Really Really Old News: Megadeth

(Metal Hammer; Feb 12th - Feb 25th 1990)

The Return of Victor's Ink

One of my favorite posts last year was my encounter with Victor, whose tattoos were numerous and wonderfully eclectic. The post was one of the first "tatalogs," as I call them, when a subject shares a multitude of their ink.

So, when I had just finished speaking with Austin about his sleeve, and saw a familiar face (and ink) hanging out in front of Fuse at the corner of 32nd and 7th, I ambled on over to say hi to Victor.

He had new tattoos, of course, and I soon had my camera out, adding to the tatalog.

I contacted him later to get the scoop on the work. Although he told me about it on the street, I didn't write any of it down, as I was too busy taking pictures. We've added five more pieces to the record here, and I'll let Victor narrate the rest:

The Divine Tattoo [just above his left wrist] was done by my cousin Ed Bonacore in the poconos. He is the only tattoo artist I really go to know. I trust him, he does good work. He works at this amazing shop in the Poconos called FUNHOUSE TATTOOING. The vibe there is cool from the colorful horror movie atmosphere, to all the artists and the friendly shop girl.

Anyway, I got the JOHN WATERS signature tattooed on [on my outer left forearm] last summer the day after I had met him with my best friend RUBY LAROCCA.


She got the same thing. She got him to sign his name to her arm as well! We make films and John Waters is one of our biggest influences so to have his mark on us for life is a reminder to keep making dangerous art.

I got the John Waters done at RED ROCKET TATTOO in NYC, I had to get it quick and fast so the autograph didn't fade. The artist's name slips my mind, but he was making a guest spot at that shop and he was originally from Texas. Red Rocket is one of the best shops in Manhattan.

So anyway, I got the autograph super big on my forearm, because in his movie Cecil B. Demented, all the characters get the favorite director tattooed on their arm. I though it would be pretty cool, to do that in real life, from the director that created that idea.

Back to Divine. Then I got the Divine tattoo because, how can't you love Divine. One of the greatest actors ever. I saw Pink Flamingos as a youngster, and I remember my parents talking about how this tranny was eating poop at the end of the film, and how they were all gagging watching the film! That got me really interested to say the least. And after Female Trouble, I know I would love anything these people collaborated on. I unfortunately cannot dig up Divine and get him to sign my arm, so [I] did a little portrait of him. He was a true artist, actor, performer, comedian, and I respect that.

Mink Stole, is also from the original DreamLand gang, and is in almost every John Waters film. She is amazing in Desperate Living, and when I met her, she was so sweet, so I figured with John Waters already inked into my arm, I would start the John Waters tribute arm. I met her at a horror convention in Baltimore, and one of the vendors was a tattoo artist, so I got the autograph, then got it tattooed and was able to show Mink by the next day. She was in shock.


The Taxi Driver tattoo [on my inner left wrist] was again done by my cousin Ed Bonacore...I have loved that movie forever, and think Travis Bickle [Robert De Niro's character] is the ultimate Anti-Hero. Its like an oil painting version of the shot at the end after he has killed all the pimps and scumbags in the brothel.

The quote on [the left side of] my ribs was also done by my cousin Eddie, but this is before he was in a shop.


It was done at this house after I had smoked a fat blunt and [was] high as a kite. It hurt a lot, my most painful tattoo. The side of the ribs hurts a lot because there no skin there, and every time the needle hits your skin, your ribs vibrate. It took 3 different sessions to do that tattoo. The quote is from a band called HUNCHBACK, that just split up. And it's from a song called "RED IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVES HAIR." When I saw the song live for the first time, I was convinced this would be my new favorite band. And I can honestly say, this is the best song ever performed live. It blew me away. And the lettering that was used is the font from THE WARRIORS. Another one of my favorite films!

So, there you have it, folks. Another block of Victor's tattoos! I can't wait to run into him again to see what's new!

Thanks once again to Victor for his generosity and sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!

A.J.'s Floral Ink

I ran into A.J. earlier this month, walking aling Seventh Avenue near 34th Street.

She has seven tattoos, and shared this lovely black and gray floral piece on her upper right arm:

She had been debating on whether to add color or not, but is pretty happy with the way this tattoo looks.

