Five Albums That Changed My Life: Deron Miller of World Under Blood and CKY

Nuclear Blast

World Under Blood was formed in September 2006 by CKY singer/guitarist Deron Miller and elite death metal drummer Tim Yeung (Morbid Angel, Divine Heresy). Signed to Nuclear Blast, they band recently released their debut album, 'Tactical.' If you love the marriage of technically-minded arrangements and hook-filled choruses, you should definitely pick up a copy of this bad boy. Miller took some time out to take part in Noisecreep's 'Five Albums That Changed My Life' series.

'Alive II'

KISS (1977)

"This is the record that got me into music and the whole idea of rock 'n' roll and theatrics. I was two years old. Somehow I was able to connect and be enthralled by the sound and look of it all at such a young age. I became obsessed with KISS and for quite a few years, I wouldn't accept any other artist or music into my life. By the time i was five, in 1981, most of KISS' albums were in bargain bins for 98 cents each. My amazing aunt would stock me up on albums whenever she'd come visit. My mother wasn't quite supportive yet, but it has obviously done me well."

Amazon

'No Rest for the Wicked'

Ozzy Osbourne (1989)

"My older brother had 'Diary of a Madman' when I was younger, but I didn't care for it much. When I saw the 'Miracle Man' video on MTV in '88, I was offended, shocked and very excited. Ozzy was one of the first artists i accepted outside of KISS. I think that even though Ozzy has made some amazing songs and albums over the years, I believe 'Bark at the Moon' and 'No Rest for the Wicked' to be the only ones solid from start to finish. I loved Zakk Wylde too."

Buy Now

Amazon

"Master of Puppets'

Metallica (1986)

"Just when I thought it couldn't get sicker than Ozzy, I found Metallica. I was around 11, and the first thing I realized was that these songs were kinda tough to listen to and understand. What were those lyrics about? "Lines like "Your breakfast on a mirror" confused me. Of course it all makes sense now, and to this day I believe this to be the only metal record that deserves being over-praised. I can't believe it sold millions, because every record company in the world will tell you to "keep it simple," but I guess people were smarter in the '80s, even 11 year old kids."

Buy Now

Amazon

'Spiritual Healing'

Death (1990)

"You guessed it – from Metallica I skipped Slayer and went right for Death. As a 14-year-old, angry lyrics, ripping melodic solos and vicious vocals, appealed to me immediately. Mom was really scared this time, and I had to hide a lot of my cassettes (Yes, cassettes, the popular small analog format that was much cheaper than a CD and vinyl had already died). The production was clear, the songs were arranged in a very hooky way and the whole album seemed to go by in five minutes. It's still my favorite Death album, and definitely the best produced one."

Buy Now

Amazon

'Erosion of Sanity'

Gorguts (1993)

"A friend gave me this tape for my 17th birthday, and even though I loved Gorguts' debut, 'Considered Dead,' I initially found this album to be impossible to pay attention to. It was so fast and intricate that I actually became overwhelmed and frustrated by my lack of being able to grasp it, so i continued to play it non-stop until i had the whole f---ing thing memorized. And now I have to say, word of mouth has done very little for this record over the years. It was a bit of a success when it was released in 1993, but very few were able to "find it." By "find it" I don't mean at a record store, I mean "find it" as in "I found God." 'The Erosion of Sanity' – I have no doubt – is in the top five greatest death metal records of all time, sales or no sales. It simply is. I convinced Monte Conner at Roadrunner Records to re-release it along with 'Considered Dead' and allow me to do the liner notes. What an honor."

Buy Now