To celebrate the release of the 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Human Clay, Creed are releasing a brand new music video for the album opener, “Are You Ready?”.
The live performance music video was filmed over the first week of the band’s sold out “Summer Of ‘99” tour that is currently running through North America. Creed – comprised of Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips – has been playing to capacity audiences, selling over 700,000 tickets, since the tour kicked off on July 17.
Directed by Dan Sturgess, the video for “Are You Ready?” captures the band’s triumphant return to the stage after 12 years and can be seen below:
In September 1999, Creed – a rising rock band from Tallahassee, FL – released their sophomore album, Human Clay. Full of anthemic hits, including “Higher,” “What If,” “Are You Ready?,” and the Grammy-winning “With Arms Wide Open,” Human Clay propelled Creed (Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips) to the top of the Billboard charts, going on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Now available everywhere, the deluxe edition (2CD and digital) features the newly remastered original album, plus a wealth of bonus material, including a complete, never-before-heard concert recording, captured in San Antonio, Texas in 1999. The digital edition of the album offers six additional bonus tracks, including alternate versions of “Higher” and “With Arms Wide Open,” and a cover of the Doors classic “Roadhouse Blues” featuring the Doors guitarist and founding member, Robby Krieger (recorded live at Woodstock ’99). The original album can also be found on various limited edition colour pressings.
Released in September 1999, Human Clay cemented Creed as certified superstars, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200, where it remained for a record-breaking 104 weeks. The album’s first single, “Higher,” spent a whopping 57 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No.7, and topping the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts for 17 weeks. The 2x Platinum single “With Arms Wide Open,” became Creed’s first No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100—a spot it held for four weeks – and earned the band a Grammy for Best Rock Song and a nod for Best Rock Vocal Performance.
Human Clay has sold over 11 million copies in the US alone, achieving a rare Diamond certification by the RIAA. In 2009, it ranked at No.5 on Billboard’s 200 Albums of the Decade roundup. Today, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time in the US, while it has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
Human Clay Deluxe Edition tracklisting (2CD, Digital)
Disc 1 “Are You Ready? “What If “Beautiful “Say I “Wrong Way “Faceless Man “Never Die “With Arms Wide Open “Higher “Wash Away Those Years “Inside Us All “With Arms Wide Open (Strings Version) “Young Grow Old “To Whom It May Concern “Is This the End? “Roadhouse Blues (Live) # “I’m Eighteen # “Higher (Radio Edit) # “With Arms Wide Open (Single Version) # “What If (Radio Edit) # “With Arms Wide Open (Acoustic Version) #
“We knew Chris Barnes had to go. We phoned him on the road and said, ‘Dude, you’re out.’ It was as simple as that”: How Cannibal Corpse made 90s death metal classic Vile and ended up in the US charts
(Image credit: Press)
Cannibal Corpse may have garnered notoriety with original singer Chris Barnes, but it was his departure and the arrival of replacement George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher for 1996’s Vile album that helped turn them into the biggest-selling death metal band of all time. In 2007, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz looked back on the making of the album that put them in the US charts for the very first time.
Cannibal Corpse have never shied away from controversy thanks to their unrelentingly graphic approach. But these Buffalo, New York heavyweights have also served up some of the most vicious, brutal noise ever conceived, elevating them to death metal’s elite alongside Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide and Obituary.
Formed in 1988 by vocalist Chris Barnes, guitarists Bob Rusay and Jack Owen, bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, they hit the underground hard with 1990 debut Eaten Back To Life. Butchered At Birth (1991) and Tomb Of The Mutilated (’93) continued the shock-and-gore tactics, and even the loss of Rusay didn’t halt the menace. With Rob Barrett in his place, the band roared on with The Bleeding in 1994. That same year, comedian Jim Carrey insisted they perform their song Hammer Smashed Face in mega successful movie Ace Ventura – Pet Detective.
Unsurprisingly, their no-holds-barred lyrics were getting unwanted, though unsurprising attention from the powers that be. Viscerally vivid numbers such as Entrails Ripped From A Virgin’s Cunt and Meat Hook Sodomy were criticised by Republican Senator Bob Dole in 1995, who claimed they violated human decency.
Cannibal Corpse rode out the external controversy, but internal problems were brewing as they began work on the follow-up to The Bleeding.
“We started off the next album with Barnes, and we all knew this was gonna be an important time for us,” says Paul Mazurkiewicz. “The Bleeding had begun a process of change in the band. We were developing musically, and the aim was to really take things to the next level. I believe this was obvious with the music that the four of us were coming up with at the time.”
Cannibal Corpse in 1996: (from left) Paul Mazurkiewicz, Jack Owen, Rob Barrett, Alex Webster, George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher (Image credit: Press)
The problem was Chris Barnes wasn‘t on the same page as the rest of them. “I think over a period of time he saw Cannibal Corpse as being his property, and he would do things in his way, never listening to anyone else and never yielding from his viewpoint,” says Mazurkiewicz. “He had a way of doing things, and that had worked – until then. But, quite honestly, when we heard what Chris was doing vocally on the new record, all of us knew we had a serious problem on our hands…”
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At this point, the album had the working title of Created To Kill, and seven tracks were recorded with Barnes, before the decision was taken to can them – and him. But it wasn’t just the vocals that were the problem.
“The lyrics Chris was coming up with just didn’t seem to fit where the rest of us were taking the songs,” says Mazurkiewicz. “He was stuck in the old ways, whereas we wanted to progress. We did try to help him out, but Barnes was so stubborn that it was very tough. I remember one of the last conversations that I had with him outside the studio…I said we wanted to be as supportive of him as possible, and he admitted that he was struggling to step up a gear. At that point, we were all committed to getting him through, and making this work.
