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Interview: Michael Sweet

Michael Sweet recently took to the Northeast for a few acoustic solo dates to kick off the month of March, and one of the stops along the way was the Chop Shop Pub in Seabrook, NH. There’s plenty to talk about in the world of Michael Sweet lately, so we sat down for an interview to discuss Stryper’s new record and new member, Sweet & Lynch, Joel Hoekstra, Michael’s autobiography, the Sole DVD release, and much more. After a brief pre-interview chat, the roles were reversed for a change, as things started out not with a question from me to Michael, […]

Interview: Judas Priest

In December of 2017, Judas Priest held an NYC album listening session and press day in conjunction with Sony Music and Epic Records. I got the chance to sit down with Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner, and Scott Travis for an interview. From Firepower to touring and recording, Rob Halford’s coined term of the “Metalsphere”, right down to video games and Reddit, we covered a lot of ground and had a great chat. I just want to start off by asking, you have Firepower coming out next year – what made now the right time to start working on this album and […]

Judas Priest Unveil “Firepower” Title Track

It’s no secret that Judas Priest’s upcoming studio record is already setting the world on fire like a bolt of lightning – sparked by the recent unveiling of the video for “Lightning Strike”. Firepower is on its way, set for a March 9th Epic Records release, and now the official audio for the title track is available to stream right here: http://smarturl.it/Firepower. In case you missed the first single of “Lightning Strike”, head to the Official Judas Priest VEVO Channel on YouTube to check it out: https://youtu.be/CUzcxJNZKC4. Judas Priest will head out on the first leg of the Firepower tour […]

Riot V Announce Upcoming Studio Album

Classic New York Heavy Metallers, recent Nuclear Blast Records signees, and now Hall of Heavy Metal History inductees Riot V have just announced the release of their sixteenth studio album. Entitled Armor of Light, this addition to the band’s lengthy discography is set for an April 27th release, and according to longtime member Don Van Stavern, “This next offering will please long time fans and create new ones, as the material is fresh and Power Metal at it’s finest”. Head to: https://www.facebook.com/riotrockcity for more.

W.A.S.P. To Release “Reidolized”

W.A.S.P. has lately been revisiting one of their classic releases, their 1992 fifth studio album known as The Crimson Idol. As last year marked its 25th Anniversary, the band embarked on the Reidolized tour, all the while getting ready for The Crimson Idol’s re-recording and release in 2018. The Crimson Idol was originally intended to be accompanied by a film and feature four additional songs – those intentions have now come to fruition, as Reidolized (The Soundtrack to The Crimson Idol) is set for a worldwide Napalm Records release on February 2nd, including movie and missing songs alike. You can […]

The Dead Daisies Get Ready to “Burn It Down”

With members of Whitesnake, Mötley Crüe, Dio, Journey, and more on board, The Dead Daisies are ready to “Burn It Down” this Spring with the release of a new record. The fiery title was finished just last month, as the lineup of Doug Aldrich, John Corabi, Marco Mendoza, recent addition Deen Castronovo, and founder David Lowy teamed up with hit Producer Marti Frederiksen, return mixing collaborator Anthony Focx, and renowned mastering engineer Howie Weinberg, to complete the Daisies’ fourth studio album. April 6th marks the date Burn It Down will hit the shelves courtesy of Spitfire Music/SPV, and the ten-track […]

Album Review: Jim Crean – Insatiable

Not too long ago, I reviewed a Northeastern stop of the Appice Drum Wars series of shows, one which took place to promote the recent release from the Appice Brothers, Sinister. In light of this new album being the first officially recorded collaboration between Vinny and Carmine, much of the attention was on these drummer brothers. But now, it’s time to focus entirely on the singer whose powerful vocals fronted that very Drum Wars show, not to mention his role as a featured vocalist on Sinister following a long history with the Appices, plus his own far-reaching solo career – […]

Concert Review: Tom Keifer at Tupelo Music Hall

When you hear the band name Cinderella, what comes to mind? Perhaps you’d say the 1986 debut Night Songs, chock-full of hard rock hits and quite a few of their most well-known tracks, or you might reference the blues-tinged sequel Long Cold Winter, and its follow-up Heartbreak Station. If you kept on listing albums, you would’ve hit it eventually, but Still Climbing most likely wasn’t your first choice of an answer. The fact that this album and its title track tends to get a little lost in the shuffle (and I don’t mean the “Bad Attitude Shuffle”) is precisely what […]

