Nanowar of Steel – A Knight at the Opera (2014)

Nanowar of Steel - A Knight at the Opera (2014)

Nanowar of Steel -  A Knight at the Opera (2014) I have written about this Italian band long-long time ago, true in a different language, can find that article here. Their brand new – and third – album it’s the same brilliant and hilarious. Putting metal and gay in the same sentence would be blasphemy and an unforgettable sin some years ago, but since Rob Halford publicly came out as gay in 1998, things are changed… We’ve got gay metal ever since! 😆
How much true gay flavor or how much deep irony it is in Nanowar, it’s impossible to see clearly from this distance, but actually it doesn’t really matter while the outcome it’s so brilliant.
Formed in 2003, called simply Nanowar at first, the band added “of Steel” to their name to parody fellow Italian band Rhapsody’s name change to Rhapsody of Fire. So, here we go, their third album recall the classic 1975’s Queen album title, “A Night at the Opera” and it’s called in the Manowar’s heroic-epic manner “A Knight at the Opera”. Released on 23 February 2014 , and the album features some old tracks re-recorded and some new ones. It is sold as a CD + DVD, including Nanowar’s live performance at the True As Steel festival in Buelach, Switzerland, October 2007. Read more Nanowar of Steel – A Knight at the Opera (2014)

Richard Cheese – Back In Black Tie (2012)

I’m sucker for this guy!! If I have a bad day, and dam it, I have my share of bad days, Richard Cheese can make the s*it go away. He’s first four albums – “Lounge Against the Machine” (2000), “Tuxicity” (2002), “I’d Like a Virgin” (2004), and “Aperitif for Destruction” (2005) – re absolutely murderous releases, Richard (Mark Jonathan Davis, age 46) fronts Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, a Los Angeles based cover band and comedy act, performing popular songs in a lounge/swing style reminiscent of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. They are specialize in playing lounge-style arrangements of recent popular rock, metal, rap and hip hop songs, sung in a croony traditional swing vocal style, contrasting an elegant jazz treatment of the music with often profane and ribald lyrics to create a humorous dissonance. The band gained exposure after their cover of Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness” was featured in the 2004 remake (directed by Snyder), Dawn of the Dead. They have some absolutely killer covers of some famous songs such as “Creep”, “Only Happy When It Rains”, “Nookie”, “Bullet the Blue Sky”, “Fight for Your Right”, “Smack My Bitch Up”, “She Hates Me”, “Chop Suey!”, “Material Girl”, “Me So Horny”, “People = Shit”, “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “Enter Sandman”, etc.
Last year I wrote about two of his latest releases, “A Lounge Supreme”  and “Live At The Royal Wedding” , now it’s the turn of this most recent “Back In Black Tie”. Read more Richard Cheese – Back In Black Tie (2012)

Richard Cheese – A Lounge Supreme (2011)

“You know, the world is a crazy place, and we live in troubled times, but despite our differences, the one thing that all of us have in common, is that we all have a birthday. My piano player Bobby Ricotta over there, he has a birthday. Frank Feta has a birthday. Billy Bleu has a birthday. And so do I. Mine is July 11. Feel free to have your sister send me photos.” Well, in few – and his own – words, this is Richard Cheese all about. Cheer up our day swinging. Musician and comedian, still can’t figure out which one comes first, Richard Cheese and his killer Lounge Against the Machine made up of talented guys named all with pseudonyms that refer to types of cheese such as (Bobby) Ricotta, (Frank) Feta and (Billy) Bleu performing mainly popular songs in a lounge/swing style reminiscent of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett since 2000. Read more Richard Cheese – A Lounge Supreme (2011)

Weird Al Yankovic – Alpocalypse (2011)

Who didn’t laugh his self to death on Yankovic’s parodies back in the 80’s and 90’s, it wasn’t there or he didn’t heard/saw them. Or he/she have serious problems. Since his first-aired comedy song in 1976, he had sold more than 12 million albums – as of 2007 -, recorded more than 150 parody and original songs, and has performed more than 1,000 live shows, earned three Grammy Awards among nine nominations, four gold records, and six platinum records in the United States.
“Another One Rides the Bus” – a parody of Queen, “I Love Rocky Road”- a parody of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” as recorded by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, “Eat It”, a parody of the Michael Jackson song “Beat It” and the killer “Fat” or “Smells Like Nirvana” are only a very few of his mind-blowing parodies. And Dave Grohl of Nirvana said that the band felt they had “made it” after Yankovic recorded “Smells Like Nirvana”, a parody of the grunge band’s smash hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. On his Behind the Music special, Yankovic stated that when he called Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain to ask if he could parody the song, Cobain gave him permission, then paused and asked, “Um… it’s not gonna be about food, is it?” Yankovic responded with, “No, it’ll be about how no one can understand your lyrics.” According to members of Nirvana interviewed for Behind the Music, when they saw the video of the song, they laughed hysterically. Additionally, Cobain described Yankovic as “a musical genius.” Read more Weird Al Yankovic – Alpocalypse (2011)

NanowaR of Steel – Into Gay Pride Ride (2010)

NanowaR of Steel – Into Gay Pride Ride (2010)

NanowaR of Steel – Into Gay Pride Ride (2010) Mişto faci, mişto găseşti. E o vorbă de-a mea, da’ se pune.
E grav rău şi de tăvăleală! Ştiu, ştiu, ştiu! Probabil cu excepţia lu’ Frank Zappa, „roacării n-are umor”. Nu când vine vorba de Metal şi/sau trupa lor favorită. Mai ştiu că foarte mulţi ciumpalitici şi ciupacabre au pus botu’ anul trecut la faza cu Geoană preşedinte, vin minerii, se întorc comuniştii cu Iliescu-n frunte, etc, exact cum mulţi rockeri au pus botul şi la faza cu „True Metal”. Şi asta-i la fel ca scena politică mioritică: unii-s mai de dreapta sau mai de stânga (după caz sau… interes de moment) ca ceilalţi şi-n fapt sunt varză (o apă şi-un pământ) toţi. Metal „adevărat” şi… mai puţin adevărat. Dar să revin la umor. Pe americanii din Manowar poţi să-i iei Read more NanowaR of Steel – Into Gay Pride Ride (2010)