“The final straw, though, came when we heard what he’d done on Devoured By Vermin. This was always gonna be the opening song on the album. As such, it had to have an immediate impact, to make a statement about what was to come. But Chris hadn’t risen to the challenge. After hearing what he’d done, Alex Webster bluntly turned on him and said, ‘I’m gonna completely re-write the lyrics.’ That finished Chris. He was devastated. He’d lost control.”
If Cannibal Corpse were still agonising over what to do next, then Barnes’ announcement that he was leaving the studio and going on tour with his other band, Six Feet Under, gave his remaining bandmates a chance to assess the situation, and make the inevitable move.
“We just knew Chris had to go – that was the only thing to do. So, we phoned him when he was on the road and said, ‘Dude, you’re out.’ It was as simple as that. None of us could live with what he’d done in the studio, and we knew there was no way he’d change. The problem we had was where to go next.”
Cannibal Corpse – Devoured by Vermin (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
For Mazurkiewicz and the rest of the band, there was only one candidate who could replace Barnes: George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher from Florida technical death metalheads Monstrosity.
“Did we have a short list of possible replacements? Yes, and it had one name on it. George was the only person we ever considered. We believed he could do what we wanted. If he had declined, or hadn’t have worked out, I’m not sure what would have happened. It may have been the end of Cannibal Corpse. It was as serious as that.”
Fortunately, Fisher agreed to help salvage the album, and immediately tuned in to the band’s renewed sense of creativity. His vocals seemed to feed off the dynamism, freshness and vitality that lit up the music. But it was a rush to meet the deadlines.
“We spent a few weeks working in the studio with George,” says Mazurkiewicz. “But he didn’t contribute much to the songs at all, at least not lyrically – there wasn’t the time. Alex and I had both had previous experience in writing lyrics, so the challenge fell to us to get everything sorted on that front. We were flying by the seat of our pants, but got the job done. We both enjoyed getting involved with that side of the songs. Chris had never previously allowed anyone else near the lyrics.”
But finishing the record was only the start of the battle. The band now had to convince their label, Metal Blade, and the fans that changing vocalists in virtual mid-stream was the right move.
Mazurkiewicz: “I’ll admit that Brian Slagel, the head of the record company, wasn’t at all pleased. That was understandable. For any band to fire their vocalist is a really risky step. But we had complete faith in what George had done, and thankfully the fans’ reaction was almost totally positive.”
Renamed Vile, the record was released in May, 1996, and became the band’s first ever chart success in America, reaching the lofty heights of number 151 – an impressive feat for a gore-inspired death metal record.
“It may have been partly due to the leg work we’d done with The Bleeding, and also because we’d matured as a band as well. But it was a great moment when Vile charted. Here was proof that people had embraced what we were doing, in bigger numbers than ever. And it was a vindication of our decision to bring in the new man.”
(Image credit: Press)
However, the spectre of Barnes didn’t just fade away. When the band re-designed their logo, rumours swirled that it was because their former bandmate actually owned the rights to the original. Not true, according to Mazurkiewicz.
“No, he didn’t legally own it,” says the drummer. “But Chris did draw the thing in the first place. We needed a logo when the band started out, and he came up with something suitable. But once we’d fired him, then he started asking for payment on all CDs and merchandise we sold that carried his logo. Therefore, we decided to come up with a new one for the Vile release, which also marked a new era for us. So, it really did the job on two levels.”
Not for the first time, the graphic gore portrayed on a Cannibal Corpse album sleeve also caused a major problem. This time, it was a rotting penis in the drawing – one inspired by the song Mummified In Barbed Wire – that generated controversy. It wasn’t exactly a surprise for the band.
“We did hit problems in Germany with this one, as had happened before on Butchered At Birth and Tomb Of The Mutilated. What they did in the end was use a close up of the head and shoulders of the mummy, which solved the problem. What we learnt from this, though, was to do two covers: one brutal and one censored. Otherwise, you run the risk of the label butchering the original without consulting you first.”
Vile didn’t just mark the beginning of a new chapter for Cannibal Corpse, it revitalised them. By 1998’s Gallery Of Suicide, Corpsegrinder was properly settled into his role as frontman. They continued to release albums, defying both the downturn in the death metal scene’s fortunes and multiple line-up changes. Mazurkiewicz and Webster remain the only original members, though Corpsegrinder continues to front the band and Vile-era guitarist Rob Barrett subsequently returned to the band in 2005 after leaving eight years earlier.
In 2003, curious fans finally got a chance to hear the songs from the ill-fated pre-Vile sessions that saw the departure of original singer Chris Barnes. Seven demo tracks featuring Barnes’ vocals were included on that year’s 15 Year Killing Spree box set, including four that would be re-recorded by Corpsegrinder for Vile, namely Devoured By Vermin, Mummified In Barbed Wire, Bloodlands and Puncture Wound Massacre.
“Virtually everyone who’s heard these has the same reaction: ‘No wonder you had to get rid of Barnes,’” says Mazurkiewicz. “I’ve yet to come across anyone who rates them as better than what’s on Vile. We didn’t put them on to embarrass Chris at all. But they are part of our history, and have become quite celebrated over the years. It was a chance for people to make up their own minds.
The seven songs almost never saw the light of day at all. The master tapes for the Barnes sessions were wiped. “I’m not sure why that occurred,” says Mazurkiewicz. “So we had to take the recordings off cassettes. All five members of the band at the time, and our co-producer Scott Burns, had a cassette, and that’s what we used. This band tries to keep everything we do, because it’s part of what we are – no matter how awful we might feel it to be.”
So, how does the drummer view Vile itself in hindsight?
“I think it may well deserve to be regarded as our most crucial record,” he says. “It was a turning point for us, when we ditched so much of our past and went towards an uncertain future. It could have backfired badly. But thankfully it worked. Without Vile and everything that happened while we did it, we might never have survived into the 21st Century.”
Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 163. Updated in August 2024
Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term “thrash metal” while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.
CWF is a supergroup featuring Toto’s Joseph Williams, former Chicago vocalist Bill Champlin, and Swedish guitarist/producer Peter Friestedt. The band emerged following the success of their first studio album and a chart-topping live DVD in Sweden.
Williams, known for his work with Toto and as the singing voice of adult Simba in “The Lion King,” brings his acclaimed vocals to the project. Friestedt, an accomplished session player and producer with two successful solo albums, has collaborated extensively with Williams. Champlin, a 25-year veteran of Chicago and Grammy-winning songwriter, rounds out this remarkable AOR trio, bringing together decades of musical expertise and success.
Today, the legends of CWF release “Brighter Day,” marking the first single off of their upcoming opus, CWF III. Listen to “Brighter Day” here, watch a video for the song below.
One of the most anticipated releases of 2024, CWF III, is set to become a milestone in the AOR/West Coast genre. This album, releasing on September 27, follows the tremendous success of CWF II, which achieved impressive chart positions in Sweden and Japan, along with the chart-topping Live In Concert DVD.
The album features an impressive lineup of iconic artists, making it a true celebration of the AOR/West Coast sound. Alongside Williams, Champlin, and Friestedt, contributions from Chicago’s Jason Scheff on vocals and bass, legendary drummer John JR Robinson, and Grammy Award-winning songwriters Randy Goodrum and Bill Champlin ensure top-notch production quality and a stellar listening experience.
Musically, the album offers a rich journey through rock, soul, and classic AOR elements. Key tracks include the Toto-flavored “Brighter Day,” featuring stellar lead vocals from Joseph Williams, the Chicago-sounding ballad “Find The Love,” and the straightforward rock anthem “Wings Of Tomorrow.” Another highlight is the soulful duet “I Will Find You There,” performed by Michael Ruff and Bill Champlin.
“Brighter Day” “Sure” “Wings Of Tomorrow” “Find The Love” “Carrie” “I Will Find You There” “Stay With Me” “Almost Had Me There” “Fly Away Now” “Moments Of Joy” “The Last Unbroken Heart”
(Image credit: Press/Heriot: Harry Steel/Brothers Of Metal: George_Grigoriadis/Defences: Fordtography/Leprous: Grzegorz Golebiowski/Fever 333: Darren Craig)
Happy Friday! We’re really hitting the busy period of the year now so far as new releases goes, with new albums seemingly being announced by their dozen each week. Naturally, that also means a hell of a lot of new music to sift through – so we’re still here to help pick out some of the finest new metal songs each week from across the many (many) subgenres you can explore.
That in mind, here’s the results of last week’s vote! It was a stacked week with big names and emergent talent aplenty to choose from, but ultimately there could only be one winner. Nu metal veterans Mushroomhead came in third with We Don’t Care, but were left in the dust of black metallers Hidden Mothers, whose Defanged proved to be anything but. But the overall champions were this month’s Metal Hammer cover stars Nightwish, latest single The Day Of… reaffirming their status as symphonic metal icons.
This week we’ve got a hefty and healthy spread for you, covering everything from the progressive realms of Leprous and Born Of Osiris to all-out nastiness in the form of Heriot, Escuela Grind and Schammasch. As always, we need you to tell us which bands excite you most, so don’t forget to cast your vote below – and have a fantastic weekend!
Heriot – At The Fortress Gate
There’s a little over a month to go before Heriot release their debut full-length Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell and the excitement couldn’t be higher. One of the UK’s hottest new acts, on new single At The Fortress Gate they show how they’ve become such a formidable force, the track stomping forth on excruciatingly brutal, sludgy grooves, like someone stuck a knife to Crowbar’s throat and told them to cover Machine Head. It’s vicious stuff, and we love it.
HERIOT – At The Fortress Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
Who said folk metal had to be jaunty? Germany’s Equilibrium have never held much truck with the genre’s wackier elements, preferring to use folk as a way to expand their sonic horizons and add an extra cinematic layer to their compositions – something wonderfully shown on latest single Gnosis. The track has a blockbuster quality that perfectly suits their folk-meets-melodeath sound, subtle flutes and strings adding an almost symphonic element that makes the track truly epic.
EQUILIBRIUM – Gnosis (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) – YouTube
Not that there’s anything wrong with a bit of whimsy, mind. Granted, Brothers Of Metal aren’t flexing their wacky side on new single Nanna’s Fate – in fact, quite the opposite as they embrace a more serious and emotive tone for an epic, stirring power ballad. Taken from the band’s new album Fimbulvinter – out November 1 – the track shows the epic scale the power metal group have embraced from their earliest days, helping them play bigger and bigger venues in the process.
BROTHERS OF METAL – Nanna’s Fate (2024) // Official Lyric Video // AFM Records – YouTube
Those Rage Against The Machine influences are really showing on Fever 333’s new material. After the colossal energy of previous single Higher Power, Jason Aalon Butler and co. are clearly swinging for the fences on new album Darker White – due October 4 – latest single No Hostages carrying a similar sense of arena-sized scale with stomping, funky rhythms providing a launchpad for Butler’s impassioned vocals as he calls out police brutality, lines like “you might be at home when they kill you/you might be alone when they kill you” harrowing yet also undeniably anthemic.
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FEVER 333 â NO HOSTAGES [OFFICIAL VIDEO] – YouTube
Fusing pulsing electronica and oh-so-hooky alt metal, UK four-piece Call Me Amour showcase a darker vision for the mixture on latest single Bloom. Unlike so many other metal groups who use electronica to underpin hyperactive heaviness or otherwise tap into rave rock sensibilities, Bloom is a moody, slithering beast propelled by booming bass tones. Bleed From Within vocalist Scott Kennedy might add a sprinkling of snarling heaviness, but in the whole the track comes off more like a collision between Nine Inch Nails’ sleek industrial grime and the radio-baiting choruses of Architects.
Escuela Grind – Concept Of God
Rising extreme metal stars, Escuela Grind indulged their love for death metal with this year’s EP titled, erm, DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL. New single Concept Of God is a further showcase of what they can do in realms of the extreme however, swinging wildly between windmilling death metal blasts, hyperviolent grind and even some sludgy, stomping grooves, stapling the elements together with pure piss and fury. If the rest of upcoming album Dreams On Algorithms is this inventive, we’re in for one hell of a ride – either way, we’ll find out on October 18.
Escuela Grind – Concept Of God (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Leprous have made a steady shift away from purely metal realms on recent releases, but they’ve not broken ties completely. That’s evident on latest single Like A Sunken Ship, the track’s quietly prowling bassline and ethereal vocal melodies giving way to a genuine explosion of heaviness, the video even pumping blasts of pyro to underline that the Norwegians haven’t forgotten where they came from. Melodies Of Atonement will be with us in two weeks – August 30 – and clearly the band are on the form of their lives.
LEPROUS – Like A Sunken Ship (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
Swiss experimentalists Schammasch are back, with another grandiose vision of brilliant, boundary pushing extreme metal. New single They Have Found Their Master is the first taken from the band’s upcoming The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean record, due October 25. A grand slow burner of a track, Master… clocks in at over 10 minutes and uses its lengthy run-time to build a sense of scale and tension, giving way to crushing post-metal like heft with a twist of mysticism. Glorious.
SCHAMMASCH – THEY HAVE FOUND THEIR MASTER (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Sounding like they’re pogoing on gargantuan power lines, Born Of Osiris’ latest single In Desolation captures some of the fist-flying viciousness the band exhibit amdist the technical and lofty airs of progressive metal. There are shades of the hyper-kinetic rhythms of djent amidst the song’s stuttering beat, but when the cleans kick in it’s apparent the band aren’t sacrificing any of their anthemic appeal.
BORN OF OSIRIS – In Desolation (Official Visualizer) – YouTube
Aaron Stainthorpe continues to affirm his status as a doom metal icon with new band High Parasite. Although the mournfulness of his work with My Dying Bride is still a key factor, latest single Wasn’t Human shows how his new group are taking a more direct, less elegant approach to goth-tinged doom, resulting in a track that feels fiery and forceful. With the band’s debut Forever We Burn due on September 27 and a UK tour with Cradle Of Filth a month later, Stainthorpe is clearly eager to get their music out to the masses.
If you’re sad about Aaron Stainthorpe shifting away from the more string-driven realms of funeral doom, despair not [or lots, as the case may be] as we have a handy alternative! Norwegian doom veterans Funeral live up to their name on new single Yesteryear, forging a funereal elegy that dwells in doom’s darkest depths, gorgeous yet undeniably bleak. Taken from the band’s upcoming eighth album Gospel Of Bones, the track should scratch the itch of anyone seeking pure, desolate despair.
It’s been almost a year since former Atreyu vocalist Alex Varkatzas unveiled his new band Dead Icarus with the single The Vultures Circle, but although things have been largely quiet since then the group clearly haven’t been idle. New single The Unconquerable is an absolute powerhouse of extremity, pushing the boundaries of where metalcore can go before it crosses over into deathcore/extreme metal territories. The clean choruses certainly help keep the dials back in metalcore realms, but the utter bedlam unleashed in this song’s heaviest moments betray the sense that Alex is thinking massive when it comes to his new project.
Dead Icarus “The Unconquerable” Official Visualizer – YouTube
UK alt-metal newcomers Defences are set to release their new album Shadowlight on November 8. If new single Silence & The Sound is anything to go by, it’ll be a sumptuous showing of extremes, the band balancing weightless melodies and ascendant choruses with a sense of force and heft that only adds to the invigorating, lightning-bolt-to-the-spine energy they evoke.
Defences – Silence & The Sound (Official Visualiser) – YouTube
Headwreck might hail from Brisbane, but there’s an air of Sheffield genre-blurrers Bring Me The Horizon to the band’s latest single Buzzsaw. Vicious, ultra aggro metalcore is cut with scratching turntables and serene, radio-friendly choruses that betray a sense of arena-sized ambition. Headwreck aren’t holding back on their most violent impulses, though; Buzzsaw lives up to its title, a track of cutting, destructive power.
Headwreck – “Buzzsaw” (Official Music Video) | BVTV Music – YouTube
How much damage can you do in a minute? Kublai Khan TX explore that idea with new single Supreme Ruler, a brutish, nasty little beast that trudges forth on sludgy stomps and doesn’t bother with any extras. Taken from new album Exhibition Of Prowess, it’s a short sharp taste of the no-fucks-given heft that the band deliver.
Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn’t fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.
Super7 announces the release of Type O Negative ReAction Figures Wave 01: Peter Steele.
At a towering 6’7” tall with deep, haunting vocals to match, Peter Steele’s unique persona perfectly lended itself to the gothic atmospheres and doom-laden riffs that Type O Negative was best known for.
This 4” articulated Type O Negative ReAction Figure of frontman Peter Steele is inspired by the cover art from the band’s sixth studio album, Life Is Killing Me, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023, and comes with a bass guitar accessory, detailed with a real chain guitar strap.
This Peter Steele ReAction Figure will be a bloody good addition to any collection – get yours today. Order here.
Craig Sjodin /Disney General Entertainment Content, Getty Images
Jack Russell, the original singer and co-founder of Great White, died Aug. 15 at the age of 63.
The musician’s death followed his retirement from touring earlier this year, as health problems – including a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy – continued plaguing Russell in the latter part of his life.
As news of Russell’s passing continued to spread, fellow rockers took to social media to pay their respects.
“As you can imagine, though the end of the road was rough and broken, it wasn’t always that way,” wrote Mark Kendall, Great White’s co-founder and Russell’s bandmate for over 25 years. The two had a falling out following Russell’s 2011 exit from the band and subsequent lawsuit over the Great White name. “Jack and I shared amazing times and lived our dreams together! I choose to remember all the good times we shared on stage and off.”
Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer remembered Russell as “an amazing, soulful singer and truly great person,” while Night Ranger’s Jack Blades described him as “a true rock spirit.”
Meanwhile, Dee Snider took the opportunity to defend Russell, who for years continued to be blamed for the tragic 2003 nightclub fire that claimed the lives of 100 people.
“This man was vilified for a situation out of his control and tortured by the memories,” the Twisted Sister frontman wrote, captioning a picture of he and Russell together. “He was not evil. And man could he sing!”
“To my friend Jack Russell, such an amazing voice. May you rest in peace,” shared Poison frontman Bret Michaels. Meanwhile, Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy recalled the early days, when he and Russell were both regularly performing on the Sunset Strip.
“Brother Jack Russell R.I.P.,” Pearcy wrote. “Gazzarris on the Strip 1980-81. We always had a great time when Dante Fox and Mickey Ratt played a gig together back then.”
These memories and more can be found below.
Top 100 ’80s Rock Albums
UCR takes a chronological look at the 100 best rock albums of the ’80s.
Before Taylor Swift was even born, Iron Maiden had already established itself as one of the most popular heavy metal bands of all time. Though the British legends have only grown in stature and influence since then, it’s quite possible that the pop superstar will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before them.
Swift was born on Dec. 13, 1989. That’s a year and a half after Iron Maiden released their seventh studio album, 1988’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. They were firmly established as arena headliners by that time, and they remain capable of selling out large venues across the world today.
Since the release of her self-titled debut in 2006, Swift has rocketed to dizzying and nearly unprecedented levels of fame. She’s generated over $1 billion on her blockbuster Eras Tour and has sold an estimated 114 million albums in less than two decades. (Iron Maiden still has her beat in that department with 130 million sales, but given they had a 26-year head start, Swift seems certain to pass them at some point in the near future.)
Swift will be eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2031, 25 years after the release of Taylor Swift. In recent years, the institution has widened its scope, inducting pop, country and even hip-hop artists. If Swift can maintain anything close to her current level of popularity, it seems quite likely she’ll get voted in, perhaps even in her first year of eligibility.
On the other hand, despite being eligible since 2005, Iron Maiden has only been nominated for the Rock Hall twice — in 2021 and 2023 — and not yet inducted. The Rock Hall has been notoriously slow to induct even the most obviously important heavy metal and hard rock acts. It took them over 20 years to induct Judas %@#%$# Priest, and even then it was only in the secondary “musical excellence” category.
Of course, Iron Maiden hasn’t exactly endeared themselves to Rock Hall voters. In 2018, singer Bruce Dickinson made his distaste for the institution quite clear. “I’m really happy we’re not there and I would never want to be there,” he told the Jerusalem Post. “If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there. Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar.”
So, which one of these two vastly different artists will be the first to get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? We asked four of our writers, and here’s what they said:
Annie Zaleski (Author, Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs): First off, Swift is no doubt a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2031. Whether Iron Maiden will get there before her is an interesting question. I’m going to be positive and lean toward yes. They’ve been nominated twice in the last few years, which is a good sign — this means they have advocates on the nominating committee — and it’s obvious that they’re one of the last superstar metal bands not in the Rock Hall. (Translation: They have less competition and won’t split the fan and overall expert vote.)
But I feel like their best route into the Rock Hall is how Judas Priest was inducted: the Musical Excellence category. They fit the profile of recent groups in this category — perennial nominees (MC5) or artists with fervent fanbases (Jimmy Buffett) — and it bypasses needing to drum up massive waves of industry support.
I don’t think Bruce Dickinson’s negative talk will affect Iron Maiden’s induction chances. After all, he isn’t the only artist to talk badly about the Rock Hall — consider Todd Rundgren, who expressed disdain for the institution but was inducted anyway. Rundgren just didn’t show up for the ceremony! Dickinson wouldn’t have to either — though it would certainly be excellent to see Eddie get the huge international spotlight.
Matthew Wilkening: I have to believe Iron Maiden’s going to get in first, otherwise my head might explode. It’s important to remember that the Rock Hall of Fame is just a private organization, who weren’t given any actual insight or authority from above. Your record and ticket stub collection is the only Hall of Fame that really matters. Their voters are of course entitled to their own opinions about what matters and what apparently does not matter in rock history. But at some point they’ve just got to realize that the line between subjective and objective has clearly been crossed here. Like them or not — and, actually, ever since 1986’s Somewhere in Time, their music has been increasingly self-indulgent and overbaked for my tastes — Iron Maiden are one of the most popular, important and influential bands in the history of heavy metal. If that’s not Hall of Fame-worthy, what is?
I believe Swift will — and, sure, why not, should — be inducted as soon as possible, which gives the Rock Hall six years to finally do the right thing by Iron Maiden. Also, having Judas Priest in and them out just makes this exclusion all the more glaring and self-incriminating. Dickinson’s public attacks shouldn’t matter; they’ve inducted numerous artists — Axl Rose, Johnny Rotten, Ozzy Osbourne — who have spoken out against the organization in the past.
Matt Wardlaw: I really do think that Iron Maiden will get in long before Taylor — and hopefully soon. It’s bonkers that we’re still talking about Maiden and they’re still not inducted. No matter what Bruce Dickinson may have said about the Rock Hall, it will ultimately not keep the organization from putting the band in, as we’ve seen with similar past examples. At the end of the day, Iron Maiden are a key influence on countless hard rock and heavy metal bands. As it was with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and anyone else you might want to name, Maiden helped write the book for so many who have followed in their footsteps. Brave New World was perhaps their last truly great album, but they’ve remained creatively engaged and a force to be reckoned with in the live realm all the way to the present. Like Judas Priest before them, Iron Maiden’s proper invitation into the Hall is long overdue. Every day that they’re not in is a total travesty.
