Peter Steele was born Petrus T. Ratajczyk in Brooklyn, New York in 1962 and would eventually help create a mass market for what many have come to call ‘Gothic Metal’. Peter was the lead vocalist, bassist and composer for the band Type O Negative. Prior to forming T.O.N. in 1989 Peter was in the Brooklyn based heavy metal band ‘Fallout’ and the thrash metal band ‘Carnivore’. I’m not sure if you can always hear it in his music but Pete (for the rest of this article I will be referring to him as Pete) always said that when composing, his greatest musical influences were The Beatles and Black Sabbath. Ironically, Ronnie Dio, formerly of Black Sabbath, died almost exactly a month after Pete did.

Type O Negative…..well, mostly Pete….gained mainstream media attention in 1995 after a self confessed ‘publicity stunt’ spread in Playgirl. Pete was hoping to promote their upcoming album ‘October Rust’ but gained attention for something completely different (if you get my drift).  For those of you that don’t know who Pete Steele was or what he looked like, I will try to paint a picture. He was quite a manly man, standing at 6’6” and built to the hills. He had long, black, beautiful hair and if you looked closely enough when he spoke you would see that his teeth had actually been filed to resembled fangs. His voice was so deep that it probably made inanimate objects vibrate and his eyes were a piercing green. Pete’s ‘uniform’ at concerts, in video’s and most public appearances was a form fitting dark green shirt, black pants and boots. Someone at Roadrunner Records, T.O.N.’s first record label, described him as being ‘completely committed to the color green’. He is often referred to as ‘The Green Man’ due to that very commitment as well as the song of the same name off of the hit album ‘October Rust’.

Pete was famous for his shocking lyrics, some of which I cringe at now, but that definitely made T.O.N. what it is today. A sufferer of clinical depression and bi-polar disorder, he was able to take his insanely brilliant mind and his sometimes off the chart emotions and make musical masterpieces for the masses. I understand that not everyone likes this style of music, and to be honest it’s not really my cup of tea anymore either but this man didn’t just create ‘music’, he made poetry. When I listen to some of his songs, or even read the lyrics, I can for a moment almost feel where he was when he was writing it. I really think that when Pete was writing about werewolves and vampires and the darker things in his music he was using metaphors for where he was in his life.  I think this is why I and so many other people connected with his music. We were all facing the same types of demons he was singing about and it was nice to know we weren’t going through it alone.

Life was not easy for The Green Man but I’m sure it was always interesting. If you were to read or watch any of his interviews you might be a little surprised at how incredibly funny he was. He said some of the most off the wall, crazy things out of the middle of nowhere and you may think he was on drugs but it was just how Pete rolled. He told you what he thought and he always told the truth. On the T.O.N. website band mate Kenny Hickey said ‘Peter Steele was one of the most brilliant and funny personalities in music and it was for real. Half the time people thought he was joking but he was actually telling the truth’ which made me think back to an interview he gave at a rock festival in the Netherlands where he talked  very seriously about having a pet Bobcat on the tour bus. Everyone else laughed it off like he was joking but now I wonder. It was millions of quirky moments like that which made him so special.

There were many life changing moments during Pete’s career, the loss of his mother and father, the feuding that took place between he and his sisters when they had him committed, drug and alcohol abuse and love that came and went. Another big change was Pete’s view on eternity. Many fans had come to know Mr. Steele as a devout atheist. Although raised Roman-Catholic he wanted nothing to do with God or religion and made it very clear in his lyrics and in his interviews. But Pete grew through his loss and realized that something bigger and better had to be out there and in 2007 made the announcement that he had embraced Christianity. In an interview with Decibel magazine he said “There are no atheists in foxholes, they say, and I was a foxhole atheist for a long time. But after going through a midlife crisis and having many things change very quickly, it made me realize my mortality. And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what’s after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it’s a frightening thought to go nowhere. I also can’t believe that people like Stalin and Hitler are gonna go to the same place as Mother Teresa”.

Pete was 48 years old when he died of heart failure. He had been sober for quite some time and was going to start working on the next Type O Negative album in the coming months. The title of this article came from an interview where Pete said he had thought about writing a book filled with stories of his misadventures and he would call the book ‘Give Pete a Chance’. There is so much more that could be said about this man that was so touchingly human, so emotionally vulnerable, so incredibly brilliant, but there just isn’t enough space on a page. I think if anything Pete’s story and life inspires me to want to be better. To not look back and wish I did something but passed the opportunity by. To be creative and to touch people with that creativity so they can maybe, if just for a second, feel more alive.

