White Wizzard Singer Likes Savatage (duh!), Steelheart (guh?)

White Wizzard singer Joseph Michael (above left) checked in yesterday at Decibel to list his favorite obscure ’80s metal albums. His choices may surprise u, though not enough to spur an amateur dissection his selection criteria. That would be silly. Anyway, it’s not shocking to find an album by Savatage — yet it’s an unexpected choice from their huge discography, one that fits perfectly with a recent MetalSucks Question Of The Week. (Plus Michael’s commentary feeds that old joke that you’d “have to be on acid to like this.”)

Also worthy of knowing nods are Michael’s picks by King Diamond and Marty Friedman; many metal people will be grateful for a reminder of those gems. But where I both raise a fist and scratch my forehead is the selection of Steelheart’s self-titled debut. Do u remember this album, and its showpiece “I’ll Never Let You Go”? It has appeal — ace players inflate hair metal to grotesque proportions — but dude it’s so shrill! That is, I get that u could love it, but I don’t get how u can handle its physical impact on your ears and mental health. Here try it:

White Wizzard’s The Devil’s Cut is out now via Earache Records. Get it here.