" Am I Evil? "(From the English. - " Am I evil? ") - the song of the heavy metal band Diamond Head , released on their debut album Lightning to the Nations in 1980. The song was written by vocalist Sean Harris and guitarist Brian Tatler and released on Happy Face Records label, owned by producer Muff Murphin and The Old Smithy of Worcester. The song became popular immediately after being released in heavy metal lovers in the UK , and gained worldwide fame after the cover of Metallica , released on the back of the single " Creeping Death " in 1984, as well as on the album Garage Inc. . The song was influenced by Black Sabbath 's song “ Symptom of the Universe ” [1] .
| Am I Evil? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executor | Diamond head | |||
| Album | Lightning to the nations | |||
| Date of issue | ||||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Duration | 7:43 | |||
| Label | Happy face | |||
| Producer | Diamond head | |||
| Track listing for Lightning to the Nations | ||||
| ||||
Content
Release and Reception
The song was originally released on the debut album, Diamond Head Lightning to the Nations in 1980, but was then also re-recorded for their second album, Borrowed Time . She remains one of the group's most performed live songs and is still included in the set lists. However, Sean Harris is tired of playing Am I Evil? , and this is one of the reasons why he was wearing a Death suit during their performance at the National Bowl .
The song takes its roots from Gustav Holst 's Mars Herald of War , and also uses the riff previously used in Eric Burdon Band 's Ring of Fire in 1974.
Cover versions
| Am I Evil? | |
|---|---|
| Single Metallica | |
| Side “A” | Creeping death |
| Released | November 23, 1984 |
| Recorded by | October 1984 |
| Genres | Heavy Metal , Thresh Metal |
| Duration | 7:50 a.m. |
| Producers | Metallica, Mark Whitaker |
| Songwriters | Sean Harris, Brian Tatler |
| Label | Megaforce, Elektra |
The song became popular thanks to a cover version of Metallica , which hit the re-release of their 1988 debut album Kill 'Em All in Japan (missing from the original version of the album). Initially appeared on B side of the single “ Creeping Death ” in 1984 and later on the album Garage Inc. in 1998. The song is also often performed at Metallica concerts, but in a heavier and faster version. Hetfield also changed the final words in the song with “Am I evil?” Yes, I am "on" Am I evil? Yes, I fucking am! ” The Diamond Head themselves said that they were flattered by this cover and, thanks to the fees from it, were able to continue their activities [2] . Faith No More also performed a cover of this song.
In 2010, as an expression of gratitude, “The Big Four Trash Metal ” ( Metallica , Megadeth , Slayer , Anthrax ), with the exception of Tom Araya , Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman , performed the first half of this song in Sofia , Bulgaria . The recording was released on DVD The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria .
At the Sonisphere Festival in Britain, Bill Bailey used the song as a prelude to his performance. Diamond Head also performed at this festival.
In The Neverhood , during a cutscene in which Kleimen pulls out a pin and 2 parts of Neverhood join in, a modified cover version of Metallica plays.
Use in Pop Culture
The original version of the song appeared in the games Guitar Hero: Metallica and Brütal Legend , as well as in the 2009 film Halloween 2 . A cover version of Metallica was included in Rock Revolution as one of the playable tracks.
A parody group Beatallica recorded a mashup of The Beatles by the band “Am I Evil?” And “ And I Love Her ” called “And I'm Evil” for their 2009 album Masterful Mystery Tour .
Notes
- ↑ Wayback Machine . web.archive.org (August 25, 2012). Date of treatment July 17, 2019.
- ↑ The Story Behind the Song "AM I EVIL" .