Hello, and welcome to The Auditory Archaeologist. Our purpose with this column is to
dig up lost, classic, (and maybe not so classic!) hard rock and metal albums that have
been covered by the sands of time, withering away ‘neath the basements of dank and
decrepit clubs the bands once toiled in; now remembered by only a few who were either
there, or, like myself, have an incessant need to unearth and/or rediscover treasured
relics of the formative years of this beast we call heavy metal.
So, what can you dedicated bangers expect to find here? Well, initial thoughts were to
focus on how metal got started in the first place, examining records revolving on the
periphery of metal's universe wherein Black Sabbath's 1970 debut shines as the undisputed
sun to all things heavy. But then, further contemplation resulted in broadening the scope
of the column to include virtually anything considered by myself and the other
contributors to be a "lost classic"; the inherent subjectivity of such a venture
providing for cantankerous candor and divisive debate (of course!). We won't even consider
giving this a cutoff year, i.e., "no albums after 1990 allowed"; as there are
some albums from as recent as the early 2000's that I myself am already starting to
consider as fitting for such a column. Leaving things this loose may befuddle some of you
readers, but don't fret, things will reside heavily in the 70's and 80's, for these were
the true developmental years of metal, and at its core the true purpose of this column,
though in all likelihood we'll also touch on later albums, especially ones that partook in
the creation of new sub-genres. Also, these reviews will tend to be a bit more in-depth,
burrowing into all aspects of a given release, from album art, to personnel, to
song-by-song analyses; who knows, we may even get some first hand accounts from the band
members themselves! Again, we want to shake the cobwebs off these things and give ‘em
a good spit-shine for proper display in the archival wing of metal's museum.
Additionally, we'd really like to encourage feedback from you readers with this, so, after each
edition, an e-mail will be left for you to respond to with YOUR thoughts, be they what they may,
and we'll post a few of them in the prelude to the following edition!
Finally, we'll remain cognizant of the true purpose regarding the sharing of our thoughts
on this beast we call heavy metal, and that is to expose and enlighten others to the
glorious power found within its taught sinews, remembering that we too are often
discovering these "lost classics" for the first time; so what may be stale,
close, and irrelevant to some may be the catalyst resulting in a deeper appreciation for
the art by others.
Raising Iron
Raising_Iron@yahoo.com
