, we have no idea what it's called. We do not even know how to pronounce some of the instruments/tools, so we will write their names and you will look for their pictures on the web... So what did we have there according to Richard Gibbs: “four celli, two basses, two cimbasso, two bass/contrabass trombonists, a saw player, a glass harmonica player, choir bells, and a six-person taiko ensemble” (Photo: MTV Unplugged) Except for "Korn's" three members, all the other musicians wore masks and their faces could not be identified... The variety of instruments and musicians was supposed to make up for the shortage of guitars, bass, and drums but at least in our opinion, it did not happen! The sound was anemic and failed to rise despite Davis' dramatic tone of voice, sometimes sounding like a whole salad of unconnected or synchronized instruments and sometimes sounding empty and meaningless. But... there are also beautiful moments in this album... It opens with the powerful and one of "Korn's" most famous songs, " Blind " which is an example of all the bad things on this album/show, it opens awfully, continues awfully, and ends awfully, what's the point of the Spanish solo in the last part of the song? It was hard for us to understand. The great luck is that the second song is simply stunning, another huge hit called " Freak On A Leash " when the performance is joined by Amy Lee ("Evanescence") and is an amazing addition to the song, the collaboration of the two gives the song a different perspective, pleasant, soft and caressing, great pleasure. The third song on the album, " Falling Away From Me " is a nice sequel but no more than the first song, it has nice parts mostly in the chorus but the verses sound a bit anemic, and there are some moments that Fieldy beats on the bass as if he plays his electric bass and the acoustic screams for mercy. From there they get to the cover of "Radiohead's" song " Creep " and here we are a little divided, it is sometimes intriguing and surprising and sometimes a little boring. Another highlight on the album is "The Cure's" mashup featuring Robert Smith. He and Davis do a mix between " Make Me Bad " and " In Between Days " and it's an amazing combination. Two singers with a very unique vocal styles combine the all-too-familiar sounds of the sink with radiant, simply stunning. (Photo: MTV Unplugged) The album is sealed by " Love Song " which has so much weight, like a lot of "Korn's" songs, only here it sounds unusual and prominent in its charged atmosphere, perhaps because of the absence of the guitars and drums. The album consists of 11 songs, three more songs performed at the show did not enter the album. So contrary to what Benjamin did, here Korn has not been able in our opinion to fully express themselves and despite all the many and varied tools, it feels in many songs the lack or the confusion. Davis undoubtedly holds the show here with his amazing voice, which penetrates and excites in every form and way possible. Listen to the album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On March 4, 1985, "Accept" released one of the great Heavy Metal albums of the 80's and probably also the best of it's career "Metal Heart". After their breakthrough album " Restless and Wild " from 1982 and the best-selling album to date, " Balls to the Wall ", which finally established them as one of the great and influential metal bands of the 1980s, expectations from the German metal giant were very high. The band decided to play it safe and try to deepen their grip on the American market, with an album that on the one hand will preserve its DNA and on the other hand will include more melodic and catchy songs. The combination of honed metal anthems, catchy choruses, and melodic neo-classical solos, did it. "Metal Heart" has become the band's best-known album and one of the greatest in its glorious repertoire. The band arrives on this album with two significant reinforcement players. The first, guitarist Jörg Fischer, who returned to the band after an absence of two years. The second, legendary producer Dieter Dierks who will be in charge of the album's "inviting" and accessible sound. The band remembers that Dieter was a very demanding producer. He forced them to go back and play certain tracks dozens of times in an attempt to capture the right sound he had in mind. In almost every song the band tried different combinations of guitars, microphones and even different strings to achieve the result that Dieter wanted to achieve. It was also the band's first digitally recorded album. The album opens up with the theme song " Metal Heart ". Guitarist and band leader Wolf Hoffmann said the idea for the song and album, was born after reading an article about an attempt to create an artificial heart and the thought that one day everyone would have an "engineered" heart. The song became a classic heavy metal anthem. An amazing epic song, which includes "quotes" from two classic works. Tchaikovsky's first "Slavonic March" in the song's intro and Beethoven's second "Für Elise" on the lead riff and during the solo. Interestingly, the band uses other instruments here, such as Wolf Hoffmann who plays sitar and bassist Peter Baltes who plays on 8-string bass and Moog Taurus. Immediately after comes " Midnight Mover ", which talks about a drug dealer. It is one of the more commercial songs on the album, with catchy riff and powerful singing by Udo Dirkschneider during the verses. It was the first single released from the album and was designed to appeal to the American market, with a timeless and memorable video clip. We continue with the accessible and commercial line with " Up to the Limit ". A sweeping and bouncy song, with an airy and simple riff and with steady and strong bass work by Peter Baltes, that holds the song all together, especially during the verses. " Wrong Is Right " takes us back in time to the old and familiar "Accept", with the fast and powerful double bass drum of Stefan Kaufmann. The guitar collaboration between Jörg Fischer and Wolf Hoffmann is simply amazing and the melodic guitar solo is completely influenced by Ritchie Blackmore , especially in his days of "Rainbow". The song that seals the first side of the album " Screaming for a Love-Bite ", presents the more mainstream side of "Accept". It's probably the most accessible song on the entire album, consisting of simple and catchy riffs. The song was released as the second single from the album. The title of song " Too High to Get It Right ", that opens the other side of the vinyl, simply revelas its content. It documents one of "high pitched" Udo Dirkschneider's vocal moments, and we're talking about him touching particularly high notes. The vocal harmonies and "chorus singing" of all the band members in this song, are noteworthy and it's already become its hallmark. The album continues with high-level honed songs such as the dynamic " Dogs on Leads " with quiet verses and a bursting chorus and the anthem " Living for Tonite ", which is a representative sample of the album's common denominator. Captivating, accessible and overwhelming! The only exception on the album is " Teach Us to Survive ". Without a doubt one of the strangest in the repertoire of "Accept", which was even crowned as a "jazz metal" track. Indeed, the band is having fun here with jazz based on the amazing bass work by Peter Baltes and a high level of playing by all the band members. The ending track " Bound To Fail " also opens up with a classic intro, much like the opening track of the album, thus giving this album a sense of one perfect piece with a beginning and end, that correspond with each other. Despite the more commercially accessible sound and even though we think it's one of the band's better albums, this album sold less well than its predecessor " Balls to the Wall ", in America. Udo Dirkschneider remembers the time of creating the album as one in which the band was at its peak and its members got along really well together. This idyll will turn out to be fragile, as the first cracks in the band's solidarity will soon appear. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Today we will tell you about the musician Jason Newsted... (Photo: Ragnar Singsaas) 1. He was born on March 4, 1963, in Battle Creek Michigan as Jason Curtis Newsted. 2. He grew up in a musical family, his mother was a piano teacher and one of his brothers played the trumpet. 