Nashville's Premier Recording StudioHave you walked through Studio A?How about Studio C or D?Check out our virtual tours!NOW AVAILABLE FOR SLATE SSD4 & TRIGGER!If you want to know how important Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor was to the development of metal, go on to YouTube. There you’ll find a clip from 2011 of “the big four” – the four founders of thrash metal, Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth – jamming together, playing the song without which they would never have had the idea to play metal at extreme velocity: Motörhead’s Overkill. James Hetfield of Metallica dedicates the song to Lemmy, but it wasn’t Lemmy who made this song what those bands aspired to, it was Phil Taylor, who has died aged 61. Specifically, it was Taylor’s double time kick-drum pattern. When the song was released in 1979 – it came out as a single on 10 March 1979, a fortnight before the album of the same name – it was a lightbulb moment for a score of young metalheads and musicians.

We thought Communication Breakdown was fast – but that’s nothing. This is playing fast.curtain eyelet rings suppliers in india The double kick drum was what gave thrash its intensity, its relentlessness: it was what makes thrash sound like the end of the world, rather than merely a riot.meat curtains unattractive “Motörhead was the first time I heard double bass done at that pattern,” Slayer’s drummer, Dave Lombardo, said in the Metal Evolution documentary on thrash. made to measure curtains st albans“I had heard of other double bass drummers, but I don’t think they did anything like that, at that tempo and that beat.”curtains tolworth

In the same programme, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich said: “The drummer that introduced me to that double bass type of thing was Phil Taylor from Motörhead. lowes pleated drapesWhen I first heard Overkill in early 1979, that was what blew my head off.”shower curtain rings b&q Lemmy has always said he was just playing rock’n’roll. curtains midletonIt was Taylor who took it over the top and made it thrash. The idea, like so many great musical inventions, came about by accident. Taylor had just got himself a new kit and was messing around on it. He had two bass drums, and started playing them together. His bandmates, Lemmy and “Fast Eddie” Clarke, overheard him and realised here was something that could turn Mötorhead from a fast, aggressive band into a group utterly unlike any that had come before.

They wrote Overkill on the spot, according to Lemmy. Taylor himself seemed slightly baffled by what he had created. “I only associate thrash with what your dad did to you when he took his belt off,” he said. When Metallica supported Motörhead in 1982, Taylor recalled, he could barely recognise what kind of music they were playing, because it was so fast. Of course, the double-time drumming wasn’t all there was to Taylor: he was an inventive and clever drummer, not just there to pummel things along while the two men in front of him did the fun stuff. On Ace of Spades, for example, Taylor lifts the song after the second chorus with a series of almost jazzy rimshots: you might think that song is all blood and thunder, but it’s really not. He was also, by all accounts – including his own – what might euphemistically be called a “colourful character”, from which one can infer that he knew no restraint. The story of how he joined Motörhead perhaps sums him up.

He had met Lemmy, and told him he was a drummer. Lemmy, though, was more interested in getting a lift back to Rockfield Studios, where Motörhead had been rehearsing. Taylor had a car and obliged. The pair stayed up all night, and in the morning – stark naked – Taylor went outside. “It’s all right,” he bellowed to any curtain twitchers who might have been looking. Back inside, Lemmy suggested that he’d been having problems with the group’s then-drummer, Lucas Fox, and suggested Taylor have a quick rattle round the kit to test his suitability. Hearing what Taylor did, the group’s then guitarist, Larry Wallis, turned to Lemmy and uttered what might serve as Taylor’s epitaph: “What a horrible little cunt. As some of you know, I’m a NZ wedding celebrant. This means I get to marry awesome couples in civil wedding ceremonies. It’s not a full-time gig or anything, but it is a fun way to spend a few weekends a year, especially given the types of weddings I perform.

