Stone Cold Steve Austin Talks about the 10 Albums That Changed His Life
Stone Cold Steve Austin is without a doubt one of the most memorable WWE stars to emerge in the past 20 years. His larger-than-life, hard-hitting persona won over the hearts of dozens of fans when he first emerged on the scene in ’96. I remember absolutely losing my mind as a kid whenever I heard his signature theme song as he emerged on stage — the glass breaking followed by that heavy riff — and to this day I’m convinced it was one of the things that got me into metal in the first place.
That being said, it’s pretty obvious that Stone Cold himself grew up with metal. He recently did one of those “10 Albums that Changed my Life” articles with Metal Hammer and the results, minus a couple exceptions, are all pretty damn good choices. Of course, we’re only gonna cover the highlights here, but there’s a laundry list of iconic metal featuring bands like Kiss, a lot of Kiss actually, Motley Crue, AC/DC, and even Saxon.
Here are some of the best inclusions:
The album I wish I made is…
Judas Priest – Screaming For Vengeance (1982)“Any time ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’’ comes on, I mean, how often can that apply to any time you’re feeling a bit down or need some motivation? That comes on, and Halford sings like only he can sing? That’s good shit.”
He’s not wrong. Screaming for Vengeance is a masterpiece. It’s the album that got me into Judas Priest, and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” is definitely one of the best tracks off that record.
The album I break the speed limit to is…
Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction (1987)“That’s a good one. I wouldn’t call them metal, but ‘Nightrain‘ by Guns N’ Roses came on when I was driving my RV the other day.”
This is always one of my favorite questions on these lists. I feel like you learn a lot about a person by what gets their adrenaline pumping. Steve Austin gets a pass in my book, especially for calling out “Nightrain.” That song always got me so pumped as a kid. Maybe they’re not really “metal,” but Guns N’ Roses knew how to fucking rock, which was all that really mattered.
The album I want played at my funeral is…
AC/DC – Highway To Hell (1979)“Ah man, I tell you what: AC/DC, Highway To Hell. I’ve never seen AC/DC live. Of course I would love to, though.”
Looks like you might’ve missed your opportunity to get the complete experience of seeing AC/DC live, Stone Cold. Regardless, it’s a solid, albeit cliched, choice for a funeral track.
A kid comes up to me and asks me what metal is. I hand them a copy of…
Saxon – Wheels Of Steel (1980)“Man, you hand them something from Saxon! They never got enough credit, man! They’re badass! Biff always had the pipes, he could sing his ass off, and they have a badass guitarist, I loved his tone. I always wondered why they weren’t bigger than they were, because if you look at all the bands we’ve been talking about, they all love Saxon!”
The man clearly loves his Saxon. This cut is a little deep, even for me, a person who grew up with a dad that also cherished this band, but hey, to each his own.
Be sure to check out the rest of the list when you can. It’s a pretty good one if you’re into the ’80s/’90s brand of metal, or just in the mood for revisiting some classics.
What are your thoughts? Let us know below.