This tattoo was created by Junior at Adrenaline Rush Tattoo in Newark, New Jersey.

Thanks to A.J. for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

HYPOCRISY: European Headlining Tour Announced

Usually, living in London (which I do) means you get to see a lot of bands. It's not always the case though, even with groups you thought were pretty fucking mainstream...

M: HYPOCRISY: European Headlining Tour Announced - no uk date!!! D:

J: like diamond head :)

M: they played some random venues up north didn't they? argh. i'm gonna have to turn into P and start going to paris to see bands :O

J: yeah, they never did a london date

M: at least they played in the uk!! hypocrisy are ignoring this beautiful isle altogether :(

J: so do immortal :)

M: :(((

Sadler's Wells

J: DAVE MUSTAINE: LARS ULRICH 'Can't Keep Me Out' Of The ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME - there's about a million articles on blabbermouth with dave in them :O

M: i know, he's really pushing the publicity circuit. must have got in touch with scott ian's PR dude for this level of coverage ;D

J: that aside, i thought all the metallica shit was put to bed, but yet he's still fucking going on about it.
He's like steve adler sometimes

M: he is a bit. altho a lot more successful than sadler. i think sometimes its hard because people always bring it up for him, but he should learn just not to mention it. if he'd never bothered going on and on about it, it wouldn't be such a big deal now and he could talk about it when he wants to, but now it's a big thing every time it comes up

J: yeah, like dave grohl, he should have just said I'm not talking about nirvana (or rather megadeth) in interviews, but it's one of them things he's now stuck in

M: yeah, see and now dave grohl hardly ever gets asked about nirvana! a lot of people that like him now don't even know about that. with megadave, it's always this big deal

J: i don't even consider dave to have ever been in nirvana on the basis of how big he is and the fact he don't talk about them. anyone else, like krist the bassist, yeah, he was in nirvana :)
at least megaman ain't in bands that cover the shit from metallica, like steven adler :)

M: that'd be hard tho, dave wasn't in the band for all the most famous songs. he took mechanix and stuff, but it's not like he can play enter sandman - he was long gone by the time they did that. hahaha unlike yeah, sadler or joey belladonna, who's just playing indians for the rest of time

J: it's true :)

M: i know :D still, i'd go see him. maybe not for indians, but joey belladonna is the voice of anthrax, as far as i'm concerned.

J: i'd see him, i wouldn't see sadler tho :)
seeing sadler is like feeding his habit, not drugs as such, but he's only doing adler's appetite and playing in gnr cover bands because it's all he knows :(

M: its like he's actually mental. this weird, deluded ex rock person who still thinks like he's gonna be back in the band one day. it's really sad

J: he should take a leaf out of tommy lee's book and start a rap band :D

M: or go back to college ;D maybe he should apply to mtv for his own reality show

J: he's been on them type of shows before - mainly the ones dealing in celeb rehab :D

M: oh yeah :D he should have made more of a thing of it at the time :D

J: jani lane was on celeb fit club :D

Saturday Porn Slot

I've been listening to Finntroll for many a year now and it's only been recently that I actually saw a picture of them. For some reason, I never bothered to look before, I kinda figured they'd look like all those other folky pagany metal bands - beardy, hairy, slightly overweight and probably wearing furs/hemp tunics (see fig. A).

(Fig. A)

How wrong I was.

His name is Vreth and I've never heard him sing (I only have Finntroll's older records) however, I don't really care. I'd be quite happy if this guy just stood there with his shirt off, reading the phonebook for half an hour:

Isn't he pretty?!

I have now totally reconsidered going to see them at the Underworld. J, if you're reading this, get tickets!!! Get them now!

Oscar's Quartet of Tattoos

Born in Costa Rica, a one-time resident of Canada, and now a denizen of the Bronx, Oscar has traveled all over the world.

He expressed his passion for mountain biking to me as we talked in the Amtrak section of Penn Station.

This made sense to me as I had noticed his bike-themed tattoo on his left calf:


The wheel is specific to a mountain bike he owns, and it is connected around the back of his leg by a bicycle chain:


The detail is quite good, almost three-dimensional, and the tribal flourishes up and down the leg add volume to the piece.

