AlSymerz

mask

Ravager

arson

Running Wild

Listening to the same album. 35 year anniversary and still standing as one of the best!

Thrashquatch

Navy

I don't think I've ever heard any one ask that question I'd probably agree with Mortal Sin, Armoured Angel and Sadistik Exekution but D666 don't deserve it. I know a lot of people like them but as far as actually making the Oz metal scene what it is the one person who trumps all those bands is Peter Hobbs and his band Hobbs Angel Of Death (among others).

Ranger

Cosmo's Factory - CCR

Suicidal Tendencies

dog

Black Sabbath - Vol 4

Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

The way I see it labels have a place but they can also be an issue to some bands. As others have said smaller labels are helped massively by larger labels distributing their product. Then there are bands who create their own labels and license to larger labels to keep more money and control over their product. However on the flip side there is bands like Flotsam and Jetsam who, while constantly praising their label, never seem to get the same benefits as other bands. Although the world was different in the 80's and 90's labels were a big part of what we could and couldn't get in Australia, many major labels had local distro which meant many bigger 'signed' bands got released here and had their albums sell for $25-30 per CD. Whereas bands from the same areas, playing the same overseas gigs, who didn't have the bigger label support, meaning their CDs were import only, cost anything from $30-60. The same thing still happens here a bit but as the years went on many of the labels even set up local offices here and where local distro didn't happen the internet allowed us to get albums ourselves rather than rely on the music shop who still wanted up to triple the price to get something from a minor label. Not all bands want labels and good luck to them, but they still serve a purpose and those lucky enough to get one will probably see more success. However not every band out there is looking for world stardom and riches beyond belief so the answer to the question of does metal need labels is probably best summed up in my mind with, 'yes, but not by all."

Don't worry about the 'forever' part. Once you get on the island one day will blend into another, you'll eventually go bat shit crazy within your own mind, then you'll start forgetting everything and before you know it each album will seem new again. Or worse, you'll run out of batteries in your music player after day two and go bat shit crazy even sooner!

Tau Cross

necklace

The term big 4 has been applied too so much over the years metal can't even claim to have come up with it, so whoever coined it first along with four thrash metal band names stole it from somewhere else anyway. But as I've said before it really didn't mean that much to most of the metal heads I knew in Australia during the 80's. Maybe it has something to do with the term being stolen, maybe it just wasn't marketed that way. Either way the Big 4 of Thrash always seemed to mean more to American's than us, but it's the same for the Teutonic 4, we mostly knew them individually and for most of us Tankard and Destruction weren't in the same league as Sodom and Kreator. I've seen all of the Big 4 in the early days, never as the big 4 because they all toured Australia individually. I've also seen Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth since then but haven't seen Metallica live since AJFA.

Iron Maiden - Killers

Nah Megadeth definitely made bad albums after Youthanasia Dave's voice is relatively unique* and does help make Megadeth stand out from many other bands....but so does his ego and bullshit. (* relatively unique because the guy from Mechanix does a pretty damn good copy of Dave on Sonic Point Blank)

Pearl Jam - 10

Taramis

Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition - Exhibit A

The thing about humidity here is that it changes dramatically between states. Sydney gets hot and humid in summer which makes it a very sticky and uncomfortable heat. But north in Queensland and Northern Territory it's more tropical where the sun feels hot then it pisses down rain for two months because it's the summer wet season. Then in the West it can be 110+ for a month and zero humidty so the sun doesn't feel as hot as it does in the east. I love the west and can happily live in 100-110 for a week or two but after than I've had enough, (or it could just be I've had enough of family and want to get back to the east, either works!). But thankfully over in the east they don't often get two weeks of temps that high because the humidty would make it uncomfortable Winters can vary too, up in Northern Territory at the moment they are still having temps between 90 and 105 and relatively rain free days. Whereas in the south down in Tassie and some of the high country in Victoria it's cold enough for snow.