Who knew FOO FIGHTERS frontman/ex-NIRVANA drummer, Dave Grohl, was such a huge underground metalhead? Just to give a little background, Grohl came up with the idea to have his favorite classic metal vocalists sing on the collection of metal songs that he’s been writing for years. Grohl handled all of the instruments on the record with some additional help from ex-ZWAN guitarist Matt Sweeney and ex-SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil. Each guest vocalist was given instrumental tracks to have free creative reign on. And finally after years of patience and planning, we have the release of Probot. The album features a diverse roster of some of the most respected and legendary frontmen in the scene covering many different subgenres of metal from doom to thrash. The eleven songs featured here closely resemble the bands from which these vocalists have made their marks. “Red War,” featuring Max Cavalera (SOULFLY/ex-SEPULTURA), sounds like it could have come off of SEPULTURA’s Chaos A.D. “Shake Your Blood,” featuring Lemmy (MOTORHEAD/ex-HAWKWIND) on vocals/bass, has classic MOTORHEAD written all over it. One of the beauties of this record is that each song reminds you of the charisma and distinctiveness that each of these characters possess. When you hear opening track, “Centuries of Sin,” there is no question that it is the almighty Cronos from VENOM. And when you hear the opening whispers of “Sweet Dreams,” you know that King Diamond’s in the house. This album will no doubt peak the curiosity of many, not only because of the guest musicians involved but also because it gives people a chance to see just how “metal” Dave Grohl really is. Sad enough to say but Grohl’s been able to qualitatively surpass a lot underground metal bands in the songwriting department. Overall, these are catchy, compact tunes that demonstrate his sense for what works and what doesn’t. While this album may not change the world, it’s a nice little homage to classic metal that will hopefully peak the interest of the unitiated. (Southern Lord Records)