This was his first tattoo, inked on his birthday, after many years of thinking about tattoos. He waited until he was ready, so that he could get something with deep meaning for him.

Since then, he has added three other tattoos, all created by Richard at Jent's Tattooing in Yonkers.

He graciously shared those as well. First is a tribal raven:


Oscar spoke of the raven's relationship with God. In the folklore, Raven helps the gods to raise the moon and the stars. He also is known as the prankster, who is always trying to catch the Sun.

In addition, there is a tattoo of Shiva, who Oscar acknowledges as a deity who "destroys ignorance and builds knowledge":


Finally, Oscar wears a Third Eye on his right bicep, which carries its traditional meaning:


Many thanks to Oscar for sharing his amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Gregory's Defenders of the Faith Tattoo

Gregory walked by me on Seventh Avenue in front of Madison Square Garden and I saw a familiar icon from my youth:


As a huge fan of Judas Priest in the 1980's, I recognized the basis for this tattoo immediately: the cover art for the 1984 album Defenders of the Faith.


Gregory has four tattoos and is a fan of Japanese-style art. This album and its predecessor, Screaming for Vengeance, boasted cover art that had a distinct Japanese influence.

He worked with the artist, C-Jay at Rising Dragon in Manhattan, to modify the design slightly, removing the tank treads and other militaristic elements from the original design.


Thanks to Gregory for sharing his amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Merci Celebrates Female Empowerment with a Classic Image

I spotted Merci in Penn Station with this familiar icon on her calf:


The tattoo is based on this famous poster from World War II:


This image is identified with the character of Rosie the Riveter, and was introduced by Westinghouse to rally the home fires in support of the troops abroad. The image has transformed, through time, to take on a greater meaning, that of female empowerment.

This tattoo, one of three that Merci has, was created by Chris Dilworth at Tough Luck Tattoo in Lewes, Delaware.

Thanks to Merci for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoos I Know: Avital's Ink

It seems odd and yet is not beyond comprehension that, at the last two bat mitzvahs I have attended, I came home with tattoo pictures.

The first time (documented here) was a pleasant surprise. On Saturday, August 8, however, I had no expectations, as it was my daughter's bat mitzvah.

However, much to my amazement, I noticed that one of my sister's closest friends, Avital, has two small tattoos. I was more surprised, considering that Avital is a cantor, and that whereas tattooed Jews are not as rare as they used to be, an inked cantor is still an unusual sight.

Granted, her two tattoos don't jump out at you. The om on her right ankle:


and the slender "b+" on her right wrist


are discreet enough to be overlooked by a discriminating eye, and yet these two small tattoos are large with meaning.

Avital gave me a synopsis the day I took the photos, summing up that the "b+" was a personal message to herself to always "be positive," and that it is her blood type, but she has since offered up a lengthier, more thorough explanation, which I'll share here:

" [The b+], though it is very small (1/2") represents many important parts of my life: past, present and future. When my college friend, Erica died in December from Leukemia, I was devastated. Throughout her illness, she managed to have good spirits and enjoy time with her friends and family. Her battle against cancer put life in perspective for me. I have struggled with depression most of my adult life, and when she died, I made the conscious decision to turn my life around, completely. The morning after her death, my father was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Double whammy. My sister and I had both been contemplating a tattoo for several years, but Jewish guilt always managed to turn me away. After several hours in the ER with our father, we ventured down to Kingdom [Tattoos] and got our matching b+ tattoos. It's incredible how much strength I find from this little symbol on my wrist.

And Avital added:

"And the B in the b+ tattoo is a flat. in music. since I'm a musician. I can't believe I forgot that part! flats are most commonly associated with minor, "sad" keys. so, there is a bit of sadness in the tattoo. too."

As for the om, she elaborates:

"One of the major changes I made in my life after E died was a regular Yoga practice. An unfortunate encounter with a sharp blade left a 1" scar on my inner right ankle. After about 3 months of drawing an OM over the scar with a sharpie (so tedious!) I decided to make it permanent. The OM, like my b+, centers me, calms me, and reminds me of the simpler, more important things in life."

