Rock Single Of The Week: Straight To Hell by Ozzy Osbourne

2019 looked like a very gloomy year for the prince of darkness Ozzy Osbourne, but the last couple of weeks and months have been quite eventful for him. From his collaboration with Post Malone to the announcement of a solo album and brand new single in nearly ten years. I think it’s safe to say that Ozzy has finished 2019 on a strong note and just to let you know he also appears on stage for the first time I believe in a year when he joins Post Malone on stage at The American Music Awards this Sunday night. Today was another huge day for music releases as we get a couple of interesting covers from Marilyn Manson and Evanescence, but we also get a brand new track from Ozzy in Straight To Hell which will appear on his upcoming solo release Ordinary Man due out sometime early 2020. The special thing about the track is not only does it feature Duff McKagan of Guns N Roses, but Slash makes an appearance on the track as well and I believe this is only the 3rd time they have worked together. The track is definitely different than the previous single Under The Graveyard in where it is a more straightforward rock track sounding closer to bands like Clutch and High On Fire (musically that is). Check out the new single Straight To Hell and be on the lookout for the new album.

Cover Of The Week: God’s Gonna Cut Down by Marilyn Manson

The first time I ever heard the track God’s Gonna Cut You Down, the traditional folk song was by the man in black Johnny Cash who recorded the track for his album American V: A Hundred Highways. It was a different take then the usual versions that were recorded because his was a stripped down version as opposed to the gospel versions that came before it. Apparently during his Heaven Upside Down Tour, Marilyn Manson was performing the Johnny Cash version of the song live, but in fact he recorded a version of the track for the soundtrack to the 2017 film 24 Hours To Live. He talks about the song telling Loudwire, “I enjoyed doing it. I did it in one take and everyone thinks that Johnny Cash wrote it and I looked up the people that covered it and it was great because it’s Elvis, Tom Jones… It’s originally just some soul singer back in I don’t even know what era. The chords that Tyler [Bates] played, it was slightly similar to the version that we’re most familiar with, the one that Tom Jones and Johnny Cash did, most notably.” Check out the track below because Manson does an amazing job morphing his style into the track:

 

The 8TH Annual Monster Entertainment Awards: Vote Now On The Music Side

It is that time of the year where we begin celebrating all the best of the previous year and as usual, we here at Moshpits and Movies are once again handling the music and movie side of the awards. We are unfortunately not working together with 365 Movies Challenge blog any longer, but we have reacquired Mr. X’s Punch Out who will handle the wrestling side of things. For right now though, we are looking at the music side of the awards which is now in it’s eighth year and we are pretty excited. Besides the usual awards for Album of the Year, Metal Album of the Year, etc., we have added a couple of new categories to the awards which are Cover of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Every year, there are plenty of bands that record covers of famous songs they love from bands and we want to celebrate by voting for the best one. Much like cover of the year, there are always new bands that pop onto our radar and we want to celebrate them as well. We tried our best to not include supergroups, but rather if it’s their current and only focus then they are allowed. So, now we just want to hear from YOU guys and see who you pick to win each award. You have until March 13TH to decide so choose wisely and just have some fun.

The 8TH Annual Monster Entertainment Awards: The Music Side Nominees

It is that time of the year where we begin celebrating all the best of the previous year and as usual, we here at Moshpits and Movies are once again handling the music and movie side of the awards. We are unfortunately not working together with 365 Movies Challenge blog any longer, but we have reacquired Mr. X’s Punch Out who will handle the wrestling side of things. For right now though, we are looking at the music side of the awards which is now in it’s eighth year and we are pretty excited. Besides the usual awards for Album of the Year, Metal Album of the Year, etc., we have added a couple of new categories to the awards which are Cover of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Every year, there are plenty of bands that record covers of famous songs they love from bands and we want to celebrate by voting for the best one. Much like cover of the year, there are always new bands that pop onto our radar and we want to celebrate them as well. We tried our best to not include supergroups, but rather if it’s their current and only focus then they are allowed. For right now, check out the awards below and be on the look out as always for the next post that will allow YOU the fans to vote for what you loved from 2018.

