Dan’s 12 influential albums
I was asked by a friend to come up with 12 albums that in some way have influenced me – not necessarily my favourites, but ones that had some kind of impact on me. I though I would turn it into a longer blog to discuss the reasons why. Many of these shaped my own playing and tastes. If you haven’t heard them, check some of these out – you might find a new favourite!
12 influential albums
In no particular order…
1. Duran Duran – Arena
The album that got me into music, and I stand by almost all the music I have ever loved – no trolls or elitists are going to tell me what I can or can’t listen to, thank you very much! Even before I was into metal, it’s the moodier minor-key sounding music I’ve always been drawn to, and Duran Duran, along with Depeche Mode, Howard Jones and Nik Kershaw live in that space. The live version of The Chauffeur is a particular highlight on this.
2. Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
The album that got me into rock. Let It Rock – what a way to open up an album! High energy, built for arenas. Chock full of anthems, and even if you don’t like it, this album pushed rock and metal into the limelight, and in its way helped a ton of other rock bands become successful.
3. Ozzy Osbourne/Randy Rhoads – Tribute
The album that got me into metal and made me pick up a guitar. Best live album ever. Possibly best album ever. You can keep your eight finger tapping arpeggios for Youtube, I’ll be listening to Randy Rhoads serving up the perfect blend of classical, blues and vibrant rock and roll energy. If you’re familiar with the studio albums these tracks come from, this album takes them up several levels. Randy’s improvisational embellishments continue to inspire and amaze me to this day.
4. Metallica – …And Justice For All
Along with Tribute, the other album I started learning at 15. Between them they are the cornerstone of my own guitar playing education. Say what you like about the individual members – frankly I’m tired of hearing Kirk and Lars putdowns – the musicianship on this album is incredible, whether it be the tight thrashfest of Dyers Eve, the wickedly chromatic Shortest Straw solo, Lars’ intricate drum patterns on the title track, or indeed Jason’s bassline in the same song (you may have to look up the bass-enhanced mix on youtube to hear it, though!).
5. Alice in Chains – Facelift
A debut album from a band that seemed to come out of nowhere and blew me away with a new style. I saw them support Megadeth before I’d even heard of them and that was that! A deeply dark album with some lighter glam influenced moments before they sunk to new emotional depths on the follow up Dirt.
6. Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory
Metal needed refreshing and this album was packed full of great tunes and high energy. Along with Facelift, one of my favourite debuts. Not one I revisit often, but the tunes are undeniable. The way they mixed heavy with hooks and embellished with raps and extra non-guitar instrumentation made for a massive sound.
7. Dream Theater – Octavarium
Most of their early stuff left me cold but this album proves you can win new fans many years into a career. While hearing their set in the Download tent, Panic Attack was a revelation. Intricate song structures coupled with the greatest live sound I have witnessed punched me in the chest until I too felt I was having some kind of attack. Having since really enjoyed their all their albums since it’s on my list to go back and reevaluate those earlier albums – it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve grown to like things.
8. Megadeth – United Abominations
Not the best line-up but it is a great album. It proved to me bands could come back from low points. (The low point for me was not Risk – that one has some great songwriting on it – again screw what Internet Law tells you. The World Needs a Hero was a weak album and lineup for me. (In contrast, singer Chris loves that album and line-up!) With this one, Megadave was back, and this is just one fine album from perhaps the most consistent and prolific writer in metal.
9. Anthrax – Volume 8
Because I stay loyal to bands that can keep pulling out classic albums long past their supposed heyday/classic lineup. I could have picked many albums from their discog, but this one was criminally overlooked due to poor record company support. Just listen to Catharsis and tell me that isn’t a band on top of their game. Anthrax are a band that stay true to their sound while always sounding modern and fresh and somehow cooler than everyone else. While they may not have had the commercial success of some of their peers, musically they rarely put a foot wrong and continue to be relevant.
10. Testament – The Legacy
Solos – mind blown. If Alex Skolnick could do this in his teens, imagine what he could do now. Ah we don’t have to – from Over the Wall off this gem, to True American Hate off the latest disk, he continues to shine. But it’s not a one-man show – Low and the wonderful Live at the Fillmore with James Murphy proved that. If you think they are Metallica copycats, frankly your ears need a clean out. This album defines second gen thrash for me. High octane, full speed and when it’s not being that, it’s being downright creepy with those clever intros and interludes. Apocalyptic Cityyyyyy….
11. Korn – Issues
The album that made me pick up seven string guitar. I’d like to give honourable mention to the new album The Paradigm Shift too as it’s my favourite of their career. Again, I don’t follow the general consensus that their first album is best, or even that the first 5 are the best. Korn III – Remember Who You Are is another cracker and proves only Korn can deliver that low end groove that makes you move!
12. Marty Friedman – Dragon’s Kiss
The album that ensures there will always be a place in my collection for instrumental music. A beautiful album on many levels from a unique guitar player. Guitar instrumental albums can often disappear up their own input jack, but by combining technical metal, exotic oriental scales and unparalleled lyricism in his expression, this album rises above the glut of 80s shredfests to take the crown. The duet with Jason Becker, ‘Jewel’ is beyond words. Those guys always worked so well together in Cacophony – an instrumental pairing only recently equalled by the Merrow & Loomis collaboration ‘Conquering Dystopia’.
- Published in Album, Music, Uncategorized
Kill or Cure release self-titled debut album to critical acclaim
Great reviews from the critics
Press release: January 7th 2014
Kill or Cure release their debut album on January 7th. Full of crushing metal anthems, it’s a rare mix of groove, aggression and melody, combining powerhouse vocals, technical excellence and razor sharp hooks.
