On April 22nd, 1978 – The sensational KISS had their single, Rocket Ride, ranked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. Long Live ACE FREHLEY!
On April 22nd, 2016 – The newly released studio album, Retrogore, from Belgium’s ABORTED is ranked at #1, on the iTunes Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums Chart. Hell yes, it is!
On April 22nd, 2016 – The vampires from Helsinki, Finland, aka THE 69 EYES, have their newly released studio album, Universal Monsters, ranked at #2 on the iTunes Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums Chart. Whoa!! Universal Monsters is the eleventh studio album from THE 69 EYES.
BONUS HISTORY FACT FOR APRIL 22nd:
Earth Day, an event launched to increase the public’s awareness of our world’s environmental drawbacks, is celebrated for the first time in the United States. Millions of Americans, from college students to politicians, participated in rallies, marches and educational programs. To read more about this historical milestone, click on the link below:
The band will play Frontiers Rock Festival, taking place next weekend at LIVE MUSIC CLUB, with none other than U.S. singer, Fiona Flanagan joining on guest vocals! This will be an incredibly special treat for all fans in attendance.
Originally formed in 1986 by former American Tears, Touch, and Michael Bolton keyboard player Mark Mangold, together with singer Al Fritsch, Drive, She Said released three successful albums before taking a hiatus. Resurrected at the end of the 90’s, two more albums came before now coming back yet again with another heavenly AOR/Melodic Rock album in the style of greats like Foreigner and Journey. A MUST for all of our AOR lovin’ fans out there!
Enjoy FOUR Super Memorable SONGS From The New Album:
Stone Says: Man, this new album from DRIVE, SHE SAID flat-out ROCKS! This is what Classic Rock/AOR is all about, both then and now! Great songs, lyrics, vocals and musicianship go a very, very long way! Whoa! Pedal To The Metal is an album that made my lousy week I’ve had thus far turn into a fantastic week! That’s no junk, I’m speaking truth here!
Pedal To The Metal should come with a caution sticker that reads: This album will undoubtedly make you feel freaking good. BUY this album and be happy this band exists! Metal Be Thy Name!
Faithsedge is returning with ‘Restoration’, their third and most melodic release to date. Fronted by mastermind singer / songwriter Giancarlo Floridia, the band returns with a stellar line-up featuring Stryper bass player Tim Gaines, Ace Frehley / Mr .Big drummer Matt Starr and former Dokken guitarist Alex De Rosso. Both Keys and production have been handled by Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline/ Revolution Saints).
The approach is very melodic with an old school feel: 80’s style hooks, big drums, slamming bass, epic keys and big production. At the same time the album keeps a current up to date feel with lyric content of today’s world mixed with a competitive Metal feel. Giancarlo’s songwriting approach mixed with each members experience and skills takes the album to new heights .
With different supergroups that come and go, Faithsedge is more than just that, the band members worked together as a tight team and the result and chemistry show in the end result. The album will be released on Scarlet Records in Europe and North America on June 24th and on Spiritual Beast in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan on June 15th.
BREAKING NEWS:Frontiers Music Srl is excited to announce JORN’s new album, Heavy Rock Radio, due for release on June 3rd! One of the greatest rock singers of our time, Jorn Lande returns with a unique album of covers of classics from artists and bands that have meant something special to him and helped forge this talented man’s own unique style.
Through Jorn’s extensive career, which includes more than 40 albums of mostly original songs, he has also recorded great versions of several rock classics such as Thin Lizzy‘s “Are You Ready”, UFO‘s “On and On”, Deep Purple‘s “Perfect Strangers”, and many more. Jorn also recorded a successful Ronnie James Dio tribute album, released in 2010. Every song JORN covers is treated with the utmost respect and “Jorn-ized” accordingly. A good example is his heavy sounding version of “I Walk Alone”, first released by Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish).
“Heavy Rock Radio” is not an ordinary album of cover songs, it is truly a songbook of hits. Featured – among others – are great versions of the Eagles‘ “Hotel California” and Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”, which gets the Jorn style treatment to become very powerful and epic, without losing its commercial touch. More great classics included are John Farnham’s “You’re The Voice”, Queen‘s “Killer Queen”, and two absolute melodic rock evergreen gems in Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin'” and Foreigner‘s “Rev On The Red Line”.
