2011 has been the biggest year in the short history of the Moombahton movement so we here at Metal Top Hat wanted to take the time to run down our top 5 releases of the year.
Little material came into the blogosphere from pioneer Munchi this past year following a 2010 filled with releases. One of the finest compilations to rise above the clatter was his summer release, Verano Del Moombahton. Here again we're introduced to moombahton's versatility with tracks like "Jimi Knows" transforming nearly any type of tune into a dance floor destroyer. Pickster One, Teen Wolf, and Sazon Booya are some of the highlighted producers. Sazon Booya - Mis Armas |Verano De Moombahton| by Sazon BooyaMunchi - Jimi Knows by Munchi Hostage - Straight Raw by HOSTAGE
Mike Starr, Jani Lane, Cory "Flattus Maximus" Smoot
As the year comes to a close, we here at Metal Top Hat would like to remember three men who lost their lives. Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr, Warrant frontman Jani Lane, and GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot, all left this world too soon; they will live on through the music they created and shared with us all so take a second out of your day and watch these videos of fallen rock stars at their peak.
Legendary Hollywood venue The Roxy played host to the reunited Van Halen for two months as the band rehearsed for their upcoming world tour. Employees of the iconic Sunset Strip locale we forced to hold their tongues for the duration of the rehearsals to keep the strictest silence on the greatness happening around them. Now employees are sharing some of their fondest memories of these two months; employee "Scotty" said:
“What was my favorite part about it? Everything. I know it sounds stupid, but I can’t put it any other way. To walk through the club and have Eddie Van Halen smile at me or pat me on the back, the guys were so nice, it was unbelievable. In my 9 years at the club, this is by far one of the best things that’s happened.”
For more than 15 years die hard GN'R fans have longed to see the core Appetite line up reunite but due to personality conflicts within the band, mainly between Slash and Axl Rose, those fans have longed in vain. Much has been said about how the front man led his troops and much has been said against him for the way it all seemingly came unravelled in the first half of the '90s; but it appears that the olive branch may have finally been extended. In a piece for Esquire magazine Slash said,
"The split between Axl and I was a quiet one. But because there was so much attention on the breakup — and are we going to get back together? — it got built up into this monster that led to a kind of animosity that wasn't the focus for me. Neither one of us wants to be down each other's throats for no reason. At this point, I'm trying to put it to rest."
I for one look forward to the day when the peace can finally return to this tattered and torn family. There's so much hate out in the world that it's great to see Slash trying to bring about some love; he's right, it's gone on for so long now it's time for the feud to die. As the GN'R boys head into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012 here's hoping they can all work it out for the good of us fans; the world needs great bands like Guns because as Slash put it,
"When I see footage of Guns N' Roses, I see that fucking hunger and attitude. You could not fuck with those five guys. It was just raw. It was this lean, hungry thing on its way up. It was as sincere as any rock 'n' roll that I've ever heard, and I'm proud of that."