Album Of The Year

1. Rainier Fog by Alice In Chains

2. Year Of The Tiger by Myles Kennedy

3. Prequelle by Ghost

4. I Loved You At Your Darkest by Behemoth

5. Eat The Elephant by A Perfect Circle

6. Vicious by Halestorm

Rock Album Of The Year

1. Rainier Fog by Alice In Chains

2. Evolution by Disturbed

3. When Legends Rise by Godsmack

4. Vicious by Halestorm

5. Thread by Red Sun Rising

6. Year Of The Tiger by Myles Kennedy

Metal Album Of The Year

1. Conqueror’s Death by Visigoth

2. Electric Messiah by High On Fire

3. Our Raw Heart by YOB

4. Firepower by Judas Priest

5. The Sciences by Sleep

6. Prequelle by Ghost

Extreme Metal Album Of The Year

1. I Loved You At Your Darkest by Behemoth

2. Golden Serpent God by Akhenaten

3. Down Below by Tribulation

4. Stranger Fruit by Zeal & Ardor

5. Trident Wolf Eclipse by Watain

6. Upon Desolate Sands by Hate Eternal

Rock Single Of The Year

1. Uncomfortable by Halestorm

2. When Bad Does Good by Chris Cornell

3. Dance Macabre by Ghost

4. Never Fade by Alice In Chains

5. Bulletproof by Godsmack

6. Disillusioned by A Perfect Circle

Metal Single Of The Year

1. All Out Life by Slipknot

2. My Own Grave by As I Lay Dying

3. Devonian: Nascent by The Ocean

4. Bartzabel by Behemoth

5. Giza Butler by The Sleep

6. Lightning Strike by Judas Priest

Metal Video Of The Year

1. Rats by Ghost

2. Black Wedding by In This Moment

3. All Out Life by Slipknot

4. God=Dog by Behemoth

5. Interdimensional Summit by Dimmu Borgir

6. Lying In State by Megadeth

Rock Video Of The Year

1. Mindf**ker by Monster Magnet

2. Dirty by Sevendust

3. Actual Pain by Good Charlotte

4. Crossing A Line by Mike Shinoda

5. Down In Flames by Deadland Ritual

6. It’s So Easy by Guns N Roses

Rookie Of The Year

1. Jord by Mol

2. Legend of the Seagullmen by Legend of the Seagullmen

3. Errorzone by Vein

4. Made an America by The Fever 333

5. The Judge by Scott Sellers

6. Disobey by Bad Wolves

Cover Of The Year

1. Zombie by Bad Wolves

2. Cry Little Sister by Marilyn Manson

3. I Don’t Wanna Be Me by Trivium

4. Helter Skelter by Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson

5. It’s A Sin by Ghost

6. Shout by Arch Enemy

Eddie’s 31 Days Of Halloween 2018: Day 22: Twins Of Evil (1971)

Rob Zombie has inspired me to watch a lot of different films for Eddie’s 31 Days Of Halloween over the years whether it’s his films or films that he uses in his music and live shows. This year, he went on tour with Marilyn Manson on what he called The Twins Of Evil 2 tour and it was after the fact that I learned that Twins Of Evil was a hammer film that was released in 1971 So I decided to watch the film for today. The film stars Peter Cushing (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed) as Gustav Weil, a man who believes he is doing the work of God by finding and burning witches to death even though a greater evil exists in his village. Gustav is forced to take in twin sisters after the death of their parents, but while one is good the other will test the waters of evil. The film also stars Dennis Price (Call Me Genius) as Dietrich, Mary and Madeleine Collinson (Some Like It Sexy) as Maria and Freida Gellhorn, Isobel Black (Ace Of Wands) as Ingrid,  Kathleen Byron (Black Narcissus) as Katy Well, Damien Thomas (Grave Tales) as Count Karnstein, David Warbeck (Notorious Woman) as Anton, Judy Matheson (Lust For A Vampire) as Woodsman’s Daughter, and the film was directed by John Hough (American Gothic).

The film can be a little frustrating at times, but it’s not for the reason you may think that I am referring to. The character of Gustav Weil is a frustrating one and maybe that was the point the writers were making. You have to think of the time frame that the film is based in and the amount of paranoia the church had when it came to Satanism and witchcraft so any woman that was not married was probably suspected of being a witch. So when you watch the film for yourself, you will understand why I find his character frustrating like most of the characters in the film did as well. I definitely thought that the film was an interesting take on the vampire genre that was different than most of the stuff we were used to from Hammer Films. This film explores it as a way of Satanism and the occult and while we are thinking we are dealing with a film about witches, it’s really about Vampires. I was definitely buying what they were selling and to be honest I had no idea going into this one that I had already reviewed a John Hough film. I loved the exterior shots and the shots inside the castle because the set was amazing. Obviously, they didn’t have the technology then to show you someone burning to death so you have to just work with it cause it was 1971. The acting is amazing all around especially from Cushing, Damien Thomas, and David Warbeck as these three helped carry the film. Mary and Madeleine Collinson were definitely nice to look at, but they held their own as well. Check this one out if you’re looking for something different. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.

