Posted on 09/03/2011 10:03:44 PM PDT by dagogo redux
With Labor Day coming up, I find myself again reflecting on the wisdom of our elected leaders, who, in years past, had the insight to offer a holy day of celebration in honor of the American Labor Movement and its Marxist underpinnings.
But that’s not all I found myself doing this fine weekend. No, I was on the road for an extended drive in my fairly new, reliable as hell, non-union-built Toyota Tacoma, which came equipped with Sirius Satellite Radio reception. Our single local “conservative talk” station, in typical lame fashion, had again bumped Rush’s Weekend in Review for some stupid ball game, so I was dialing through the Sirius options.
Then suddenly it happened.
Some backstory (I’ll make it mercifully brief, I hope). I grew up listening to my mother’s old 78s of classical music, and eventually studied such things formally, and have always been in love with such music. But, as a youngster I also grew up with the Rock & Roll of the 50s, the British Invasion of the 60’s and the whole sweep of the folk era. I loved it all.
Musical fads come and go, and some since then seemed more appealing to me than others, but, except for a fond affection for Bevis and Butthead, I never thought Heavy Metal would have enough appeal for me to even bother giving it a listen. I don’t think I ever actually heard a single recording of it. Until today.
It happened as I dialed to the Sirius Heavy Metal station in the opening moments of some song (never caught the name), and my LED display said “Holy Grail” was the name of the artist. The music was simply amazing, like nothing I had ever heard before. The ferocity of the energy and the ecstatic angst of the raw emotional turmoil battered my psyche into submission in a matter of seconds. But the musical bludgeoning then went on and on at this breakneck, unrelenting intensity for what seemed like hours, and when it finally did end, I found myself a convert to this new object of worship.
And to satisfy my longing for that hit of the Divine, an announcer said this was “Beyond the Throne”: an entire weekend devoted to the greatest drummers in the history of Heavy Metal. And then the music started again, another group, another song, but that same sublime, raw, heavenly energy going on and on. Glorious.
The next few hours of the trip home were beyond my ability to describe, or even to assimilate, or recall clearly. I had been born again in my musical tastes, washed clean with the pounding beat and strident riffs descending from a tortured Heaven. Hallelujah!
So why am I posting this Vanity on Free Republic, using up precious bandwidth when the Republic is going to hell in a hand basket, and the bandwidth of FR one of our few lifelines?
Just this. In the midst of the second hour of this dark, high-energy torrent, a stunning insight came to me with the force of a nuclear shock wave of Truth: A people who could conceive, create and enjoy this sort of maniacal musical maelstrom would be a people invincible in the event of an upcoming race war such as many believe we are headed for. A people merely capable of Rap, or whatever angry music the Hispanics listen to, would never be a match for people capable of the sort of controlled mayhem found in Heavy Metal.
I recall, I think, a poll where combat soldiers of our current wars were asked what music they liked to go into battle with, and I seem to recall some Heavy Metal songs among them. It made no sense to me back then, because I had never heard the stuff, but now I have. The perfect energy for facing death. The prefect energy for righteous, even celebratory killing.
My hat’s off to all you fellow FReepers who love this music, and of whom I would have thought lessor until today. I hope you guys are by my side when the SHTF. You guys rock!
The powers-that-were had split off the logistics trains from the combat trains as we advanced into Iraq in 1991. Travelling a corridor between the 6th French Foreign Legion on our left and our own artillery (towed and MLRS) on our right, we crawled at "convoy speed" (20-30 MPH) for dull drab hours.
Several in the convoy had stereo gear of various types-- mine a portable cassette player, for which I had at most four tapes-- some of them the larger boom box variety.
Military radio traffic was minimal. Once in a while someone would report on something or other, or do a radio chack, and the convoy commander (a field-grade office whose name escapes me) was good about calling "comfort" halts from time to time.
At one point someone called out something, probably a radio check, and there was msic in the background. The following approximates what happened next:
Convoy Commander: Last calling station, what is that you're listening to?
Last Calling Station: Uh, Sir, that's AC/DC, "Highway to Hell".
CC: Well, rewind it and put it on the net!"
LCC: Yes Sir!
And so it was, we drove a few minutes on what had seemed like a "highway to hell", cheered somewhat by the song of that name.
(Yes, AC/DC is British, but I think it supports your point. And no, I'm not a big fan of HM music-- Wagner and Rachmaninov are more my speed-- but thanks for revivng the memory.)
Here’s some ugly for you. Stupid racist comments towards the end.
*whom
CC
well...you have a point
I have actually heard with my own ears...
Christian Identity folks...seriously dangerous smart people who have wandered off the reservation of the reasonable
say that Heavy Metal is the only truly White Man’s music
Country sorta qualifies there too...imho
Listen to Hank III and you got all bases covered...as a serious thinking cracker with an axe to grind
I’m 53
Metal for me begins with Sabbath and ends with Black Sabbath IV
though I do like Metallica..more from Sandman forward..so shoot me I know but I like it better..a wee ballad never hurt...their version of Whiskey in the Jar is great
first metal I recall was Beck work on Yardbirds or maybe he or Page on Kinks
A small bit of commentary up with which to put :)
I like it for the Sturm und Drang of the immolation (includes the Leitmotif of the "Ride") followed by the last peaceful notes, which together sound to me like a vicious battle fought through the night followed by the dawn of victory.
The “dawn” begins at 7:10 in the youtube clip. It is my own interpretation.
>> would be a people invincible in the event of an upcoming race war
Do you yourself a favor and pickup a guitar. You need to understand the musicians perspective of the music that’s inspiring you.
Music should provide for common ground, not inspiration for bloodshed.
BTW, the contributions Blacks have made to American music is immeasurable. Any R&R that’s worth listening to was inevitably inspired by the work of Black hands.
Live for This, Hatebreedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTEyp7YHSyM
Destroy Everything, Hatebreed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_VTfrF6TWU
Well the racist crap at the end there really doesn’t fit in with Heavy Metal. So you lost me there. And I do not support that kinda racist thinking at all.
Lots of people of all races make great metal and listen to metal. Lots of metal can be traced back to it’s blues roots. Many black blues singers, guitarists, and song writers are right up there with the best of whoever is on top ritght now even thou they do not get the recongition they should.
Heavy Metal covers of lot music genres and there is a ton of crossover between many types of musicans of all races. So you need to rethink what Heavy Metal is.
Introduced to heavy metal at a Deep Purple concert in ‘73. The song? “Wheels of Confusion”.
Welcome to the wicked world of metal!! Been here since ‘73. Prepare to be amazed! If you have the inclination you might check out a genre I call “tech death” Very fast and tight. The Faceless and Braindrill are good examples.
JP is playing in Tampa Nov 30th. Can’t wait to see them...it’ll be the fifth time I’ve seen them in concert. K.K. decided to retire from the band just prior to starting this tour though.
Up the irons!
Agree with the Toyota Tacoma part.
Alternately Sentinel
Alternately Sentinel
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