Concert Review: Appice at Tupelo Music Hall

Perhaps you’re a fan of Vanilla Fudge, or caught Carmine Appice during his time with Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, or Cactus. Maybe you were in a crowd somewhere along the “Sacred Heart” tour and saw Vinny Appice behind the kit with Ronnie James Dio, and were always a fan of Black Sabbath’s “Dio Years” – or you might be a more recent Kill Devil Hill fan, or possibly have spotted a Last In Line show last year. It could be some, all, or none of the above, but in any case, it’d be pretty difficult to call yourself a Rock […]

Interview: Carmine Appice

On September 23rd, Appice, the project consisting of iconic drummers and brothers Carmine and Vinny Appice releasing their new collaborative album Sinister later this month, hit Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire. Just before the start of the show, the legendary Carmine Appice was kind enough to sit down with me for a great interview, where he gave an in-depth explanation of the record’s connection to late great Ronnie James Dio, plus an inside look into the Vegas video shoot for the track “Monsters and Heroes”. We also chatted about the Hall of Heavy Metal History, and the history of “Drum […]

Concert Review: Warrant at Tupelo Music Hall (With Red Sky Mary)

“Louder, Harder, Faster!” The chant which united the voices of a packed house with the strong pipes of Robert Mason when Warrant rocked Tupelo Music Hall last weekend. Through a rock and roll call and response of sorts, the audience was thrilled to join in as the Down Boys played their new track on this Northeastern stop along the Louder Harder Faster Tour 2017. September 17th marked the date for Warrant’s second New Hampshire stop of the year, but it wasn’t only new songs that made it onto the setlist that night in Derry – just about all the tracks […]

Interview: Red Sky Mary

With seven years, three full-length albums, and an EP behind them, New England rockers Red Sky Mary have got plenty of material under their belt to pack an opening slot to the brim. The New Hampshirites regularly tour the Northeast, and recently played at the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire, opening for Warrant. I caught lead singer Sam Vlasich and guitarist Tom Boisse at the show, who demonstrated some great time-management skills as they shifted between running their merch table and doing an interview with me. I took their populous local fanbase into consideration and tried not to […]

“Bowl for Ronnie” Adds More Celebrity Guests

The Third Annual “Bowl for Ronnie” charity event was announced not too long ago, and the long list of rockers on the celebrity teams just keeps getting longer. The team led by Eddie Trunk will face off against the team headed by KLOS DJ Gary Moore, with return guests/last year’s winners John 5, Tom Morello, Jeff Scott Soto, and Rock Feinstein joining in. The roster of guests now includes members (and former members) of Guns N’ Roses, Dio, Lynch Mob, Billy Idol, Cinderella, Ratt, Whitesnake, Armored Saint, Budderside, Hellion, Fuel, Puddle of Mudd, Black Star Riders, Rough Cutt, and many […]

Steelheart Goes “Through Worlds of Stardust” With New Album

The buzz surrounding Steelheart’s first full-length record in almost ten years has been building for several months, ever since the release of its first single, “Got Me Runnin’” back in July. In a case of classic meets modern, the latest sounds from Miljenko Matijevic-founded-and-fronted Steelheart are officially out today on Frontiers Records, in the form of the 10-track Through Worlds of Stardust. On the record, Miljenko says, “I cannot express how excited I am for you all to hear this new album. Our focus was to bring back the magic in the music with songs that have been lived, loved, laughed and struggled. […]

Motörhead’s Under Cöver Released

Under Cöver is officially out – the covers album by Motörhead has been released digitally this week, and it can be purchased via iTunes (affiliate link). While there’s still some time to wait for any physical formats of the record, as October 13th is when the CD and Vinyl will see the light of day from the Motörhead Music label, the 11-track compilation is available to give fans the full experience of the legendary band as they took on tracks by some other legends over the years, including The Ramones, Judas Priest, Metallica, and more. A music video surfaced not too […]