Music N' More

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Brutal Legend

This looks like a metal music lover's dream video game!!!!

-Action-adventure-real time strategy game created by Double Fine Productions, published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

-The game features a character based on Jack Black named Eddie Riggs, who is a roadie transported to a fantasy world inspired by the artwork of heavy metal albums

-The player must defeat enemies while defending the stage

-Quite a few famous metal musicians make their voices known in here, such as: Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Lita Ford (The Runaways), and along with famous celebs

-More than 100 metal songs make an appearance too, so for video game lovers and metal lovers, it's a combination of the best of both worlds. It's a metal music lover's paradise!

Summary
-Centered around a roadie named Eddie Riggs, he is inspired by the heavy metal artwork of metal musicians he listens to. He takes his weapon, his battle axe, a Flying V guitar and must lead the humans against a range of supernatural overlords using his guitar to tap in to the world of music

Gameplay
-There will be interludes where you must play a minigame, which is similar to Guitar Hero, playing a riff on a guitar
-In the game, the player earns "Fire Tribute" from completing missions
-You can also collect songs along the way, by way of finding monuments. You can create setlists from the radio in game, called "The Mouth of Metal"
-In the game, Eddie can use specific groups to his advantage. Like using 'headbangers' to destroy statues. BTW, if you don't know what a 'headbanger' is, it's a nickname for people who go to heavy metal and hard rock concerts. It's a violent shaking of the head back and forth, thus called 'headbanging'
-The game takes place in a mystical world inspired by true heavy metal music. This world is enslaved by Doviculus, voiced by Tim Curry. He is assisted by his glam metal human minion, General Lionwhyte (Rob Halford), whose name is based on band White Lion

-The game style was influenced and inspired by Frank Fazetta, who created a lot of heavy metal album covers
-The main character, Eddie Riggs, was then created as being someone who was half Jack Black and half Glenn Danzig, of the band Danzig

-General Lionwhyte and his minions are based on the whole glam metal look of the 1980s, especially with his long hair that he can use to fly around with

General Lionwhyte (voiced by Rob Halford of Judas Priest)

-There are also filters in here, for excessive gore and excessive profanity, much of it being spoken by Osbourne or Black. You can use these "filters" to bleep out the words
-It was released in Oct. 2009. At the Download Festival in Donington Park, in England, Electronic Arts arranged for 440 fans of Brutal Legend to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of air guitar players, all playing "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead
-The soundtrack features music from 75 different bands, being designed to entice metal lovers. Some of the artists include:

