Am I Evil?
| Am I Evil? | |
|---|---|
| Diamond Head | |
| publication | 1980 |
| length | 7:43 |
| Genre (s) | Heavy metal |
| Author (s) | Sean Harris, Brian Tattler |
| Label | Happy face |
| album | Lightning to the Nations |
Am I Evil? ( Eng. Am I angry? ) is a song by the English heavy metal band Diamond Head . It was released in 1980 on their debut album Lightning to the Nations . The song became known through the cover version of the metal band Metallica .
Original from Diamond Head
The song was written by singer Sean Harris and guitarist Brian Tattler. Tattler had the idea for a riff to be played during the verses back in 1978 . According to Tattler, the band worked over a year to complete the song. The intro is based on Gustav Holst's suite The Planets . The song is about a man whose mother was burned as a witch and wants revenge . He wonders if he's angry about it.
The album Lightning to the Nations was released in October 1980. A newly recorded version of the song can be heard on the second album by Diamond Head Borrowed Time . The song was used in the computer games Guitar Hero: Metallica and Brütal Legend . The song can also be heard in the 2009 horror film Halloween II .
Cover version of Metallica
Metallica began to cover the song at their concerts in 1982. When the band recorded their album Ride the Lightning in 1984 , they also recorded the song Am I Evil? on. It was used, along with a cover version of the song Blitzkrieg by the band Blitzkrieg, as the B-side of the single Creeping Death . In addition, the song was on the published in 1988 re-release of the debut album Kill 'Em All and in the 1998's album Garage Inc. released.
Am I Evil? became an integral part of Metallica concerts and is mostly played as an encore . In the later 1980s and early 1990s, the musicians swapped instruments. Drummer Lars Ulrich took over the vocals and singer James Hetfield took over the drums. The guitarist Kirk Hammett and the then bassist Jason Newsted also swapped their instruments. At some concerts, Metallica played the song with musicians from Diamond Head. On June 22, 2010 Metallica played the song at the Sonisphere Festival in the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia together with the musicians of the bands Anthrax , Megadeth and Slayer . The recording was released on the DVD The Big Four Live from Sofia, Bulgaria .
The American online magazine Loudwire called Am I Evil? as the best cover version Metallica has ever recorded. Metallica's version of Am I Evil? is used in the computer games Rock Revolution and The Neverhood .
More cover versions
Beatallica took a mashup of the songs Am I Evil? and the Beatles song And I Love Her . The band called the song And I'm Evil and appeared on the 2009 album Masterful Mystery Tour .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eamon O'Neill: Diamond Head's Brian Tatler. Eon Music, accessed April 29, 2016 .
- ↑ Am I Evil? by Diamond Head. Songfacts, accessed April 29, 2016 .
- ↑ Joel McIver: Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica . Bosworth Music GmbH, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-86543-368-8 , p. 56 .
- ↑ McIver, p. 174
- ↑ Am I Evil? Metlists, accessed April 29, 2016 .
- ↑ McIver, pp. 206, 287
- ↑ Jeff Cornell: Metallica's 10 Best Cover Songs. Loudwire, accessed April 29, 2016 .