Spoiler-free thoughts on Iron Maiden: Flight 666

1. Maiden fans are insane. Of course they're passionate, devoted and knowledgeable, but I'd never truly realized that metal fandom reaches the kind of fervor usually associated with boy bands, Deadheads and juggalos.

2. Unless you've never experienced Iron Maiden in the flesh, you're not going to leave the theater knowing much more than you knew coming in. There's nothing in Flight 666 to gossip over, and Bruce Dickinson's famous assertion that "Everything you need to know about Iron Maiden is onstage" holds true. Anyone with at least a passing interest in metal should see this, but anyone hoping for Spinal Tap, Some Kind of Monster or Behind the Music will be disappointed.

3. 2008's "Somewhere Back in Time" tour, as documented in Flight 666, was not a nostalgia tour. This isn't KISS performing their hits exactly as they sound on record, with the same stage show they had in the Love Gun era. Iron Maiden sound even stronger, tighter and heavier today than they did in the '80s. Now that they're dedicating their peak showmanship to their prime songwriting years, Flight 666 captures perhaps the greatest Maiden tour to date.

4. Seeing Iron Maiden perform live is as thrilling as anything you can do inside an arena, and if you never get such a privilege, watching Flight 666 on a big screen is as close as you'll get. Sam Dunn, Scott McFadyen (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey) have created the concert movie to beat this year, and what will likely stand as the best-ever movie on one of the most extraordinary bands in rock history.

Earth Day

Five essential Gojira songs about saving the planet:

1. "Ocean Planet" (from From Mars to Sirius)


2. "World to Come" (from From Mars to Sirius)


3. "Global Warming" (from From Mars to Sirius)


4. "Toxic Garbage Island" (from The Way of All Flesh)


5. "A Sight to Behold" (from The Way of All Flesh)

"Ice Cream Man"

It's free cone day, but that doesn't make me crave frozen dairy products nearly as much as a song by Van Halen:

Van Halen, "Ice Cream Man" (live)


Written by Chicago bluesman John Brim, "Ice Cream Man" was a dirty little ditty that became immortalized on Van Halen's irreplaceable first album. David Lee Roth showcased his limited guitar playing abilities in the song's first quarter, while boasting (in as hushed a tone as he ever could get) of all his flavors that were "guaranteed to satisfy." At about the 1:10 mark, "Ice Cream Man" breaks into the kind of exuberance that catapulted Van Halen to the top of the arena rock heap. Eddie lets out a mind-boggling blues-metal solo, proving that a) this isn't Roth's show, and b) even when performing a simple blues song, Eddie Van Halen was reinventing the way people played guitar. The product is as irresistible as pralines & cream.

"Sweet Leaf"

There's no end to the amount of great songs about weed, but the first one I always think of is "Sweet Leaf" by Black Sabbath. Recent takes on "Sweet Leaf" by John Darnielle (in his terrific book on Master of Reality) and Jim DeRogatis (on Sound Opinions' excellent show on "unconventional love songs") are more profound than anything I could write, but the strongest case for "Sweet Leaf" is in the main riff.

Black Sabbath, "Sweet Leaf"


The unforgettable coughing intro and endlessly-copied riff are Tony Iommi's, but it's Ozzy who ensured that this would be metal's reigning 4/20 anthem. Check out some of his lyrics:

"You introduced me, to my mind
And left me wanting, you and your kind"

"I love you!
Oh you know it!"

"My life is free now, my life is clear
I love you sweet leaf, though you can't hear"

"You gave to me, a new belief
And soon the world, will love you sweet leaf"

Somehow, Black Sabbath are often perceived as humorless and foreboding. They may have been a musical alternative to the hippie bands of the late '60s, but when called to task, Sabbath could write a funnier, goofier ode to marijuana than anything this side of "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35."

"Sweet Leaf"'s contribution to the stoner music canon is undeniable. It was later reworked and renamed by the Butthole Surfers (as "Sweat Loaf") for Locust Abortion Technician. The result may be the greatest song that Gibby Haynes ever put his name on.

Butthole Surfers, "Sweat Loaf"


As if that weren't enough, the Beastie Boys introduced themselves to middle America by kicking off Licensed to Ill with a "Sweet Leaf" sample:

Beastie Boys, "Rhymin' & Stealin"


And listen closely to the riff at about 3:55 in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' signature hit:

Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Give it Away"


Not bad for some British kids singing about a plant.

Steel Panther

"Death to all but Metal"