The original concept of the album was to create a sort of jukebox of radio hits, but to avoid leaning too much on the pop side of rock, JORN decided to blend the track listing with a few more up tempo rock tracks as well, such as “The Final Frontier” by Iron Maiden (“probably the closest you get to anything commercial with Iron Maiden,” says Jorn), “Live to Win” by Paul Stanley (a song which was also featured on the popular television series South Park), and a few hard rock classics show up as well from Deep Purple (“Stormbringer”), Dio (“Rainbow In The Dark”) and Black Sabbath (“Die Young”) to complete the mix.
Jorn says: “The most important thing was to treat these songs with respect towards the original versions, my goal was always to think that the original artist would be honoured and find my version relevant. At the same time my intention was never to try to compete with the original song and artist, but make it a strong alternative version to enjoy. At the same time it is a well deserved homage to these artists and bands, who influenced me strongly, and I have wanted to record these songs for quite some time but was always too busy writing and recording my own songs to make it happen. Originally I had a list of 40-50 songs I wanted to do, but I had to strip it down to about 15 songs before deciding on the final track list. This means that there are some unfinished business musically, and I will most likely record more of these songs in the future.”
Jorn Lande
Since releasing the critically acclaimed Dracula “Swing of Death” album last year, Jorn has also been working on an album of brand new songs, which will be the successor to the 2013 Jorn album “Traveller”, to be released in early 2017. Jorn’s catalogue is getting too long to include in brief press statements, and his innovative and creative skills have led to him selling millions of albums worldwide and being a frequent entry on sales charts around the world including Billboard. Worth a mention is his years with German based MasterPlan, whom he recorded three albums with. Claimed to be the biggest selling Norwegian musical export, since the pop band A-ha, Jorn continues his rock crusade, and there are no signs of him slowing down yet.
The title “Heavy Rock Radio” came quite naturally, as the sound of this album feels like if it’s tailor-made for any rock radio station, and while Jorn’s voice can be enjoyed on more than 40 albums in different rock and metal styles, this record is a special treat which will tide over all the fans waiting for the new original album which is being worked on at the moment. Enjoy!
Jorn Lande – Vocals Trond Holter – Guitars Francesco Iovino – Drums Thomas Bekkevold – Bass Alessandro Del Vecchio – Keyboards
Except as follows:
“Rainbow in the Dark” Jimmy Iversen and Tore Moren – guitars Nic Angileri – bass Willy Bendiksen – drums
“Stormbringer” Jorn Viggo Lofstad – guitars Sid Ringsby – bass Willy Bendiksen – drums
On April 12th, 1954 – Bill Haley And His Comets recorded (We’re Gonna)Rock Around The Clock for Decca Records. The rest is Rock and eventual Metal history, folks.
On April 12th, 1975 – SWEET had their huge hit Fox On The Run reach #2, in the UK.
On April 12th, 1977 – The iconic LED ZEPPELIN performed at the Met Center, in Bloomington, Minnesota. Whoa!
On April 12th, 1986 – OZZY OSBOURNE performed at the Johnstown War Memorial (Arena), in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Special Guest was: METALLICA. Pretty cool stuff, huh? By the way, this venue is now known as: Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
I was fortunate to see OZZY and METALLICA on this tour, at the New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut. This was OZZY‘s The Ultimate Sin Tour. It was good Metal times!
On April 12th, 2002 – The super legendary OZZY OSBOURNE received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Ozzy’s star is located in front of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum at 6780 Hollywood Boulevard. Yup.
AFM Records will celebrate its 20th Anniversary, on July 6th, with a special “label night” on this year’s Rockharzfestival in Ballenstedt, Germany. Confirmed live acts are U.K.’s Thrash icons ONSLAUGHT, German Hard Rockers KISSIN’ DYNAMITE, Swiss riff rockers SHAKRA, Finland’s Melo Death grandmasters MORS PRINCIPIUM EST and Germany’s fun Metal chart breakers J.B.O..
ROCKHARZ OPEN AIR will take place July 7th thru 9th, 2016.
Cinema tickets for the BIGGEST global one night film event that is KISS ROCKS VEGAS are now AVAILABLE in EUROPE! Head over to www.kissmycinema.com/cinemas to grab yours!
More European and worldwide screens to be announced soon. Stay Tuned!
Scott Coverdale and I dig RATT. Really, RATT songs embody what 80’s mainstream Heavy Metal was all about: big, booming, melodic, colorful and loaded with charisma. I’ve always stated: once you go RATT, you can’t go back.