3. The first instrument he played was the guitar. He started playing at the age of nine. 4. He switched to bass guitar only at the age of 14. 5. The bassists who have influenced him the most are Geezer Butler , Steve Harris , Geddy Lee , and Lemmy  Kilmister . 6. The first album he released was "Doomsday for the Deceiver" as part of the band "Flotsam and Jetsam", it was in 1986 and Jason wrote most of the lyrics to the album's songs. (Photo: Last.FM) 7. The fourth song on the album was called "Fade to Black", but it is not a cover version of a song of the same name by "Metallica". 8. By chance "Fade to Black" is also the" Metallica" song that Jason loves the most. 9. After the tragic death of Cliff Burton , "Metallica" auditioned about 50 different bass players, including Les Claypool and David Ellefson. Newsted was recommended to "Metallica" by Metal Blade president Brian Slagel and was the one who was finally accepted into the band in the fall of 1986. 10. Cliff Burton's parents were involved in the decision. They were also part of the press release revealing the new bassist of the band. 11. His first appearance with "Metallica" was on November 6, 1986, in Reseda California. 12. Newsted's first release with "Metallica" was the mini-album "The $ 5.98 E.P .: Garage Days Re-Revisited" . 13. His first full album with "Metallica" was "...And Justice For All" from 1988. 14. During his 14 years with "Metallica", Newsted has played on six of the band's albums: "...And Justice For All" , "Metallica" , "Load" , "Re-Load" , "Garage Inc" and "S&M" . He has performed with it on more than 1,000 shows around the world. 15. Newsted's last appearance with "Metallica" took place on November 30, 2000, during a performance at the VH1 Music Awards. 16. He officially left Metallica on January 17, 2001 . 17. After leaving "Metallica" he focused on his side project - "Echobrain" which also formed the seed of controversy that caused him to leave "Metallica". The band's first album, also named after it, was released in 2002, and later released another EP and a second studio album in which Newsted served as producer. 18. At the same time, Newsted was a member of the Canadian band "Voivod" with whom he released three albums, from the album named after the band from 2003 to the "Infini" album from 2006. 19. With bassist Robert Trujillo joining Metallica , Newsted replaced him as Ozzy Osbourne 's bassist, until the end of the 2003 Ozfest Festival. 20. In 2006 he joined the reality show Rockstar: Supernova , to select the singer for the band of the season of the same name which he formed together with guitarist Gilby Clarke ("Guns") and drummer Tommy Lee ("Motley Crue"). Following the selection of singer Lucas Rossi, the band released one album in 2006. 21. On October 23, 2006, Newsted was injured while trying to grab a bass amp head. The accident caused a tear in his left shoulder and right arm. He underwent a lengthy recovery process during which he began painting. He was later reported to have been addicted to painkillers. 22. In 2009 he entered with "Metallica" into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 23. In October 2009, Newsted joined Tony Iommi , Ian Gillan , Jon Lord , and Nicko McBrain to form the "WhoCares" supergroup. 24. This supergroup released in 2011 the single "Out of my Mind" and later also released a full album to raise funds for the rehabilitation of Armenia, after the earthquake that befell it in the late 1980s. 25. In 2012 he set up his own band called "Newsted". In 2013 the band released an EP as well as an album called "Heavy Metal Music". (Photo: Newsted) 26. Newsted also collaborated with the following ensembles: Sepultura, Unkle, Papa Wheelie, Moss Brothers, Gov't Mule, and more. 27. In 2019, Newsted announced that his doctors had ordered him to stop doing "headbanging" during the shows since he had caused himself neck injuries (whiplash). 28. Jason was known for the background vocals, or rather the background roars in his performances with "Metallica", and ironically among other things in the song "Whiplash". "This is a series of guitar picks that I caught from Jason Newsted himself! These are some shows I've been to since 1992 or so... there's only one pick, the one with the snake, that I got in a direct handshake from Jason when I was at Snake Pit's. Metallica! Club members participated in the raffle, and whoever had a ticket to the show, entered the raffle to get a badge in a domain area on the stage itself! So I got the pick from Jason. " "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On March 4, 1983 "Thin Lizzy" released their 12th album - "Thunder And Lightning". This is the band's last album and also the heaviest album they released during their career. 3 years after the release of this album, Phil Lynott died and closed the door on the possibility that the band would continue to work together and produce new material. The fact that this album is considered the band's heaviest album is mainly due to the inclusion of guitarist John Sykes , who replaced Snowy White, who left the band due to a lack of clarity as to whether the album sessions were aimed at a "Thin Lizzy" album or a Phil Lynott solo album. White believed that if these were sessions for Lynott's solo album, then he should be paid for his contribution as a hired session player. Although most of the material for the album was written before the addition of guitarist John Sykes , his presence is very noticeable in the sound and style of the album. As you may remember, Sykes started his musical career in 1980 in the band "Streetfighter" and after a short time moved to the band "Tygers of PanTang", with which he released two full studio albums and guested on the third. In 1982 he successfully auditioned for the band "Thin Lizzy" and became its lead guitarist alongside Scott Gorham. The joining of John Sykes turned out to be the right decision, which helped the sound of "Thin Lizzy" to be updated to the metal spirit of the time. His guitar playing was heavier than anything previously recorded by the band, with neo-classical influences. Although the band has been based over the years on the trademark of Twin Guitar sound, veteran guitarist Scott Gorham allowed Sykes to play more lead parts, with the entire band inspired by the freshness and innovation of their new recruit, not to mention Sykes' powerful playing. What was very beautiful about the addition of Sykes, was that his performance pushed Gorham to upgrade his playing as well. As it turned out, the guitars of Gorham and Sykes on this album are aggressive and heavy. The riffs and solos are sharp, catchy, and heavy, while "Thin Lizzy" simply reinvents itself, but at the same time preserves its unique sound. Another addition that influenced the sound and style of the album, was related to keyboardist Darren Wharton, who participated in writing many of the songs on the album, including " Some Day She Is Going to Hit Back " and the last single " The Sun Goes Down ", thus contributing to the special style. At times, Wharton's keyboard work contrasts and complements the heavy riffs of the guitars, but adds depth to the songs, as can be heard, among others, in the song " The Holy War ". Besides the twin guitar sound and keyboard influence, this album features Phil Lynott 's excellent bass work and Brian Downey's steady and versatile drumming, which together form the rhythm section so unique to the band's sound. Downey's performance falls into two. On the one hand, the sophisticated and melodic transitions and on the other hand the aggressive and heavy drumming, which together create one of the high points of his career. And of course, it is impossible not to mention Lynott's perfect voice, which knows how to be deep, melodic, or even romantic in love songs, but also furious and powerful when needed. It is interesting to note, that the two heaviest tracks were chosen to be the leading singles from it, each "heavy" in its own way. The first, " Cold Sweat ", which is the only song in which guitarist John Sykes participated in the writing, as he joined the band after most of the album had already been written. The song was written in the studio while the album was being recorded and became the biggest single from it. It is characterized by Sykes' powerful playing and the use of the tapping technique during the solo. It is interesting to note, that quite a few cover versions of this song have been recorded, among