See you on the other side Pete……

‘I’m not an extremely suicidal or sad person. Yes, there are times when I get extremely depressed and how I sublimate those feelings is through music. Instead of slashing my wrists, I just write a bunch of really crummy songs.’ -Peter Steele

Written by: Michelle Brockman for RhythmScene.com

Written by Michelle Brockman

And the Gramophone Goes to……!!!!!!

So, the Grammy’s are this weekend, you gonna watch? The first Grammy’s telecast was in 1959 and the world and the music of the world have certainly come a long way in 50 years.

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the people that put together the Grammy’s bash) was established in 1957 for the sole purpose of quality control. Basically, some big wig music executives in Hollywood were nervous about this new type of ‘devil music’ dubbed Rock-n-Roll and had the brilliant idea to start a type of music award society which would be an incentive for musicians and producers to strive to make better, scandal free music. Of course in order to win one of these prestigious shiny awards your musical creation had to fall within their guidelines (yeah, they knew what they were doing!)

Thankfully, times changed, and people changed with the times. Now we have categories to celebrate all of our favorite types of music and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little creativity and difference. So with that little mini bio of the Grammy awards here are some *Fun Facts* to get you jazzed up for the live show on January 31^st.

Most Grammy Awards won by a band: U2, total of 22 Grammys

Most Grammy Awards for Solo Artist (Male):  Stevie Wonder, total of 28 Grammys in addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award

Most Grammy Awards for Solo Artist (Female): Alison Krauss, total of 20 Grammys

Most Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance (Female): Aretha Franklin total of 11 Grammys

Youngest Grammy Winner: LeAnn Rimes was 14 years old when she won for “Best New Artist”

Most Grammys won in one night (Male) Michael Jackson in 1984 was nominated for 11 awards and won 8. Carlos Santana in 2000 won 8 Grammys to tie Jacksons record.

Most Grammys won in one night (Female) Lauryn Hill in 1999, Alicia Keys in 2002, Norah Jones in 2003, and The Dixie Chicks in 2007, all tied this record for winning 5 Grammys in one night.

Most Grammy Nominations: Quincy Jones has had 79 nominations, and won 27 Grammys

Most Grammy Nominations with no wins: Alan Parsons and Joe Satriani are tied with 13 nominations but no wins

Written by Michelle Brockman

Hard to believe but another year has (almost) come and gone. Which means of course, that it’s now time to make resolutions we will more than likely not keep. Well, I usually don’t anyway, maybe you have better luck. So in the spirit of wanting to make the next year better in some way, here are some quotes from the musically inclined on what their New Year’s Resolution was in times since passed.

“Even though I’m only 14, I resolve to become a successful and famous song writer – which is nice work if you can get it. On what basis do I think this will happen? When folks tell me, ‘George, you’ve got plenty of nothing,’ I tell ‘em, ‘That ain’t necessarily so.’ See, for one thing, I got rhythm. They can’t take that away from me. And when you’ve got rhythm, who could ask for anything more? At least in the summertime, when the livin’ is easy. ‘S wonderful. And eventually, I’ll meet the girl of my dreams, we’ll move to Swanee and be happy forever ‘cause our love is here to stay. And I’ll never have to worry about being alone because I’ll have someone to watch over me. In fact, just to prove my appreciation to her, I’ll build her a stairway to paradise.” – George Gershwin

“I would like to stop worrying so much because I worry all the time. And to learn how to be happier, just in general. And to stop biting my nails!” – Britney Spears

“My resolution is to be as nice as possible to the press.” – Kanye West

“It’s always the same: to work out more and eat healthier. I’m trying to go organic, eat more raw.” – Fergie

“All my focus is on my son. Every day, being a better mom and learning with him. It’s an incredible experience.” – Ashlee Simpson

“I’m looking for the right woman. I need a magnifying glass! I’m trying to find that rare jewel.” – Jamie Foxx

“No bills in ‘09. Live off other people. We’re in an economic crunch right now, so I’m not trying to pay any bills. I want somebody else to pay my bills, so you get me like 10 [women] with money. Nah, I’m just kidding.” – Coolio

“I would like to learn more about the music and business that I have gotten into. I would like to get more involved in the writing side of music, and also I’m learning more things about performing and meeting a lot of new people that I can learn from.” – David Archuleta

So, what’s YOURS?