Scott and I both talk about RATT with each other so often, therefore, we decided it was time to post our Top 5 songs from ’em, respectively. Enjoy our choices or ridicule ’em, please! Don’t forget to post your top 5 songs from RATT as well, via comment! Dig it. – Stone
Stone’s Top 5 RATT Songs:
Back For More – Out Of The Cellar (1984)
In Your Direction – Out Of The Cellar (1984)
Lay It Down – Invasion Of Your Privacy (1985)
As Good As It Gets – Infestation (2010)
Way Cool Jr. – Reach For The Sky (1988)
Stone’s Favorite RATT Album: Out Of The Cellar (1984)
Scott Coverdale’s Top 5 RATT Songs:
Shame, Shame, Shame – Detonator (1990)
Back For More – Out Of The Cellar (1984)
One Step Away – Detonator (1990)
You’re In Love – Invasion Of Your Privacy (1988)
Nobody Rides For Free – Point Break Soundtrack (1991)
Without Cinderella, Philadelphia would only be famous for its ROCKY movies. Truth. Just kidding. Philadelphia is a grand city and being able to experience it for only 1 day in my entire life was a thrill; especially the historic district of Philadelphia. Back to Cinderella… if you don’t dig Cinderella then you are addicted to stale Ritz crackers that have hairy mole spores on them. Truth.
Scott Coverdale and I have seen Cinderella live together, twice. The first time we saw Cinderella live was insanely memorable and that’s another story in itself. Since Cinderella were brought up in one of our conversations recently, Scott and I decided to list our Top 5 Cinderella songs. Just for you. Agree or disagree and please feel free to comment. Metal Be Thy Name. – Stone
AC/DC – The Brian Johnson era of AC/DC may have come to a close, only an untold number of Brian Johnson fans will forever celebrate his 36 year tenure, as the iconic vocalist for the band. No one can replace Brian Johnson as the lead singer for AC/DC and Scott Coverdale and myself are surely not alone with this sentiment. Long Live Brian Johnson!
Today, Scott and I have released our Top 5 Brian Johnson Era of AC/DC songs, respectively. Take a look below and agree or disagree. Please feel free to comment and leave your Top 5 Songs from this historical era of AC/DC. We’d be psyched to see what you have to say! Metal Be Thy Name. – Stone
Stone’s Top 5 Songs From The Brian Johnson Era:
Hells Bells – Back In Black (1980)
Let’s Get It Up – For Those About To Rock We Salute You (1981)
Back In Black – Back In Black (1980)
Guns For Hire – Flick Of The Switch (1983)
Money Talks – The Razors Edge (1990)
Scott Coverdale’s Top 5 Songs From The Brian Johnson Era:
Shoot To Thrill – Back In Black (1980)
Guns For Hire – Flick Of The Switch (1983)
Heatseeker – Blow Up Your Video (1988)
For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) – ” (1981)
Randy Rhoads was born on December 6th, 1956, in California. On March 19th in 1982, while on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads passed away in a plane accident, in Florida. Randy Rhoads was only 25 years old, on the day of his death. As a co-founder of the legendary Quiet Riot and lead guitarist and songwriter for the super Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads certainly left his mark on the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal world like none other.
Randy Rhoads will always be most remembered for his works with Ozzy Osbourne and the two Ozzy studio albums: Blizzard Of Ozz (1980) and Diary Of A Madman (1981). Both of these albums are sacred, within the Metal world, in my Metal opinion. I could never, ever grow tired of these two amazing Ozzy albums; amazing due to the guitar wizardry of Randy Rhoads!
I’ve now lived to be fifty, which is obviously double the lifetime of Randy Rhoads. Seems unreal when I put it into that context. Life is a gift and is never to be taken for granted. Life is to be cherished and celebrated. Today I celebrate the iconic music that Randy Rhoads has left us all to enjoy. Rest in peace, Randy Rhoads. – Stone
NEW SONG & VIDEO ALERT: All you Ted Poley and Danger Danger fans out there need to get psyched because here is the first song and video from Ted’s upcoming album, BEYOND THE FADE! Check out the video for Higher and let us know what you think!
Ted Poley – Higher (Official Music Video)
BEYOND THE FADE will be released May 13th and you can pre-order it now from Amazon.com on CD or MP3: http://geni.us/BeyondTheFadeAmazon (All MP3 pre-orders include an instant download of “Higher”.)
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Stone Says: Excellent song and video! I dig the uplifting lyrics and everything else about Higher. Hot damn. Whoa. ‘Nuff said.
The mighty Stryper is hitting the road in support of their latest studio album release via Frontiers Music Srl, FALLEN! They’ll be playing dates in the U.S. in April, May, June, July, August, September, and October! Get dates and ticket info here: http://www.stryper.com/Tour/tour.html
Hello TLV Warriors! First round of “Eat Me World Tour Dates” Announced in Midwest, Canada and West Coast!! See you at the shows, we will be announcing more soon and get hungry for (new album) Eat Me March 18!!
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THE LAST VEGAS:
Chad Cherry – Vocals Adam Arling – Guitar Johnny Wator – Guitar Bryan Wilkinson – Guitar Danny Smash – Bass Nathan Arling – Drums
CHEAP TRICK will be releasing their 17th studio album on April 1st, 2016. Titled Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello, this new album is releasing just one week before Cheap Trick’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Finally, hell and yeah!! The album will be released via Big Machine Records.
The legendary LITA FORD stumbled upon her lost recordings from a collection of 24-track analog tapes and the end result (after some tape baking) is an eleven song studio album titled: Time Capsule. This new album will be released on April 15th, 2016.
LITA FORD had asked several Hard Rock superstars to record with her that were within her studio reach, at the time, so many years ago. During these self-produced recording sessions, LITA FORD is featured with: Billy Sheehan (bass), Dave Navarro (mandolin), Jeff Scott Soto (sings duet with Lita), Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander (backing vocals), Gene Simmons (bass), Chris Holmes (intro) and Rodger Carter on drums. All of these songs were recorded in the moment of creative spontaneity. Metal be thy name! – Stone
Lita Ford Time Capsule – Track Listing: Intro Where Will I Find My Heart Tonight Killing Kind War of the Angels Black Leather Heart Rotten to the Core Little Wing On the Fast Track King of the Wild Wind Mr. Corruption Anything for the Thrill
After last year’s massive sold-out world tour, the band is back to rock stages even harder. On their gigantic 50th Anniversary World Tour that kicked off in 2015, the Scorpions are heading to Eastern Europe in February before returning to the US with an impressive five night run at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and playing even more shows in cities around the globe.
The Scorpions have been going full throttle for more than fifty years now, with their best-selling albums dominating the charts for over 500 weeks in Germany alone, and countless chart successes abroad, as well as thousands of unforgettable concerts in cities like Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Moscow, New York, Los Angeles, Paris or Berlin.
The Scorpions are and will be a band of superlatives. There is no other German band, which has gained as much international success and popularity over the course of so many decades. When the rock band from Hannover presented their 18th studio album “Return To Forever” for their 50th band anniversary one year ago, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs displayed that they are unabatedly in formidable shape. Simply world-class.
The Tour Edition of “Return To Forever” comes opulently stacked with two brand-new live DVDs and a CD and is bound to make fans’ hearts leap for joy. Apart from the standard album’s twelve tracks, the CD contains all seven bonus tracks, which to date, have only been released on special editions of the album. The live DVDs are even more expansive, offering generous bonus material.
Included are two complete concerts from last year: The open air gig at the French Hellfest Festival, where they headlined in June, and their show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York featuring an impressive guest performance on “No One Like You” by twelve-year-old guitarist Brandon Niederauer.
The brand-new fifteen-minute video documentary “On The Road in America” by Dennis Dirksen gets to the heart of the matter that the Scorpions are able to consistently attract new generations of fans, who are delighted by their songs, sound and shows. Shot during the current world tour in California and Las Vegas, it gives a voice to fans spanning from teenagers to rock ’n’ roll veterans. The film impressively shows how popular the Scorpions are in the US, and it’s touching to see fans burst into tears while taking photos with the musicians. One highlight is the story of the Ukrainian woman, who at the time used “Wind Of Change” as an impetus to emigrate to the US, and has been a dedicated follower of the band ever since. After all, the Scorpions have not only left their mark on history but continue to influence their fans’ biographies.
In an extensive track-by-track interview, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs offer a sneak peek into the band’s musical universe with anecdotes about the origin and meaning of the songs on “Return To Forever”. The Scorpions manage to blend new songs like “Going Out With A Bang”, “We Built This House” and “Rock’n’Roll Band” seamlessly with their fulminant repertoire of rock classics from “Big City Nights” and “Blackout” to “Still Loving You” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane”. This might also be the open secret allowing The Scorpions to continuously approach their live shows with so much freshness, passion and conviction. Fans can look forward to the upcoming gigs – especially because the Tour Edition of “Return To Forever” is a timely release as the perfect souvenir. And now: It’s showtime for the Scorpions!
The “Return To Forever” Tour Edition will be available on April 22nd, 2016, in the USA, as a 1 CD + 2DVD Digipack and as download.
