Metallurgy

On the anniversary of Jeff Hanneman’s passing R.I.P.

“Corpsegrinder” Fisher listens to the Cranberries and hangs out with Cher.

On April 12, 1984 the progressive rock legends Rush released “Grace Under Pressure” on Anthem Records. The band had decided to not work with longtime producer Terry Brown, who had collaborated with Rush since 1974. The album's title was inspired by a quotation from American novelist Ernest Hemingway. Drummer Neil Peart was an avid reader and admirer of Hemingway, and liked the quotation "courage is grace under pressure" as he thought the quote reflected the ambient mood of the album's recording sessions.

On April 12, 2000, heavy metal icons Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster, Yale University, Indiana University, and the University of Southern California for copyright infringement. The band sought a minimum of $10 million in damages, which amounted to $100,000 per song that had been illegally downloaded. One year later, the presiding judge ordered Napster to remove Metallica's songs from its system. The injunction sparked a number of lawsuits from other artists seeking a similar remedy, which forced Napster to file for bankruptcy and liquefy its assets shortly thereafter. Was it a bad idea for Metallica to pursue this course of action...or was justice rightly served?

Cannibal Corpse “The Bleeding” era circa 1993.

Released on April 12, 1994, “The Bleeding” is the fourth studio album by death metal icons Cannibal Corpse. It is the last album featuring singer and founding member Chris Barnes and is the first album featuring guitarist Rob Barrett. According to Soundscan numbers, “The Bleeding” is the fifth top-selling death metal LP in the United States. A video was made for the song "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead". This album signified a few changes for Cannibal Corpse, primarily the change in speed. Vocally on “The Bleeding,” Chris Barnes had decided to go for a more "decipherable" approach instead of his previously inhuman grunting he had executed on previous Cannibal Corpse albums. The album is also notable for a much more technical approach for the guitar work, and a more prominent bass.

Released on April 11, 1988, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” is the seventh studio album by the legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden. A concept album inspired by the novel “Seventh Son” by Orson Scott Card, the record incorporates elements of progressive rock. It was also the first Iron Maiden album to feature keyboards, creating synth effects which the band introduced on their previous LP, “Somewhere in Time.” It was Iron Maiden's last studio record to feature the “Piece of Mind” era lineup with guitarist Adrian Smith leaving the band in January 1990. The idea to base the album around the folklore concept of the seventh son of a seventh son came to bassist Steve Harris after he read Orson Scott Card’s “Seventh Son.” Stylistically, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” developed the sounds first heard on “Somewhere in Time,” although, on this occasion, the synth effects were created by keyboards rather than bass or guitar synthesisers.

Classic Death Angel lineup late 1980’s (Mark Osegueda, Dennis Pepa, Andy Galeon, Gus Pepa and Rob Cavestany).