References:

www.aish.com

www.justjared.com

December 14, 2009

Written by Michelle Brockman

You may or may or may not have known but December 1^st was World AIDS day. It is estimated that last year alone some 2 MILLION people died from AIDS related complications. Some of those people were musicians.

Sure, it’s easy to look over or even forget what some of those great, industry changing musicians have died from but it certainly doesn’t do anyone any favors. In my opinion their deaths are the perfect excuse to bring it up and shout about it and to try to bring an end to this silly and unnecessary disease. I was actually a little taken aback to find out that some of my favorite musicians died before their time because of AIDS. One of them being the larger than life pianist, Liberace. I remember listening to a cassette tape of his music with my dad when I was younger and just being captivated by the life he gave those piano keys and how for just a few minutes he carried you away with him, into his own little private world. Aside from impacting me, he also greatly influenced Elton John, Gary Glitter and Queen, to name a few. Just think of where we’d be today without those musicians. And just think of who else might have been impacted if it weren’t for Liberace’s premature death caused by the AIDS virus.

It’s kind of strange to know how much Queen, and more importantly their lead singer Freddie Mercury, were impacted by Liberace when he too would succumb to the same fate. Freddie was only 45 years old when he passed away. If that isn’t a tragedy then I don’t know what is. Especially since in 2005, 14 years after his death, he was voted the Greatest Male Singer of All Time and was voted second greatest singer overall (right behind Mariah Carey). There is certainly something to say about someone that is still held dear to so many people more than a decade after his death. It should also be pointed out that Freddie wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen’s Greatest Hits album including Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody to Love, We are the Champions and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I can think of at least 5 movies that have had his songs as part of the soundtrack. I mean really, what would Wayne’s World be without Bohemian Rhapsody. That song is so awesome the Muppets, yes THE MUPPETS, did a cover of it.

Rapper Eazy-E also died from AIDS related complications in 1995. He was 31 years old and didn’t even know he was infected with the virus. It was believed his symptoms were due to asthma until he was admitted to the hospital and his condition steadily deteriorated. Blood tests were conducted and revealed the true reason for his illness. He died 10 days after being admitted and left behind a new wife and a young son. Eazy-E formed the group NWA with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube in 1987. They were on of the first West Coast Rap groups to come out of Compton and were instrumental to the commercial success of the West Coast Rap genre. I can only imagine where his career would have been today if his life wasn’t unexpectedly and tragically cut short.

The list could go on and on but I think it’s more important to point out that AIDS doesn’t care if you’re white or black or gay or straight. It doesn’t care if you’re single or if you’re married, if you’re a mom or a dad or if you’re a grandma or grandpa. We all need to be aware and prepared and know that it’s out there and not skirt around the issue. Take responsibility for your health and do your very best to educate others. Just think of the impact that these few lives have made and what a better and more fun world it was because of them…and what an even better and more fun world it would have been if we didn’t lose them as soon as we did.

Photo from Topnews

References:
Wikipedia
Elvispelvis.com/aids

]]> http://www.rhythmscene.com/2009/12/sound-off-how-aids-changed-music/feed/ 0 http://www.rhythmscene.com/2009/11/wanted-lead-singer/ http://www.rhythmscene.com/2009/11/wanted-lead-singer/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:40:05 +0000 admin http://www.rhythmscene.com/?p=946 November 27, 2009

Written by Michelle Brockman

So the latest gossip floating around is that Aerosmith band members Joey Kramer, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton are considering hiring a replacement for uber-famous lead singer Steven Tyler. Steven is rumored to have recently fallen back into bad habits in addition to hurting his shoulder recently at concert and is taking a two year hiatus from performing. Not surprisingly, the rest of the band doesn’t want to sit around and twiddle their thumbs (or other things) for the next two years. After all, their…clock…..is ticking. But for as long as this band has been around, 39 years to be exact, you would hope they would’ve taken some mental notes on ‘famous lead singer’ replacements. And if they haven’t, well, I have.