them "Megadeth" on the album "Super Collider" from 2013 and "Helloween's" which was released as a b-side to the single "Perfect Gentleman" in 1994. The second, " The Sun Goes Down ". This is the only slow number on the album, a deep and meaningful song. But the quieter it is, the more powerful it is!!! A simply great song written by Phil Lynott and keyboardist Darren Wharton, so it's no surprise that it leans on Lynott's mesmerizing bass playing and Wharton's soaring keyboard atmosphere. And what an amazing and sweeping solo John Sykes tailormade to this song. Pay attention to his crazy playing in the live performance version in the clip below, starting at minute 5:05 of the song. It would be the band's last single ever, and is undoubtedly one of Lynott's finest works. Beyond the two singles we mentioned above, the album is a pure pleasure of classic hard rock and heavy metal. From the opening and theme song of the album " Thunder And Lightning ", which is powerful and furious, and sets the tone for the rest of the album, to " Heart Attack " which leaves us with a taste for more, this album illustrates all the good that this great band has to offer. Despite the heaviness and innovation compared to the band's previous albums, Lynott and his band members managed to maintain their typical playing style. The classic sound of "Thin Lizzy" is well preserved here and it combines melody with fast playing and harmonies produced by the twin guitars. On the other hand, "Lizzy" also shows here a darker, heavier, rougher, and angrier side with darker lyrics. This contrast is maintained even in a love song like " Baby Please Don't Go ". "Thunder And Lightning" was undoubtedly a radical change of direction for the band. It featured a more aggressive and heavier sound that the band had not shown before. It was a risky bet for the band, but "Thin Lizzy" proved that it paid off in a big way. They renewed but did not forget their past and thus produced an album that will be written in the pages of history as an excellent album that was the "swan song" of a wonderful band. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

He's an icon, he started as a dancer but very quickly became the face of one of the biggest bands in the world of electronic music, but he is also an integral part of our world !! (Photo: Andy Sheppard) 1. His full name is Keith Charles Flint, he was born on September 17, 1969 and passed away on March 4, 2019. 2. He was born in Redbridge, London and had an unhappy childhood when his parents regularly quarreled until the moment they separated when he was young. 3. Although he was a brilliant boy, he suffered from dyslexia and was thrown out of school when he was 15 years old. 4. He started working as a "roofer" and at the same time fell in love with music and began practicing it. 5. When we say practicing, we do not mean writing and playing, but dancing. He was very strong in the rave scene that developed in England and was a dancer and DJ in clubs. 6. In 1990, Flint met a DJ named Liam Howlett, the two teamed up and Liam gave Flint a tape containing original pieces he had created. On the tape he engraved the word "Prodigy". 7. Flint loved Liam's music and literally pushed him to create a band in which Liam plays his music and Flint and his friend Leeroy Thornhill dance on stage. 8. The three teamed up with another dancer named MC Maxim Reality and formed the band "The Prodigy". (Photo: Phil Nicholls) 9. In 1992 came out the band's debut album "Experience", the album was a success in the rave and underground clubs in England. 10. In 1994 the band's second album "Music for the Jilted Generation" was released. This is the band's international breakthrough album which was a crazy success. The most interesting thing is that songs from the album were played in electronic music clubs but also in rock and metal clubs. 11. We are sure that many of you that were in the relevant age danced to the sound of the song "No Good (Start the Dance)" in clubs, alongside "Metallica", "Guns", "Nirvana", "Pearl Jam" and more... 12. Starting with the third album "The Fat of the Land" released in 1997, Flint moved to the forefront not only as a dancer but also as a singer. 13. Flint's breakthrough song was “Firestarter,” a crazy song that exploded on every possible radio station and won many broadcasts on MTV. With the looks and sound of a punk rock singer, Flint has become an iconic figure in the music world. 14. Another single that came out of the album and made "waves", was "Breathe", also in which Flint took the singing role alongside background vocals from Maxim Reality. 15. The band has released four more albums "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned"(2004), "Invaders Must Die" (2009), "The Day Is My Enemy"(2015) and "No Tourists" (2018). Apart from the fourth album, Flint sings a number of songs on each of the other albums. (Photo: Mystic Production) 16. In 2002, Flint formed a Punk Rock band called "Flint" with Jim Davies, Kieron Peppe, Rob Holliday, and Tony Howlett. They released one album in 2003 and have performed briefly at a number of festivals. 17. He is a die-hard "two-wheeled" enthusiast. Not only does he ride a professional road motorcycle and even competed in a number of races in England, but he formed a racing team called "Team Traction Control" and competed with it in the "Supersport" League and the British "Superbike" League. 18. In addition he reached an impressive achievement when together with his team rider Ian Hutchinson they won four "Isle of Man TT" races in 2015 and 2016. Anyone who knows these races knows that they are hallucinatory, insanely dangerous and terribly difficult tracks, very few individuals manage to ride these races unharmed and only riders who are semi-god manage to finish them. 19. He was also a well-known "MotoGP" fan and visited quite a few races. He had a track in his yard, where he would ride the fleet of special motorcycles in his possession. 20. In a long period of his life he suffered from depression and consumed drugs and alcohol regularly, they often had negative effects on his life. Despite his delicate and pleasant nature, on stage he was a restrained beast with energies that made the band's performances to something divine. Yes Divine! We experienced one of these on May 29, 2014 at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Center (their fourth and final show in Israel). (Photo: Mirrorpix) 21. On March 4, 2019, Flint was found dead. He hang himself at his home, the police officially announced that he had committed suicide and on March 29, 2019 his funeral took place. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Legendary bassist Chris Squire was one of the founders of the progressive rock band "Yes", and was known for his dynamic and aggressive playing. He used the bass guitar as a solo instrument as opposed to an accompaniment instrument that is part of the rhythm section. (Photo: Richard E. Aaron) Let's tell you 20 important facts about him: 1. He was born on 4 March 1948 in north-west London as Christopher Russell Edward Squire. 2. His initial involvement in music began when he was a child, when he sang in the local church choir. 3. When he was 16 he was suspended from school due to the fact that he grew long hair. The school administration gave him money for a haircut, but he took the money and did not get a haircut, since he has not returned to school. 4. The inspiration to be a musician he got from "the Beatles". 5. During the 1960s Squire was "a friend" of the drug LSD. In one of the cases in which he took the drug, he was hospitalized and recovery lasted several more months. During that time Squire practiced playing his bass guitar, developing his all-too-unique style that influenced many after him. 6. His first band was "the Selfs". It was formed in the early 1960s and played rhythm and blues music. 7. In 1965 he formed another band - "the Syn", a band that operated until 1967 and one of its highlights was the warm up of "The Jimi Hendrix Experience". 8. This band reunited with Squire during the 2000s and released two albums with him - "Original Syn" from 2004 and "Syndestructible" from 2005. 9. He formed the band "Yes" together with the singer Jon Anderson in 1968. 10. They added Peter Banks, Bill Broford and Tony Kay and released their first album in 1969. 11. Squire is the only member of the band to have played on all 21 of their studio albums. 