Episode 8: Anthrax

Eight episodes into Sunday Night Videos, and we have our first member of the "Big 4" of metal. Anthrax is a band that has seen a few different lineups since their founding in 1981, but there are two main ones that come to mind when someone mentions the band--the Joey Belladonna and John Bush eras of Anthrax.

Much like Van Halen, fans love to argue about which incarnation was best, but the fact is, both versions of the band put out some of Anthrax's best songs. And in this episode of Sunday Night Videos, we're going to look at three videos each from the Belladonna and Bush-led bands.

Madhouse


Indians


Antisocial


Room for One More


Inside Out


What Doesn't Die


BONUS #1: Anthrax teamed up with Public Enemy in 1991 to do a cover of "Bring the Noise," and at the time it was groundbreaking as it was one of the first rap/metal songs. The two groups ended up touring together for a series of dates.



BONUS #2:  from 2005 to 2010, Anthrax went through a prolonged state of turmoil that saw both John Bush and Joey Belladonna join and leave the band again, and a third singer (Dan Nelson) become the frontman for awhile. Things settled in late 2010, when Joey Belladonna came back and recorded the vocals for Anthrax's Worship Music. The album came out in September of 2011, and is considered to be one of the best in their catalog. From Worship Music, here is "The Devil You Know."



Tune in next Sunday night at 8PM EST on Twitter (twitter.com/seebrianwrite) for another episode of Sunday Night Videos, and right here on the blog for the episode notes, which will go up shortly after 9PM EST. You can tweet me recommendations or get in on the discussion every Sunday night by using the hashtag #SundayNightVideos. Rock on!

Episode 7: Skid Row

When Skid Row's debut album arrived on the changing metal music scene in January 1989, it felt like one of the last great albums of the '80s metal era. Big riffs, shredding guitar solos and the high energy waling of frontman Sebastian Bach fit the '80s rock formula well. But it was 1991's Slave to the Grind which showed that Skid Row wasn't just another hair band. Slave to the grind was a fast, heavy album that built on the sound the group had established with their debut, but could also go toe to toe with grunge bands like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, who were ushering in a new metal era (Nirvana's Nevermind arrived three months after Slave to the Grind was released). By the time the band's third studio album Subhuman Race was released however, the music scene had shifted dramatically, and the band had been having problems for years., Sebastion Bach was fired in 1996, and Skid row's time in the spotlight was over.

Sebastian Bach has gone on to do a variety of things, from putting out solo albums, to singing on Broadway, to starring in reality shows. Skid Row have continued to soldier on, and have found a second wave of popularity with their current lineup, including singer Johnny Solinger. Their 2013 EP United World Rebellion; Chapter One was very well received by critics and fans, and the next EP is due later this year.

This episode of Sunday Night Videos focuses on the first two Skid Row albums, which are their most popular by far. Here are six videos from Skid Row and Slave to the Grind:

Youth Gone Wild


I Remember You


Big Guns


Monkey Business


Wasted Time


Quicksand Jesus


BONUS:  I live in Springfield, Massachusetts, and arguably one of the most infamous events in Skid Row history took place right here in my backyard (though I was not at the show myself). On December 27, 1989, Skid row was opening for Aerosmith at the Springfield Civic center, when someone in the crowd threw a glass beer bottle at Sebastian Bach. He went on a profanity-fueled tirade and then fired the bottle back into the crowd before jumping down after the kid who originally threw it. Sadly, Bach actually hit a young woman in the face with the bottle. He ended up getting three years probation and settling with the young woman for about a half-million dollars (according to him). You can actually see the incident and an interview right afterward in the video below. But be warned--it's filled with foul language from beginning to end.



Tune in next Sunday night at 8PM EST on Twitter (twitter.com/seebrianwrite) for another episode of Sunday Night Videos, and right here on the blog for the episode notes, which will go up shortly after 9PM EST. You can tweet me recommendations or get in on the discussion every Sunday night by using the hashtag #SundayNightVideos. Rock on!

Episode 6: Dio

When Ronnie James Dio passed away in May of 2010, the world lost one of the true heavy metal greats. Not only was Dio one of the greatest vocalists of all time, he was an ambassador for metal. As a kid who great up playing Dungeons & Dragons, Dio's fantasy-laden songs were like the soundtrack to my imagination. From his time in Rainbow and Black Sabbath, to his illustrious solo career, Dio's metal legacy will never be forgotten. Tonight we're focusing on Dio's first three solo albums, and here are just a handful of Dio's great videos from them:

Holy Diver


Rainbow in the Dark


Don't Talk to Strangers


The Last in Line


Rock 'n' Roll Children


And here's a bonus video for the blog--one of my favorite Dio songs ever--We Rock


Tune in next Sunday night at 8PM EST on Twitter (twitter.com/seebrianwrite) for another episode of Sunday Night Videos, and right here on the blog for the episode notes, which will go up shortly after 9PM EST. You can tweet me recommendations or get in on the discussion every Sunday night by using the hashtag #SundayNightVideos. Rock on!

Episode 5: White Lion

There will always be a special place in my metal-loving heart for White Lion. They were actually the first band I ever saw in concert, as they opened for AC/DC on the 1988 Blow Up Your Video Tour. Not to mention, James Lomenzo is probably my favorite bassist of all time, as he's gone on to play with the likes of Black Label Society and Megadeth after his stint in White Lion.

So without further ado, here are five of White Lion's best songs!

Wait


Tell Me


When the Children Cry


Little Fighter


Broken Heart (Old Version)


Broken Heart (Later Version)


And if you want to know why James Lomenzo is my favorite bass player, watch the first thirty seconds of this video (and the rest, if you're a Megadeth fan--just ignore the fact that they got the song title wrong--it's Washington is Next, not Head Crusher):



Tune in next Sunday night at 8PM EST on Twitter (twitter.com/seebrianwrite) for another episode of Sunday Night Videos, and right here on the blog for the episode notes, which will go up shortly after 9PM EST. You can tweet me recommendations or get in on the discussion every Sunday night by using the hashtag #SundayNightVideos. Rock on!

Episode 4: FireHouse

FireHouse was always an interesting band to me, as they really were one of the last acts to get in before the grunge door slammed shut on heavy metal as we knew it from the '80s and early '90s. They formed in 1989 and their first album hit in August of 1990. Like almost every band that came form that era of heavy and hair metal, their first album was outstanding. Their self-titled debut had absolute burners like "Overnight Sensation" and "All She Wrote," but also featured crowd-pleasing ballads like the megahit "Love of a Lifetime."

FireHouse made such an impression their first couple years on the scene that they won several awards, including a 1992 American Music Award for "Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist," beating out both Nirvana and Alice in Chains.

FireHouse's debut went double platinum, and they toured with Warrant and Trixter on the Blood, Sweat and Beers tour. They followed up their debut with a second album, Hold Your Fire in June of 1992, and the first single "Reach for the Sky" promised an album that would be as heavy as the first. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

Like many bands from that era, the greatness of FireHouse's first album was never to be matched again. Hold Your Fire was a step down in intensity from the first album, but it still went gold. Subsequent releases saw the band move to a mellower sound, and their popularity in the US waned. Firehouse has continued to remain very popular overseas however, and they've sold over 7 million albums since their first release in 1990.

FireHouse's last original album Prime Time came out in 2003, while their last overall release was in 2011, when they put out some re-recordings of previous songs called Full Circle. FireHouse still tours today.

Here's a handful of videos from their first two albums, which in my opinion are the best of their catalog.

Don't Treat Me Bad


All She Wrote


Overnight Sensation


Love of a Lifetime


I Live My Life For You


Reach for the Sky