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Interview: Carl Canedy of The Rods

Metal Magnitude’s Chelsea spoke with Carl Canedy about the latest album with The Rods, “Rattle The Cage”, the art of remote recording, his work with Adam and the Metal Hawks, keeping the integrity of authentic drumming in a modern digital landscape, his go-to gear, the challenges of producing, new music coming from The Rods and Canedy, and more. Check it out below: Follow Carl Canedy via: https://canedyband.com and https://www.instagram.com/carlcanedy/ For more on The Rods, visit: http://www.therods.com Subscribe to Metal Magnitude’s YouTube channel for more Classic and Modern Hard Rock and Metal interviews and content!

Feature: NAMM 2024

The first Winter NAMM since 2020 made a full-force grand return, as brands and bands alike gathered in Anaheim, CA in January 2024, for the familiar course of networking, jamming, and musical merriment. Metal Magnitude was there to capture it all, enjoying the full musical atmosphere, but keeping a keen eye out for anything that stood out in the Rock and Metal spaces. Naturally, we were pleased to find plenty.  Before NAMM officially began, the 7th Annual Metal Hall of Fame Gala set the tone for the busy week, celebrating the iconic musicians and members of the music industry who […]

Metal Allegiance at House of Blues Anaheim 2024

January 25th, 2024, Anaheim wrapped up the first day of NAMM festivities with the 10th Anniversary of Metal Allegiance at House of Blues. This was Metal Allegiance’s first gathering at House of Blues Anaheim since 2020, making their return all the more grand alongside the 10th Anniversary celebration. The event was sponsored by Dean Guitars, ddrum and Heavys Headphones, with openers Dieth, Held Hostage and Quor. The Metal Allegiance lineup has reliably consisted of “The Core 4” – Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson, Mark Menghi, and Mike Portnoy – from the start, but as Metal Allegiance is known for their live […]

Metal Hall of Fame 2024 Feature and Red Carpet Interviews

January 24th marked another successful year of the Metal Hall of Fame, taking place in Anaheim, CA the week of NAMM 2024. The Metal Hall of Fame is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to forever enshrining the iconic musicians and music industry executives responsible for making Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music what it is today. Founder and President of the Metal Hall of Fame, Pat Gesualdo, launched the concept back in 2017, celebrating the history of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal while also benefiting the music-based nonprofit Drums and Disabilities, providing the healing art of drum therapy. The organization continues […]

Interview: Geoff Tate

Geoff Tate recently kicked off the 2022 Empire 30th Anniversary Tour in the US, where he’s performing the classic Queensryche albums Empire and Rage For Order in their entirety live with his current band. For this week’s Q&A, we’re bringing one back from the archives of 2021, when I spoke with Geoff about his Sweet Oblivion project, his lifestyle and recording during the pandemic, the Insania Wine brand, and more. Check it out below.  It’s been a while since you and I have chatted for an interview, I think the Metal Hall of Fame in 2020 was probably the last […]

Lockdown Livestream – A Masterlist of Metal & Hard Rock Virtual Content

**Update January 2022** Metal Magnitude started this list during the 2020 lockdown to keep track of livestreams across the rock and metal world, updating with upcoming shows while keeping an archive of past ones that are still available to stream. While the world is still not back to “normal” quite yet, there are now more concerts and tours taking place in person (finally!) than ever before, but some artists are still taking the livestream route from time to time. For now, this list will stay up on the site, so keep an eye out for updates, and if you know […]

Interview: Biff Byford

Saxon released their new album Inspirations, a cover album featuring the artists and songs that influenced and inspired them, via Silver Lining Music this spring. I had the chance to speak with frontman Biff Byford about the story behind the new album, his solo work, music production, social media, and more. You have the new Saxon Inspirations record which was just released, and of course Saxon has been unstoppable for years, releasing studio album after album, so I’m curious what made you want to go into a covers direction this time around?  Well, the main reason was as something fun […]

Interview: Simon Wright

Holy Diver Live and Evil Or Divine: Live In New York City are two new Dio live album reissues that were released last month via BMG. I had the chance to talk with iconic drummer Simon Wright about the reissues, his memories of the tours and some stories of Ronnie James Dio, the Dio Returns hologram tours and Dio Disciples, as well as some new side projects and albums Simon recently recorded on. Check it out below:  The main topic that brings us here today is of course the Dio album reissues, Holy Diver Live and Evil Or Divine: Live […]

Album Review: Kansas – The Absence of Presence

The iconic level of musicianship associated with the name Kansas has never wavered, and the band has evolved with the times as they produce their latest album that fits the Progressive Rock idiom while venturing into modern Hard Rock elements. Vocalist Ronnie Platt has said that “The Absence of Presence shows the band firing on all cylinders”, and there’s no mistaking the truth of that statement from the very first song.  The title track opens the album, and its verse and chorus has Platt delivering the message of “reaching for connection to break the silence”, noting that “The Absence of […]

Interview: Dave Wanless of Sven Gali

Sven Gali made their debut on the Canadian music scene in the early 90’s, with a self-titled debut that went gold and launched the band to hit music videos, Juno nominations, and world touring alongside the likes of Def Leppard, Foreigner, Pearl Jam, and April Wine. Life took the band in different directions, and they split in 1996, but Sven Gali is back this year with a new EP, 3, set to be released on June 12th via RFL Records. Sven Gali frontman Dave Wanless took the time to answer some questions about the band and the new EP.  When […]

Feature: NAMM 2020

NAMM is massive. Both in literal size and in the level of an experience it provides. You can walk for what feels like miles and still not get from one end of the Anaheim Convention Center to the other, yet still have enough of an experience to fill your four days there. Whether you’re walking through the raucous roar of the drum room, the lilting symphonic sounds of the classical instrument rooms, the eye-catching visuals of the DJ booths, or the dissonance of an multitude of guitars being played in a variety of styles all at once, there’s always something […]

Concert Review: Ultimate NAMM Night 2020

Ultimate NAMM Night 2020 at the Hilton Anaheim was a unique experience, and that’s putting it mildly. After all, where else can you see Alice Cooper’s daughter Calico Cooper taking on “Ace of Spades” alongside Carla Harvey (Butcher Babies), with Gary Holt (Slayer) and Ira Black (Dark Sky Choir) on guitar, Chuck Garric (Alice Cooper/Beasto Blanco) on bass, and Art Cruz (Lamb of God) on the drums? Or a thrash-heavy “Black Diamond” Kiss cover by Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Jack Gibson (Exodus), Chuck Garric, Calico Cooper and Paulie Z (The Sweet, Ultimate Jam Night)? […]

Concert Review: Ronnie Montrose Remembered 2020

The M3 Live in Anaheim, California set a stage amidst the backdrop of NAMM for the fifth annual celebration of the musical legacy of Ronnie Montrose on January 17th, 2020. This event has been a staple around NAMM time for the last five years, and the tradition continues on with the start of the new decade. Those who came to Ronnie Montrose Remembered expecting to hear classic Montrose tracks like “Rock Candy” and “Bad Motor Scooter” were certainly not disappointed, but what they experienced might have been even more than they bargained for, with an exploration of the many stages […]

Interview: Keith St. John

I sat down with Keith St. John for an in-depth discussion on the history of Ronnie Montrose as a figure of guitar excellence and innovation in the rock world, more on Keith’s own background as a musician and as the point person for the Ronnie Montrose Remembered event, growing up on Long Island, some rock and radio history, and even a bit of John 5 and Randy Jackson, as well as music and life overall.  So Keith, we’re kind of cooling down after NAMM right now, and the majority of NAMM for you, I feel like, must consist of Ronnie […]