Portal:Heavy metal/Selected articles
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[edit] Selected articles
The Selected Articles are what we believe to be the best articles in Wikipedia related to Heavy metal music. Articles must have either reached featured article status or passed the selected article nomination process.
[edit] Nominations
[edit] Listing a nomination
Edit the "Nominations" section and place a header like so:
====<name>==== <nomination>
Articles will be promoted when a clear consensus has been reached.
[edit] Usage
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[edit] Selected articles list
[edit] Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic power metal musical group, formed in 1996 in the town of Kitee, in northern Finland. Nightwish is considered one of the bands responsible for the developement and rise in popularity of symphonic metal at the end of the 1990s, and the creation of the symphonic power metal genre, basically symphonic metal with parts of power metal even though a female lead singer is used (male singer being typical for power metal).
Although the band has been prominent in their home country since the release of their first single, "The Carpenter" (1997) and debut album Angels Fall First, they did not achieve worldwide fame until the release of the albums Oceanborn and Wishmaster, which were released in 1998 and 2000 respectively. Their 2004 album, Once, led to Nightwish video clips being shown on MTV in the United States and inclusion of their music in U.S. movie soundtracks. Their biggest U.S. hit single, "Wish I Had an Angel" (2004), made it onto two U.S. film soundtracks as a means to promote their North American tour.
[edit] Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. Formed in 1983 following Mustaine's ejection from Metallica, the band has since released eleven studio albums, six live albums, two EPs, and two compilations.
As a pioneer of the American thrash metal movement, Megadeth rose to international fame in the mid 1980s, but were plagued by constant lineup changes, due partly to Mustaine's and fellow band members' notorious substance abuse problems. After finding sobriety and securing a stable lineup, Megadeth went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums from 1986-1997, including the Grammy nominated, double-platinum Countdown to Extinction in 1992. Megadeth disbanded in 2002 after Mustaine suffered a severe nerve injury to his left arm, but following extensive physical therapy, Mustaine reformed the band in 2004 and released The System Has Failed, which debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, followed by United Abominations in 2007, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
Megadeth are known for their distinctive guitar style, often involving complex, intricate musical passages, and trade off guitar solos. Mustaine is also known for his original "snarling" vocal style, as well as his recurring lyrical themes, often involving politics, war, addiction, and personal relationships.
[edit] Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame as a leader of the American thrash metal movement with their 1986 release Reign in Blood, which has been called "the heaviest album of all time". The band is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal bands, along with Megadeth, Metallica, and Anthrax. Slayer is known for its musical traits, involving fast tremolo picking, guitar solos, double bass drumming, and shouting vocals. The band's lyrics and album art, which cover topics such as serial killers, Satanism, religion and warfare have generated album bans, delays, lawsuits and strong criticism from religious groups and the public.
Since their debut record in 1983, the band has released two live albums, one box set, two DVDs, two EPs, and ten albums, four of which have received gold certification in the USA. The band has received two Grammy nominations, winning one in 2007 for the song "Eyes of the Insane", and headlined music festivals worldwide, including Ozzfest, The Unholy Alliance and the Download Festival.
[edit] Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion is the ninth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on August 8, 2006, the album received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number five—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date. Christ Illusion includes the Grammy Award-winning "Eyes of the Insane", and is the band's first album to feature original drummer Dave Lombardo since 1990's Seasons in the Abyss.
Depicting a mutilated Christ painted by longtime collaborator Larry Carroll, the album's graphic artwork courted controversy. An alternative cover was issued to conservative retailers who felt uncomfortable with the original. Lyrical themes, particularly in the song "Jihad" which describes the September 11th attacks from a terrorist perspective, outraged the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum in India. As a result, all Indian stocks of the album were recalled and destroyed by EMI India.
[edit] /5
"Angel of Death" is the opening track on the American thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album Reign in Blood. The lyrics and music were written by Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and are based on Nazi physician Josef Mengele, who conducted human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. "Angel of Death" led to the band facing accusations of Nazi sympathizing and racism throughout their career.
Despite the controversy surrounding the song and its contribution to the delay in the release of Reign in Blood, "Angel of Death" is featured on all of Slayer's live albums and DVDs and has appeared on the soundtracks of several movies. The song was well received by critics; All Music Guide described it as a "classic."
[edit] /6
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on October 7, 1986, the album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve. Reign in Blood was very well received by both critics and fans, and was responsible for bringing Slayer to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. Kerrang! magazine described the record as "the heaviest album of all time", and a breakthrough in thrash metal.
Reign in Blood's release was delayed because of concerns regarding its graphic artwork and lyrical subject matter. The opening track, "Angel of Death", references Josef Mengele and details acts committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp, which provoked allegations of Nazism. However, the band stated numerous times they do not condone Nazism, and are merely interested in the subject. The album was Slayer's first to enter the Billboard 200; the release peaked at number 94, and in 1992 was awarded a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.
[edit] /7
"Jihad" is a song by the American thrash metal band Slayer, and appears on their 2006 album Christ Illusion. The track portrays the imagined viewpoint of a terrorist who has participated in the September 11, 2001 attacks, concluding with spoken lyrics taken from words left behind by Mohammed Atta; Atta was named by the FBI as the "head suicide terrorist" of the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center. "Jihad" was primarily written by guitarist Jeff Hanneman; the lyrics were co-authored with vocalist Tom Araya.
"Jihad" received a mixed reception in the music press, and reviews generally focused on the lyrics' controversial subject matter. The song drew comparisons to Slayer's 1986 track "Angel of Death"—also penned by Hanneman—which similarly caused outrage at the time of its release.
Joseph Dias of the Mumbai Christian group "Catholic Secular Forum" expressed concern over "Jihad"'s lyrics, and contributed to Christ Illusion's recall by EMI India, who to date have no plans for a reissue in that country. ABC-TV's Broadcast Standards and Practices Department censored the song during Slayer's first US network television appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Only the opening minute was broadcast over the show's credits, thus omitting 40% of the lyrics.
[edit] /8
"Eyes of the Insane" is a 2006 single by American thrash metal band Slayer, taken from their 2006 album Christ Illusion. The lyrics explore an American soldier's mental anguish following his return home from the second Gulf War, and is based on an article entitled "Casualty of War" which was featured in Texas Monthly magazine. Penned by vocalist Tom Araya during pre-production for the album, the song was generally well received by critics.
The accompanying music video by the Iranian director Tony Petrossian in the Los Angeles area during August 2006. The film is presented as a close-up of the soldier's pupil and iris, which reflect disconcerting images of war-themed horrors, flashbacks of his home, wife and children, and ultimately images of his death. "Eyes of the Insane" was featured on the soundtrack to Saw III, and won an award for Best Metal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards.
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God Hates Us All is the eighth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on September 11, 2001, the album received mixed critical reviews, although it entered the Billboard 200 at number 28. Recorded in three months at The Warehouse Studio in Canada, God Hates Us All includes the Grammy Award-nominated "Disciple" and is the band's last album to feature drummer Paul Bostaph.
Guitarist Kerry King wrote roughly 80% of the lyrics, adopting a different approach from earlier recordings by including prevalent themes such as religion, murder, revenge, and self-control. Limiting the lyrics to topics which everyone could relate to, King wished to explore more in depth, realistic subject matter. The band experimented musically by recording two songs with seven-string guitars, and a further two with drop B tunings. The album's release was delayed due to the graphic nature of its artwork for which slip covers were created to cover the original artwork, difficulties encountered during audio mixing, and the change of distributor by the band's record label during the release period.
[edit] /10
Still Reigning is a live performance DVD by the thrash metal band Slayer, released in 2004 through American Recordings. Filmed at the Augusta Civic Center on July 11, 2004, the performance showcases Slayer's 1986 album, Reign in Blood, played in its entirety with the four original band members on a set resembling their 1986 "Reign in Pain" tour. Still Reigning was voted "best live DVD" by the readers of Revolver magazine, and received gold certification in 2005.
The finale features Slayer covered in stage blood while performing the song "Raining Blood", which led to a demanding mixing process plagued by production and technical difficulties. The DVD's producer Kevin Shirley, spent hours replacing cymbal and drum hits one-by-one. He publicly aired financial disagreements he had with the band and criticized the quality of the recording, and as a result was allegedly subjected to threats and insults from people associated with the band.
