BRIAN POSEHN TO RELEASE FIRST COMEDY/METAL ALBUM
“GRANDPA METAL,” ON FEBRUARY 14, 2020
Produced, engineered and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Steel Panther), Grandpa Metal features guest appearances from some of metal’s finest including Brendon Small (Metalocalypse, Dethklok), Scott Ian and Jonathan Donais (Anthrax), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Gary Holt (Slayer, Exodus), Jeff Pilson (Dokken), Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy (Testament), singer/songwriter/comedian Al Yankovic, Pearl Aday, Johan Hegg (Amon Amarth), Joe Trohman and Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), The Damned Things), Michael Starr (Steel Panther), Jacob Bunton (Mars Electric), Rob and Aiden Cavestany (Death Angel), Steve “Zetro” Souza (Exodus), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Phil Demmel (Machine Head), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses, Asia), and the late Jill Janus (Huntress).
Grandpa Metal also presented the opportunity for Posehn to once again collaborate with long-time pal Anthrax’s Scott Ian. The two of them had co-written and recorded the track “Metal By Numbers” that appeared on Posehn’s 2006 album Live In: Nerd Rage, and for 2010’s Fart And Wiener Jokes, “More Metal Than You.” While Posehn and Scott Ian wrote or co-wrote most of Grandpa Metal’s 14 songs (complete credits HERE), two covers were recorded: 2013’s dance novelty song “The Fox, What The Fox Say” by Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis, that was a Top 10 Billboard single and that year’s top trending YouTube video that accumulated more than 890-million views, and “Take On Me,” a-ha’s 1985 classic synth-pop hit whose innovative music video has just passed one-billion views. “I honestly feel that every good song would be better if it were heavy metal,” said Posehn, “and I think I proved my case with ‘Take On Me.’ It’s such a catchy song, it’s so cool, but I always thought if it had three guitars instead of a keyboard, it would be even cooler.”
Posehn worked on lyrics with Scott Ian as well as Brendon Small and Joe Trohman, who helped Posehn finish the album. “Brendon helped with ‘New Music Sucks,’ and Joe helped me get through writers’ block on the lyrics for ‘Grandpa Metal.’ When we needed to write two more songs to complete the album, Scott was out with Anthrax, so Brendon and Joe and I whipped out our horror-themed song ‘Monster Mosh’ and our big, dumb innuendo-filled hard rock song ‘Big Fat Rock,” and we were finished.
“This was such a dream project for me,” said Posehn. “I wanted to take my time, I wanted it to be perfect, so it took us six years to complete. It’s the ‘Chinese Democracy’ of comedy-metal records. And it didn’t cost thirteen million dollars to make.”