Has there ever been anyone more bizarrely underappreciated than Joel Grind? Ever since TOXIC HOLOCAUST emerged from Portland at the turn of the millennium, he has had arguably greater and more lasting impact on the underground metal world than any other musician: that tireless dedication to evoking the spirit of MOTORHEAD, DISCHARGE, VENOM and SODOM ...
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Jonathan Zazula, known the world over as Jonny Z, has lived an intense life. Born in 1952, he began his extraordinary journey as a renegade youth who went from living on the streets of the Bronx in New York City, to later working on Wall Street, and eventually (and unexpectedly) transitioning into the music business ...
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Fan-filmed video footage of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER performing on May 29 at The Abyss in Gothenburg, Sweden can be seen below. EXCITER's current lineup includes Daniel Dekay, who replaced original guitarist John Ricci last fall. EXCITER bassist Allan Johnson told The Metal Voice that Ricci's exit from the band was "still somewhat of ...
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Michael "MettleAngel" Francisco of Sonic Perspectives recently conducted an interview with guitarist Brian Tatler of NWOBHM legends DIAMOND HEAD. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On "Belly Of The Beast", the opening track from the band's forthcoming "The Coffin Train" studio album: Brian: "It's ...
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Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER headlined the Hell's Heroes festival on April 13 in Houston, Texas. Video footage of the band's performance can be seen below. EXCITER's current lineup includes Daniel Dekay, who replaced original guitarist John Ricci last fall. EXCITER bassist Allan Johnson told The Metal Voice that Ricci's exit from the band was ...
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Alex Haber of Heavy New York conducted an interview with drummer Michel "Away" Langevin of progressive sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD prior to the band's April 4 concert at Warsaw in Brooklyn, New York. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On the touring cycle and reception ...
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REVEREND, the band which once featured the late frontman David Wayne (ex-METAL CHURCH), has been reactivated with a brand new lineup, featuring Bill Rhynes on guitar, Bobby "Leatherlungs" Lucas (MORBID SIN, SEVEN WITCHES, OVERLORDE, ATTACKER) on vocals, Joe Moore (D.T.A., BLOODFEAST) on drums and Allan Johnson (EXCITER) on bass. After losing Wayne to complications from ...
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VENOM INC., the band featuring original VENOM guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, will embark on a North American tour in April. In addition to performing tracks from VENOM INC.'s debut album, "Avé", the band will also perform several VENOM classics. "It is with great pleasure that the triumvirate ...
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At this point in the year of 2018, the modern heavy metal scene is heavily saturated with newer bands throwing back to the sounds of the early 1980s. Scores of bands are aping the riffs and chord progressions popularized by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Bay Area thrash, and the heavier ends of ...
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Bassist Allan Johnson of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER spoke to The Metal Voice about the recent departure of John Ricci. The guitarist has since been replaced by Daniel Dekay, who has previously played with DIEMONDS. Asked why Ricci decided to once again exit EXCITER, Allan said (hear audio below): "Well, that's still somewhat of ...
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Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER have announced the addition of guitarist Daniel Dekay (DIEMONDS, Banger TV) to the group's ranks. A longtime friend of the EXCITER family, Dekay was a natural choice and a perfect fit to keep this thrash machine pounding. Dekay joins forces with original members Dan Beehler (vocals, drums) and Allan Johnson ...
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VENOM INC. frontman Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan says that he doesn't know if drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray will ever return to the band. Earlier this year, VENOM INC. revealed that it was recruiting Jeramie Kling of the Tampa-based melodic death metal band THE ABSENCE to fill in for Bray on a European tour while Abaddon ...
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Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER have once again parted ways with guitarist John Ricci. The news of Ricci's exit was broken by bassist Allan Johnson, who wrote on his Facebook page: "Some rather heavy news in the EXCITER camp. Due to certain professional and personal differences, John Ricci has decided to leave the band. I ...
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The Jimmy Cabbs 5150 Interview Series conducted an interview with the reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson prior to the band's June 22 appearance at Los Angeles Strikefest. You can watch the entire chat in two parts below. A few excerpts ...
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The reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its first album in more than three decades. "We just went into pre-production," Beehler told Canada's The Metal Voice in a new ...
