As mentioned yesterday I interviewed former Iron Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley earlier today. We discussed several things, among them his new album Promise and Terror (out in the states on Candlelight in May), and his time in Maiden. My impression is that Blaze is a very driven person, and just wants to connect with his fans and have his music heard. He did give me a few things I didn't expect, which I won't immediately divulge. You'll, just have to listen to the interview and find out for yourself! Keep checking back here, and www.marsattacksradio.com for details on when the interview will air.

Up next Cory Potter from the Dallas Cowboys/Free Reign.

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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This week presents its self as a busy one, have a few interviews scheduled, and at week's end will be flying to the states for two weeks.

First up is an interview I just completed with David Starr, guitarist and bass player of Wildestarr. If his name sounds familiar, it's that he was the bass player for Vicious Rumors for quite some time. During the interview he was gracious enough to talk about his time in VR, how this project came together, his gear, etc. He was very down to Earth, and easy to talk to.
One item that we discussed was female fronted bands. Over the course of the past few years, this has become almost a fad in metal. I'm not sure if it's because of the coverage females now receive from the" hottest chicks in metal" issue/calendar that Revolver puts out, or if it's how labels are now promoting bands to a largely male crowd. And don't get me wrong, I have great respect for any artist, male or female that brings something different to the table. I believe some of these bands are original, and are signed based on their front woman's talent.

That being said, I've mentioned in previous posts here on the Wire, the trend for the female fronted bands is to sound like Angela from Arch Enemy, Amy Lee from Evanescence or Tarja the ex-lead singer of Nightwish. Similar to Britta from Cripper (who I mentioned during my Killfest review), London Wilde from Wildestarr brings something completely different to the table. You can tell right away that she's a fan of the Metal God Rob Halford, with her approach to her singing. Check out their first single "Arrival", and listen to how her midrange voice is reminiscent to Rob's and how the high pitched attack during the chorus is equally Halfordish. Her vocals overtop of Starr's playing give you a unique texture of sounds. Definitely something to check out, go to www.wildestarr.com to listen to the aforementioned "Arrival".

The interview will be available shortly on MarkStriglRadio.com, keep checking back here and MarsAttacksRadio.com for further details.

Up next....Blaze Bayley!


-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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I was on a radio show a few weeks back called Noche de Rock (Rock Night), we were discussing various topics including how music in general morphed throughout the first decade of this century. The host Oskar Sanchez brought up a good point when discussing the origins and evolution of metal, rock, and music in general. Most people consider the early 50s as the start point for rock music, but in hind sight could, if you adhere to this theory are you are in fact tossing decades maybe centuries of music out the window. I know there are people out that have always said there were no electric guitars while the Andrews Sisters were harmonizing, or while Robert Johnson was deep in the delta supposedly selling his soul.

But the theory put forward by Mr. Sanchez was that bands like Opeth, Porcupine Tree, and others that in the last decade have mashed Death Metal together with progressive rock, and neo-classical composition have less in common with Elvis, the Beatles, or more with Mozart and Beethoven.

Furthering this thought, do we just toss Doo-wop out the window? What about big band music like Glenn Miller, or even someone like Bill Haley who was the original Brian Setzer, and possibly the original shredder? Do we forget everything they did before the Beatles or Stones came along? Johnny Cash anyone? Louis Armstrong? Motown?

I know this discussion can go on and on, because rock and metal obviously draw from so many different places. The issue here is that I don't think we always take into consideration how or why music has evolved. People say nothing is new, and that new bands are just copying old ones, well how old are the bands that they're referring to? Could it be centuries old?

Now I'll be honest, I'm not enamored with all of the types of music I've mentioned, but I do have to give credit to the theory put forward by Mr. Sanchez. I do think there is something there, after all, composers like the aforementioned Mozart and Beethoven were playing with all of the same chords that Dan Lorenzo, John Ostronomy and Mark Strigl, and others will be using this weekend during the second annual Screaming Metal show. Now whether said individuals provide three part harmonizes like the Andrews Sisters..hmm,..uh...now that's a different story.