Album Of The Week: Heaven Upside Down by Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson is an artist that I have respected since day one of listening to him when I first picked up Smells Like Children. I have considered him to be the last living true rock star on this planet of ours because the man took himself out of obscurity and has reinvented himself. Two years ago, Marilyn Manson took the award for Album Of The Year at the fifth annual Monster Entertainment Awards for The Pale Emperor and this year he cleaned house. Not only did Marilyn take home the rock single and video of the year, but he also took him Rock Album Of The Year for his latest offering Heaven Upside Down. While 2017 may have been a turbulent year for the frontman as he faced injury and the fact that he had to fire longtime member Twiggy Ramirez. At least he can be proud of the album that he put out. Besides Manson, the album once again featured Tyler Bates as the instrumentalist and producer, but it also featured Gil Sharone on drums as well. The album did so well that it finished in the top 10 in 15 different countries with six of those being in the top five. Out of ten albums that Manson has put out, this becomes the 9TH album to finish in the top ten as it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Top 200 charts.

1. Revelation #12– The first track on the album kicks off with a hellraising riff in this industrial styled song that reminds me of Antichrist/Mechanical Animals days. Manson stated that the track is a reference to the Book of Revelations and The Beatles track Revolution No 9 4.5/5

2. Tattooed In Reverse– It’s a grooving track on the album that has a jazzier feel to it from Manson in what seems like a rebellious tone against the religious groups that have bugged him from day one. 4.5/5

3. We Know Where You F**king Live– an idustrial rock song from beginning to end, it was also the first track that Bates and Manson recorded for the album. The track talks about drone warfare, corruption in gov’t, and invasion of our privacy through global surveillance. 5/5

4. SAY10– the song’s overall sound is very reminiscent of the sound found on Mechanical Animals in what I also think is the modern day retelling of the Cain and Abel story. I love that he named Say10 instead of Satan, a very cool play on the word. 5/5

5. KILL4ME-One of my favorite tracks on the album itself that is catchy as hell and if you ask me it’s a song about devotion. It’s Manson telling his lover, how far are you willing to go for me? 5/5

6. Saturnalia– The album was a tribute to his parents and I truly believe that this one was a tribute that he wrote to his father. It gets as personal as he wants to, but there are some touching moments in the track. 5/5

7. JE$U$ CRI$I$– I feel like this is a track that Manson wrote about the record industry and how it’s a dog eat dog world so you better be ready to fend off vipers and cocaine.  4/5

8. Blood Honey– is a slower track in tempo, but it speaks volumes if you ask me. Manson is basically saying that he sleeps with tons of girls even though he knows there only in it for the money. 4.5/5

9. Heaven Upside Down– an upbeat tempo drives this rock track that looks like it’s talking about someone in the middle of an apocalypse or it could be about someone suffering from a mental illness. I was having a hard time with this track. 4/5

10. Threats Of Romance– While the lyrics are not the same as The Beautiful People, it has that kind of vibe. I say that in the way that he talks about his taste in women. He knows he can have the hottest girl, but he wants the damaged ones because their better and the pretty ones belong behind glass. 5/5

My Final Thoughts– I love everything Marilyn has done, but sometimes his songwriting can get a little lazy. He writes some brilliant stuff on this album, but some tracks he get lazy and just repeat verses over and over again like my least favorite track Heaven Upside Down or JE$U$ CRI$I$. My favorite tracks on the album are KILL4ME and Saturnalia which are just highlights. I am going to give the album a 4.6 out of five for a final grade.

The 7TH Annual Monster Entertainment Awards: The Winners (Music)

I have hosted this award post for seven years now and I never fails to bring enjoyment to me for a couple of reasons. One of the reasons being that each album that wins gets a review for the album of the week so that will be exciting for the next month. The second reason is that we get to celebrate and vote for what we believe was the best rock album of the previous calendar year and we voted for the best of 2017 and I have the results for you guys. Marilyn Manson seems to always be a big winner as he won album of the year for The Pale Emperor, but this year he takes home the award for Best Rock Album for Heaven Upside Down as well as Rock Single and Rock Video Of The Year as well. There is going to be a lot of arguments over the winner of the album of the year, but Link Park really did put out a solid effort with One More Light. Code Orange came out of nowhere and defeated some giants of metal to take home the Metal Album Of The Year award while Morbid Angel claims their first win in the Extreme Metal Album Of The Year with Kingdoms Disdained. Here are some of the other winners: Rock Single Of The Year: KILL4ME by Marilyn Manson, Rock Video Of The Year: We Know Where You F*cking Live by Marilyn Manson, Metal Single Of The Year: No Lives Matter by Body Count, Metal Video Of The Year: Nuclear Alchemy by Watain.  Check out the rest of the winners below: