Rocktober

Hi Friends,

I am ashamed to admit that I have totally slipped-up. Today is the 5^th day of October, and as result I am now 5 days late in wishing you all a kick-ass Rocktober!

To make up for this serious lapse in my self-assigned responsibilities, I am about to embark on an undertaking that I am not sure I can fully deliver on... That being said you can trust that I endeavour to make up for this faux pas in the posts that are to follow. I’ve been working on the upcoming article for a while now and, in the spirit of Rocktober, I believe it totally fitting to do a full artist feature on this band. Call it coincidence or call it luck, but I believe it is an effect of cosmic alignment that this feature has come together so nicely, and at this very fitting moment in time. I hope you accept my humble apology, and that the reading you are about to undertake will make up for my folly... Please enjoy. \m/

This post has been a daunting task. The problem is not that I have an inadequate grasp of the English language, or that my research is lacking, but simply that it is an impossible feat to capture the brobdingnagian contribution, immense presence and colossal influence that this band has had on the entire world as we know it.

This band has been described many times as “the Led Zeppelin of this generation”. Now please take a moment to ponder on the gravity of such a statement...

Led Zeppelin was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the few bands that shaped the future of music the world over. They pioneered where others in their genre only followed. They gave birth to an entirely new culture that, to this day, remains very much alive. They cultivated some of the world’s most loyal followers, and even after the death of drummer, John Bonham in 1980 and the subsequent disbanding, Led Zeppelin remains the quintessential patriarch of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.

With such a lofty introduction, the subject of this post must be something special. No, more than special, they are singular and stand head and shoulders above their peers. Where ‘Zeppelin [and Black Sabbath are also well worth a mention here] gave birth to Heavy Metal, this 4 piece took that infant, dressed it in a black T-Shirt and torn jeans, nurtured it through its toddler and teenage years, and made it the healthy, robust, kick-ass, stick-it-to-the-man adult that Metal is today.

As I write this, it’s been 20 years, to the day, since the release of Metallica’s self titled, 5^th studio album [also known as the “Black” album] on August 13, 1991. Thus prompting me to pay tribute and reverence to one of my favourite bands.

As Metallica fan, it is very hard not to become emotionally charged when speaking about them. They incite a heaving sense of fiery passion, and any true fan is not merely a Metallica fan, but a part of a huge legion of ever enduring followers. I will not profess to leave my emotions at the door as I write this. It is impossible for me to separate emotion and objectivity when covering a subject so close to my heart. What I will attempt to accomplish is to bring you, the reader, just that little bit closer to understanding the immensity of what this band has done for Heavy Metal, and music as a whole.