Let’s start with Black Sabbath. This classic rock band was fronted by legendary babbler Ozzy Osbourne from the band’s inception in 1968 until he was forcedly replaced in 1979 by Ronnie James Dio. While Dio is a rock legend in his own right, popular opinion is that he didn’t do much for Black Sabbath. This is a key lesson in Lead Singer Replacement 101:  People want what they know. You can not just take a great musician and put him in front of your band and expect the fans to accept it. That voice is your band’s meal ticket. The same can be said of the Van Halen replacement where Sammy Hagar took over for David Lee Roth after his 11 year stint as front man was over. There probably wasn’t as much damage done in this transition but suffice it to say fans weren’t happy and it ultimately did affect album sales.

Front man replacement isn’t always a bad thing though. Peter Gabriel was the lead singer in the band Genesis from 1967 until 1975 when band member Phil Collins left his place at the drums and moved up to the microphone. Peter Gabriel went on to have a successful solo career and Genesis went on to have multiple chart toppers. Now that in my opinion is a win-win! Another success story can be found in AC/DC. Singer Bon Scott (who had himself replaced previous lead singer Dave Evans before their commercial success) died suddenly and tragically due to alcohol related pulmonary aspiration in 1980 right when AC/DC was becoming a household name. The band was considering quitting altogether when the realization that Scott would want them to go on prompted them to search for a new lead. This search produced Brian Johnson which was apparently a very good choice as the bands new front man. Johnson went on to claim many more chart toppers for AC/DC and helped seal their fate in the world of hard rock as legends.

It seems though that there are more tragic tales of lead replacements than fairy tales. Take for example the Steve Perry replacement by Journey band members, the postmortem replacement of INXS front man Michael Hutchence, or the replacement of Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden. None of these bands had the same commercial success that they had with their original ‘voices’. There are many more examples of this but I think you get the picture. So maybe it’s wishful thinking but I really hope that the Aerosmith ‘mates realize what they’re up against. You can not replace Steven Tyler’s gritty-pretty vocals and they really shouldn’t even try to. I mean, would it really be so bad to spend some of your millions on an awesome two year vacation? I don’t think so….

References:
Wikipedia
People.com

November 20, 2009

Written by Michelle Brockman

The genre of hip hop has taken quite a journey over the last almost 40 years. What started off as a few guys from the Bronx performing in the streets for small block parties has transformed into a movement that has swept the nation and become a defining lifestyle for many Americans. It has gone from being entirely unknown outside of the Unites States to impacting and influencing people all over the world.

New York City gets credit for being the birthplace of hip hop. Some of the first pioneers were artists such as DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grand Master Flash who were all based in the Bronx. Other big name hip-hoppers from New York City include LL Kool J, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys. Though not yet in the mainstream, by the early 1980’s hip hop’s popularity started to take off and could be found in cities as diverse as Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, San Antonio, TX, Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, New Orleans, Houston, and Toronto.

In the mid 80’s a new style of hip hop emerged from the West Coast and was being called Gangsta Rap. This music very effectively represented the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths and struck a chord with young fans throughout the country that could relate. In 1992 the release of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic sealed Gangsta Rap’s place in history and proved to be more commercially successful than East Coast rap. This style was further popularized by Snoop Dogg’s 1993 release of Doggystyle which hit mainstream gold. Around this same time East Coast acts like Wu Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G. started to take off and the end result was the so called East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry which some argue ultimately ended the lives of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.

The 2000’s have brought about their own hip hop stars in Crunk which originated from the southern states style of hip hop. Many of the artists from the Crunk genre originate from Memphis, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia and have managed to create a musical lifestyle unique unto itself. There’s the Crunk dancing style, Crunk clothing and even a Crunk energy drink if you can believe it. Aside from the new crunk craze however, many fans and critics are wondering what the next direction of hip hop will be. What used to be an outlet for creativity and energy with its clever rhymes and beats seemed to have turned into a vehicle for advocating personal, social and criminal corruption. You never know though, with as far as hip hop has come in such a short time it wouldn’t be hard to believe that a new subgenre could pop up in the mid-west and be centered around farming and living green. Even then, it probably wouldn’t be the last stop on the map….

