The thrashing opening riff of Alice Cooper’s Brutal Planetannounces immediately that this record is going to be a little different. The record, which is essentially a morality play, is darker and bleaker with less of Cooper’s trademark black humor, though it does creep in on songs like “It’s the Little Things.”
It’s a heavier record musically, easily Alice’s most metallic, and the themes that he tackles in the songs are heavier as well. It was part of a trio of heavier records, ending with 2001’s Dragontown, after which he returned to his garage rock roots.
A glance at the cheesy, amateurish cover of Halford’s IV: Made of Metal, likely wouldn’t inspire metal fans to give it a second glance if not for the fact that it bears the Metal God’s name. Luckily for the legendary screamer, it’s not what’s on the cover, but what’s under the hood, and Rob Halford’s latest effort with his solo band has the power where it counts.
That’s not to say that there’s not plenty of cheese factor to the music, too. The chorus of the title track is practically made out of aged cheddar. It’s silly and campy, particularly at the beginning with the quintessentially 1980s synthesizer. But it’s a tasty variety of cheese. I dare you to listen to it a couple of times and then get it out of your head. It’s insidious in the same way as the theme songs of the kids’ shows my son watches on TV.
While hard rock and metal outfits have generally been more associated with Halloween than Christmas, the last 10 or 15 years have seen quite a few rockers getting into the Christmas spirit. In truth, the results haven’t always been that great, but the efforts have brought a few gems.
I’ve also tossed out Trans-Siberian Orchestra, since the entire 10-song list could be made up of their stuff. (I am however particularly fond of their version of “A Mad Russian’s Christmas” and the jazzy “Christmas Nights in Blue,” which I highly recommend.)
So, here’s the list of 10 songs I’ve come up with. Feel free to add your own.
10. “Deck the Halls,” Ted Nugent. From the second volume in the “Merry Axemas” series, this song is delivered in typical, in-your-face Nuge style. It plays a bit like a cross between the traditional song and “Free-for-All.”
9. “Run Rudolph Run,” Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons, Dave Grohl. Chuck Berry’s version of this song is one of my favorite holiday tunes, and, from Brian Setzer to Lynyrd Skynyrd, I’ve never heard a version I didn’t like. The combination of three most unlikely musicians on this version easily puts it on my list.
8. “Blue Christmas,” Joe Perry. The Aerosmith guitarists twangy take on the Elvis classic is one of the more memorable moments of the first “Merry Axemas” collection.
7. “We Three Kings,” Halford. This song is easily the strongest moment on Rob Halford’s “Winter Songs” record. It’s an upbeat, rocking version of the song with an undeniable melody courtesy of the original.
5. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” Gary Hoey. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” has always been one of my favorite holiday stories, and the Thurl Ravenscroft original one of my favorite songs. Hoey’s instrumental version really puts the mean into it, though.
3. “White Christmas,” Zakk Wylde. The flashy guitar hero Wylde has always been a very underrated acoustic player, and this earthy version of the song is one of his better soft moments.
2. “God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen,” Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Rudy Sarzo, Simon Wright. It took Dio until his mid-60s to be convinced to do a Christmas song by his wife, and it was worth the wait. He and Iommi deliver a dark, dirge-like version of the song suitable for any Black Sabbath record, but retain the reverence of the original.
1. “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24),” Savatage. I said I wouldn’t include Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and I didn’t … technically. The song was recorded by Savatage for their “Dead Winter Dead” record, a year before Savatage producer Paul O’Neill and frontman Jon Oliva repurposed it for TSO’s debut record “Christmas Eve and Other Stories.” In my mind, it’s the ultimate Christmas tune recorded by a metal band.
Yes, that Rob Halford. The leather-clad screaming frontman of Judas Priest. Let’s just say that the third record with his eponymous Halford side project, “Winter Songs,” is … well, just a little different from the first two.
It doesn’t start out that way. The first single and opening track “Get Into the Spirit” is very much in the vein of Halford. There are, perhaps, some holiday-flavored lyrics, but the song is a roaring metal tune with Halford showing off his upper ranges, as usual. It’s not a bad song, but not very Christmassy either. From there, we get a mix of classic carols and original numbers that do ring a little more of the season.
One of the better songs on the record is the cover of “We Three Kings.” It’s an upbeat and rocking take on the song with just a little bit of the mystical. It’s by far my favorite on the record and is the only one here that will make my top 10 list of the best hard-rocking Christmas songs (coming tomorrow). But there are some almost equally entertaining numbers. “Oh Come, O Come Emanuel” features a nice, galloping guitar riff, but doesn’t work quite as well as “We Three Kings.” “Christmas for Everyone” and “I Don’t Care” are interesting in their old-school 1970s hard rock feel. The first reminds me a bit of classic Alice Cooper, without the creepiness, the second is less of a Christmas song and more of a rock ‘n’ roll song that just happens to be set around Christmas. Both are a lot of fun.
Halford also shows a surprisingly soft side on this record. He gives a very traditional treatment to “What Child is This?” It’s actually quite impressive and shows there’s more to Halford than a high-pitched howl. “Light of the World” shows off some Beatles-esque atmospherics in the softer moments, and the title track is a piano ballad with some Led Zeppelin overtones. It’s a really strange place for Halford. Sometimes it works (“What Child is This?”), sometimes not so much (“Winter Song”).
Of the remaining two songs, “Oh Holy Night,” is the better. It takes the traditional melody of the song and lays some crunchy rock guitars beneath it. It reminds me of something that Trans-Siberian Orchestra might do with the song. The album ends with a rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful” which is way over-the-top and melodramatic, but at the same time very much in line with the traditional version.
I’m a collector of off-the-wall Christmas records, and I’ve got some pretty gnarly ones, but this one might be the strangest pairing of music and musician there. (Well, there is the death metal version of “Silent Night” by members of Testament and Anthrax, but that’s in its own league of weirdness.) Still, Halford does a surprisingly good job with it. I certainly don’t think this record is destined for the Bing Crosby treatment, with families listening to it by the fireplace on Christmas eve, but beyond the squealing opening track, it’s a respectable effort.
A glance at the cheesy, amateurish cover of Halford’s IV: Made of Metal, likely wouldn’t inspire metal fans to give it a second glance if not for the fact that it bears the Metal God’s name. Luckily for the legendary screamer, it’s not what’s on the cover, but what’s under the hood, and Rob Halford’s latest effort with his solo band has the power where it counts.
While hard rock and metal outfits have generally been more associated with Halloween than Christmas, the last 10 or 15 years have seen quite a few rockers getting into the Christmas spirit. In truth, the results haven’t always been that great, but the efforts have brought a few gems.
A Christmas record from Rob Halford?