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Hey Talking Metalheads,
Here is your chance to win tickets to one of the South American Guns N Roses shows and meet Bumblefoot!  All the details are posted here.  Good Luck!

 

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Tonight on Mars Attacks I am joined by former Vinnie Vincent Invasion drummer Bobby Rock. During this episode we discuss why the Invasion broke up, various Vinnie Vincent rumors, why he feels Robert Fleischman left the band, and if he would ever play with Vinnie again.

He also verifies that he has not heard from Vinnie in almost 20 years, something Robert Fleischman also mentioned during his interview. Actually Robert worked with him in the mid 90s. Regardless, it is amazing that someone with so much talent ended up disappearing. Realistically speaking, it's as if he went into witness protection. Outside of maybe Vito Bratta, I can't think of any other artist from his era that has disappeared in this fashion. Will we ever hear from Vinnie again? Don't know, like Bobby I'd love to hear what he sounds like in 2010!

In contrast with Robert Fleischman, Bobby Rock was open, and willing to talk about anything. Robert I guess had been asked certain things a plethora of times, and wasn't having any of it when I spoke to him. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed interviewing him, but he took command of things and detoured around a bunch of different things I had wanted to ask. Again, no big deal, as I still think the interview came out great.

After tonight's interview airs I'm sure I'll still receive an e-mail or two asking why I didn't get more out of Bobby, or ask him about certain topics e.g. "Why didn't you ask him if Vinnie wore a wig", nonsense like that. Let's be honest, if you're interviewing someone, and you piss them off, what's the likelihood you ever speak to them again? Maybe you say who cares right? But you not only close that door, others will start to close for you as well. Unfortunately for me, I don't hold the weight of someone that can actually do that!

In any event, just like the title asks if VVI got back together, would you care? Send me an e-mail and let me know what you think victor @ marsattacksradio.com (all together, just avoiding spam).

In any event, listen in 8PM EST / 5PM PST / 2AM Friday CET www.markstriglradio.com. If you miss out on the initial airing, the show repeats at the follow times:

Fridays:
4PM EST / 1PM PST / 10PM CET
Saturdays:
2PM EST / 11AM PST / 8PM CET

For show recaps check out www.marsattacksradio.com

On a side note the premier edition of Mars Attacks Radio Podcast is available right now. It features an interview that was conducted a few months back while Erik Kluiber from White Wizzard was recording the album Over The Top. I'm still working things out with iTunes, but in the meantime you can download the episode from here:

http://marsattacksradio.com/2010/03/audio/podcast-episode-1-erik-kluiber-from-white-wizzard-2/

One last thing, check out Screaming Metal this weekend!!!!

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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HADES members Alan Tecchio, Dan Lorenzo, and T.CoombsAND Talking Metal hosts Mark Strigl and John Ostronomy will be joined by Metal Mike Chlasciak (Halford/Sebastian Bach) this Saturday at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ for a night of hard rock and metal covers. The band is called Screaming Metal. Metal Mike will be one of many all-star guests who are schedule to appear. Expect to hear covers by Danzig, Judas Priest, Metallica, Aerosmith, Kiss, Motley Crue, Accept, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and more.
Screaming Metal performs once a year. This is their only scheduled performance for 2010. The show starts at 11pm. Dingbatz is located at 620 Van Houten Avenue in Clifton, NJ (13 miles from NYC).
 

-- Mark Strigl
 

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Confidentially...I wanted to "leak" some of the new tunes we added to the set for this Saturday's Screaming Metal gig at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ.
 
1. Looks That Kill - Motley Crue
2. Twist of Cain - Danzig 
3. Hotter Than Hell - KISS
4. Balls to the Wall - Accept
 
Don't miss your chance to see members of Hades, Non-Fiction, Talking Metal, Halford, Accept, Danzig, and more all one stage for one night only!
 
-- Ostronomy
 

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It's reported that Sharon and Kelly Osbourne will be featured in a new TV series called "Osbourne Family Values" where they will talk to troubled mothers and daughters.
 