References:
Wikipedia

(Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images) © Lench Mob Records

A Love Affair

November 13, 2009

Written by Michelle Brockman

Since Veteran’s Day is observed this week I thought it only fitting to write about the deep connection between war time and music. War and music have always had an intimate bond, even as far back as 2,800 years ago. We have evidence of this in Homer’s epic The Iliad, which was originally a song, about the last weeks of the Trojan War. Homer was definitely on to something!

All throughout history we find instances of music being used to soothe and uplift a nation on its knees and to capture the essence of the war itself. The Civil War was unique in its musical characteristics as it highlighted the strife between one nation with two different faces. The North had popular songs such as ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ and ‘All Quiet on the Potomac Tonight’ and the South with the brazen ‘Oh I’m a Good Old Rebel’. But it wasn’t really until World War I that we saw music change the dynamic of war. As the technology of the time continued to grow and advance it became easier to use music as a tool. The three main functions of music in the WWI and WWII era were to boost the morale of suffering troops and civilians, to attract enemy troops to propaganda programs and to express a vision of the nature of the respective regime. This was apparently very effective as American music and broadcasting was completely banned in Nazi occupied Europe.

During World War II, jazz was arguably the most popular style of music, although it became increasingly hard to keep bands together. In 1942 the jazz magazine ‘Down Beat’ started a regular column titled ‘Killed in Action’ which listed the names of enlisted jazz artists which had been killed in the war effort. Jazz legend Glenn Miller was too old to be drafted but still found a way to help his country in its time of greatest need. Miller, along with his Army Air Force band, began to tour England in the summer of 1944 and performed approximately 800 times for the U.S. and allied troops which were stationed there. Sadly, he too died for this cause when his plane disappeared over the English Channel in December of 1944. Even to this day though, we can see a glimmer of Glenn Miller’s good will through the USO tours that are given in the spirit of using one’s musical talent to bring cheer to those that have so little to be cheerful for during war.

The Vietnam War was another huge music producing machine. One of my favorite songs of all time, Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Goin’ On’, was inspired by this war. The Doors, Bob Dylan and Jefferson Airplane were also just a miniscule number of bands that created chart toppers relating to the brutality and hopelessness of war. And it’s powerful stuff too…..listening to the song ‘Run through the Jungle’ by Credence Clearwater Revival almost makes you feel like you have just arrived via green army chopper in the desolate land that was the background of Vietnam.

On a different note in the same tune, whether you celebrate or not, the Christmas season is right around the corner. That means you are bound to hear the song ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’ by Bing Crosby. This song was a chart topper for 11 weeks in 1943 and was such a hit that it was recorded by Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and countless other artists. Considering the year it hit airwaves, it should be no surprise to you that this song is actually about US soldiers that thought the war would be over quickly and would home in time for Christmas…..if only in their dreams. So as you gather around your tree this year or celebrate with a big Christmas Eve dinner, please take a moment to pray for and think about and appreciate the Soldier that won’t be home for Christmas and how they are trying to make your world a better place.

P.S. If you’d like to check out an awesome site dedicated to Vietnam War Veterans with fantastic Vietnam Era music playlists please check out: http://chu65nang67.us/nam

Photo: Jack Benny USO Show – Kassel, Germany (Hesse) August 4, 1945.
Third Division photographers watch Jack Benny tune his famous violin. Pop Heller on the left and Bill Toomey and Bobby Seesock on the right.

Photo by Jimmy Todd of the 163rd Signal Co.

References:
Time.com
Livinghistoryfarm.com
Wikipedia

Written by Michelle Brockman

Have you ever listened to your favorite song, or favorite artist and all of the sudden felt on top of the world? Or maybe you heard a song on the radio, in a commercial, in a movie or maybe even off in the distance somewhere and been taken back into a different place in time…maybe into a memory of days since passed or perhaps a moment that holds a special place in your mind?  I happen to believe that music makes our souls dance and can even take us back into a deep dark place we have forgotten about. There is something to be said about a force that can whip and manipulate the human spirit, almost in a magical way. To make us feel things that five minutes ago we may never have dreamed of.

Music is way underrated if you ask me. The world should be harnessing the power of music to make the positive changes that we so desperately need. Think about it, if we gather five hundred people from all different backgrounds and belief systems in Times Square and play ‘We are family’ by Sister Sledge you’d better believe there will be a feeling of connection, of love between strangers that have never met each other before but feel pulled together by some strange, inexplicable force. After all, our government uses the power of music for torture, they’ve obviously figured out its power so…..why don’t we use music for good?

