I've only been to a Megadeth show once... but it was awesome! 2008 in Atlanta.
There was a group of guys near me who were only there to see the opener. Near the end, I overheard one of them say "man I didn't know Megadeth could rock that hard".
High on Fire is the band I've seen the most of bands I've never planned on seeing—somehow I just end up seeing them. Great general write-up on them, and totally appreciate the review. Creepy but disappointing AI video aside, the first single piqued my interests that they were slowing down to the core that made me like 'Art of Self Defense' so much when it was first released; understanding this isn't just a one-off song, and more of a fundamental shift has got me ready to hear the whole thing.
I have no interest in metal, but always enjoy your overviews of metal bands discographies. Love this line, “There are songs about smoking weed, driving muscle cars, riding motorcycles, beating people up, battlefield carnage, and Egyptian mythology. Which makes me happy, because those are all things I can ignore and focus on the music”
Hey Phil…excellent essay about a very good band. I’d only quibble about the vibe at eOne when HOF joined the roster. It was the least corporate place you could imagine—raucous and fun with a great group of people and a pleasure to come to work there every day. (Can’t speak for the MNRK vibe as I decamped for Sony before the sale and rebrand.) Anyway I was doing Jazz, Classical, and assorted other stuff, and Scott Givens, Metal Guru Supreme, came to me one day and said, you’re going to like these guys. He was right. I’m far from a Metal head, but all these years later, I remain a fan, much to my wife’s chagrin lol. Cheers
Personally, I was shocked and outraged to learn that the guy who wrote one of his best songs about routinely skipping high school to do acid was NOT also one of our nation's premier dialectical and historical materialists.
In all seriousness, re: your comments about the Kurt Ballou era, I'll have to revisit "De Vermis Mysteriis." I remember it as being possibly their best album, but it could just be that I think it has their best production sound and "Madness of an Architect" has my second favorite High On Fire riff. But definitely treading more since then and "Electric Messiah" didn't do anything for me.
Like you, this new album hit the spot for me. As I told my friend: Is High On Fire just plagiarizing themselves at this point? ...... Possibly....? Is it still good? Yes.
What sweeter outcome is there for a metal band? Deliverin' the goods.
"Megadeth four times"
I've only been to a Megadeth show once... but it was awesome! 2008 in Atlanta.
There was a group of guys near me who were only there to see the opener. Near the end, I overheard one of them say "man I didn't know Megadeth could rock that hard".
Well, it's MEGADETH...
High on Fire is the band I've seen the most of bands I've never planned on seeing—somehow I just end up seeing them. Great general write-up on them, and totally appreciate the review. Creepy but disappointing AI video aside, the first single piqued my interests that they were slowing down to the core that made me like 'Art of Self Defense' so much when it was first released; understanding this isn't just a one-off song, and more of a fundamental shift has got me ready to hear the whole thing.
I have no interest in metal, but always enjoy your overviews of metal bands discographies. Love this line, “There are songs about smoking weed, driving muscle cars, riding motorcycles, beating people up, battlefield carnage, and Egyptian mythology. Which makes me happy, because those are all things I can ignore and focus on the music”
Hey Phil…excellent essay about a very good band. I’d only quibble about the vibe at eOne when HOF joined the roster. It was the least corporate place you could imagine—raucous and fun with a great group of people and a pleasure to come to work there every day. (Can’t speak for the MNRK vibe as I decamped for Sony before the sale and rebrand.) Anyway I was doing Jazz, Classical, and assorted other stuff, and Scott Givens, Metal Guru Supreme, came to me one day and said, you’re going to like these guys. He was right. I’m far from a Metal head, but all these years later, I remain a fan, much to my wife’s chagrin lol. Cheers
That does sound like fun. I used to see Bill Meis a lot at shows when I worked for Roadrunner (did web content for them from 2011-2014).
I had the most fun and made the least money at Koch/eOne than anywhere else in my long and checkered career. I miss all those folks. Cheers!
Personally, I was shocked and outraged to learn that the guy who wrote one of his best songs about routinely skipping high school to do acid was NOT also one of our nation's premier dialectical and historical materialists.
In all seriousness, re: your comments about the Kurt Ballou era, I'll have to revisit "De Vermis Mysteriis." I remember it as being possibly their best album, but it could just be that I think it has their best production sound and "Madness of an Architect" has my second favorite High On Fire riff. But definitely treading more since then and "Electric Messiah" didn't do anything for me.
Like you, this new album hit the spot for me. As I told my friend: Is High On Fire just plagiarizing themselves at this point? ...... Possibly....? Is it still good? Yes.
What sweeter outcome is there for a metal band? Deliverin' the goods.