Personally, I'm glad to see any metal-related programming on TV. What's notable, though, is how tough the TV business can be. I'm surprised that only one of the six episodes shot of Fox's "Osbourne's Reloaded" made it to air.
 
Also, in the case of "Talking Metal on Fuse," the show was often the network's highest rated telecast of the day, and even two-year-old repeats of the show outperformed proven hits including "Wayne World," yet we only shot seven episodes, all of which did air.
 
Having said that, I'm pleased that the folks over at MTV2 have been great to Talking Metal and have featured us on three episodes of my all-time favorite metal television series, "Headbangers Ball." We have already shot more content for the Ball including interviews with Rob Halford and Paul Di'Anno, so stay tuned!
 
-- Ostronomy
 

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I think Jani Lane is an amazing songwriter, a cool guy, and I always loved his work, but I think the Blabbermouth headline "Warrant Issued for Former Warrant Singer" is pretty funny.
 
I wish Janie the best of luck with everything, and I'd love to hear some new music from him.
 
-- Ostronomy

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I just finished interviewing Bobby for an upcoming episode of Mars Attacks. He talked about his experience with Vinnie, why he feels Robert Fleischman left, and why the Invasion ultimately imploded. He was very laid back, and didn't shy away from any of my questions. If you're a Kiss fan, or a Vinnie Vincent I guarantee you'll enjoy the interview. Bet there is at least one tidbit you previously didn't know about!

How many of you are gearing up for this weekend's Screaming Metal show? Are you up to speed on Mark & John's tweets? They've been dropping some hints here and there as to some of the things you might expect to see this Saturday. But, although I can't divulge anything, I'll also mention that you shouldn't expect a repeat of last year's show....and I'll leave it at that before step on anyone's toes! Aside from this, there are things that I haven't been privy to, so if what I already know is a big deal (in my opinion), I can't imagine what the guys might have in store. What I am privy to is that you can expect the same kick ass performance you've always come to expect from Mark, John, Alan Tecchio, Dan Lorenzo, & T. Coombs. As far as the songs are concerned you'll hear bunch of new covers unleashed at Dingbatz that didn't form part of last year's show. Remember that show was packed, so make sure to get your tickets as soon as possible, they're going quick!

I think it's pretty obvious the countdown has begun!

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Megadeth have put out some great albums these past few years.  I think United Abominations (2007) and Endgame (2009) were both exceptional metal albums but as a long time fan of the band it always bothered me that Dave Ellefson was not apart of them.  Mustaine was and always will be the leader but the thing that made this band Megadeth and not the Dave Mustaine Project was David Ellefson.  I believe this is the reason that the announcement of Ellefson’s return has been so celebrated by the metal community.  We recently spoke to him and were told that this return all came about rather quickly.  He also told us he enjoys some of the songs off of Endgame and he is ready to play them live. 
 

Hear the full interview with David Ellefson on Talking Metal 300.

-- Mark Strigl
 

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Dear Earthlings,  
 
I am headed to one of the final two rehearsals before next Saturday March 6's Screaming Metal show at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey.
 
Our 2009 show was unbelieveable!  We played to a sold-out crowd with special guests including Rob Dukes of Exodus and Metal Mike from Halford.  We have a ton of surprise guests lined up for this one too!!  (Hint #1: we're doing "Twist of Cain.")
 
I can't wait to christen my new Gibson Les Paul goldtop!
 
Click on the Budweiser flyer on the left side of the screen for more info!
 
-- Ostronomy

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Metalheads,
 
I'm doing some blogging over at MTV.com.  Click here to check out the "5 Songs that Changed Bumblefoot's Life" as well as some other cool posts on Megadeth, Hades, Judas Priestess, and more!
 
-- Ostronomy

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Tonight on Mars Attacks it's all about you the listener. For weeks I've been asking you to submit your favorite albums of the previous decade 2000-2009. Tonight's episode centers around that very list.

The episode features songs from the 20 most voted albums, it actually consists of 21 songs total as we highlight two songs off of the album you guys voted number one. You'll hear some classic bands, some newer bands, some surprises. So tune in and see if the albums you voted for made the list.