The subliminal messages in music that one is subjected to are also astonishing. There have only been a few studies on this topic but the results are definitely in. Studies have revealed that musical tempo and customers’ music preferences are the best predictors for strength of influence. Slow music and appreciation for the respective musical style can affect the length of stay of supermarket shoppers or restaurant patrons. You’d better believe advertisers are using this data to their advantage! The subject of subliminal messages is a very serious one, however. We have many people in our prison system that have claimed that they heard the devil speaking to them through their music and told them to commit murder. On the flip side, there are people that have been inspired to great creativity because of music. There is even a website dedicated to ‘Saving the World with Music’, which aims to do just that.

So, if you’re listening to the radio in your car tomorrow or your favorite playlist on your iPod and you hear a song that makes you want to burst into tears, or reminds you of a loved one, or of the crazy things you have done in your past, take a moment to reflect. To think about the gift music has just given you. It has just moved your soul…and affected your brain chemistry.

It has just changed that moment of your life.

Photo by: daidix (Via Flickr)

References:
Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis. Vol. 4, No. 2

Written by Michelle Brockman

Oh Emo, you were born of disdain
By hardcore punk bands of the 80’s
That experienced great pain
Washington D.C. was your birthplace
But the movement swept across the United States
You became an outlet for angsty young adults
Then the 90’s came and you reached the catapult
Bands like Nirvana opened the door
Independent music was now cool
Greedy music execs and fans wanted more

Jawbreaker is referred to as your most influential band
They broke up in the mid 90’s after poor album sales
But their influence allowed other ‘Emo’ bands to make a stand
In the mid 90’s stereotypes developed and have lasted ‘til this day
Overly sensitive, overly brainy, guitar driven college music
Fans didn’t care about stereotypes; they just wanted you to stay
As the decade came to a close your popularity rose and rose
In the early 2000’s you hit the mainstream
Your emotionally charged rock is what the fans chose
Then fashion and subculture became a big theme

You have been criticized through the years
Some people are upset there are too few women in bands
Others think you glamorize suicide and accentuate fears
Russia has put legal restrictions on the ‘Emo’ scene
Banning you from websites, schools and government buildings
They say you cause depression and suicide in teens
But Emo don’t you worry
You are loved for your honesty and emotion
New young fans are flocking to you in a scurry
And you will always have their undying devotion

The End

References:
Wikipedia

October 16, 2009

Written by Michelle Brockman

Well according to a new study it would have been plausible…that is of course if they had both lived in the same century. What would the Godfather of Mainstream Classical have in common with the Mack Daddy of Metal, you ask?

Other than being born on the same continent and having a passion for music they both would more than likely have had a lot in common, according to a study led by Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt Univerisity in Edinburgh, Scotland. Professor North’s study consisted of 36,000 music lovers from different demographics and found that those who have cravings for classical shared the same personality traits as those who mused over metal. The shared traits included creativity, a general feeling of being at ease with themselves, being introverted and having a sense of ‘theater’. Thankfully, biting the heads off of bats was not one of the shared traits (it’s kind of hard to picture Mr. Bach taking a break in the middle of a tempestuous piano concerto for a ’snack’).

More important than the connection of fans sharing similar personality qualities is the musical connection they share. In fact, if we didn’t have classical we may not have metal. Many of the founding metal bands drew their musical inspiration from classical music. Some of metal’s most influential musicians are guitar players that have studied classical music and more specifically, classical guitar. There is even a genre of metal aptly named ‘Neo-Classical Metal’ which was developed in the 80’s and is heavily influenced by classical composers from the 18th century.

If you need a little more convincing that classical and metal really are soul mates all you need to do is hop over to YouTube and look for a clip of Eddie Van Halen whipping up a dose of good old fashioned electric guitar improv – tell me you don’t hear some Beethoven or Mozart in there! While you’re at it, lend an ear to Black Sabbath’s title track which features the devilishly delectable tritone notes which, you guessed it, came from the classical music masters of the Middle Ages.

So kiddies, if you thought classical music was only for pocket-protector-wearing-calculus-masters, or that metal was only for mascara-loving-men-with-an-abundance-of-patent-leather-pants, think again and don’t be afraid to journey to……the other side!

References:
Wikipedia
Daily Mail UK
Metal: a Headbangers Journey