Much thanks to Avital for sharing her tattoos and the powerful stories behind them here with us on Tattoosday.

Ben Commemorates the Cat and the Tree

Ben recalls wandering off one day when he was four years old. He was up in Wells, Maine with his family and no one knew where he'd gone.

Fortunately for Ben, someone did know: the family cat. A la Lassie, the feline led his parents straight to Ben, who was sitting under a tree, munching on blueberries.

To this day, Ben regards this as a crucial moment in his life when he was saved by the cat.

He collaborated with Brendan Rowe at Pins and Needles Tattoo in Portland, Maine to come up with a commemorative tattoo to honor this animal:


Brendan is now working out of Unbreakable Tattoo is Studio City, California.

The tree nearby on his left forearm, was inked, in part, to complement the cat:


It is, however, also a nod to Gustav Klimt's "Tree of Life".
Not an imitation, but a variation.

Thanks to Ben for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

I'm so sorry!

J informs me that some of the picture links aren't working for reasons I can't be bothered and don't know enough about to explain.

All I can tell you is to rest assured that I will fix this. Give it time, my friends.

Metal! Metal!

Ray of hope

Metal! Metal!

It's my dope

Don't forget, Tankard are playing at the Underworld 6th September.

Old news - Mayham

(From 22nd September 2008)

M: SUNN 0))) - Cover Artwork For Dømkirke Live LP Revealed, Live Dates Announced

J: it's got that Attila Csihar on vocals :( :( :( :(

M: i don't know who that is

J: he's the singer for Mayhem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58o17dnB6hk as someone noted: "So cold and vicious too bad attila's vocals almost ruin this otherwise powerful album, but for most of this song at least they're listenable"

M: is he the one you showed me before? although i think that might have been someone else.......

J: I only deal in Dead as the singer for Mayhem. the other one is Maniac who left originally because he was a drunk, then he replaced attila and left again due to stage fright. i saw them with Maniac, he's also a tool - but now attila is back on vocals attila is hungarian and most tr00 norweigan black metallers feel that he's not tr00 black metal because he's not from norway and therefore shouldn't front mayhem

M: yeah i remember you saying about maniac - stage fright :D :D :D that actually the funniest yet lamest thing ever, that's like a soldier seeing a spider and running away in a war :D

J: it's gay, and he looked like a gay.
mayhem need to quit, because they're just a fucking joke now!

M: well they're nothing like they used to be that's for sure. they used to be all kind of mysterious and cool, 'cause they were associated with so much of the stuff with varg and because of dead being dead and everything......but now all these years later, they're just like a parody, or a tribute band or something - there's nothing mysterious or cool, thye're just another famous band of old men selling records to twats who hang off their balls because they think doing so makes them cool. uhh.....no.

J: here's Maniac looking lame: http://ruthlessreviews.com/pics5/bm2/bm4a.jpg
I know i have a weird sense of what looks cool, but they went from this:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/Nocturnal_Abyss/Mayhem/mayhem1.jpg
Note the 2-for-1 bullet belts :)
to this
http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/basement/1702/mayhem2000.gif
sell outs!
an honourable mention goes to this:
http://klavs.net/Web_Main/Images.aspx?id=mayhem_therock_2007
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
same with Emperor - they went from the same thing as mayhem to a load of fools that wouldn't be out of place at a melodic death metal gig. they also might love giger and lovecraft!

M: come on they totally bum giger and lovecraft!!! they've turned into sell out parodies......not in a whiny "ooh they've sold-out" way but in a totally and utterly shameful way.

that first pic was cool :)

J: yeah, exactly - parodies, nothing more.
more like mayham ;)

Massive Aggressive

M: Massive Aggressive has leaked!

J: it's not bad actually

M: yeah, not bad at all. altho i've only heard the first song still; i'm watching hollyoaks :O

J: wolves is a cool song, but it's all pretty much standard municipal waste.

tony is trying to sound like mike muir in places, which annoys me. if the music was shit then it'd be a massive dissapointment (not massive aggressive).
Upsidedown church is the worst so far, just sounds like a Suicidal song.

