Paying tribute at Black Sabbath's heavy metal altar

Thanks to Sonya of Midnight Feeding for sending this great article + picture.

From: Gear Magazine, 2002-10-01
Date added: 2002-10-10

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Melissa Auf der Maur is about to take the stage at Winnie's, a nearly empty karaoke bar in Manhattan's Chinatown. She's a little nervous, and she's been sucking a series of gin and tonics through a straw. As she reaches over and bums a cigarette, she says, "I don't ever smoke. I don't know what's wrong with me tonight." After all, the course of her career as bassist for Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, Auf der Maur has performed in front of more than 1 million fans.

But tonight Auf der Maur doesn't have a platinum act to hawk. Instead, between drinks, she's talking up Hand of Doom, her brilliantly hard and obsessively faithful Black Sabbath tribute band. Doom's first (and, Auf der Maur says, last) album is a live recording of three L.A. shows, and includes studied renditions of such metal classics as 'War Pigs,' 'Paranoia' and, - naturally - 'Hand of Doom.' As the lead singer, Auf der Maur does a straight-faced turn as the satanic-heathen Ozzy character.

"I would be nothing without Black Sabbath," she says. "No band I've ever played in - not Hole or the Pumpkins, none of them - would exist if Sabbath hadn't woken up one day and invented this fucking sexy, mystical metal thing. Hand of Doom is a gesture to show how humble and grateful I am."

And East village transplant from Montreal, Auf der Maur is a willowy redhead. Her fellow musicians - even the contentious Courtney Love - universally adore her. Much in the way they adore th doddering doomsayer himself.

"Ozzy's a sweet guy," Auf der Maur says as she flips through the karaoke songlist. "I met him when I was having lunch with Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy came in and server us tea and crumpets. He's real sensitive, and his lyrics are all about love and peace and anti-war and anti-drugs. I love that about him."

Hand of Doom is a hobby for Auf der Maur, but the album is a rough reminder of exactly how limp heavy metal has become. Auf der Maur firmly believes that she's doing us all a service.

"Knowing I have to represent one of the greatest singers in heavy rock really kicks you in the ass. Thank you, Ozzy."

-Mike Guy, Gear Magazine

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