Longliverock

I consider her one of the greatest pop voices of all time. However, this album is too "80s": as Nofake said: "...all computerized keyboards and electronic drums...". In my opinion, the best Whitney Houston is from the early '90s. And today she has completely ruined herself with drugs, a great shame.

I agree on everything, but it seems strange to me that albums like "Killing the Machine" and "Sad Wings of Destiny" haven't influenced the Maiden at ALL. I said that the band that influenced them the most by far has been the BS, no doubt about it... but it seems strange to me that Judas' albums from before the '80s weren't listening material, and therefore a minimum of inspiration, for the then just 19-year-old Steve Harris...

Heitfiel, it’s absolutely true, but in my opinion, for the "maiden sound," Black Sabbath were much more important. Judas Priest, whom I consider second only to Maiden in the metal scene, started in '73, but in '73 they certainly weren't playing heavy metal, because this genre was born in '79. Until then, the Judas were doing hard rock that already hinted at heavy metal, especially evident in "Sad Wings of Destiny" (and later with "Sin After Sin" and "Killing Machine," from '77 and '78), regarded as the album that came closest to heavy metal during that time, and indeed, the album that would ultimately pave the way for the genre (and we’re only in '76). But the transition to metal officially occurs immediately AFTER the excellent debut of Iron Maiden. Judas may have influenced Maiden, and significantly so... but conversely, the Iron Maiden have also been fundamental in the stylistic shift of the Judas Priests... try listening to the Judas albums before "British Steel" (their first fully METAL work), which will be released in '80, right after "Iron Maiden," and then in succession "Point of Entry" (their first somewhat weak effort) and "Screaming for Vengeance" (great album), and "Painkiller."

I only know a few songs, but not from this album. I really like how the harp sounds, and also how she sings: it's true, she has a very unique voice...

Great album, but not the best they've ever made...

I also have a feeling that "Chinese democracy" won’t amount to much. However, we'll see if it sells 2 copies... And anyway, I explained it to you in a previous comment, because GNR sets trends EVEN if today the tacky pop, nu metal, (fake) punk, etc. is in fashion...

"What a damn good record this is!" Absolutely.

PS: This, at least IN MY OPINION!..

"Rank the following metal bands in order of preference, from favorite to least: Aerosmith..Black Sabbath..Led Zeppelin..Motorhead..Tool" Ehmm..Aerosmith are clearly rock/hard-blues, Black Sabbath were definitely the ancestors of Heavy Metal, the first to establish the "canon" of the genre, but they weren't heavy, at least not the early Black Sabbath (when Ozzy was on vocals); I would define them more as rock/hard rock. Led Zeppelin were rock/hard blues, Motorhead were typically hard rock of the '80s, while I see Tool as leaning much more towards hard rock than metal. For me, the first and greatest metal band has been IRON MAIDEN... they were the group that first synthesized heavy metal (drawing primarily from "Sabbathian" ideas). And as someone pointed out: "one is comparing God (Slayer) with Saints (Pantera and the like). Both perform miracles, but without the first there wouldn't be the second. Amen." Thus, without heavy metal and therefore Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, and all the thrash bands, up to death and black metal, they either wouldn’t exist, or if they did, they wouldn’t have made the music they made (I can already imagine Slayer, Anthrax, Metallica doing Glam Metal and hair-rock!). Likewise, without Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden wouldn’t have existed... and even if they had, they wouldn’t have made the music they made.

Dimebag Darrell is one of the best metal guitarists of all time. The solo he plays in "Cemetery Gates" is supernatural stuff (and there will be many more, first among them "Floods"). Forget about Kirk Hammett; Dimebag eats him alive. Just like his brother, Vinnie Paul, who has a double kick technique I've never heard before: the double kick almost sounds like it's singing. And the songs, finally, one more beautiful than the other. An absolute masterpiece of metal.