Australian trio Witchskull recently released their third album, A Driftwood Cross, via stoner-doom stronghold Rise Above Records, the venerable label run by Napalm Death and Cathedral’s Lee Dorrian. It’s all kinds of heavy — trudging, slamming and steeped in occult-tinged evil — so not surprisingly, when we caught up with drummer Joel Green to find out what five albums shaped him as a musician, he spotlighted a handful of tried and true heavy-music classics from five of the most recognized and influential names in the game. See below.
Motörhead – No Sleep ’til Hammersmith
First album I heard of my fave band. I was literally never the same again — they totally consumed my entire youth.
Metallica – Ride the Lightning
Heard it on a Walkman in 1984 and it blew my mind — it was like nothing else I’d ever heard. “Fight Fire With Fire” initially freaked me out, but when the title track hit, I was sold. Their best by far.
Slayer – Hell Awaits
Heard it in ’85 and it fucked me up … So brutal I couldn’t take it at first, now one of my favorite metal albums ever — and their best!
AC/DC – Powerage
My dad played this to me and my brother in 1978. He explained how good they were in a very serious way. It stuck with me, and I still think it’s their best record. Especially the German version with “Cold Hearted Man.”
Venom – Welcome to Hell
Initially, I struggled with the menacing nature of it, but now I think it’s possibly the best metal record of all time. It’s so feral and chaotic with the best-written songs you could ever want to hear. Simply, it’s a muthafukken masterpiece.
