My Tribute to Iron Maiden : Number of the Beast.

Iron Maiden are a force to be reckoned with, and Number of the Beast viciously hammers home the point with it being an album widely acknowledged to be one of heavy metal's most iconic and definitive pieces of all time. And let's not forget the cult status it has achieved, being cited by a large number of bands as major influence. Critics often liken it to Paranoid, as one of the most influential albums of the genre.

The year was 1982 and with two powerful albums in their bag, Maiden needed to back up their rising fame and success, especially after firing ace frontman Paul Di'Anno. The expectations were high. And they rose magnificently to the occasion outdoing everyone's wildest dreams with this monster of an album.

Musically the album is hard to summarize. With riffs more aggressive than ever and fast tempos, the twin guitar interplay with Murray and Smith continuing with the guitar harmonies they expanded on in Killers, they made everything faster, louder and heavier. Though the album features no instrumentals unlike the previous two, the guitarists show they know what their doing and that they're are really good at doing it, just with the riffs and solos of the songs. Also, this is the first album with Bruce "The Air Raid Siren" Dickinson and he proves to us, with wide ranging vocals and immense versatility in range and style, song after fucking song that he's more than an adequate replacement. 

And Harris, blessed with vocalist who delivers melody in a grandiose and operatic manner took his songwriting abilities up a notch with epic themes ranging from horror, sci-fi, history and even his own nightmares. Thematically, the album traverses a wide range of topics, drawing inspiration from novels and T.V. shows et al, though the title track led many to believe the band to be satanic (which though they aren't), and caused a couple of hiccups for them. Iron Maiden, with this album, sure as hell, just drives their brand of metal straight down the throat.

The Album begins with Invaders, among their fastest songs at the time. Dickinson's operatic styles works well for the song and allows Harris to write such songs. Harris's base lines are prominent throughout the song and are superbly done. The powerful riffing is fast and the drumming aggressive. Murray's solo is unfortunately short and is followed up well by Smith's comparatively slower one. The transitions are smooth and song packs some energy. The lyrics are about Viking invasions and all that follows.

Next up is Children of the Damned, a slower and heavier number. Easily one of the best tracks of the album. The vocals are notably brilliant and the song mixes clean riffs and the heavier riffs which occur during the choruses very neatly. It has a very melodic solo which goes well with Harris' almost lead-like base lines. The lyrics are dark and are something only Dickinson can pull off, which he does with apparent ease. All in all an excellent song!

Following Children.. is The Prisoner, a catchy version of a popular British T.V. series going by the same name. Starting with a dialogue from the show its extends forward with a lengthy instrumental with great solos. Harris' base is overpowering, echoing his might as a bassist. A great track that lightens the dark mood set by the tracks before. Another solid Maiden classic.

22 Acacia Avenue is a follow up to the Charlotte the Harlot saga from the band's debut album. A very melodic track though which when compared to Charlotte has lyrics slightly less serious. Not as good as it gets on this album, but still a great track to listen to. 

 "Woe to you O earth and sea for the Devil sends the beast with wrath because he knows the time is short. Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast for it is a human number/its number is six hundred and sixty six" 

Both Maiden's and one of heavy metal's most well known songs. The spoken intro to the song that is chanted unfailingly by every metalhead thronging any of their concerts time after time. The song has remained in every setlist so far and is by far the biggest crowd favourite. Yeah, it's Number of the Beast, a huge cult hit that truly deserves its status. Based on nightmare Harris had after watching a horror flick (The Omen possibly) , it combines brilliant thought-provoking lyrics, very catchy riffs and Dickinson's banshee-like blood curling scream extremely well to produce this heavy metal masterpiece. The chorus, it seems was made just to excite the crowd and elevate their manic antics to a new plane and crowd chants it in unison with great fervor and energy making it look like something out of a frenzied pagan ritual, fittingly enough. The solo, Dave Murray's atmospheric solo, is extremely impressive and is indicative of his skill. This is one of those few songs that really takes you there, making you imagine and truly feel the mood and really live the song. Obviously one of the best pieces of the album.