M: music sounds pretty good to me. not much has changed tho. kinda slower, fewer lyrics about "beer and puking" as JA put it. or P. or whoever said that

J: it's probably because they're turning into Suicidal :)

M: the picture i used of him today he's wearing a suicidal t-shirt

J: listened to it all now, wolves is the best track easily.
the first half of the album is good, the rest kinda sounds like one song which is why when it ended i was like.... oh.

M: wolves is a good song. it's because it has the spirit of those dogs of metal in it :D :D
umm yeah i think it might take a few listens. but i think their catalogue would have been fine without this record.

J: they should have released this as an ep or just trimmed the tracks down
i'm now on the 2nd part of the album, it's all sounding the same :)
good, but forgettable. i was right, art of partying was their peak

M: yep :(

J: the thing that's annoying me is that upside down church is gonna be one of them songs they play live for the value that we're down with black metal and because landphil has BM patches :)

M: yeah i'd thought about that :( what they fucking around with bm for? fuck off!

J: because they know everyone loves Venom ;)

First recommendation evaaaaaa

It's not often I recommend anything on here - in fact, I've never recommended anything so far. Not as far as I'm aware (unless you consider the porn slots as being creepy recommendations of a kind) (which they are).

So I'm proud to present to you today: Evil Army!
(Warning: the moral of this story is that it's not always best to check a band on metal archives before you listen to them).

I'm not going to write a review, I suck at that. So I'll just do what I always do and stick to what I know best.

M: http://metal-madness666.blogspot.com/2009/08/evil-army-evil-army.html hey, this is totally worth it

J: that just killed my browser that page.
i hate some blog music sites, they usually have too much shit going on on one page too

M: LOL the burzum site killed my browser earlier ;)

J: it's for true believers only :)

Some emails later...

M: you download that evil army album i sent you the link for ?

J: that site killed my browser!!
send me the download link, then i will

M: DESCARGAR!!!! http://www.mediafire.com/?fnohnye00ye no pass :D

J: no pass :)
they should add that to the Portuguese language :)

M: :D

J: i love no pass :D
2 minutes to go, did you get it?

M: yeah i did. its good! well, i think so

J: have you seen them on marchives? they look like they should be playing with hank 3

M: yeah, seen. i know, i wasn't sure that was even the right band, but when you hear it it kinda makes sense

J: it sounds ok, but the mental image of hank 3 keeps appearing in my head ;/

M: just think of something else :p

J: the solos in it are ace :)

M: they are aren't they?? :D

J: i seriously wish i never looked up this band before hearing them as i like this

M: i know, they're good!!! i only downloaded it on the basis of the review on marchives so i'm glad at least i looked them up. just keep listening and thinking of something else, they're ace

J: i like two other thrash bands called Armed Forces and Evildead (one word!).
their name appears to have come about if these two bands collided :)

M: hehe yeah :) armed forces is a cool thrash band name haha

J: i was gonna say "anything to do with artillery", but since there's a thrash band called Artillery, then you can't really top that in terms of weapon names.

Liza's Inuit Owl

Liza had been researching a design she wanted for her next tattoo and had found the one she wanted.

On Christmas Eve, she walked in to Halo Tattoo in Syracuse, New York and met Chris Chisholm who, as you'd imagine, didn't have a full schedule on December 24, and he inked this wonderful tattoo on her upper right arm:


This is, of course, an owl, whose design origins come from the Inuit culture.

Owls are symbolic as guardians and are therefore highly popular tattoo designs. Owls have appeared previously on Tattoosday here. But if you really like owls, check out our friends over at
http://owltattoos.blogspot.com.

Work from Halo has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Liza for sharing her amazing owl tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuck's Bridget

I met Tuck near Borders on Penn Plaza and she talked to me about this unusual tattoo on her right shoulder:


The piece was tattooed by Didi, a Brazilian tattoo artist working out of Angelic Hell Tattoo World in London.

Tuck didn't know the source of the artwork, but did work with the artist to modify the design to fit her body.

The changes were subtle, having the tattooed girl she refers to as Bridget standing, as opposed to crouching. They also altered the movement within the piece.


This is one of five tattoos that Tuck has, not counting additional stars and characters that are also part of her body's canvas.

