On October 14, Armoury Records, distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment, released one mighty molten metal blast of good CD cheer: We Wish You A Metal Xmas And A Headbanging New Year [pre-book date September 24, Retail Sales Price $15.98].
It’s an all-star assemblage as members of such great hard rock bands as Foo Fighters, Queensryche, Dio, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Dokken, Kiss, L.A. Guns, Marilyn Manson, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, King’s X, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Ratt, Styx, Toto, Shadows Fall and more all jam out together on some of the most beloved holiday songs of all time (including "Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer").
The kick is in the chemistry between the musicians as members of different bands perform together on the material to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience!
Motorhead’s
Lemmy,
ZZ Top’s
Billy Gibbons and
Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, for instance, team up on "
Run Rudolph Run", a song popularized by
Chuck Berry. This is just one of 12 such irresistible pairings.
"This is a metal CD you will want to listen to all year round," says Wendy Dio, who put the project together with Bob Kulick and Brett Chassen. "It has been a very exciting and exhausting project, but we have managed to get an allstar cast together."
Ironically, the hardest person to get was Dio himself as he doesn’t sing Christmas songs. Wendy hounded him for days, finally getting him to listen to Kulick’s arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Dio liked it, added a few bits, recorded it at Kulick’s studio, and got Tony Iommi to add his signature guitar sound. The result is a very Sabbath Christmas song. Rounding out the circle of familiar characters on this track are Dio bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Simon Wright.
"The Metal Xmas album was a great opportunity to pay homage to my least favorite holiday," says Dio, "and what a lineup of musicians to do it with! The arrangements of the classic noel songs are fresh and heavy with rock’n’roll, and the performances are equally classic. It’s a magical way to change your holiday listening."
Track Listing:
01. We Wish You A Merry Xmas (Jeff Scott Soto / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick / Chris Wyse / Ray Luzier)
02. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Alice Cooper / John 5 / Billy Sheehan / Vinny Appice)
03. Run Rudolph Run (Lemmy / Billy F. Gibbons / Dave Grohl)
04. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Ronnie James Dio / Tony Iommi / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright)
05. Little Drummer Boy (Dug Pinnick / George Lynch / Billy Sheehan / Simon Phillips)
06. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Tim “Ripper” Owens / Steve Morse / Juan Garcia / Marco Mendoza / Vinny Appice)
07. Silent Night (Chuck Billy / Scott Ian / Jon Donais / Chris Wyse / John Tempesta)
08. Silver Bells (Geoff Tate / Carlos Cavazo / James Lomenzo / Ray Luzier)
09. Deck the Halls (Oni Logan / Craig Goldy / Tony Franklin / John Tempesta)
10. Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer (Stephen Pearcy / Tracii Guns / Bob Kulick / Billy Sheehan / Greg Bissonette)
11. Rocking Around the Xmas Tree (Joe Lynn Turner / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright)
12. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (Tommy Shaw / Steve Lukather / Marco Mendoza / Kenny Aronoff)
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