Taylor Swift will no doubt be inducted when she becomes eligible, and I think she deserves a slot in the Hall of Fame. If we consider Iron Maiden’s impact and lasting legacy, Taylor has also been an impressive trailblazer in multiple genres, including pop and country music. She’s still got a lot of career to go, but I think that like Maiden, we’ll still be talking about Taylor for many years to come.
Bryan Rolli: I hate this question. Not because it’s bad or invalid, but because it makes me sad to consider one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time being leapfrogged by a pop star who debuted 26 years after them. Swift is a shoo-in for the Rock Hall, probably in her first year of eligibility, due to the sheer magnitude of her success and her vice grip on virtually every mainstream music publication. (Let’s not forget that before the HOF ousted cofounder Jann Wenner, artists basically had to be in bed with Rolling Stone if they had any hope of induction.)
That said, I really, really hope — and perhaps I can even convince myself to believe — that the Hall will right one of its biggest wrongs and induct Iron Maiden within the next seven years. The clamoring will only get louder with each passing year, especially in the wake of Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne’s recent inductions. Nicko McBrain has also been candid about his health issues lately, and there’s been increasing pressure on the Hall to induct sick and aging artists while they’re still alive to savor the milestone. With all these factors at play, I do think the Hall will ultimately induct Maiden before Swift — still egregiously late, mind you, but better late than never, I guess.
145 Artists Not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Many have shared their thoughts on possible induction.
The broad strokes of Great White‘s career trajectory are similar to many of their peers: hardscrabble origins followed by astronomical success, cut off at the knees during the grunge explosion and relegated to the nostalgia circuit in the decades that followed.
But Great White — in particular frontman Jack Russell, who died on Aug. 15, 2024 at age 63 after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy — battled demons far more profound than a decline in popularity. For the last two decades of his life, the frontman grappled with his degree of culpability in the deadly 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
It only took six minutes for the blaze to engulf the building and irrevocably change the course of hundreds of lives, including Russell’s. Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele set off the pyrotechnics during the band’s first song. They ignited the soundproofing foam on the club’s ceiling, rapidly engulfing the club and killing 100 people and injuring 230 more.
Biechele pled guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison for his involvement in the fire, though he was granted parole roughly halfway through his sentence. Venue owners Michael and Jeffrey Derderian pleaded no contest and were sentenced to prison and 500 hours of community service, respectively.
Russell was never charged, and for legal reasons he was advised to say little in the aftermath of the fire. But he became a music industry pariah and persona non grata among New Englanders — and remained haunted by the tragedy for the rest of his life.
“I Just Didn’t Want to Feel Anything”
“After the fire happened, I really went into a downward spiral,” Russell told City Journal in 2007. “Every single drug I could ever get, I’d do, because I just didn’t want to feel anything. I was in so much pain.”
As for his response or lack thereof after the fire, the singer explained: “Initially all my lawyers said don’t ever say I was sorry because that would mean I was guilty or something. I didn’t have anything to do with what happened, you know what I mean? It was a horrible thing.”
Great White donated money to the victims’ families and embarked on a benefit tour, with proceeds going to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. Detractors later took issue with Russell receiving a televised facelift, which some considered insensitive. When the band staged a poorly received 10th-anniversary benefit concert, the Foundation announced that it would no longer accept any funds from Russell or Great White.
Controversy bloomed again in 2015 when Russell’s Great White was booked to play the Party in the Pasture festival in Mechanics Falls, Maine, which was promoted as their first New England show since the Station fire. (Their set was eerily canceled due to an unexplained power outage.) The event drew the ire of rock fans throughout the region, and even Russell was bewildered by the advertising.
“Ah geez … people just don’t get it,” he told Vanyaland in 2015 regarding the Party in the Pasture promotion. “What are you thinking? Don’t you understand that people died? People lost their friends? I mean, have a little courtesy and respect. There’s people that are still devastated — I’m one of them. I’ve got a lot of friends I can’t just pick up the phone and call and their numbers are still in my phone. And I don’t want to erase them. I still cry, you know? Like 10 times a month, just bawling. I miss my friends, you know?”
“If I could go back and change my life, or anybody’s life I would do it,” Russell added. “That wasn’t supposed to happen; it was supposed to be a concert. I just try to take it one day at a time, and sometimes one day [is] worse … some days I can’t even get out of bed. I am so sorry. I just don’t want to cause any more pain — ever. It’s just — I don’t know.”
“I Don’t Feel Better About Any of It and I Don’t Think I Ever Will”
Russell’s anguish over the Station fire was compounded by his survivor’s guilt. He revealed in 2015 that he’d been seeing a psychiatrist once a week for 12 years following the tragedy.
“It really affected my life in a lot of ways, but I can’t complain because I’m alive,” he told Classic Rock in 2013. “My demons are my demons, and at that time, they were coming and going as they pleased, but that just took me to my knees. There’s no psychologist you can talk to, and trust me, I’m still talking to them, who could ever help me come to terms with that and go, ‘Okay, I feel better now.’ Because I don’t. I don’t feel better about any of it and I don’t think I ever will.”
In death as in life, Russell remains inextricably linked to the Station fire. But he also leaves behind a legacy as a powerhouse vocalist with a sensitivity and zest for life, according to those who knew him. Among the early tributes was Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who wrote: “RIP Jack Russell. This man was vilified for a situation out of his control and tortured by the memories. He was not evil. And man, could he sing!”
Music’s Worst Concert Accidents and Tragedies
The possibility for danger always lurks whenever large groups of people get together, and that’s especially true at concerts and festivals.
