THE FIRST ALBUM I BOUGHT WAS…
QUEEN - THE GAME [EMI, 1980]
“I bought it because I wanted Another One Bites The Dust. I loved the silver cover. In hindsight, it’s a widely varied album that shows a little bit of everything the band offered to listeners.”
THE ALBUM WITH THE BEST ARTWORK IS…
DANZIG - DANZIG [WARNER, 1988]
“It is a near-perfect execution of the visual identity of the band. For me, Danzig, especially during Misfits, Samhain and Danzig I-4, showed masterclass-level art direction. He married the song and visuals into one character.”
THE ALBUM I WISH I’D MADE IS…
SUN KIL MOON - BENJI [CALDO VERDE, 2014]
“I don’t think I would ever have wanted to make someone else’s record per se but I appreciate the honesty and vulnerability that lives inside this album. He/they were close on other releases, but this one hurts in a different kind of way. Those who know, really know. This is why the release holds such cult status for listeners.”
THE ALBUM I BREAK THE SPEED LIMIT TO IS…
OBITUARY - WORLD DEMISE [ROADRUNNER, 1994]
“A total crusher from beginning to end. When 2:31 into Solid State hits I’d crush any thing in front of me. I’m happy that Obituary are still getting the recognition they deserve.”
A KID ASKS ME WHAT METAL IS, I HAND THEM A COPY OF…
IRON MAIDEN - PIECE OF MIND [EMI, 1983]
“It is an incredible album that has every quality I look for in a golden era heavy metal release. It’s also a great gateway release into that world. In elementary school, I was kicked off the bus for a week and this tape blared in my Walkman every day on the walk to school after that.”
THE ALBUM I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR IS…
WEAR YOUR WOUNDS - WYW [DEATHWISH, 2017]
“Hopefully my most recent work – and ultimately, whatever that will be when the time comes. Being an artist and musician should be an upward trajectory in some way or another. Some records will connect with people more so than others. I am just grateful that I have personally had the opportunity.”
THE ALBUM THAT REMINDS ME OF SCHOOL IS…
CRO-MAGS - BEST WISHES [PROFILE, 1989]
“Arguably their most cohesive album. As a teenager I played my tape of this album to death and still listen to it often. It was a gateway record for me between the metal and hardcore worlds. In middle school and into high school, I think I listened to this more than anything else.”
THE BEST WORKOUT ALBUM IS…
BOLT THROWER - THOSE ONCE LOYAL [METAL BLADE, 2005]
“When I used to spend a lot of time in a Muay Thai gym, there would usually be traditional Thai music playing or some sort of ‘heavy’-styled radio rock. Neither did it for me. Bolt Thrower would, though. It was their last album before taking a self-imposed hiatus from recording, and I can see why in this. It is brilliantly heavy, perfectly played musical war.”
THE ALBUM I WANT PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL IS…
BEACH BOYS - PET SOUNDS [CAPITOL, 1966]
“It is just a beautiful album with an inescapable undercurrent of dark/complex realism. It sounds like life to me.”
THE BEST ALBUM FOR A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE IS…
JOHN HARRISON - DAY OF THE DEAD OST [Saturn Records, 1985]
“It’s my favourite of all zombie-themed films and soundtracks, much of it made by filmmaker/musician John Harrison. It’s strangely uplifting synth death. It is an obvious product of the mid 80s, and for me that is a strength, not a weakness. It was the golden era of the movie genre for me.”
THE WEAR YOUR WOUNDS ALBUM IS OUT NOW VIA DEATHWISH INC. CONVERGE HEADLINE ARCTANGENT FESTIVAL IN AUGUST
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