The first album I bought was…
AC/DC - BACK IN BLACK [ATLANTIC, 1980]
“I was super-young… I was with my mom at the local flea market and there was a vendor with vinyl, studded wristbands and heavy metal shit. I dunno what made me gravitate towards it as a kid, but that was it, I was hooked. A week later I got Van Halen on vinyl from the same market.”
The best album artwork is…
IRON MAIDEN - THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST [EMI, 1982]
“All their album covers are usually pretty killer, but that’s the one that looks the most menacing to me – the way Eddie looks, the Devil, the whole thing is just killer. It really resonated with me as a kid.”
The album that reminds me of school is…
MISFITS - WALK AMONG US [SLASH, 1982]
“Misfits had a huge impact on me. Their sense of melody and sense of songwriting is just phenomenal – they’re still one of my favourite bands of all time. I fell in love with them instantly.”
The album I wish I’d made is…
PINK FLOYD - THE WALL [COLUMBIA, 1979]
“The Wall is my favourite album of all time. Everything from the songwriting to the performances, the recording, production, concept, lyrics – it’s all phenomenal. Roger Waters is a genius and it had a huge impact on me as a kid.”
No one will believe I own a copy of…
LADY GAGA - JOANNE [INTERSCOPE, 2016]
“I think she’s cool, I think her attitude’s great, and she’s a metalhead, too! She’s an Anthrax fan. She’s a great singer and does something unique. The new album is different from her other stuff.”
The album that broke my heart is…
THE CURE - DISINTEGRATION [FICTION, 1989]
“Disintegration is one of the saddest records I’ve ever heard. There’s a certain melancholy to the lyrics. Obviously he’s talking about relationships – a song like Pictures Of You is a very sad, deep song. I saw them live for the first time recently – they played the same arena as us but the day before.”
The album that should not be is…
U2 - POP [ISLAND, 1997]
“Pop was too much of a departure from their sound; they tried to get too slick for their own good, they lost their integral spirit that I love. U2 are one of my favourite bands. I don’t follow Bono’s politics but he’s a phenomenal songwriter. I’m sure if I dug a little deeper I wouldn’t agree with some stuff, but who cares?”
A kid asks me what metal is. I hand them a copy of…
METALLICA - MASTER OF PUPPETS [ELEKTRA, 1986]
“It’s definitely one of the best metal records of all time, and at the time they were forging the way for that sound. It was so fresh and angry – there’s a certain energy to it that a lot of other records at the time didn’t have, and that made it special.”
The album I break the speed limit to is…
SLAYER - REIGN IN BLOOD [DEF JAM, 1986]
“It’s super-fast, aggressive, and it’s just evil. From top to bottom it’s one of the most evil albums of all time. They’re masters at creating a certain mood; the imagery, songs, riffs, production and the way Tom sings.”
The album that inspires me the most is…
AC/DC - BACK IN BLACK [ATLANTIC, 1980]
“It’s my favourite rock’n’roll production I’ve ever heard and definitely the best rock vocal performance I’ve ever heard. I got to work with Brian Johnson on the Jim Breuer album I produced, and that was amazing – like everything coming full circle from the first record I got.”
Volbeat’s Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie is out now via Spinefarm