12. He also played an essential and important part in creating the band's melodies and vocal harmonies. 13. Squire began his solo career in 1975 with the excellent album "Fish Out of Water". 14. This album as well as the song "The Fish Schindleria Praematurus" from " Fregile " (1971), earned Squire the nickname "Fish". 15. In 1981, Squire joined the "XYZ" project that included "Led Zeppelin's" Jimmy Page , Squire and Alan White drummer of "Yes". The band recorded several demos, but in the end the project did not last due to the fact that Robert Plant refused to join it. Two of Yes' songs "Mind Drive" and "Can You Imagine?" Born while working on the project. 16. Squire was the one who connected Trevor Rabin to the reunion of the Yes band which started as the band "Cinema" and eventually released the album "90125". 17. Squire has collaborations with a number of artists, the most significant of which is with Steve Hackett - guitarist of "Genesis" who has been featured on some of his albums. Squire's latest recording with the Hackett was released as part of the act's 2015 album - "Wolflight". 18. The two also released in 2012 the amazing album "A Life Within a Day" under the name "Squackett". 19. On May 19, 2015, "Yes" issued a notice stating that Squire was diagnosed with leukemia cancer. On June 27, 2015, Squire passed away at the age of 67. 20. Squire's very unique style of playing, inspired many good bass players and even significantly influenced the way this instrument was perceived by musicians. Among the artists that Squire influenced in his playing are Geddy Lee , Billy Sheehan, Steve Di Giorgio, Steve Harris , Les Claypool, John Myung , Robert DeLeo , John Deacon and more ... "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Evanescence's debut album "Fallen", released on March 4, 2003, is the band's best-selling album to date. They have since released four more albums, the fifth was released in March 2021. It is considered one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, reaching number one on the charts in more than ten countries around the world. A year after its release it gave the band five Grammy nominations and won two categories: Best Hard Rock Performance and Best New Artist. The album was recorded in five different studios across California, with three band members being regulars and the rest of the musicians changing as needed. Amy Lee on vocals and piano, Ben Moody on guitars, and David Hodges on keyboards. The band released four singles from the album, each of which was more successful than the other: "Bring Me to Life", "My Immortal", "Going Under" and "Everybody's Fool". Our language editor, Uri Anavi , shares his feelings about the album. This is an album I really love. As fits the name of the album, it has quite a few songs that can knock you down and even smash you apart. This is the band's debut album and the only one of their albums that I have heard and listen to again and again. It has some of the band's biggest hits alongside lesser-known songs. I got to read a few things behind the scenes of some of the songs and decided... enough, ignore it and focus on my personal interpretation. My feeling is that this band is identified (at least in the country) with the whole “emo” segment, probably because of some of its audience. There's a bit of truth to that, but to me, it's just a good rock band (without going into all sorts of sub-genres). You are more than welcome and feel free to "dive" with me into this wonderful album. (Photo: Evanescence.com) It's not particularly surprising that an album titled "Fallen" opens with a dive down, not to mention a crash. Indeed, the first song on the album, "Going Under" , is a glorious crash and a dive straight into the gut of the album. Already at the opening of the song and the album, there are two of my favorite elements in the band's songs: distortion as sassy and the heavenly voice of the amazing Amy Lee. In this song, there are no assumptions and it gives head already in the opening, according to the "crembo doctrine": start the strongest and slowly increase. Amy's singing in this song is furious and almost "hands-free". It's a song full of an open letter to a toxic person, maybe a spouse. From the very first line ("Now I will tell you what I've done for you") and even more so from the next line ("50 thousand tears I've cried") you can see that it is a song by someone who breaks a fairly long silence, someone who is tired and she decides to take out all the dirty laundry. A toxic relationship is a theme that will appear in other songs on the album. This time the point of view in the song is of someone who does not holds back and put it all out in your face. Accordingly, the melody of the song is steeped in distortion and its sound is as dirty as the above gashing out. A complete discharge of frustration and nerves that have accumulated for a long time. And I ask - is there a better way to open an album? The character in the song goes down, falls, dives crashes, drowns, whatever you want to call it. She takes with her the recipient of things and also the listeners. This is the beginning of the shaky journey that is this album. The second song on the album, "Bring Me to Life" , is one of my band's favorite songs and of course one of its best-known songs. If in the previous song, I mentioned the combination of Amy Lee's angelic voice and the distortion, this time another friend joins, who will have an important part in more songs. This is the piano. A soft piano melody opens the song and after Amy sings the first line and the witch ("How can you see into my eyes like open doors") comes a short distortion outing that is one of my favorites of the songs in general, not just of the band. The softness in the melody lasts a little longer until Amy's singing begins to add shades of musical roughness. In the chorus, the melody is already erupting in all the glory of the distortion. At this point, we also discover a surprising guest - a man's voice. This is Paul McCoy, lead singer of the band "Twelve Stones". Did I say I was going to pretty much ignore things I read about the songs on the album? So here's the place to admit that I would not have known this information without Wikipedia. As David and Lior wrote in the review of Amy Lee (recommend to read as well), the record company that signed the band tried to oblige her to add a full-time male singer. Amy Lee objected (and rightly so - it does not matter regardless of whether she is a great singer who does not need "help" from anyone) and the result was that only this song, which was the first single released from the album, there is also a male singer. Not that he contributes much, most of the singing is done by Amy and that's great. And a little more "spices" from Wikipedia: Amy Lee wrote the song following a social gathering, where she first met an acquaintance of her friends. The first thing that the guy said to her was, "Are you happy?" Of course, that was long before the opening line of Asi Cohen's character in the series "Arranged": "Do you know you have something sad in your eyes?". Amy was surprised that the guy noticed the depression she was trying to hide and following the meeting she wrote the lyrics to the song. The feeling of someone "bringing you to life" is the heart of the song. The speaker in the song has been "asleep" for a long time, perhaps even on the verge of loss. Suddenly someone arrives who "sees into her eyes like open doors." Someone sensitive, who notices that below the surface she is unhappy. It is not a secret that some of us have it and if it is fulfilled it can be a truly wonderful feeling. Happy ending All is well: Amy and that sensitive guy (for real, not like in Dudu Aharon's song) got married and we won a bomb song. One of my favorite songs on the album is "Everybody's Fool" . If in the previous song, I wrote quite a few things I read online, here is just one interesting detail I discovered that I wanted to mention: Amy Lee wrote the song inspired by her little sister's admiration for pop singers and models. Amy sat her sister down for a conversation about the importance of really being yourself. To me, in today's world, this message is becoming more and more relevant, unfortunately. When Amy Lee wrote the song there were no social media or filters on Instagram. We are today surrounded by so much forgery, both from the media and from the people themselves