Thanks to Tuck for sharing "Bridget" with us here on Tattoosday!

Greatest Metal Albums in the World Evaaaaaaa

J: i was thinking earlier about how much i hate bands most popular stuff, like because it's over rated and they have better stuff. But what of them albums are actually good?
You follow?
Like I hate Among the Living, but everyone loves it. I don't like Master of Puppets, but it's considered one of their best. Everyone loves the 2nd Earth album, and so do I. So it's an album that to some is the be all, end all, but it's one that is righfully good.
I can't think of many, but you feel me?

M: you mean "overrated" albums that aren't actually overrated, they're just that good? umm...dunno, thing with me and you is that we like a lot of stuff that isn't very widely liked. all my most favourite stuff is realtively unknown, same with you (or in the gg allin side of things is widely DISliked hahahaha)

umm...

can't think of any? :/

J: i mean like albums people go on about being their best album, but it's actually a decent album.
GNR's Appetite for Destruction is a cool album, and it's like their only album to some folk

M: yeah i know, but i'm trying to think of any that i actually like. i quite like master of puppets i guess. rust in peace?

J: i like rip, but it's a bit of a touch and go album, since alot of fans thought they ended on So Far, So Good, Peace Sells is cool, and most megadeth fans bang on about it

M: yeah, the megadeth records are kinda true to hype, pretty much at least.
umm...i know it annoys you and it does have two of the most overplayed songs EVER on it, but number of the beast is a really really good album. twenty twoooooooo, the avenuuuuuuuuuuuuue!

J: i thought about number of the beast, it's a great album, even if it is over hyped. but peace sells has peace sells on it, and i don't like that song much. but number of the beast is a good album :)

M: ooh i like peace sells :( fun to sing, innit. umm, yeah number of the beast is the only one i can think of that is actually a fucking good album.

J: it's a tough ask that question :)
there's plenty of albums i like that people hate, but not many i can think of that i like and others like :D

M: yeah totally :O i've even tried googling some greatest metal albums lists and can't really find any i agree on :/

J: back in black ;)

M: i knew one of us was gonna have to say that at some point
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

J: :) :) :)
holy diver?

M: *singing the only line of that song that i know in my head*
nooooooooooooooooooooooo
but i think that track has a pretty good video? in a meatloaf video kinda good?

J: i dunno if i've seen it :)

M: heyyy i'm sure you have! he's in a castle or something??



yeah thats the one :D :D

J: yeah, have seen it :D :D

M: i love that video :D i'm pretty sure i watched it with you once :)

J: yEAH, WE DID, WHEN YOU LIVED IN READING

ooops, not shouting :) :)

M: YES, I THOUGHT I REMEMBERED IT :D hahaha :)

J: hey ;O

Some days later...

J: i still can't think of any "over-rated" albums i like :)

M: apart from number of the beast :)

what about any motley crue ones or something?

J: shout at the devil's the only one i can think of anyone likes best. i like it, but then it's a good album :)
pantera is obviously cowboys from hell :)

M: whats on cowboys from hell? (apart from the obvious duh) i don't have it :(

J: primal concrete sledge, cemetery gates :)
i get confused with that and vulgar, which has walk and fucking hostile.

M: oooh yeah, me too. even tho i own vulgar on both cassette and cd :O

J: metal magic :)

M: :D

Saturday Porn Slot

Okay, so I know it's not Saturday. But Sunday is close and I was at work yesterday, so there's my excuse. I'm working next Saturday too, but I'll try and schedule something. Plus it'll be a bank holiday weekend - that's always messy in my experience.

Anyways, for our weekly fix of fuck fodder, I am proud to present to you...

Tony Foresta of Municipal Waste!!

:D

Aww he seems so happy and cute! And sometimes, when a guy isn't that hot, but he seems really happy and he can sing words really fast...it makes up for what he's lost in looks.

He seems such a cheery, jolly little man - even in real life, he's unbelievably cute.

And so...I urge you to go see them. Quickly, before their new album comes out and somehow ruins everything by being either like their other albums or completely different. Either the way this new album has huge potential to mess everything up in my incredibly prejudiced mind. So yeah, go see them. Ladies, you never even know...you might get lucky ;D

MEGADETH: New Song '1,320'' Available For Streaming

M: MEGADETH: New Song '1,320'' Available For Streaming - here it is!!