I’ve officiated medieval ceremonies, married couples in front of hobbit holes, dressed up as the Mad Hatter, performed blood ceremonies and handfastings, and prayed at Buddhist altars … all for awesome, alternative couples. For many alternative couples, the music in the ceremony is particularly important. For us metalheads, including some of our favorite music (often, the music that brought a couple together in the first place) is an obvious choice. But where do you find “wedding appropriate” metal songs? Most metal songs aren’t about love, and if they are, they’re about love falling apart. Although I firmly believe that if you want to walk down the aisle to Cannibal Corpse’s “Fucked with a Knife”, then you should be able to do it, I know that many couples need to balance their love of metal with family expectations, and a sense that probably the day should be at least slightly romantic. Here are my picks for 25 romantic heavy metal songs that could work at your wedding:

I’ve never got into PoS that much, but this song is beautiful and will always make me think of my man ;) An amazing first dance song. Break this bittersweet spell on me. Lost in the arms of destiny. Not “strictly” metal, and probably not strictly a love song, but I am so entranced with the melody and vocals in this song, and the beautiful chorus, I chose to walk down the aisle to this. Probably any Apocalyptica song would work at a wedding – if you wanted to walk down the aisle to Metallica’s “Creeping Death”, using Apocalyptica’s version will help you get it past your Mom. “So close, no matter how far. Couldn’t be much more from the heart. Forever trust in who we are. And nothing else matters.” For many of us, Metallica were our “gateway band” into the world of metal, and this song – which Hetfield wrote about missing his girl while on tour – holds a special place in our hearts. A popular choice as an entrance song for wedding ceremonies.

“I wish for this night time, to last for a lifetime.” My friend Andy sings an incredible version of this song, and we were thinking of having it at our wedding, but opted for a different song instead. Tarja’s voice is at its prime here, and the sweeping music would make this a beautiful processional song. Many Cradle songs take their inspiration from gothic literature, which often deals with themes of love. I love that aspect of the band, and if you’re a fan, dark gothic songs like this could work as a recessional song at a gothic metal wedding. A great first dance song if “My Heart Will Go On” isn’t quite your thing. If you’re a metalhead who has suffered a broken heart, this 1989 ballad will resonate. Full of hope and faith in love, it’s a beautiful track for your wedding. I beg to serve, your wish is my law, Now close those eyes and let me love you to death. First of all, there’s not much that’s sexier than Pete Steele’s deep, gravelly voice.

The song is about a man trying to prove himself worthy of his partner, and is a beautiful processional song, especially if you’ve got a real gothic vibe going on. A Romeo & Juliet story retold by one of the world’s biggest thrash bands. I always enjoyed the story behind this song, and if you’re a Megadeth fan, this would be a fine addition to your wedding soundtrack. If you wanted a man like Lemmy, here’s what you have to do. Lemmy lays down his instructions for the perfect relationship. “Each night when the day is through I don’t ask much I just want you…” The Ozman has been known to bust out some beautiful ballads over the years. “I just want you” would be an awesome recessional song or first dance, delivering a powerful message about love with killer riffs. “O my sweet nurse pull the curtain aside for a while” A simply beautiful song, and a little bit different from the others on this list. “Waiting for tomorrow, for a little ray of light

Waiting for tomorrow, just to see your smile again!” Tobias Sammet can serenade me with this any day. This isn’t a band I’ve paid much attention to, but a friend showed me this Dark Moor song recently and I thought it was really sweet. From the 2006 Edge of Infinity album, this song is very beautiful and would make a lovely first dance. Picture the relatives’ faces during the high notes … IMO, the best Dreamtheater is instrumental Dreamtheater. Even without lyrics, this song tells a beautiful story.You can do no wrong. I adore this band. This is a fantastic cover, even if the original song is a bit blah. If you wanted an awesome recessional song for a rock’n’roll wedding, I’d definitely recommend Volbeat. Every metalhead wants a bit of Priest at their wedding. There are a few Judas Priest songs that would fit a wedding setting – “Angel” just happens to be my favorite. I prefer this version to the original Scorpians track.

From the Shallow Life album, many Lacuna Coil songs (as well as other gothic metal bands) will be suitable for a wedding. I particularly like this one. Written about his wife Sharon, with input from Zakk Wylde and Lemmy Kilmister, it’s no wonder that this hopeful, longing song is Ozzy’s only top 40 single. If you don’t want your first dance to be a slow dance, why not give this a spin? I know my cantankerous drummer husband certainly thinks he’s the center of the universe … :) If you wanted a song at your wedding that encapsulated what you love about the music, and how it had brought you together and/or made you closer, then this song is the one. Of course, I’m biased, because I love Manowar, and we played this as we left our wedding ceremony, but it’s perfect! I’ve been married for six years on the 1 November. It’s been a pretty amazing six years, with two overseas trips, building a house, some crazy good times and some bad times that have made us stronger.