on social media. Before I get completely into the mode of the Prophet of Wrath (or as it is called today - Boomer), I admit that I too carefully choose the images I upload to the web and do not always present the less beautiful aspects of life. Most of us (if not all of us) do it and that's fine, up to a certain level. In the end, real life is not glowing most of the time and is full of challenges and issues that need to be addressed. Blurring and hiding these problems can make them worse and even create more problems. This can be seen in many areas related to people's interactions, like relationships, but also in simple things like food. As the forgery intensifies the importance of the truth diminishes and this is a difficult problem. In the end, people should not hide who they really are and fake a smile and a perfect life just because it does not look good. It has a price that can be very heavy. Depending on the content of the song, the melody gives in to the head properly. The distortion is celebrated here non-stop and it is wonderful. Amy Lee sings here about all those people who hide behind masks (and of course, these are not COVID-19 masks) and think they can fool everyone. The truth is that a mask is a hiding place and in the end, those who hide behind it are the fools. To me, this is a very important message - to be who you really are, even if it is not photographed well and brings a lot of likes. The song "My Immortal" is one of the band's biggest hits, but as I read online it turned out to be the song that Amy had the least love on the album. This is the last time I will refer to the things I read about the song, because in this case, the real "story" behind the lyrics is not something, at least in my eyes. For me, it was always a complex song. It has a situation of parting or perhaps death. The relationship that preceded it was very complex and full of pain, but it also had love. Even after the relationship ends the love (or maybe it's the pain?) Does not completely disappear and is still able to leave scars. In terms of melody, the song is very "clean", as it consists mainly of a soft piano melody combined with Amy's wonderful voice. Did I mention that the piano will play an important role? So here he appears in all his glory. Who else shows her how amazing she is of course Amy, who is just a witch and a heartbreaker in her pure singing. Personally, I prefer the more "dirty" version of the song, the one where the band is involved and towards the end, the guitars and distortion also enter. I think this "outburst" of noise towards the end adds more depth to the song. Pain and beauty blend together in this song in a wonderful way, as sometimes happens in life. One of the most heartbreaking songs on the album is "Tourniquet" . Quite a few songs of the band have morbid elements and a kind of "flirtation" with death. This probably contributed to her being perceived by some people (at least from what I saw in the country) as an "emo" band. Indeed, this whole song is pure pain and a cry for real help. The distortion in the song strikes from the beginning without any mercy and already from the first line you can see what a desperate situation the speaker is in: "I tried to kill the pain but only brought more". The melody in this song is a pure and tumultuous outburst of pain, distress, and fear. The lyrics in the song also reflect exactly the same emotions and if that's not clear enough Amy Lee also screams in the middle of the song: "I want to die". The speaker's distress in the song is so great that she sees no way out other than suicide. After all, she's still trying to see if she's likely to be saved so this song is a call for help, as I wrote. This is not the place to expand on the subject of suicide and loss, but I do want to point out that if a person gets into a situation where he cries out for help just before he commits suicide out of desperation it is worth listening to him. Sometimes it will not help, sometimes it is a false alarm, but sometimes this listening can save a life. As I see it, the end of the song is an open ending and it is unclear if the speaker finally decides to commit suicide. What is certain is that this song is like an arrow straight to the heart and it is not certain that even a tourniquet will be able to stop the bleeding. The song "Imaginary" connects directly to the song before it, first of all musically. The "fade out" of the previous song merges into the opening of this song. Also in terms of words, one can find here an interesting analogy. In both songs the speaker seeks to escape from a reality of pain and suffering, only this time instead of committing suicide she has found another way. This way is an escape to a world of dreams and imagination. "Do not say I lost touch with this raging chaos, your reality" sang Amy Lee (my translation). To me, this is a wonderful sentence. The speaker in the song is well aware of the cruel reality from which she is fleeing. That's why she's running away. She knows very well what lies beyond the world of dreams and imagination she has built for herself so she strives to stay in it and not return to reality. In this song, there is a major role for strings (again - from the end of the previous song) but the guitars also give in the head properly. Our reality is not simple and sometimes even difficult. This desire to escape sometimes to a nicer world is something that is largely shared by all of us. (Photo: Album Cover) How do you finish an album? just like that! If the first song on the album was an opening to the front, the song "Whisper" is a masterpiece of ending an album (and contrary to its name - it doesn't really have whispers in it). The guitars and distortion hit us from the very first second of the song and it's delightful ("Krembo Doctrine" have we already said that?). As in previous songs on the album, this song also has a "flirtation" with death. It is not as unambiguous as in the song "Tourniquet", but very noticeable. The speaker in the song is on the verge. If the whole album was sloping in reference to things like falling, diving, crashing, and other similar terms, this song opens with the sentence: "Catch me as I fall". That is - here too there is an element of fall. The speaker feels she is on the verge of falling out of the world/life. "This truth drives me crazy" sang Amy Lee (again - my translation). We have already talked in previous songs about the difficulty of dealing with reality. Different songs have presented different ways to do this. This time the speaker fights and tries with all her might to face reality, but is not sure she will succeed. She needs help. In terms of content, the song leaves us with no solution, only a call for help. This call is especially present in "Fade Out" at the end of the song when the choir sings in Latin: "Save us from misery, save us from evil." In terms of melody, the song gives head over almost its entire length. There have been ups and downs in intensity throughout the album, but as it opens strongly so does it end. Distortion has a respectable presence (also) in this song and there is also a guitar solo as a saffron. The strings also return here to a significant role and together with the choir he finishes the song and the album. To me, this is one of the best album-ending songs ever, one that on the one hand allows us to come to terms with the end of the album and on the other hand leaves a taste of more. I had the pleasure of writing about this great album. I hope you also enjoyed reading. Listen to the album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On March 4, 2022 "Marillion" released their 19th studio album "An Hour Before It's Dark". This is the band's first studio album in 6 years, since "Fuck Everyone and Run (F E A R)"ת released in September 2016. Similar to the previous album, "An Hour Before It's Dark" was recorded at Peter Gabriel 's "Real World" studios, which also provided the perfect atmosphere for the writing and recording process. Simultaneously with the recording of the album, the band shot a documentary that accompanies the creation process, behind-the-scenes footage about the creation of the album, which includes a performance of the song " Murder Machines ". In November 2021 we got our first taste of the album. The band released " Be Hard On Yourself ", the opening track of the album, which from the first listen proved there is definitely something to