Metal Storm: Slayer
Metal Thrashing Mad: Anthrax
Assault Attack: Michael Schenker Group
Ad Noctis: Rotting Christ
A Serpentine Crave: Bishop of Hexen
Back at the Funny Farm: Motorhead
Am I Evil: Diamond Head
Angel Witch: Angel Witch
Angels Don't Kill: Children of Bodom
Never Say Die: Black Sabbath
Mr. Crowley: Ozzy Osbourne
More Than Meets the Eye: Testament
Mr. Scary: Dokken
Narita: Riot
Battle Angels: Sanctuary
Battle Hymn/One Shot at Glory: Judas Priest
Nightstalker: Cloven Hoof
No Love Lost: Carcass
Believer: Ozzy Osbourne
Oblivion: Mastodon
Betrayal: Lita Ford
Overnight Sensation: FireHouse
Birth of the Hero: Tvangeste
Painkiller: Judas Priest
Blackout: Scorpions
Progenies of the Great Apocalypse: Dimmu Borgir
Blitzkrieg: Deathstars
Pure Evil: Iced Earth
Breadfan: Budgie
Queen of Desire: Ostrogoth
Cathode Ray Sunshine: Dark Tranquility
Queen of the Masquerade: Crimson Glory
Children of the Grave: Black Sabbath
Riding the Storm: Running Wild
Crack the Skye: Mastodon
Rip the System: KMFDM
Cremation: King Diamond
Road Racin': Riot
Cry of the Banshee: Brocas Helm
Rock Bottom: UFO
Rock of Ages: Def Leppard
Dawn of Battle: Manowar
Deadly Sinners: 3 Inches of Blood
Destroy the Orcs: 3 Inches of Blood
Skeleton on Your Shoulder: Coroner
Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck: Prong
Diary of a Madman: Ozzy Osbourne
So Frail: Mirrorthrone
Die for Metal: Manowar
Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery: Skeletonwitch
Dr. Feelgood: Motley Crue
Drink for the Blood of the Priest: Brocas Helm
Stigmata: Ministry
Fast as a Shark: Accept
Still of the Night: Whitesnake
For the Glory Of...: Testament
Sulphur Injection: Apostasy
Free Your Hate: KMFDM
Superbeast: Rob Zombie
Swords and Tequila: Riot
Frost: Enslaved
Girlfriend: Kabbage Boy
Symptom of the Universe: Black Sabbath
God of Thunder: Kiss
Tag Team: Anvil
Goliaths Disarm Their Davids: In Flames
Technical Difficulties: Racer X
Hall of the Mountain King: Savatage
The Axeman: Omen
Her Ghost in the Fog: Cradle of Filth
The Beautiful People: Marilyn Manson
High Speed Dirt: Megadeth
The Hellion/Electric Eye: Judas Priest
Holiday: Scorpions
The Metal: Tenacious D
The Somber Grounds of Truth: Bishop of Hexen
Igniisis Dance: Wrath of Killenstein
In the Black: Motorhead
Insomnia: Dark Fortress
The Wild and Young: Quiet Riot
Thieves: Ministry
Kickstart My Heart: Motley Crue
Through the Fire and Flames: DragonForce
Lay It Down: Ratt
Thus Spake the Nightspirit: Emperor
Leather Rebel: Judas Priest
Tornado of Souls: Megadeth
Live Wire: Motley Crue
Warriors Dawn: Slough Feg
Loke: Enslaved
(We are) The Road Crew: Motorhead
Love Dump: Static X
Welcome Home: King Diamond
Machine Gun Eddie: Nitro
Wheels of Steel: Saxon
March of the Crabs: Anvil
When the Night Falls: Iced Earth
Marching Off to War: Motorhead
Witches: Candlemass
Master Exploder: Tenacious D
World of Hurt: Overkill
Murmaider: Dethklok
Y.R.O: Racer X
Metal Church: Metal Church
Youth Gone Wild: Skid Row
Zoom Club: Budgie

Characters
Eddie Riggs
-Declares himself the "world's best roadie" for the world's worst heavy metal band, Kabbage Boy

General Lionwyte

-Voiced by: Rob Halford

-The glam metal human assistant to Doviculus, the overlord

Lars Halford
-Voiced by: Zach Hanks

Lita Halford

-Voiced by: Kath Soucie

Ophelia
-Voiced by: Jennifer Hale

Mangus

-Voiced by: Alex Hernandez

-He's their stage manager

Kill Master

-Voiced by: Lemmy Kilmister

-He's the bass playing healer

Fire Baron
-Voiced by: Rob Halford, also the look is modeled after him too

Amazonian Rima

-Voiced by: Lita Ford, modeled heavily on the KISS characters

Guardian of Metal
-Voiced by: Ozzy Osbourne
-He can upgrade Eddie's equipment and helps Eddie along the way

Ian Hill

Birth name: Ian Frank Hill
DOB: 1/20/1951
Where: West Bromwich, England

Trivia
-Bass player for Judas Priest
-Is the sole consistent member of the band following the departure of K.K. Downing
-Known for melodic guitar parts
-During the early years of the band, he played guitar with a "finger picking" style, but later moved to using picks, to make it sound more intense, to "add attack" in his words

Dave Holland

Birth name: David Holland
DOB: 4/5/1948
Where: Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England

Trivia
-Served as drummer for Judas Priest from 1979-1989
-Served time in prison for the attempted rape of a 17 year old mentally ill boy. This led to one charge of attempted rape and five counts of indecent assault of a teenaged boy while he was taking drum lessons at Holland's house
-Previously played in a band called Trapeze from 1969-1979
-Was replaced by Scott Travis
-Revealed he is bisexual
-During his time in prison for rape, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi replaced Holland's drum parts on the 1996 DEP Sessions because he did not want a convicted sex offender on his album

Richie Faulkner

Birth name: Richard Ian Faulkner
DOB: 1/1/1980
Where: London, England

Trivia
-In Oct. 2011, was voted successor to K.K. Downing in Judas Priest
-Is probably the youngest member at age 33
-His first show with Judas Priest was on May 25, 2011, on American Idol, where they played "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" with James Durbin