J: it's got some nice vocal parts in it, typical megadeth soloing, a cool main solo (that has potential to be jolly, but doesn't).... but i've heard better

M: i'm in work!!! i want to listen to it now waaaaah

J: the intro is totally the same as Hit the Lights :)

M: LOL :D that is a really good intro tho :)

J: i agree with the comments - two songs released from endgame, and it's
already better than death magnetic :)

M: :D hooray!!! hooray!!! in your face metallica :D :D :D

J: yeah, and while we're at it, we'll steal your intro :)

M: hahah :D

J: although i will say, 4 horsemen over mechanix anyway :)

M: hahaha and metallica's lyrics over dave's on jump in the fire :D i hate his pants songs :))

J: dave's sex pants :)

M: yeah :/ although, mechanix is the worst of them, its the most cringey song ever! with all four on the floor, I feel what's in store!!! the whole thing's like the script from a carry on movie

J: carry on cliff :)

M: :O

J: you heard it yet?

M: oh yeah! haha was just being shocked at your cliff remark, forgot what we were emailing about in the first place :O :O :D off i go

J: :D :D :D
carry on taking off your pants :)

M: hahahaha :)
okay, the song is good! kinda see what everyone means about the chorus, but the ending is ace

J: yeah, the ending rules :) there's a song on UA that ends like that, with a solo. very nice :)

M: yeah, soooooo much better than anything metallica could pull together :D hahaha hooray for megadave :D

J: looking forward to the new album :D

M: yeah i am too, haha so's JA ;)

J: everyone's looking forward to it :)

M: hooray! but with justification, unlike the metallica album :) i'm so pleased for megadave :)))

J: no doubt when it comes out, lars or james will say that they like it

M: like they know shit about metal anymore - their opinion is meaningless seeing as nearly everything they've put out recently has been fucking garbage

J: haha, i'm starting hate them so much that i want to fight people over
it :D :D :D

Thrash Letters

M: Nebukadnezza - There is no Revolution (2009) - this band used to play at the turks (a bar in Reading) allll the time

J: their album cover is lame and they have a name that's complex :D

M: nebukadnezza was a king in the bible. in the good bits of the bible, too. all the stuff with daniel and that shit i think.
but yeah, the album cover is BAD D:

J: that being said, it's too much of a mouthful to ask for tickets for
and since when do thrash bands use biblical references? a simple
reference to toxic and death is fine.
it's another example of getting album art done and then seeing that
and going "yeah, thats's cool". No it ain't!

M: i dunno, its got z's in it, i think it's an okay name :)
but still, the cover is an atrocity, not in the good way :)

J: how do z's make a name good :? :)

M: its all spiky. the letters x and z are the thrash letters of the alphabet* :)))

J: i can't think of any thrash bands that have z :/

x, yes, z, now

M: neither can i but i bet there's loads :D

*On further reflection, I have decided that x and k are the thrash letters. Z can look good, but it's been misappropriated by youths: boyz, hoodz etc.

Nick's Rocking Leg Tattoos (Van Halen and Aerosmith)

At the end of July, while searching for Green Day tattoos, I met, perhaps, the ultimate Van Halen fan.

Nick was hanging out at the side of Madison Square Garden, talking with a friend, and I spotted several rock-themed tattoos on his legs.

Nick has seven tattoos and let me photograph three of them. His outer right calf has this Eddie Van Halen piece:


This was done by a visiting artist at one of the Tattoo Lou's locations on Long Island. Work from Tattoo Lou's has appeared on Tattoosday previously here.

The better of the two Van Halen pieces (in my opinion), on his inner right calf, is this one, inked by Thom at Tattoo Frenzy, in Lindenhurst, New York.


The detail on the guitar is incredible:


Nick says, with certainty, that he has seen Van Halen in concert 394 times (as of July 2009).

He also shared this other tattoo, from his left leg:


This piece is based on the cover art from Aerosmith's Just Push Play album:


Thanks to Nick for sharing his rocking tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!