Of Judas Priest and Pellet Gun Weals: say hello to Suite 101's new metal music feature writer...
My brother was a git. Sorry Mark, sorry Mum but it's true. Five years older than me, he missed no opportunity to tease, torment or otherwise make my life a misery. Occasionally he and his mates would give me a 10-second head start then set off to hunt me with pellet guns.
One thing I'll always be grateful to him for however is for giving me (strictly controlled) access to his vast record collection. And what did I find there? Van Halen. UFO. Black Sabbath's eopnymous debut album, which drew me in straight away with its tolling bell and eerie opening vocal. And, the record that I returned to most, sitting in my bedroom with earphones the size of two watermelons clamped to my head - Judas Priest's Unleashed In The East. It was the start of a love affair with metal that would last...well, it's still going strong now actually. But don't tell punk rock, my other paramour; she'll only get jealous.
All of which is a long, convoluted way of introducing myself as the new feature writer for metal music here at Suite 101. I hope to be covering metal in all its myriad guises, from traditional heavy metal through thrash to black and death, plus all the mutant offshoots - from grind and metalcore to industrial metal and beyond. Feel free to drop me a line, start a discussion or tell me what gets your devil's horn signs aloft.