Glenn Tipton

Birth name: Glenn Raymond Tipton
DOB: 10/25/1947
Where: Blackheath, England

Trivia
-Guitarist and keyboard player for Judas Priest
-Learned to play guitar at age 19, starting with a Rickebacker and moving on to a Fender Stratocaster
-Joined Judas Priest during the recording of their RockaRolla album
-Is said to be one of the most underrated guitarists around

Scott Travis

DOB: 9/6/1961
Where: Norfolk, Virginia

Trivia
-Always dreamed of being the drummer for Judas Priest
-Was in a local band called Hampton Roads during the 1980s
-Is the current drummer for British metal band Judas Priest and American metal band Racer X

K.K. Downing

Birth name: Kenneth Downing
DOB: 10/27/1951
Where: West Bromwich, England

Trivia
-Founding member of British heavy metal band Judas Priest
-Dropped out of school when he was 16
-Was heavily inspired by Jimi Hendrix and his guitar playing style
-Prior to joining Judas Priest, he went to a catering school and worked as a trainee chef at the Lyttelton Arms in Hagley
-Is noted for his aggressive, rock-inspired guitar solos, and dual lead guitar with fellow Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton
-In the early years of Judas Priest, he made use of the wah-wah pedal, which is a device that can be used on a guitar to alter sound effects and sometimes imitate the human voice
-Retired from Judas Priest on April 20, 2011. He decided to focus on golf, which he enjoyed. And in addition to that, he and Glenn Tipton took up golf as an alternative to tennis when, back in the 1980s, they were challenged by Rick Savage and Joe Elliot of Def Leppard

Friday, July 5, 2013

Rob Halford

Birth name: Robert John Arthur Halford
DOB: 8/25/1951
Where: Walsall, Staffordshire, England
Height: 6'
Nickname: Metal God

Trademark

-Tattoos on back of his head

-Leather and metal studded clothes

-His high vocal range

-His shaved head

-His goatee

-His ever present sunglasses

-He rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle onto the stage

Trivia
-Lead singer of British heavy metal band Judas Priest

Right here, he looks like someone you would not want to cross or have mad at you...

-Left Judas Priest in 1991 and rejoined in 2003 after a 12 year break
-Shares a birthday with Gene Simmons of Kiss and Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard
-Lives in Phoenix, Arizona, but owns a house in San Diego and his hometown of Walsall
-His sister Sue was married to Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill from 1976-1984, making Hill and Halford ex-brothers in law
-Even though he owns classic cars, he did not pass his driving test until he was 38 years old
-In 1998, came out of the closet as being gay. He said hiding his sexuality was causing him to abuse drugs and alcohol to deal with the depression of it
-Provides the voice of General Lionwhyte in Brutal Legend

Personal Quotes
-There's two kinds of music - heavy metal and all the crap they play on radio and show on MTV.
-My iPod is with me wherever I go. My iPod is all over the place - it's got Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Wagner, and then it goes into Slayer, Emperor, everything by Sabbath, everything by Queen, Tool, Pantera. I could just go on and on. I'm just a chameleon when it comes to music - all kind of music touch my senses.

Judas Priest

These guys rule the world of metal!!!!!!! They're my #1 fave metal band!

Judas Priest

This is the picture they use on the front of their Essential Judas Priest album. I know that 'cuz I got it :D. Only it's in black and white

Origin: Birmingham, England
Genres: Heavy metal, speed metal
Years Active: 1969-present
Website: http://www.judaspriest.com/

-Formed in Birmingham in 1969
-They are very well known for twin lead guitars, high vocal ranges from Rob Halford, their lead singer, and introducing the leather and studs S&M look into heavy metal
-In 1989, they were pulled into court, being told that their song "Better By You, Better Than Me" off their Stained Class album had subliminal messages urging two guys to kill themselves
-Current lineup consists of Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Richie Faulkner, Ian Hill, Scott Travis
-Their most successful lineup was in 1982, the year their most successful album, Screaming for Vengeance, came out. Then it was Rob Halford (vocals) Glenn Tipton (guitar), K.K. Downing (guitar), Ian Hill (bass), Dave Holland (drums)
-The band has inspired in many ways sub genres of metal, including power metal and thrash metal