Feature Photo Licensed From Shutterstock.com/Everett Collection
“Our ’10 Classic Rock Songs About Boredom’ article presents a series of songs that capture, in multiple ways, the sadness and despair of the concept of boredom. Boredom comes to us in many forms. Some people choose to live boring lives and somehow find joy in that. Others who live exciting lives actually become bored very easily. These are usually adrenaline junkies who just can’t take living a simple life. So, there are all different levels of boredom and various factors that contribute to it. We tried to pick a wide selection of songs that look at all the different angles of boredom while also picking some really special pieces that capture the concept of boredom in many different ways. Some of these are popular pieces, and others are not. Some of them may surprise you as being about boredom. What would be your picks?”
# 10 – No Rain – Blind Melon
“We open up our classic rock songs list about boredom with a wonderful song recorded by the band Blind Melon. This is one of those videos that went heavily into rotation on MTV and turned this band into a household name. Everyone felt that little girl’s pain; everyone could relate to it in some way or another. This song contains so many sad lyrics, so many words that point to the helplessness of loneliness and boredom. Those two terms go hand in hand. Some choose to live a life of boredom, some get captured by it. The late Shannon Hoon delivered a mesmerizing vocal performance on this one. The song was released on the band’s debut album in 1992, titled Blind Melon.”
# 9 – Phenomenal Cat – The Kinks
“Our celebration of The Kinks’ music continues with another song from the band that finds its way into our songs genres list. Phenomenal Cat by The Kinks is not just a song about boredom; it’s a song about a character choosing to be bored and being completely content with it. Of course, the song is open to interpretation, but I think it’s pretty obvious what the band was singing about. The song was released on the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.”
# 8 – Hang Fire – The Rolling Stones
“If you’re not familiar with what the term ‘Hang Fire’ means, it simply refers to delaying something or waiting a while to make a decision. Of course, that indecisiveness can sometimes be a result of simple boredom, or the indecisiveness itself actually leads to boredom. In the Rolling Stones’ song Hang Fire, it’s pretty much all they’re talking about. This is a song that presents the themes of laziness and boredom that can easily be heard in lyrics such as, ‘In the sweet old country where I come from, nobody ever works, nothing ever gets done. We hang fire, we hang fire.’ The song Hang Fire was released on the Rolling Stones’ 1980 album Tattoo You.”
# 7 – Going Down To Liverpool – The Bangles
“This is not just a song about boredom; it’s a song about embracing boredom. It’s the ultimate ‘I want to do nothing’ song. It’s right here, in black and white, in the lyrics: ‘I’m going down to Liverpool to do nothing, I’m going down to Liverpool to do nothing all the days of my life.’ It’s interesting, though, that this song sounds nothing like a song about boredom. It’s a fun, well-written, very melodic song that is fueled by a sensational performance by The Bangles.” the song was originally recorded by Katrina And The Waves a year earlier in 1983. Kimberley Rew of the band wrote the song. However we thought the video that the Bangles did was really worth showcasing here in this article. Have you ever seen this video? If not, you might want to take a look.
# 6 – I’m Bored – Iggy Pop
“We tried to stay away from the obvious ones, but this one is just too good to pass up. Iggy Pop doesn’t pull any punches with this one. No clever lines, no poetic prose; he just tells it like it is. The song I’m Bored was released on Iggy Pop’s third studio album entitled New Values. The album was released by Arista Records in July of 1979.”
# 5 – Johnny And Mary – Robert Palmer
“Now, talk about a perfect vocal performance showcasing the ideal of boredom. Robert Palmer usually sizzles in most of his performances, but in this one, he plays the perfect actor in symbolizing a song about a relationship lacking any sort of excitement or value. The male is searching for some sort of value in this world while the female just stays at home, completely bored, counting the walls, knowing full well that they aren’t going anywhere. It’s a pretty sad one, but such a cool song.
The song was originally released on Robert Palmer’s Clues album in 1980. It was interesting that this song was actually used to advertise Renault cars. I don’t know why they would utilize the song like this to advertise a product; I guess they just weren’t really listening to the lyrics.”
# 4 – Too Much Time On My Hands – Styx
“One of Styx’s all-time great songs fits so perfectly on this list. The sensational track Too Much Time on My Hands by Styx showcases the concept of boredom with lyrics like, ‘Well, I’m so tired of losing, I’ve got nothing to do, and all day to do it.’ And, of course, there is the chorus: ‘Is it any wonder I’ve got too much time on my hands? It’s ticking away with my sanity. I’ve got too much time on my hands, it’s hard to believe such a calamity.’
This classic Styx song was written by Tommy Shaw. It was released on the Paradise Theater album in March of 1981. The song was released as the album’s second single. At the time, the band consisted of Tommy Shaw, Dennis DeYoung, James Young, Chuck Panozzo, and John Panozzo. Too Much Time on My Hands became a top ten hit for the band. It was the most commercially successful song that Tommy Shaw had ever written for the band.” It’s also probably one of the cheesiest videos the band ever made, oh my Lord!
# 3 – Boredom – Deftones
“Sometimes we don’t need clever lyrics or a song filled with meaning. Sometimes all we need is a lyric like this: ‘I get bored, I get bored, I get bored, I’m bored.’ So, I think we get the point rather easily. There are times that’s all we need, that’s all we want—just say it like it is, tell it to our face, spit it out, and boom, you’re done. This song defines the madness for him; it showcases it in a very angry fashion, which often is one of the end results of boredom. That’s why this is so important to listen to; at the end, you can hear his pain and suffering from one of the worst experiences everyone can have in this life—boredom. The song was released by The Deftones on their 1995 album Adrenaline.”