Feedback from the press has been extremely positive with rave reviews across the board, and one reviewer later proclaiming on Twitter that it’s the ‘best debut album I’ve ever heard’. Read all the reviews here: http://killorcure.co.uk/press-reviews/
Dan Hepner, guitarist, elaborates: “Kill or Cure are three good friends who do this for a shared love of metal. We’re based at opposite ends of the UK, so to make this happen we spend our vacation time together in the studio, writing and recording the best metal we can cook up. There’s no record company telling us what to do, so we make the metal we want to hear, and trust our own creative instincts. Now is the right time to unleash Kill or Cure on the outside world and see who shares our vision.”
Kill or Cure are currently back recording and have already started work on their follow up album. Dan explains, “Finishing off in the studio is our main priority while we’re all fired up – this way we can deliver a one-two punch within a year – but we’re also keen to recruit some extra hands so we can gig these songs around the UK.”
Listen to Kill or Cure album tracks here: www.killorcure.co.uk/music
Find the Kill or Cure album on itunes, Amazon and all other good digital outlets.
Contact Dan Hepner for press enquiries, interview requests and review copies.
Email: info@killorcure.co.uk
Web: killorcure.co.uk
About Kill or Cure
Kill or Cure’s sound is a unique and gripping take on modern metal. The music is a rare mix of groove, aggression and melody, combining technical excellence and musical flair with modern razor sharp hooks. The trio of band members are based in Manchester and Southend. Due to the geographical divide, Kill or Cure are concentrating on studio work and are currently recording their second album. A live lineup will be recruited for 2014.
- Chris Brookes – Vocals. Chris can sing, write, plays many instruments, and produces. They say those that can do, and those that can’t teach. Well Chris does that too. He’s the swiss army knife of the band.
- Dan Hepner – Guitar. Dan grew up playing 70s rock, 80s thrash, 90s grunge and modern downtuned metal – but it could still just be a phase he’s going through.
- Elena DeJesus – Bass. Len was pressganged into playing bass but started life as a classically trained violinist, sharing the stage with Robert Plant and Pavarotti – although never both at the same time.
- Published in Album, Kill or Cure, Recording
The great Kill or Cure album reviews keep on coming
Manchester Rocks are blown away
http://manchesterrocks.webs.com/apps/blog/show/39480351-review-kill-or-cure-kill-or-cure
“I was honestly blown away…It’s rare that I come across a new band that, in my eyes and ears, could conquer the mp3 world and share stages with the big dudes.”
There’s also a threat of metal twerking in there – great colourful review!
Get Your Rock Out are stunned!
http://getyourrockout.co.uk/wp/album-reviews/album-reviews/kill-or-cure-kill-or-cure/
“This is their first album, and for a debut album, it’s absolutely stunning. The musicianship on show is what you’d expect from a band with loads of albums under their wings, and it’s an amazing starting point. Exciting, stimulating and uplifting.”
- Published in Album, Kill or Cure, Recording
Two more great reviews for the Kill or Cure album!
Onslaught Radio say our album contains “outstanding songwriting and skilful musicianship” Overall verdict? 9/10 – Excellent. Read it below…
http://www.onslaughtradio.com/unsigned/unsigned-reviews/kill-cure-kill-cure/5032/
Two Guys Metal Reviews: “This band’s lead singer really knows how to rip it, be it with clean vocalled mastery or harsh growled metal madness. The choruses are to die for and just soar beyond all expectations. I see Kill or Cure really exploding in the next few years.”
http://www.twoguysmetalreviews.com/2013/12/kill-or-cure.html
- Published in Album, Kill or Cure, Music, Recording
The first album review is in… FIVE STARS!
It’s full marks for our debut album! Very proud to find out our first official album review is overflowing with great comments about every track. Read what The Metal Review’s Tom Breedon has to say here…
http://themetalreview.com/albums/kill-or-cure/
- Published in Album, Kill or Cure, Music, Recording, Studio, Uncategorized
Two metal albums on the go!
This one time at bandcamp…
Well it’s been a great month for Kill or Cure – we’ve just spent a week in lockdown at our Bandcamp 2013! We missed a week and a half of fantastic weather, preferring to toil away in a humid studio one sniff away from olfactory suicide. A small price to pay to pull together our 2nd album! We’re aiming for all killer and no filler, so we took the best of the demos we were working on last August, and added new ones that we felt were even stronger. Now we have ten tracks with vocals completed, and instrumentation nearly done.
So now I have to split duties – guitar recordings I can do from home – a little bit of rhythm and most of the solos, and I’m really keen to get this second album finished while we are still buzzing from our progress in the studio.
But at the same time I have our first album all ready to launch bar a little bit of marketing shine (yes, that’s shine with an n). We want to get that debut out to you all as soon as possible – there’s 9 tracks we are extremely proud of and we’re looking forward to getting your feedback.
On the plus side, the workload makes for a nice mix of writing, recording, finalising artwork, marketing, promo and distribution. That should keep me out of trouble for the next couple of weeks!
In other news, we have some fun stuff planned to keep you entertained as the year rolls on – we’ll be previewing material from the debut album from August, and I plan to have the first album available through all good digital stores in Oct/Nov – which should tie in nicely with the video shoot we have scheduled for September.
As a wise and hairy metal sage once said, “Rock hard, rock heavy, rock animal.” And you can’t say fairer than that.
Dan
- Published in Album, Guitar playing, Kill or Cure, Music, Recording, Studio
Recording the 2nd album
In August the three of us headed into the studio for a week to record our second album. The first album’s parts had to be written, practised and recorded separately as we live at opposite ends of the country, so for our second one it’s great to be bringing all our ideas together and working them up from nothing to completion as a unit.
- Published in Album, Guitar playing, Kill or Cure, Music, Recording, Studio