Members
Rob Halford

Ian Hill

Glenn Tipton

Scott Travis

Richie Faulkner

Former Members
Al Atkins
K.K. Downing
Dave Holland
Tim "Ripper" Owens
Les Binks
John Hinch
Alan Moore
John Ellis

History
-K.K. Downing, John Ellis and Ian Hill all knew each other growing up in England. They shared similar musical tastes (Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Who, The Yardbirds). They officially started in Oct. 1970, and got the name from a Bob Dylan song called "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest"
-Al Atkins came and joined the trio, who were playing as the power trio Freight. Atkins asked to be the lead singer. He the suggested changing the name to Judas Priest. The original group formed in 1969, and like most British bands, they started out playing blues. With Downing acting as the unofficial leader, he made a decision they should start playing hard rock
-They started opening for bands like Thin Lizzy, Budgie, Trapeze. Due to financial difficulties and problems with their management, Tony Iommi's company, IMA, this led to Alan Atkins and drummer Alan Moore to quitting
-At the time, bass player Ian Hill was dating a woman named Susan Halford, who suggested her brother Rob as a singer replacement. He joined, bringing John Hinch from his previous band Hiroshima

Rocka Rolla (1974-1975)
-Before the band was due to record their first album, it was suggested they bring in another musician. Glenn Tipton was suggested to play horn or keyboard, but instead went to guitar. In August 1974, they wrote their first album, RockaRolla

Sad Wings of Destiny (1975-1977)
-During Nov. and Dec. 1975, they worked on their next album. They played the songs on this album at the 1975 Reading Festival to help raise interest in the band. This album includes a lot of fan favorites, including "Victim of Changes"

Les Binks (1977-1979)
-During this period, the band took on their now famous leather and studs look, inspired by Rob Halford going into a London S&M shop
-In 1978, they recorded Stained Class and Killing Machine, which was released as Hell Bent for Leather in the US
-This is when Les Binks entered the band and with his skills, he added a better edge to the band's already strong heavy metal sound

Main Success (1979-1991)
-Les Binks quit because of the direction the band was going in and was replaced by Dave Holland
-In 1980, they released British Steel, where the songs were shorter, but had the general heavy metal feel. This album included awesome tracks like "Breaking the Law" "Living After Midnight"
-Their 1982 Screaming for Vengeance album ended up being the most successful

-On July 13, 1985, Judas Priest played Live Aid, along with Black Sabbath

-In 1990, they released their Painkiller album. This is also when they started using a new drummer, Scott Travis. And this is when the Judas Priest shows became what they are known for today. Rob Halford started riding out onto the stage on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, dressed in motorcycle leathers and sunglasses. At a show in Toronto in August 1991, he was severely injured when he collided with a drum riser hidden behind clouds of dry ice. The show was delayed, but being the strong man he is, he finished the show then went to the hospital

-During the summer of 1990, the band was involved in a legal suit, alleging they were responsible for the self-inflicted deaths of 20 year old James Vance and 18 year old Raymond Belknap in Spark, Nevada. The two had shot themselves, after hours of drinking beer, smoking marijuana and listening to Judas Priest. They went to a church playground, bringing a 12 gauge shotgun along, and shot their lives away. Belknap died instantly after placing the shotgun under his chin. Vance shot himself, but survived. He died three years later. The parents of the men sued the band, saying there were subliminal messages of "do it" in their song "Better By You, Better Than Me" from the Stained Class album

-After the 1991 Painkiller album, Halford left the band
-In 1998, in an interview on MTV, Halford revealed he was homosexual. But, it was next to nothing of a shocker to the fans or his band mates, who were openly supportive of him, but were reluctant to let him come out about it to protect the image of him and the band

-In 1996, Tim "Ripper" Owens, who was in a Judas Priest tribute band called British Steel, was brought in as singer. They released two albums with Owens as singer, Jugulator and Demolition. Jugulator contains the awesome track "Cathedral Spires"

Reunion (2003-2006)
-After increasing demands to reunite, Rob Halford and Judas Priest reunited in July 2003

VH1 Rock Honors
-Along with Queen, Kiss, Def Leppard, Judas Priest were inducted at the VH1 Rock Honors. It took place on May 25, 2006, in Las Vegas. They performed "Breaking the Law" "You Got Another Thing Coming" while before them heavy metal band Godsmack played a medley of their songs, such as "Hell Bent for Leather" "Electric Eye" and "Victim of Changes"

Nostradamus (2006-2010)
-In June 2008, they released their concept album Nostradamus
-In February 2009, they spoke out against ticket scalpers. They urged their fans to buy tickets from official sources so that they can actually see the show for what it's worth, not above face value that the scalpers want

Epitaph World and Downing's Retirement (2010-present)
-On Dec. 7, 2010, the band announced they were working on new material.