look forward to. A "Marillionish" typical track, exciting and complex, divided into three parts and spread over more than 9 minutes. It's interesting to note, that four of the 7 songs on the album, are complex works, each of which is divided into three to five parts. The opening piece " Be Hard On Yourself ", the track " Reprogram The Gene " which was influenced by Covid-19 and end with the question "A Cure For Us?", The musical piece " Sierra Leone " that corresponds with the protest in another band's song - "Gaza" from the album "Sounds That Can't Be Made" and of course " Care ", which seals this excellent and fascinating album. If you ask us, " Care " is perhaps the best of the 4 musical works and we will go even further and claim that it is perhaps among the best tracks of "Marillion" in recent years. A three-part track that begins in the depths of despair before rising and ending with promise and optimism. The second section of the piece "An Hour Before It's Dark", gave the album its name. The band members surpass themselves here. Pete Trewavas shows that he's still one of the best bass players in prog and maybe in general, Steve Rothery 's guitar never ceases to amaze us, especially in the third track "Every Cell". Keyboardist Mark Kelly delivers some of the magical moments and even "plays" with electronic music in the first part of the track, drummer Ian Mosley knows exactly when he needs to resist and be gentle and Hogarth, he is as exciting as ever with a voice that sometimes whispers in your ear and penetrates your bones and in other moments is deep and melts your heart. There is no doubt that this track showcases the band's impressive writing abilities. Despite the melancholy reflected in some of the tracks on the album, "An Hour Before It's Dark" is one of the most optimistic albums in "Marillion"'s career. Yes, they still criticize, protest, and write about not-so-simple topics, but even when they write about Covid-19 it is done in a much more hopeful way, which has led the band to call "An Hour Before It's Dark" their most optimistic album to date. Song List: 01. Be Hard On Yourself i. The Tear In The Big Picture ii. Lust For Luxury iii. You Can Learn 02. Reprogram The Gene i. Invincible ii. Trouble-Free Life iii. A Cure For Us? 03. Only A Kiss (Instrumental) 04. Murder Machines 05. The Crow And The Nightingale 06. Sierra Leone i. Chance In A Million ii. The White Sand iii. The Diamond iv. The Blue Warm Air v. More Than A Treasure 07. Care i. Maintenance Drugs ii. An Hour Before It's Dark iii. Every Call iv. Angels On Earth For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 03.03.1978 In an artist’s life there are moments when everything feels heavy. Moments of crisis. Times when life is painted in darker shades. On January 23, 1977, while touring in support of her second album "Radio Ethiopia", rock singer Patti Smith fell from a high stage in Tampa, Florida. The result was devastating: two cracked vertebrae, broken facial bones, and 22 stitches to close the wounds on her head. Miraculously, she did not break her neck. The tour was abruptly canceled, and Smith was forced into a long recovery. But she refused to surrender. “You decide your fate, whether you will crumble into pieces or gather yourself up and move on,” Smith noted. And she did exactly that. She gathered the pieces, quite literally, joined forces with producer Jimmy Iovine, and a year later released her third album, "Easter", on March 3, 1978. It was an album that reinforced her status as an uncompromising, independent creator, while for the first time also granting her recognition among a broader audience. Iovine, who three years earlier had worked with Bruce Springsteen  on his breakthrough album "Born to Run" as an engineer and mixing supervisor, knew that “The Boss” had a song that could perfectly suit Patti Smith, even though it had been written from a male perspective. Iovine called Springsteen and asked him to give a song to a rock singer he was producing. At the time, Springsteen was nearing the end of a legal battle against his former manager Mike Appel, a dispute that had prevented him from releasing an album for three years. He agreed. The rest, as they say, is history. "Because the Night"  became the first, and ultimately the only major chart hit of a singer who was also a poet, painter, author, and songwriter who challenged social conventions. With that song, she became a defining symbol of female punk rock before such a label even truly existed. Patricia Lee Smith was born on December 30, 1946, at Grant Hospital in Chicago, to Beverly Smith, a former jazz singer, and Grant Smith, a mechanic. She spent most of her childhood in Philadelphia and New Jersey, and at an early age was exposed to the records of Harry Belafonte and Bob Dylan . In 1964, after graduating high school, she gave birth to her first child, whom she placed for adoption, and began studying at Glassboro State College in New Jersey. Three years later, Smith left college and moved to New York. While working at a bookstore she met photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who later became her partner. Smith regarded him as one of the most important and influential figures in her life. He photographed the cover of her debut album "Horses" and contributed images that appeared inside "Easter". In 1969, Smith traveled to Paris with her sister, where she began working in performance art. She later returned to Manhattan and appeared in plays such as Femme Fatale  and in the play "Island" as part of the St. Mark’s Poetry Project. In the early seventies, Smith immersed herself in painting, writing, and performing poetry, until in 1971 she met guitarist Lenny Kaye, who accompanied her on electric guitar at her first poetry performance. In 1973, Kaye and Smith were joined by pianist Richard Sohl, Czech bassist Ivan Kral, and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, completing the lineup that would become the "Patti Smith Group". After signing with Arista Records, Smith released her debut album "Horses", issued under her own name without the band’s name, produced by John Cale. Less than a year later came "Radio Ethiopia", which struggled commercially, in part due to the abrupt cancellation of the tour following her injury. Before recording her third album, Smith understood that Arista expected her to reveal a more accessible side, songs that would speak to the masses and sell records. So she did what a strong-willed artist does in such a moment. She wrote a bold, exposed, confrontational album, touching sacred cows and daring to title the track intended as a single "Rock N Roll Nigger" . Needless to say, it was ultimately not released as a single. "Easter" blends a wide range of musical styles: solid rock in "Till Victory" , classic rock and roll in "25th Floor" , folk in "Ghost Dance" , and spoken word in "Babelogue" . Beyond the apparent provocation of "Rock N Roll Nigger" , she pushes boundaries in "Space Monkey" , which ends with male moans that leave little to the imagination. True to its title, "Easter" is filled with specific biblical and Christian imagery. "Privilege (Set Me Free)"  draws on words from the Book of Psalms, while the closing track "Easter"  evokes Catholic imagery of baptism. "Ghost Dance"  refers to the late 19th-century Native American religious revival movement. Beyond the hit "Because the Night" , which she initially resisted adopting due to her desire to determine her own destiny through her own songs, Smith offers a glimpse into the life of a poet who is a strong woman unafraid to live within emotional complexity. "We Three"  was written about her relationship with keyboardist Allen Lanier of "Blue Öyster Cult", while she was simultaneously drawn to her musician friend Tom Verlaine. The album cover, photographed by Lynn Goldsmith, became part of Smith’s ongoing challenge to the establishment. She appears with visible underarm hair, something that at the time did not conform to the accepted model of feminine beauty, another quiet but powerful rebellion that perfectly fit the spirit of "Easter". For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Is this the most perfect creation in "Metallica's" catalog ???? On March 3, 1986, "Metallica's" third album "Master Of Puppets" was released and is truly a "Master" !!! Before we dive into the depths of this marvelous album, let's first refer to the previous album "Ride The