I'll be in the Talking Metal chat for a little while discussing the songs that appear. Thanks to all of those that participated, and for those that didn't? Don't bitch about any of the albums that appear!

Mars Attacks tonight 8PM EST / 5PM PST MarkStriglRadio.com.

The results will be posted in a few days www.marsattacksradio.com

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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I caught a great and very serious play on Broadway last night called Race.  If you happen to be visiting NY it is a good one to check out.  One of the 4 stars of this show is David Alan Grier.  He is friends with my wife's sister.  After his show we all went to dinner.  David and I spent sometime discussing music.  He loves all types of it including hard rock.  As a teenager he was a serious rocker.  He saw tons of concerts growing up in Detroit including Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, Nugent, Bowie and the Stones.  The man obviously has good taste in music.


-- Mark Strigl
 

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This past weekend I traveled an hour and a half to Durango, Spain (within the Basque Country) to see Killfest 2010. The show consisted of Germany's Cripper, the UK's Savage Messiah, Greece's Suicidal Angels, and New Jersey's own Overkill. Aside from Overkill I really wasn't privy to much of the other groups body of work. I had listened to Savage Messiah's album "Insurrection Rising" the day before the show, and had downloaded some of Suicidal Angel's material from Nuclear Blast's promo site. That said, the once through didn't really give me a good enough reference point to determine whether I was going to enjoy either of the two groups. That said, how many bands have you seen where the album


kicks ass, but their live performance sucks? So I was eager to see in person whether or not any of the other bands (aside from Overkill) could hold their own in a live setting. Unfortunately due to my GPS leaving me on the other side of town, I walked 20 minutes to get to the venue. Because of this I only caught Cripper's last two songs. Let me tell you, that was enough to make me a fan. Cripper is fronted by a female named Britta. The tendency now a days is for all female fronted bands to sound like either Arch Enemy or Nightwish. Cripper sounds like neither, Britta sounds more like Phil Anselmo, or Randy Blythe than she does Angela Grassow. They're a full on thrash band, and man do they bring it to the stage. They're web site is www.cripper.de, you can download two songs I and Hysteria directly off of their site. The second band up was Savage Messiah. If you like Megadeth, if you like Metallica, you'll like Savage Messiah, you can tell that they're heavily influenced by both. They put on a very entertaining, and solid live show. Dave Silver (lead singer/guitarist) even ventured out and spoke to us in Spanish a feat that not everyone can pull off. I have a Scott Ian story about him trying to speak Spanish at an Anthrax show I attended a few years back (Blitz and the guys from Savage Messiah enjoyed it). Let's just say switching an O and an A at the end of a word can make a big difference, especially when you're trying to say chicken in Spain! I was able to speak to the guys for quite a while after the show, more on this later. Check their music out http://www.myspace.com/savagemessiahmetal. The next band up was Suicidal Angels, a band heavily influenced by Slayer. They also put on a great show, but like the other bands, I wish I would have had the time to bone up on their music to get into their performance that much more when I saw them. The only thing I could advise them, or any other band that comes to Spain, people here don't know what a wall of death is, or a mosh pit....they do, but they don't. 99% of the crowd does not understand you, so if you're Dez from Devil Driver, or Nick from Suicidal Angels, don't get discouraged when the crowd does not do what you want them to. I know that they "should" know more English than they do, but they don't. At least Nick didn't start rolling his eyes, and pouting like Dez. I also recommend checking out their site http://www.myspace.com/suicidalangels. Last up was Overkill, hence the name of the tour, Killfest! Now a few weeks back, I saw that someone mentioned online how bands like Metallica, Maiden, Priest, Kiss, etc. should either retire, or get out of the way so that newer bands can headline various different festivals. Overkill is the perfect example why these newer bands aren't headlining. Don't get me wrong the entire night was excellent, but I have seen very few bands that bring it to the stage like Overkill. The band is relentless, pounding you track after track. Or as their song "Wrecking Crew" states: We Will Walk All Over You... And that's exactly what they do. This tour marks the band's 25th anniversary, and seeing them live in this setting makes me realize why Blitz, and D.D. have been doing this since the early 80s. If you listened to me interview with Blitz he mentioned how he and D.D. have actually been playing together for closer to 30 years. There are very few bands that have members with the same chemistry that Blitz and D.D. have up on stage, the two of them are non-stop, and constantly interactive with each other, the other members of the band, and the crowd. With regards to the other members of the band Ron plays all of the material perfectly, eclipsing everything that came before him, and shining throughout all of the tracks, especially the ones off of the new album Iron Bound. Dave, and Derrick did a great job handling all of the guitar parts, the Dave hammering out pretty much all of the solos, while Derrick had an interesting incident with some yutz from the crowd. I'm sure he won't remember it, but the dope that blatantly wanted to take his picks off of his mic will, or not, he was pretty hammered. The set list featured song from throughout the band's career, classics like, Rotten To The Core, Wrecking Crew, Hello From the Gutter, In Union We Stand, Feel The Fire, Elimination and a melody of Fuck You and Sonic Reducer. They also included cuts off of Iron Bound, they opened with The Green & Black (their tribute to their fans), the title track and the first single off of the album Bring Me The Night were mixed in. They also included newer classics like Battle, Gasoline Dream, Necroshine, and Old School, among others. After the show I hung out with Savage Messiah till they had to leave, we spoke about the tour (they had nothing but great things to say about Overkill and the rest of the bands on the bill), music in general, oh yeah and did I mention that Scott Ian story? By the time they left, the merch was all picked up, and didn't realize that jacket I wanted to buy was packed up and gone, I remembered on my way home. A few minutes later Blitz came out, and we chatted for a while regarding the interview we did a few weeks back, the reception of the tour and album, his thoughts on the other bands of the tour, this show, etc. We also discussed the Scott Ian story, and let me know (for all of you that listened to the interview) that his chimney came out "fucken great"! Great guy, not only was he cool during our interview, but we talked in person as if we had known each other for years. Nothing conceded, or big ego about him at all. I was able to take a picture with Blitz, and like a dope forgot to take pictures with anyone else.
 

