Dusting ‘Em Off
Mastodon’s Leviathan Took Fans on a High Seas Metal Adventure
The metal band's sophomore album still stands out among an impressive discography. Mastodon’s Leviathan Took Fans on a High Seas Metal Adventure Michael Pementel and Spencer Kaufman
Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Trilogy Set a Cosmic New Standard ror Progressive Rock
The supergroup's 1972 masterpiece is a whirlwind adventure. Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Trilogy Set a Cosmic New Standard for Progressive Rock Paolo Ragusa
With In the Court of the Crimson King, King Crimson Bet on Themselves and Changed Rock Forever
King Crimson set out to change the world of popular music, and the mad lads did just that. With In the Court of the Crimson King, King Crimson Bet on Themselves and Changed Rock Forever Jonah Krueger
25 Years Ago, System of a Down Embraced Eccentricity with Their Self-Titled Debut Album
The wildly eclectic LP broke through to the mainstream, becoming a surprising hit in the rock and metal world. 25 Years Ago, System of a Down Embraced Eccentricity with Their Self-Titled Debut Album Jordan Blum
10 Years Ago, Deafheaven’s Sunbather Challenged the Boundaries of Metal
Deafheaven's sophomore album brought the brutality and beauty of blackgaze into the spotlight. 10 Years Ago, Deafheaven’s Sunbather Challenged the Boundaries of Metal Jordan Blum
30 Years Ago, Tool Crafted a Masterful Debut Album with Undertow
A look back at the progressive metal band's first full-length LP. 30 Years Ago, Tool Crafted a Masterful Debut Album with Undertow Jordan Blum
KISS Launched a Legendary Career with Their Self-Titled Debut Album
KISS' first album contains a number of the iconic band's classic tracks. KISS Launched a Legendary Career with Their Self-Titled Debut Album Greg Prato
Television’s Marquee Moon: The Story of a Band, City, and Guitar Rock Masterpiece
Marquee Moon is pure music gumbo, a staggering combination of contrasting aesthetics that slashes with punk rock grit and with jazzy guitar virtuosity. Television’s Marquee Moon: The Story of a Band, City, and Guitar Rock Masterpiece Ryan Bray
Metallica Took a Quantum Leap on Ride the Lightning
The first four Metallica albums are among the genre’s most powerful and enduring documents, and while the band’s debut LP, Kill ‘Em All, was a landmark for thrash metal, Ride the Lightning presented a quantum leap in terms of songwriting and structure. Kill ‘Em All leaned heavily on elements of boogie beats nabbed from ’70s Judas Priest and the heavy swung feel to fast-paced riffs that Dave Mustaine would eventually take with him to Megadeth, but Ride the Lightning, released July 27th, 1984, almost wholly struck the swung-boogie vibe from its mostly slower-paced riffs, focusing instead on a near neo-classical sense of grandeur plucked more from the pages of groups like Rush, Rainbow, Blue Öyster Cult and even Priest’s more grandiloquent epics than bands like Sweet or even the more rock ‘n’...
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours: Still Flawless at 45
As Fleetwood Mac prepared to make its 11th album — and second with its latest lineup — in 1976, it was on top of a world that was falling apart. The group’s self-titled 1975 release, its first with new American members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, had revived the veteran British band’s flagging fortunes. It was certified seven times platinum and gave Fleetwood Mac its first No. 1 album in the U.S., spawning three Top 20 hits. The group was top of the pops, quite literally. But the quintet wasn’t quite able to bask in its success. All hell broke loose, also quite literally, between albums. Buckingham and Nicks, a couple when they joined Fleetwood Mac, broke up. Singer-keyboardist Christine McVie and bassist John McVie ended their eight-year marriage. Drummer Mick Fleetwood and his w...
30 Years Ago, Nirvana Unleashed the Game-Changing Nevermind
Heavy Consequence contributor Greg Prato is the author of several rock books, including 2009’s Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music. Here, Prato looks back at Nirvana’s groundbreaking 1991 album Nevermind on its 30th anniversary, sharing quotes from his aforementioned book. Few albums have played a major role in changing the direction of rock music. Not only did Nirvana’s Nevermind do just that, it also started a cultural revolution. Upon the release of Nevermind on September 24th, 1991, it seemed like almost immediately, hair metal was pronounced dead, as radio and MTV suddenly embraced likeminded bands hailing from the Seattle area. Beyond the music, young people began adopting “grunge fashion,” while also embracing the more progressive and introspective thinking ...
Mental Metal: Tool’s Ænima Turns 25
Dusting ‘Em Off is a rotating, free-form feature that revisits a classic album, film, or moment in pop-culture history. This piece celebrates Tool’s acclaimed sophomore album Ænima. Editor’s Note: This article originally ran in 2016, but has been updated in 2021 to reflect the 25th anniversary of Ænima. Many musicians have been influenced by books, but there seems to be something especially literary about the genres of hard rock and metal. This goes double for horror and fantasy fiction: Led Zeppelin meditated on The Lord of the Rings, Black Sabbath wailed about “The Wizard,” and Metallica thrashed to the monster Cthulu. Others have drawn imagery out of the Bible, Norse mythology, or the bloodier epochs of European history. For their second album, Tool drew on the writings of Carl Jun...
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