Tom Morello: “Judas Priest are a longtime standard-bearer of metal”
Tom Morello is legit, no doubt about it. The Rage Against the Machine guitarist has all the smarts of a social studies graduate from literal Harvard University backing up his intense, thoughtful political activism. The kind he devotes both to his musical career and personal life. He is also a truly generational guitarist with the technical ability to play whatever he wants on six strings and the creative vision to push forward the kind of sounds an electric guitar can produce.
Sometimes he didn’t need that! The entire guitar solo of ‘Testify’ is played by pressing the jack of his guitar cable into the palm of his hand and putting that sound through a wah-wah pedal. When one thinks about the kind of records that inspire a capital-M Musicians like that, one probably thinks of deeply esoteric, heady jazz records and the most obscure, intense hip-hop deep cuts imaginable.
While Morello probably is just as au fait with those kinds of albums as any other muso, the truth is that the man, at his core, is a metalhead. Proudly so. For proof of this, just look at the photos he’s posted to Instagram of himself as a teenager. Clad in a white tank top with a headband on, leaping into the air while holding a Gibson Explorer. If that isn’t enough for you, Musicradar offers a slightly more in-depth option to explore.
In 2010, Tom Morello put together a list of the 13 greatest heavy metal records ever, to his mind. It’s an eye-opening list, one that does include Tool and System of a Down records as a tip of the hat to his more progressive influences. However, while the majority of the list is pretty undeniable, it’s fairly surreal to have the guitarist of Rage Against the Machine sing praises of Mötley Crüe, Van Halen and Iron Maiden.
Which album does Tom Morello place above all others?
It’s important to mention that the list isn’t ranked in any way. In fact, the article’s introduction implies that the list was written while listening to Morello scroll the wheel of his iPod (2010, baby!) and jotting down his thoughts on each record. However, while the man is effusive about every record, one album stands apart in his praise. However, his initial compliment is as backhanded as it is true.
Coming in midway through the list is Judas Priest’s 1980 new wave of British heavy metal masterwork, British Steel. A record that Morello clearly loves and, above all, understands. He says of the album, “As a teen, this was a record that was guaranteed to alienate any potential female companionship, which should not be construed as a negative in any way, shape or form.”
A strange place to start, even if it is a factually true statement. He’s kinder about the record in his follow-up, where he says, “It’s one of my favourite records of all time. Judas Priest are a longtime standard-bearer of metal, and this is their greatest moment.” Kinder and just as true, given British Steel is still one of the most respected metal albums to ever come from the United Kingdom.
A reminder, if one was needed, that dimensionality is vital and that one can be a Harvard graduate, a hip-hop obsessive and a big ol’ heavy metal nerd, simultaneously. If it worked for Tom Morello, it can work for you too!