Lightning" , because it can not be ignored when talking about "Master". This album took "Metallica" to the next level in Metal. It has established itself as one of the leading metal bands in the world with a heavy sound, crazy rhythms, strong riffs, classic openings, and precise and sharp techniques. We do not just mention this album because "Master" is the big brother of "Ride". There are lots of similarities between the two and even the structure of the songs and their distribution throughout the album are very similar. Like "Ride", "Master" opens with a very fast-paced intro-acoustic song - " Fight Fire with Fire " versus " Battery ". Then comes along the song, which is also the album's theme song - " Ride the Lightning " vs. " Master of Puppets ”. The fourth song is a powerful and smashing ballad " Fade to Black " Vs. " Welcome Home (Sanitarium) " and there are more similarities, trust us... When the two leading members of "Metallica", Lars Ulrich , and James Hetfield started working on the demos for the album in mid-1985, they wanted to take the "Ride" album to the next level with this one. Produce an upgraded version of the "Ride" album in every possible aspect. In terms of the guitar technique, in terms of the drums, in terms of the lyrics, and the structure of the songs, as if taking "Ride" and making it much better. The two began working on demos for the album and recorded all the songs except " Orion " and " The Thing That Should Not Be ". (Photo: Ross Marino) With six songs and a few more ideas, the members decided to stop everything and get specialized before entering the studio. Lars took classes to improve his accuracy and timing, as well as improve his flexibility and improvisation ability while playing. Kirk Hammett teamed up with his teacher and rabbi Joe Satriani to inspire and hone his technical abilities. Cliff Burton went deeper into classical music, he took history lessons and learned to play classical music which made him process and treat music differently. More polished... sharper... and well-prepared... The members approached none other than our dear Geddy Lee - the legendary bassist/singer/keyboardist of "RUSH", and asked him to take the production role of the album, but since the schedule did not suit the band and Geddy, they decided to drop this option and turned to a man they know so well from their previous album Flemming Rasmussen. (Later Metallica members on the inside cover of the album will thank Geddy and his friends from "Rush"). Fleming complied with the request and flew with Lars to Los Angeles to search for a recording studio. However, after months of searching and experimenting, mostly on the sound of the drums, the two did not find a suitable studio and returned to the studio where they recorded their previous album, Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, Lars' birthplace. The band members were very reluctant to get back to the sleeping bags in the studio in Copenhagen where they slept during the "Ride" recordings, but at least this time they came to the recordings, more financially established, and could afford to stay in hotels. Before recording the songs for the album "Metallica" recorded demos of several covers, including: " The Prince " by "Diamond Head", " The Money Will Roll Right In " by "Fang" and " Green Hell " by the "Misfits". It was a "soundcheck" before the real thing, to test the sound and the quality of the recording in the studio. Some of the covers came out at a later stage in a re-recording at various releases, including the album "Garage Inc" . The covers were recorded and rehearsed and everything sounded great except for Lars's snare, which is a forward-looking sound like the recordings for the album "St. Anger" (I wonder if he already got this ridiculous idea here). Lars was looking for the sound of the special "Black Beauty" snare of the Ludwig drum company, although Lars has always played "Tama". Since "QPrime", the management company of "Metallica", is also the management company of "Def Leppard" and their drummer Rick Allen has exactly the same snare, asked Lars to have the snare sent to him in Copenhagen because he was not present. Rick went through a difficult and famous accident that left him with one arm at the time, so the management company complied with Lars' request and sent him the snare (but Lars eventually managed to find the snare in Copenhagen until it arrived). So now that everything is ready and everyone are happy, we can start recording... (Photo: Ross Halfin) Hetfield had already developed in the previous album an obsession with performing riffs in a strong and precise manner. He always thinks they are not "Tight Enough" so James' recording parts took many hours of rehearsals and uploads of layers upon layers to please his perfectionist aspirations. James said that he had a founding moment in the recordings of the song "Hit the Lights" for the compilation album "Metal Massacre" which was released in 1982 when one guy approached him and asked/commented... "Oh, the rhythms aren't very tight are they? 'Man" From that moment on, James developed an obsession with the matter throughout his life !! While James scorched his strings and hands for long hours, Kirk and Cliff found themselves roaming the streets of Copenhagen, sometimes for 24 hours straight, half-drunk, just to pass the time. Metallica took a short break from recording for a performance at the "Metal Hammer Festival" in Germany and immediately returned to complete three and a half months of recording. They finished recording the six songs of the demo and then the other two songs that as we described, one of them was the " Orion " that Cliff based on Bach's "Come, Sweet Death". Kirk said the song symbolizes Cliff's "Swan Song," in which he wrote the entire middle part of the song and made the band experiment with additional nuances in music. After Cliff's death, James will tattoo on his left arm the notes of the bass section - from the middle of the piece. This piece will also be played at his funeral. The band members did not see the light of day during the entire recording period of the album. The album was recorded in Denmark at night when the band members woke up the next day, it was already dark again. On December 27, 1985, the recordings for the album ended and the finishing phase began... To many, fans and critics alike, this album is considered a moment when "Metallica" surpassed itself and broke creative conventions in the thrash metal world. Through it, they have inspired and legitimized many bands to break through the boundaries of traditional metal and gave more space to diversity and creative expression. If you ask Lars, he generally hates sticking "Metallica" only to the thrash genre, because tracks like " Orion " and " Damage, Inc. " cover a more diverse and broader genre of metal. This album is just perfect from start to finish. Eight tracks distilling pure metallic gold. The album opens with the "epic" and acoustic intro of " Battery " whose softness and delicacy manage to shake us every time again. A slow, melancholy, and melodic section that leads us to be naïve about the massacre. It grows and grows until it just 1:06 minutes it becomes a devastating monster, just as Dr. Bruce Banner the withdrawn and solitary man becomes the Hulk. They are exactly the definition of the first slow and melodic "roller coaster" taking us up the track to the climax, the second fast, crazy, and nervous, just like the fall that comes after the climax. This song was written about Battery Street in San Francisco where many of the clubs Metallica played at the beginning. Then comes the masterpiece, the Everest of the Himalayas, the Olympus of Greek mythology. The theme song is " Master of Puppets ". A dynamic three-piece track that is reminiscent of the complexity and frequent rhythm changes of progressive rock works. Each part of the work takes you to a different place, which is probably meant to describe a different situation in the life of a drug-addicted person, to whom the lyrics also refer. From the heavy and long instrumental opening, through the melodic and quiet section and the thrilling solo of Hetfield to the fast part and the crazy laughter at the end. There's an amazing guitar work by James and Kirk who also share the solos here. By the way, Kirk Hammett testifies that the opening lick of his solo was fully influenced by non-other than Gary Moore . This song has