What follows one fan favourite is another anthemic one, Run to the Hills. Featuring Harris' trademark galloping technique, which blends well with the overall theme of the song - the conflict between the native Americans and European settlers. The base line has you imagining the Indian warriors riding on their steeds in to battle. The song is very well written and again its Dickinson's sheer skill that adds that certain something to the song. Excellent soloing and a harmonious riff contribute to why fans love it so amongst many other things. Another Maiden signature piece.

Gangland at number 7 is not amongst Maiden's most popular songs and rightly so seeing as it doesn't have too much to offer. The song is probably the most energetic of the album and relentless fast riffing is what the song is all about. The lyrics are fairly likable and the best part of the song is the instrumental passage. As usual the vocals are strong and hold up the song, though compared to any other on the track, this one is beaten hollow.

Track 8. Rated in list after list as one of best songs of all time. Maiden's most celebrated ballad, the epic Hallowed be Thy Name is possibly the best song of the album. Bruce Dickinson stuns with a powerful and impassioned performance that few can think of rivaling. The vocals are delivered well and very melodically and on the whole compliments the guitar harmonies. The familiar ringing of the bells at the beginning of the song is every bit as iconic as the title track's chorus and gets the crowd into a frenzy, also, like the chorus. The doom-like gloomy beginning sets the feeling and mood for the rest of the song. Harris outdoes himself on lyrics which are easily amongst his best. The lyrics are very philosophical and takes you through the turbulent mix of emotions the character in the song goes through when faced with his imminent execution. The thoughts, reflection and finally revelations that occur to the man about to be sent to the gallows is brought out very well and is every bit grandiose as can be expected. The dark nature of the song suits and gels well that of the rest of the album. The tempo of the song changes fairly often and these transitions are carried out masterfully. The guitar work is exceptionally good and showcases Smith's and Murray's skill yet again. Every part of the song is intense and musically, very melodic. Though the song opens slowly it inevitably builds up pace to make for a frenzied finale. Very Essential Maiden.

Though left out of the album initially, surprisingly enough to make way for Gangland, Total Eclipse is yet another great song. Excellent riffing and outstanding lyrics make it stand out. Great solos and good vocals make for a very likable track. The theme goes over the topic of natural disasters, sort of like the end of the world thing.

Overall, a breakthrough album that cemented Maiden's legendary status in heavy metal and rightly so. A milestone in the band's career and a cornerstone of the genre. A heady combination of incredible melody and which is impressive and extraordinarily intense. An album whose style many have inimitably tried to copy throughout the decade .This is the album that left the bands of eighties wanting to be like Maiden in every which way. A must have in any metal heads collection. Truly, a thing of beauty.

Stay Heavy!

Heavy Metal's True Godfather

The grand wizard of classic rock. A poet of hope for the heavy metal masses. Possibly the single most important vocalist in the history of heavy metal. Easily the most talented one. The man whose trademark tales of dungeons and dragons and wizards, of sorcery, war and heroic glory and the underlying good versus evil theme may have single-handedly inspired every major heavy metal act. All these accolades and many more that don't come to mind that readily have been garlanded upon Ronnie James Dio.

The world of heavy metal is divided into two parts, the first being the part that respects and reveres and looks for inspiration from the man that is Ronnie James Dio, and the second one, which in turn respects and reveres the first. 
This is the man famed for popularizing the mano cornuta or the corna, known commonly as the Devil's Horns, the gesture which to this day is used by the hordes of metalheads who throng concerts.
How many musicians, irrespective of genre can brag about recording and touring consistently in six different decades?
How many people can get over 40 artists of arguably the biggest heavy metal bands of the time (the eighties) to collaborate (This project titled Hear 'N Aid raised a cool USD one million to fight starvation in Africa). 
Dio has played in over eleven bands, notably the iconic Black Sabbath, and the equally popular Rainbow. He has also lent his vocal talents to at least a dozen (Queensrÿche, Deep Purple and Rough Cutt are a few that spring to mind) other bands in the industry.

