Originally published in Metal Hammer magazine (UK) 319 · March 2019
50 Years Of Metal
ArticleJames LaBrie2 min read
In 1969, after a year of to-ing and fro-ing in the ranks (we’re looking at you, Tony Iommi), a relatively unknown, heavy rock band from Birmingham called Earth changed their name to Black Sabbath, and the world would never be the same again. It was in this period that they would write and record their eponymous album – the record that would introduce the world to heavy metal for the first time, and change the course of rock’n’roll forever.
To celebrate, we bring you 50 Years Of Metal – a look through five incredible decades of riffs, roars, screams and chaos. We pick out some of the artists who helped to define metal as we know and love it today, and reveal some of the untold stories behind the albums that became the cornerstones of our world.
But that’s not all. We also decided to bring together the most star-studded, fearsome and metal-as-fuck panel of all time to curate and talk us through the 50 greatest albums ever made. From Black Sabbath in the 70s to the stars of the nu millennium, we made sure we left no bases uncovered. The only rule? Only one album per band allowed. Hey, we had to make our panel work for it, right? Let us know what you think of their choices now at www.facebook.com/metalhammerreaders. In the meantime, turn the page and get ready to celebrate five decades of heavy with us.
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Deep Purple, Machine Head (1972)
By James LaBrie, Dream Theater
Heavy metal grandiosity from the genre’s other founding fathers
“Deep Purple’s Machine Head is the greatest metal album of all time. I remember – I might have been 10 at the time – hearing my sister play it and thinking, ‘Who is this?!’ She said, ‘You can play the album, go ahead,’ and I was just listening to it constantly.
“I can still remember hearing Ian Gillan for the first time on the first track, ‘Highway Star’. He had this high, amazing scream when he went balls to the wall, but great tonality as well. Then you had Jon Lord, who brought the organ and made that instrument the greatest thing since sliced bread in rock’n’roll. And I think that Ritchie Blackmore was so integral to the guitar. The whole approach, with the solos that he did, the playing and all the little nuances he added throughout – yes, it was rhythmic, heavy and aggressive, but it was his unique touch that made Ritchie so classic. He was one of the best at that time. The whole band were just a formidable force. So, for sure, Machine Head definitely tips the scale for me.”