Richard Christy is arguably the finest drummer of any era or genre, who once regularly performed to sold-out arenas worldwide as a member of heavy metal stalwarts Iced Earth and Death. He was also an avowed loser who lived in a storage facility in Florida and hadn't gotten laid in almost 10 years. That was pre-Howard Stern.
He now makes a living doing phony phone calls on Howard Stern's daily radio program, often appearing naked, and occasionally performing such demoralizing tasks as dipping his balls in chocolate and making "raccoon masks"on fellow men's faces. He is both the originator of many classic Howard Stern moments and the butt of an equal amount of jokes.
So until now, the question of whether Howard has ruined Richard was a matter of taste. If you hate heavy metal, but love Howard, there is no denying that Richard has been a valuable addition to the show (he and Sal "The Stockbroker" Governale replaced "Stuttering" John Melendez when Melendez was inexplicably hired to be the announcer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2004). If you, like I, was a huge fan of Christy's drumming and musical acumen, his departure from the metal performance stage was an enormous loss.
Charred Walls of the Damned, the self-titled debut album from Christy's new band, heralds his return to the metal craft he has helped shape. But, this is a dramatic departure from the death genre of his prior bands. CWOTD is pure, nostalgic power metal in the finest fashion. With Ripper Owens (of post-Halford Judas Priest fame) on vocals and Christy on drums, this is something of a supergroup reunion that, in combination with Christy's absence from the scene for so many years, might cause trepidation. But the songcraft here is very fine, with nice tempo changes, interesting time signatures, and melodic hooks that help immensely to mask the otherwise mundane guitar work (light shredding, mediocre chops, limp solos). Christy is not in top form here, but is still head and shoulders above 95% of everything else in production today.
Back in 1999, when Death was touring in support of the Sound of Perseverance album and I was writing freelance for heavy metal websites and fanzines, I caught their live show at the Double Door. Christy was simply amazing, at one point performing a 15 minute drum solo that was mind-boggling. Never before or since have I seen such a drumming display, nor do I expect to ever see such performance again. This man, and that band, were at their creative peak, both doomed to reinvent themselves and eventually disband. Christy has since taken a unique turn in his career working for Howard, but it's a blessing to have him back in music, writing and performing once again (even if you abhor heavy metal).
This is an album worth buying for many reasons. Curiosity what this redneck goofball you hear on Howard Stern was up to before joining the show, fascinated by all the accolades he has garnered over the years? Desire to revel in the return of an artistic master to his true medium? Or, just want to appreciate this album as it stands alone? Even without the backstory, this is a fine power metal album, a genre that is little appreciated or performed today, especially with such fervor. But the true story only adds to the allure. A
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