During his Rainbow days he along with Blackmore (of Deep Purple fame) pioneered classic metal with albums like Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and Rising.
In his time in there, he helped Sabbath break out of their creative slump and was instrumental in formation of two of Black Sabbath's massive monoliths, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. Just another feather in his cap.
His first solo offering, one of metal's all time classics, Holy Diver was a brilliant amalgamation of Ronnie's immense vocal prowess and brilliant lyrical and compositional skills that married heaviness and melody in a never before heard of way. This paved the way for him to become of the biggest live acts of the eighties.
Currently playing with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice as Black Sabbath reformed, under the moniker of Heaven and Hell, a reference to Sabbath's biggest album in the Dio years, he proves he's not one to let age get in his way, especially after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
All this together makes sure one cannot deny that Dio has had an immeasurable effect and incredible influence on heavy metal.
Hopefully the legend kills his dragons and gets back to enthralling metalheads worldwide. 
So, all hail Dio. Heavy Metal's True Godfather. Period. \m/ 

My travels to Hell and back

A campus far far away from the city. Really far away. Bang in the middle of nowhere. Hell, we could be Courage The Cowardly Dog's neighbour. Go ahead, try locating us on Google Earth. Hint - look for smoky grey cloud not too far from Yelahanka, which emanates from the smokers-hut opposite our college. The way to our college - the Doddabalapur Highway, resembles the track from Death Race, you know, with all the accidents, car-wrecks and everything. The public transport system along the road is crappy, with only one bloody bus route, route 285 - jam packed with people all across the spectrum.    Its worse than most heavy metal concerts.Crowds pushing you every which way and ever so ready to lynch, so many heads around all you that all you see is a sea of black, unrecognizable food articles lying all over the floor, people pushing you ever so violently to make it to the front and get off the bus (See Moshing in Wikipedia) and finally when its your turn to get off people barging in without any consideration, brutally elbowing their way in, yeah, Route 285 has got its own Wall Of Death. Go ahead and Google Wall of Death (just in case http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wall+of+death). Yeah, uh huh, heavy metal concerts though surprisingly similar, are a complete push over compared to Route 285. Once outside the bus you look at the sheer volume of people it carries on each and every trip. Its at these times that you tend to marvel Tata's engines begin to respect this industrial giant and their R&D division.

Okay, so you've braved Route 285 and reached the stop right outside college. You notice what looks like some sort of prehistoric swamp. Civilization for us is the Photocopy shop outside college. Then again, considering our location having power throughout the day is something to be thankful for. You step out of the bus wondering where to go. You walk past an entrance similar to the one in Jurassic Park. Walking a little bit ahead, you see the dome shaped guard house and decide to walk in. The guard stops you demanding for ID card. Yes, my college unfortunately is among the many targets of terrorists around the world. You turn back and walk through the other entrance. No one stops you. A bloody Abram tank could pass through this particular entrance and the guards about twenty feet away, manning the main entrance wouldn't notice. So much for security.

 Once inside the campus you walk past a slum where construction workers live, for around five minutes. You tend to notice that the college is kinda small. Not much space for whiling away doing absolutely nothing after bunking classes. You see three buildings. The college buildings. Most of us walk towards the main building, it being where most the branches are supposed to be located. This alternative way into the college is something of an off-roader's dream track. As in a really bad dream. Bad bad dream. You'd think rally cars have a tough time navigating through the muddy path filled with large puddles, pit-holes, what seem to be quicksands, assorted gigantic plants sprouting out of the ground right out of nowhere, like I said - Jurassic Park. Well its a short walk, so you suck it up. Walking into the main building, you'll notice two pictures, one of the great Sir M. Visvesvaraya and the other of our founder. It then occurs to you that no one has known what the expansion of the initials in his name are, and it will continue to remain a secret lost forever to the sands of time. Chuckling, you walk towards the lift to reach the classroom. Yeah, this is how on an average day I get my arse to class, just so that I can lug it back home after getting screwed over by every other lecturer. Ah, how fun college life is!