Saturday Shuffle: Amon Amarth, Sabbath, Metallica, Charlie Daniels, Alice in Chains

From Amon Amarth to Charlie Daniels in two songs. That path creator thingie online has nothing on me.

Amon Amarth, “A Beast Am I.” From the album Surtur Rising (2011). The day always goes better with a little Amon Amarth. I’ve always loved the blend of death metal and very catchy melodies and hooks that Amon Amarth delivers, and “A Beast Am I” has those. It’s like death metal for non-death metal fans.

Black Sabbath, “Lady Evil.” From the album Heaven and Hell (1980). One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite Sabbath albums. Ronnie James Dio brought a completely new sound to the band, and this is a great, straight up,.badass 1970s hard rocker.

Metallica, “Through the Never.” From the album Metallica (1991). So, like a certain segment of Metallica fans, I really disliked this album when it was released. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate it a lot more. Yes, it was a shift in direction, but unlike the two that followed, this is still a really good record. “Through the Never” had one of the few truly thrash riffs on the album.

Charlie Daniels, “Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues.” From the album Homesick Heroes (1988). One of these things is not like the others … Get used to it. That’s my shuffle. This is a good-timing, country rocking, boogie song from the master of the fiddle. It’s an example of Daniels doing what he does best – getting the crowd moving.

Alice in Chains, “Dirt.” From the album Dirt (1992). What can you say about this album? If I had the ability to produce a top 10 albums of all-time list, it would be a serious contender. This warbling, wailing title track admittedly isn’t one of my favorites, but man, listening to it almost makes me sad. I wonder, if circumstances were different, what this band might have been able to produce.