# 2 – Another Day – Paul McCartney
“If there ever was a song about living a life that never changes, it was Paul McCartney’s masterpiece, Another Day. This song not only captures the concept of boredom, but it’s also a song about sadness, which is often a result of boredom. Paul McCartney lays it out in a perfectly titled tune that so many people can relate to. This is an important song in Paul McCartney’s career as it stands as his first-ever single release following the breakup of The Beatles. Released on February 19, 1971, this was a big hit for McCartney.”
“Oh, that piano sounds so good opening up this song. Rick Davies had such great piano chops. Of course, his vocal performance was also spectacular. Kudos to engineer Peter Henderson who got such a great sound out of that piano. This is a killer tune to open up this list about songs on boredom. Rick Davies dreams of a better life while working in a mundane job that leaves him bored to death. His life has become all about dreaming and living in a fantasy. The music that wraps around those lyrics is just so perfectly matched with the subject. The song was released in 1977 on the band’s fifth album, Even in the Quietest Moments. This would become Supertramp’s first gold album—what a great one it was!”
Feature Photo: Incase Designs, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Sunny Day Real Estate was formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1992. The band initially consisted of Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar), Dan Hoerner (guitar, vocals), Nate Mendel (bass), and William Goldsmith (drums). They are widely recognized as one of the early pioneers of the emo genre, merging intricate guitar work with introspective lyrics and dynamic, expansive song structures. Sunny Day Real Estate released four studio albums: Diary (1994), Sunny Day Real Estate (1995), also known as LP2 or “The Pink Album,” How It Feels to Be Something On (1998), and The Rising Tide (2000).
Their debut album, Diary, released on the independent label Sub Pop, is considered a seminal work in the emo genre, though it did not chart at the time of its release. It has since gained a cult following and significant critical acclaim. Their follow-up LP2 was marked by internal band turmoil and the departure of Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith, who joined the Foo Fighters. Despite these changes, the album was well received. How It Feels to Be Something On marked the band’s reunion and charted at number 135 on the Billboard 200, showcasing a maturation in their sound and lyrical depth. Their final album, The Rising Tide, released through Time Bomb Recordings, reached number 97 on the Billboard 200, making it their highest-charting album.
Throughout their career, Sunny Day Real Estate underwent several breakups and reunions, often involving lineup changes, notably the fluctuating involvement of Mendel and Goldsmith due to their commitments with the Foo Fighters. Despite never winning major awards, their influence on the emo and indie rock genres is profound, with their music inspiring a wide array of bands and musicians. The band also released a live album, Live (1999), and a compilation, The Rising Tide (2000), which helped further cement their legacy as one of the foundational acts of the emo movement.
SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE STUDIO ALBUMS
Diary
Released: 1994
Diary is the debut studio album by Sunny Day Real Estate, one of the foundational albums in the emo genre. Its raw emotional intensity and intricate musicianship set a new standard for the scene. The album was recorded at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago and produced by Brad Wood. It features Jeremy Enigk on vocals and guitar, Dan Hoerner on guitar and vocals, Nate Mendel on bass, and William Goldsmith on drums. Diary did not chart on the Billboard 200 at the time but has since become a cult classic within the genre.
CD Track Listings:
“Seven” – 3:37
“In Circles” – 4:58
“Song About an Angel” – 6:13
“Round” – 4:09
“47” – 4:34
“The Blankets Were the Stairs” – 5:47
“Pheurton Skeurto” – 2:33
“Shadows” – 4:46
“48” – 4:46
“Grendel” – 4:53
“Sometimes” – 5:44
Sunny Day Real Estate
Released: 1995
Also known as LP2 or “The Pink Album,” Sunny Day Real Estate is the band’s second album. Recorded during a period of tension within the band, it features a collection of songs that continue the emotional and sonic explorations of their debut. The album was produced by Brad Wood and recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, Washington. Despite its fragmented creation, the album has been praised for its compelling fusion of melody and dissonance. It did not make a significant impact on the Billboard 200 but is revered in the post-hardcore and emo scenes.
CD Track Listings:
“Friday” – 2:28
“Theo B” – 3:04
“Red Elephant” – 3:18
“5/4” – 3:33
“Waffle” – 4:24
“8” – 5:27
“Iscarabaid” – 4:46
“J’Nuh” – 4:52
“Rodeo Jones” – 5:08
How It Feels to Be Something On
Released: 1998
How It Feels to Be Something On marked a return for Sunny Day Real Estate after a brief disbandment, showcasing a more mature and refined approach to their signature sound. The album features lush, intricate compositions and thoughtful lyrics. Recorded at Studio Litho and Hall of Justice in Seattle, Washington, it was produced by Greg Williamson and the band. This album achieved moderate commercial success, peaking at number 135 on the Billboard 200.
CD Track Listings:
“Pillars” – 5:00
“Roses in Water” – 3:41
“Every Shining Time You Arrive” – 4:31
“Two Promises” – 4:38
“100 Million” – 5:37
“How It Feels to Be Something On” – 3:56
“The Prophet” – 5:12
“Guitar and Video Games” – 4:17
“The Shark’s Own Private F*ck” – 4:02
“Days Were Golden” – 5:07
The Rising Tide
Released: 2000
The Rising Tide is the fourth studio album by Sunny Day Real Estate, featuring an expansion of their musical palette with the inclusion of more keyboards and a broader sonic range. The album was recorded at Robert Lang Studios, Seattle, and Enharmonik Studios, Sacramento, and produced by Lou Giordano. This album saw the band moving towards a more mainstream sound and was their most commercially successful release, peaking at number 97 on the Billboard 200.
Brian Kachejian was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. He is the founder and Editor in Chief of ClassicRockHistory.com. He has spent thirty years in the music business often working with many of the people who have appeared on this site. Brian Kachejian also holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Stony Brook University along with New York State Public School Education Certifications in Music and Social Studies. Brian Kachejian is also an active member of the New York Press.
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