 
From the picture you will see that I wore the new Talking Metal T-Shirt (available here http://www.districtlines.com/Talking-Metal), I did this on purpose as I'd figure members of the band (namely Ron Lipnicki) would see it, and come over and want to know how the hell some dude in Spain ended up with a TM shirt. It was pretty funny he kept eying me as he was taking pictures, and finally walked over. "What are you doing with a Talking Metal t-shirt?", I laughed and responded "I knew you were going to ask that". So I explained my involvement with not only MarkStriglRadio.com (great hard rock and metal 24/7 including Mars Attacks Thursdays 8PM EST / 5PM PST) , but with this very page, the TM Wire. We talked for a bit before he had to leave, including the second annual Screaming Metal (March 6th Dingbats, Clifton, NJ), his love for Kiss, playing with Overkill, etc. He was nice enough to do a radio ID for me as well, the guys from Savage Messiah did one too). Great guy also, no wonder everyone that I've spoken to about him has had nothing but good things to say. Wish I could have hung out more, but I still had that hour and a half ride home! Great night, all in all, I recommend picking up not only Ironbound (www.wreckingcrew.com), but the latest albums by all of the bands on the tour. Also check out Killfest 2010, or any of these bands, especially Overkill when they're in your area. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed, and that they'll "Walk All Over You" as well!
-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Today marks the anniversary of two tragedies for the hard rock / metal world. Not only is it the 30th anniversary of Bon Scott's passing, but it is also the 7th anniversary of the Rhode Island fire that took the lives of 99 people at a Great White concert.

All of us have been to shows where the venue isn't exactly the nicest place in the world, for those of us from the NY/NJ area remember Studio (Scum) One?. I don't think that many of us every though that we were in immediate danger while watching bands like Sacred Reich, 24-7 Spyz, Crowbar, etc. play at this old run down hall. Unfortunately neither did any of the people that died that fateful night in Rhode Island. To think that you're going to hang out with friends or family, catch a band that you dig, have a great time and possibly not come back is mind-blowing! Such a shame that so many people perished in this fashion. Hopefully some good came out of the situation, although I'm sure that there are those that will always state the contrary. Let's hope that if nothing else something like this doesn't repeat itself.