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JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford says Glenn Tipton rejected the idea of performing live with backing tapes or an additional guitarist offstage to assist him during his battle with Parkinson's disease. The axeman was diagnosed with the disease 10 years ago, but recently announced he was going to sit out touring activities in support of ...
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Frontiers Music Srl will release the new album from MIKE LEPOND'S SILENT ASSASSINS, "Pawn And Prophecy", on January 26, 2018. The SYMPHONY X bassist is extremely excited for the release of his solo band's sophomore effort, which he describes as a "a collection of epic tales told with the power of heavy metal music. The ...
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"The Uprising", the six-song EP from former SUPERJOINT RITUAL and PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS guitarist Marzi Montazeri and ex-JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, can be streamed below. Released on June 23 via Montazeri's recently launched Crunchy Western Records, the effort was recorded at Matherne Studios by Kevin Matherne in ...
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Former SUPERJOINT RITUAL and PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS guitarist Marzi Montazeri has joined forces with ex-JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim "Ripper" Owens to record a six-song EP, "The Uprising". Due on June 23 via Montazeri's recently launched Crunchy Western Records, the effort was recorded at Matherne Studios by Kevin Matherne in ...
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Former SUPERJOINT RITUAL and PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS guitarist Marzi Montazeri has joined forces with ex-JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim "Ripper" Owens to record a six-song EP, "The Uprising". Due on June 23 via Montazeri's recently launched Crunchy Western Records, the effort was recorded at Matherne Studios by Kevin Matherne in ...
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Kevin McGowan of the "Shortlife" podcast recently conducted an interview with guitarist John Ricci of veteran Canadian metallers EXCITER. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On how the reunion of the original EXCITER lineup — Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist ...
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Florida's KAMELOT may never be fully credited as one of the first in a second wave of symphonic power-prog metal bands, a subgenre that has gained momentum through the efforts of BLIND GUARDIAN, NIGHTWISH, EPICA, LEAVES' EYES, SONATA ARCTICA, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and numerous others. Guitarist Thomas Youngblood began his quest for a perfected blend ...
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If you followed thrash from its infancy, the name Noise Records rolls through the mind as readily as Megaforce, Metal Blade and New Renaissance. The hallowed German imprint, founded by Karl-Ulrich Walterbach, exposed some of the most respected thrash, power, doom and experimental metal acts of the day. HELLHAMMER, CELTIC FROST, VOIVOD, OVERKILL, EXCITER, GAMMA ...
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Video footage of the reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — performing on March 18 at Foufounes Électriques in Montreal, Quebec, Canada can be seen below. Speaking to the "Talking Metal" podcast in 2014, Ricci stated about how he mended fences ...
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God bless ANVIL. Like RAVEN, GRAVE DIGGER, U.D.O. and EXCITER, under-the-radar bands, ANVIL continues to spread its ball-busting metal legacy, and cultivate its devoted cult audience. They all just won't die, no matter how much you expect them to. It's already coming on a decade since ANVIL began shooting their acclaimed and impossibly successful ...
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Veteran New York heavy metal power trio THE RODS has re-recorded the song "Crank It Up" — which originally appeared on the band's 1981 self-titled album — as part of the LP's upcoming 35th-anniversary celebration. The re-recorded track is available for purchase via iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby. THE RODS guitarist David "Rock" Feinstein comments: ...
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BLOOD FEAST has inked a deal with Hells Headbangers for the release of the band's third full-length album, "The Future State Of Wicked". Fans old and new will not be disappointed, as much of the new effort is reminiscent of the "holy trinity" of releases from the band's early days — "Kill For Pleasure" (1987), ...
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Video footage of the reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — performing on June 6 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg can be seen below. Speaking to the "Talking Metal" podcast last year, Ricci stated about how he mended fences ...
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Video footage of the reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — performing on April 24 at the Keep It True festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany can be seen below. Speaking to the "Talking Metal" podcast last year, Ricci stated about how he ...
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Video footage of the reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — performing on March 14 at the Defenders Of The Old III festival in Brooklyn, New York can be seen below (courtesy of John Erigo). Speaking to the "Talking Metal" podcast ...
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