We’re thrilled to announce the release of BAD COMPANY: LIVE IN CONCERT 1977 & 1979. The first-ever official live album to spotlight the original Bad Company line up: Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke and Boz Burrell.
BAD COMPANY: LIVE IN CONCERT 1977 & 1979will be available April 29, 2016 as a double-CD set and digital release, with a 2 LP vinyl release to follow later this year. Pre-Order the 2 CD Set: http://smarturl.it/badcolive7779
LIVE IN CONCERT 1977 & 1979 features more than two-and-half hours of unreleased music taken from 24-track tapes in the Bad Company vault. The music heard on this live collection features absolutely no enhancements or overdubs, nothing but the band as they performed live on the night of the concert.
LIVE IN CONCERT 1977 & 1979 – Track Listing:
Disc One: Live at The Summit, Houston, Texas (5/23/77):
1. “Burnin’ Sky”
2. “Too Bad”
3. “Ready For Love”
4. “Heartbeat”
5. “Morning Sun”
6. “Man Needs Woman”
7. “Leaving You”
8. “Shooting Star”
9. “Simple Man”
10. “Movin’ On”
11. “Like Water”
12. “Live For The Music”
13. Drum Solo
14. “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad”
15. “Feel Like Makin’ Love” Disc Two: Live at The Empire Pool, Wembley, London (3/9/79):
1. “Bad Company”
2. “Gone, Gone, Gone’
3. “Shooting Star”
4. “Rhythm Machine”
5. “Oh, Atlanta”
6. “She Brings Me Love”
7. “Run With The Pack”
8. “Evil Wind”
9. Drum Solo
10. “Honey Child”
11. “Rock Steady”
12. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy”
13. “Hey Joe”*
14. “Feel Like Makin’ Love”
15. “Can’t Get Enough”
* Recorded at Capitol Center, Washington, DC (6/26/79)
The super fantastic ACE FREHLEY will be releasing his first cover song album on April 15th! Hot damn!
KISS vocalist and guitarist Paul Stanley reunites with Ace Frehley on Free’s timeless song: Fire and Water. Whoa!!
Other world-class musicians featured on this album are Slash playing co-leads on Thin Lizzy’s classic song Emerald, Lita Ford singing and playing lead guitar on The Troggs #1 hit Wild Thing, guitarist John 5 playing alongside Ace as he sings his classic KISS song Parasite for the very first time, as well as Jimi Hendrix’s iconic Spanish Castle Magic. Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready plays guitar with Ace Frehley as he sings his KISS jewel: Cold Gin. Unreal!
ACE FREHLEY – Origins Vol. 1 – Track List:
1. White Room (Originally by Cream)
2. Street Fighting Man (The Rolling Stones)
3. Spanish Castle Magic – featuring John 5 (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
4. Fire and Water – featuring Paul Stanley (Free)
5. Emerald – featuring Slash (Thin Lizzy)
6. Bring It on Home (Led Zeppelin)
7. Wild Thing – featuring Lita Ford (The Troggs)
8. Parasite – featuring John 5 (Kiss)
9. Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)
10. Cold Gin – featuring Mike McCready (Kiss)
11. Till the End of the Day (The Kinks)
12. Rock and Roll Hell (Kiss)
On March 2nd, 1973 – The amazing LED ZEPPELIN performed at K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. As a fun sidenote, The Godfather won the Oscar for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, back in 1973.
On March 2nd, 1985 – DAVID LEE ROTH had his hit cover single of California Girls ranked at #3, on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. http://www.billboard.com/artist/300468/david-lee-roth/chart
On March 2nd, 1991 – BAD COMPANY had their hit single If You Needed Somebody ranked at #16, on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. Holy ham balls!
As reported on the KISS Facebook:
On this day in KISSTORY– March 2, 2010 – KISS performed at a special intimate promotional gig for 800 fans at the packed O2 Academy Islington in London, England. The show was a rare chance for fans to see one of the world’s biggest bands in an intimate venue.
On March 2nd, 2016 – The newly released ANTHRAX studio album, For All Kings, is ranked at #1, on the iTunes Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums Chart. This is the eleventh studio album from the almighty ANTHRAX. If you haven’t bought For All Kings just yet, you are obviously addicted to mold ridden banana peels. Yup.
On March 2nd, 2016 – The debut full-length studio album, Out Of The Cellar from RATT is ranked at #90, on the iTunes Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums Chart. Whoa!! Stone likes this album very, very, very much!! My favorite song on this album is ALL of them. Seriously. By the way, Out Of The Cellar was released back in 1984 via Atlantic Records; the same year I was a high school senior.
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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