a perfect Down Picking technique, breaks, and quick drops that will inspire many guitarists. It is interesting to note that a piece from the song was sampled by "Anthrax" in their song "I'm The Man". When we first listened to the third track " The Thing That Should Not Be " we thought it would probably sound like a jam session by members of "Led Zeppelin" and "Black Sabbath". This song is based on a story called "Shadow Over Inns mouth" written by H. P. Lovecraft and describes a monstrous creature rising from the sea. We said at the beginning that there are many similarities between "Ride" and "Master", so "Ride" includes " The Call Of Ktulu " which is also based on a story by H. P. Lovecraft. We also mentioned Geddy Lee and the band "Rush", so Kirk noted that one of the riffs in this song was taken from the riff in the song "Jacob's Ladder" taken from the album "Permanent Waves" by the band "Rush". Closes the first side of the vinyl is the ballad " Welcome Home (Sanitarium) " which is influenced by the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Jack Nicholson. The song is told from the perspective of the hospitalized in a mental institution and describes his fear of leaving the place. The lyrics of the song were completely different in the first demos and also James' scale of singing was higher, but he realized that he could not hold the song in such a way so he choose a lower scale for the final version. In addition, the initial version of the song included a bass line in the middle of the song, which would later become the bass section on which " Orion " would be based. The other side of the vinyl opens with " Disposable Heroes " a work reminiscent of the complexity of the theme song. It is a protest song told from the point of view of a soldier who is inevitably sent to the front line and realizes that he is a "puppet on a string" of the ruling regime that sent him to die, for his interests. The song corresponds well with the album cover. The track " Leper Messiah " was influenced by David Bowie 's Ziggy Stardust song in which the duo appears. Here, too, it is an anti-religious protest song, depicting the corruption of the church and the preachers on television. It is interesting to note that Dave Mustaine claimed that he wrote the main riff in the song, but Kirk refuted this in a 2006 interview. Another protest song on the album is " Damage, Inc. " which goes out against the big corporations and industry. The song is also a kind of look of the band inward at how it has become a corporation and is now part of the big machine. After the recordings were done, "Metallica" went on a tour as an opening act for Ozzy Osbourne who brought the band's exposure to an extreme and devout audience that adores metal music and also adores Ozzy. This warm-up also gave Metallica a stamp on the part of the "Prince of Darkness" for being a worthy band in the world of headbanging. (Photo: Ross Halfin) The album, which received no marketing exposure or plays on radio stations, began to grow and grow gradually as it sold 300,000 copies in the first month, 500,000 copies in the first year, and so it continues to sell hundreds of thousands of copies each year and maintain a large sales volume. Just for the sake of emphasis, it stayed 72 weeks on the Billboard charts. This album is surrounded by a dark tragedy that still haunts the band and it is Cliff's death. On September 27, 1986, during the album's European tour, the band was on the bus on its way to a show in Copenhagen when in the Kronoberg County, Sweden area the bus overturned, and Cliff who was sleeping in his booth (replaced Kirk due to a bet) was thrown through the bus window and was crushed by the bus. Metallica who did not want to stop the momentum was looking for a new bassist and after several auditions and a month after Cliff's funeral, they recruited Jason Newsted who was also a big fan of the band. This album holds 8 powerful, poignant, and amazing tracks by a band that put in blood & sweat, and tears and broke the boundaries of the genre, listen to the album on: Spotify , Apple Music Each year, the US Library of Congress selects 25 "culturally and historically significant" recordings. The Chief Librarian, in consultation with the American Council for the Preservation of National Recordings, has been selecting recordings since 2000: this year, 450 pieces of music have already been selected for honorable mention in the Library of Congress. In 2016, Metallica's album: Master Of Puppets was chosen, to enter a place of honor and prestige in the Library of Congress. Fast Forward to June 2020: The song: "Master Of Puppets" by the band Metallica was voted the best song of all time, by the band's fans. There was a bloody battle with the song: "One", but in the end, this immortal conductor was chosen. Two bonus facts: 1. Metallica performs the song "Master Of Puppets", in two versions in the band's live shows: The first version is the full version in which the band plays the song in its entirety. In the second version, the moment arrives in the song in which Hetfield screams !!! MASTER! And only his voice resonates for many seconds and then..... moving to the song Nothing Else Matters, or the song Welcome Home (Sanitarium). 2. Bonus fact about the meaning of the song: Master Of Puppets In 2016, Hetfield just rolled the dice, about the incessant discussion about the meaning of the song, and truth be told, it was t so much renewed for the band's fans, but this time it came from the horse's mouth, during an interview: Hetfield: "The song is mostly about drug use... how drug use causes you to lose control, instead of controlling yourself and your desires, drugs are the ones that control you." In the picture: Hetfield Guitar Pick, which I caught at the Nova Rock Festival, Austria 2006 - Metallica played the album from beginning to end, marking 20 years to the album. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On March 3, 1994, an alarming event that was supposed to raise a red flag, regarding Kurt Cobain 's difficult mental state, had happened. (Photo: Lindsay Brice/Getty Images) Kurt Cobain went into a coma after taking a large amount of Rohypnol (which today is also known as a rape drug). As you may recall, on March 1, 1994, "Nirvana" made their last p erformance in Munich, Germany, and the rest of the European tour that was planned for the band, was canceled due to Kurt's health condition. More about that, read here . Following the cancellation of the tour and Kurt's condition, his wife, Courtney Love , came to Europe and joined her husband, who was in Rome at the time, where he recovered from the bronchitis that had struck him. In an interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine in December 1994, she noted that Cobain was deeply depressed, even before arriving in Italy. He called her from Spain crying and told her that he hates everyone, hates everything and hates life and that is why she immediately got on a plane and met him in Rome. Upon arrival the two spent the night together eating dinner and drinking champagne. The next morning when she woke up around 5:30 a.m., Courtney found Cobain lying on the floor by the bed unconscious and unresponsive, after swallowing an amount of 50 sleeping pills. Kurt was rushed to the hospital and upon arrival all the contents of his stomach was pumped and he regained consciousness a few hours later. (Photo: wordpress.com) Kurt Cobain took his own life about a month after this tragic event, and the question arises as to whether this should not have lit a red light for Courtney and those surrounding him. Could they not have done more to prevent Kurt's suicide? For some reason this incident was not characterized as suicide attempt by the investigators, nor by the doctor who treated him at the hospital. However, Courtney is convinced that it was indeed so. She even claimed that Cobain left a note that read: “Dr Baker says I would have to choose between life and death. I'm choosing death". Interestingly, even Kurt Cobain 's management company holds the opinion that the 3.3.94 incident was not a suicide attempt, even though they do not deny that Cobain left the note in question. Either way, it is certainly not clear how Kurt Cobain was not immediately referred for supportive care or even forced hospitalization, that would prevent what happened about a month later. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website