"Am I Evil?" is a song by British
heavy metal band
Diamond Head. Released on the band's 1980 debut album ''
Lightning to the Nations
''Lightning to the Nations'' (also known as ''The White Album'') is the debut album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1980 (after the 1977 and 1979 demos) and released later that year through Happy Face Reco ...
'', it remains the band's signature song''.'' The song was written by lead vocalist Sean Harris and guitarist Brian Tatler and released by Happy Face Records, a label owned by the producer Muff Murfin of The Old Smithy studio of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
, England.
The song was immediately popular amongst heavy metal fans in the United Kingdom upon its initial release, but only rose to international prominence after
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
covered the song as a
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
on their 1984 single "
Creeping Death"; the cover was then re-released on their 1998 cover album ''
Garage Inc.'' The song was influenced by
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
's 1975 song "
Symptom of the Universe". The song starts with an instrumental segment with excerpts of
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...
's ''
The Planets
''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...
'' (1914–16).
Composition
"Am I Evil?" tells the story of a man who witnesses his mother being burned alive for being a witch. He seeks revenge on those responsible for her death by killing all 27 of them in the most gruesome manner. After seeing their bodies "in ice," he asks himself if he is evil for committing these murders (to which he replies yes).
Brian Tatler said initially that singer Sean Harris’s mum took offence over the opening lyrics, 'My mother was a witch,' but "she’s probably forgiven him now.” The song is listed in
Kerrang
''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
's 50 Most Evil Songs Ever.
Release and reception
The song was originally released on Diamond Head's 1980 debut, ''Lightning to the Nations'', but then also re-recorded for their second album ''
Borrowed Time.'' Previously, in 1979, the band had already performed the song in a televised performance at West Bromwich College, which was their first TV appearance. It remains a live favourite and is still included in the band's setlist to this day. However, Sean Harris has gotten fed up with continually playing "Am I Evil?", one of the reasons he took the stage dressed as the
Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper is a popular personification of death in Western culture in the form of a hooded skeletal figure wearing a black robe and carrying a scythe.[National Bowl
The National Bowl (originally the Milton Keynes Bowl) is an entertainment venue located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay pit (for brick-making), filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil ...]
.
The song has roots with
Gustav Holst's "
Mars, the Bringer of War" (from ''
The Planets Suite'').
Cover versions
The song was made most famous by Metallica's cover of the song, originally released as a
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
to the "
Creeping Death" single in 1984, included on the 1988 Japanese re-release of its debut album, ''
Kill 'Em All
''Kill 'Em All'' is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los A ...
'', and later re-released on ''
Garage Inc.'' in 1998. The song has also been featured in Metallica's live set throughout its career, often in a faster and heavier version. Lead singer
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...
also changed the final chorus from "Am I evil? Yes, I am" to "Am I evil? Yes, I fucking am!" Diamond Head has stated that the band's members are flattered by the cover and that the royalties from it have enabled the band to continue.
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist ...
also has covered the song.
In 2010, at ''The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria'' concert, in an extended homage to the song, the united members of the "Big Four" of American thrash metal—
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Anthrax
Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...
,
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
and
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
—performed the song together. With the exclusion of Slayer's
Tom Araya
Tomás Enrique Araya Díaz (; born June 6, 1961) is a Chilean and American musician, best known as the vocalist and bassist of the thrash metal band Slayer. He was ranked 58th by ''Hit Parader'' on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalist ...
,
Kerry King
Kerry Ray King (born June 3, 1964) is an American musician, best known for being the co-lead guitarist and songwriter of thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and is one of two members to stay with the band ...
, and
Jeff Hanneman
Jeffrey John Hanneman (January 31, 1964 – May 2, 2013) was an American musician, best known as a founding member and co-lead guitarist of the thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman composed both music and lyrics for every Slayer album until his d ...
(leaving only drummer
Dave Lombardo
David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of the thrash metal band Slayer. He currently plays drums with Fantômas, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle, Empire State Bastard, and Misfits.
Lo ...
), the combined members of these bands performed the first half of the song. The recording was released later on DVD (''
The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria'').
At the U.K part of the
Sonisphere Festival
The Sonisphere Festival was a touring rock music festival which took place across Europe between the months of June and August. The festival was owned by John Jackson and Kilimanjaro Live. It was jointly promoted by K2 and Kilimanjaro Live. It h ...
,
Bill Bailey
Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and for his regula ...
used the song as an intro to his set. Diamond Head themselves were also performing at the festival.
In the 1996 video game ''
The Neverhood
''The Neverhood'' (released in Japan as ''Klaymen Klaymen: The Mystery of Neverhood'') is a 1996 point-and-click adventure video game developed by The Neverhood, Inc. and published by DreamWorks Interactive for Microsoft Windows. The game follow ...
'', there is a cutscene in which Klaymen pulls a pin that keeps two halves of the Neverhood separated when the sides are coming together; an altered version of the Metallica cover is played.
References
{{authority control
1980 songs
Diamond Head (band) songs
Metallica songs