In Video Games
-In the 2000s, their music has made an appearance in virtually every game that has come out. In the 2001 game Grand Turismo 3: A-Spec, "Turbo Lover" was featured. In the 2006 Xbox game Prey, 2005 PS2 games Guitar Hero and RoadKill, "You Got Another Thing Coming" was featured
-Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s features "Electric Eye", Scarface: The World is Yours features "Breaking the Law", Rock Band 2 features "Painkiller", which is the hardest song across all the instruments in the game, Guitar Hero: Metallica features "Hell Bent for Leather"

Influence
-Judas Priest has been the main inspiration for virtually every metal band out there since the late 70s. According to VH1, they were voted the 2nd Greatest Metal Band after fellow Birmingham-based band Black Sabbath
-These guys are revolutionaries in fashion as well. Rob Halford introduced the masculine image of what is today known as the hardcore metal/biker/S&M look. Specifically bands of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) started adopting this look. And they even inspired early black metal, which is extremely hardcore metal with fast tempos.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

July Birthdays

Since it's July, here's a big Happy Birthday wish to the following people. YAY! Slash's birthday is this month, man he's so cute!! With him being black and English, it's no wonder he's good looking, lol!

Liv Tyler
-DOB: 7/1/1977
-Where: New York City, New York
-Her half-sister Mia Tyler is a model for Lane Bryant

Vin Diesel
-DOB: 7/18/1967
-Where: New York City, New York
-Worked as a bouncer for nightclubs before going into acting

Sylvester Stallone
-DOB: 7/6/1946
-Where: New York City, New York
-At age 15, his class voted him "Most Likely to End Up in the Electric Chair"

Geddy Lee
-DOB: 7/29/1953
-Where: Toronto, Canada
-Is the son of Jewish refugees from Poland

Dean Cain
-DOB: 7/31/1966
-Where: Mt. Clemens, Michigan
-Is 1/4 Japanese and his birth name, Tanaka, is tattooed in Japanese on his ankle

Ringo Starr
-DOB: 7/7/1940
-Where: Liverpool, England
-Got his name "Ringo Starr" from the fact he likes to wear rings and "Starr" being a shortened version of his real name, Starkey

Slash
-DOB: 7/23/1965
-Where: Hampstead, London, England
-Is both black and British. His mother is black and his dad is white and English born

Wow, he's hot!

Eric Carr
-DOB: 7/12/1950
-Where: Brooklyn, New York
-DOD: 11/24/1991
-Where: New York City, New York (cancer)
-The Kiss Revenge album is dedicated to him

Jean Reno
-DOB: 7/30/1948
-Where: Casablanca, Morocco
-Due to his tall figure, he has played mostly villains or big brutes

Ronnie James Dio
-DOB: 7/10/1942
-Where: Portsmouth. New Hampshire
-DOD: 5/16/2010
-Where: Los Angeles, California (complications from stomach cancer)
-Introduced the so-called "Metal Horns" gesture by extending the index and pinky finger with the middle and other fingers under the thumb. He says it was inspired by his Italian grandmother warding off evil spirits. This gesture is the international symbol for heavy metal and hard rock and is seen at concerts for these 2 genres of music

Helen Mirren
-DOB: 7/26/1945
-Where: Chiswick, London, England
-The longest she has ever gone with out an Oscar is 7 years

J.K. Rowling
-DOB: 7/31/1965
-Where: Gloucestershire, England
-Raised in Yate, near Bristol, which is a few miles south of a town called Dursley, like the name of Harry's non-magical family

Wesley Snipes
-DOB: 7/31/1962
-Where: Orlando, Florida
-Is a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan karate

Daniel Radcliffe
-DOB: 7/23/1989
-Where: Fulham, London, England
-Is a big fan of pranks. When he was 10, he took co-star Robbie Coltrane's phone and changed it so the messages he got were all in Turkish