I'll be going to see Killfest tomorrow night in Durango, Spain, bands featured on the bill are Overkill, Suicidal Angels, Savage Messiah, and Cripper. I hope that everyone has a great time at the show, and makes it home in more or less one piece. I'll give you my take on the show on Monday.

Oh and by the way, today also marks the day that Tommy Lee married Pamela Anderson for the first of many times!

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Need I remind anyone that tonight I have Bruce Kulick on Mars Attacks (8PM EST / 5PM PST MarkStriglRadio.com)? As mentioned previously Bruce discusses 10 tracks total during the show in a storytellers/artist confidential format. Five songs from BK3 and five classic Kiss tracks are discussed, all of the tracks where picked by Bruce Himself.

On a side note today in 1974 the self titled debut album by Kiss was released. The album is 36 years old folks, that's right Strutter, Nothin' To Lose, Firehouse, Cold Gin, Let Me Know, Kissin' Time, Deuce, Love Theme From Kiss, 100,000 Years, and Black Diamond are 36. I know some of these are covers, so let's just say Kiss' renditions are 36 years old. None the less a monumental album that has since influenced many (in my opinion it helped influence stoner rock) and been copied by various acts as well. How many times have you listened to Pearl Jam's Alive and thought, wow that riff sounds familiar? Hmmm maybe Love Theme From Kiss? How about Lenny Kravitz's Mr. Cabdriver? Can you say Firehouse? And yes I know the song sounds like Misty Mountain Hop as well.

Another interesting note is that today also marks the 18th anniversary of Vince Neil quitting/being fired from Motley Crue. As most of you know he was replaced by John Corabi, who went on the play with Bruce in Union.

So two tidbits for today that are a few small degrees of separation from Bruce.

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Issues with the Talking Metal Podcast on iTunes.
 
Some of you have complained that you are not getting the most recent episodes of our podcast updated to your iPod.  Here is what happened, when we posted episode 296 back a few weeks ago it was accidentally given the wrong date of 12/26/2010.  This problem has since been corrected but if the episode happens to be on your iPod with the wrong date you will not get a new episode because it is reading the 12/2010 as the most recent show.  You need to delete the episode off your iPod and then you should get the most recent shows automatically updated through your iTunes software to your iPod.


-- Mark Strigl
 
 

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Tomorrow night's episode of Mars Attacks features an interview with Bruce Kulick. This episode can actually be considered the pilot for Ten, a show in which artists will pick ten songs that they feel define their legacy, or an episode can be based on a specific top, or in the case of this episode discuss a new album at great length. What we did with Bruce is discuss five tracks off of BK3 (sort of, more on this in a sec), and five classic Kiss tracks. I say sort of, because during the heat of the interview we only discussed four tracks off of BK3, but what I did was take a piece from the previous interview I did with him, and splice it into the episode. This way there are five tracks from BK3 discussed! I could give all types of excuses, but I dropped the ball. Oh well, I think the episode came out pretty good, regardless. Hope you the listeners feel the same!

Songs discussed are as follows:

Hand Of The King
Ain't Gonna Die
I'm The Animal
Between The Lines
No Friend Of Mine
I Walk Alone
Tears Are Falling
Crazy Crazy Nights
Forever
Unholy

On a side note, condolences to the family of Doug Fieger lead singer of The Knack, he appeared on the track "Dirty Girl" which appears on BK3. Doug passed away last weekend.

Mars Attacks! airs exclusively on Mark Strigl Radio. Episodes debut on Thursdays at 8PM EST / 5PM PST / 2AM Friday CET. If you miss out on the initial airing, the show repeats at the following times:

Fridays:

4PM EST / 1PM PST / 10PM CET

Saturdays:

6AM EST / 3AM PST / 12PM CET

For show recaps check out www.marsattacksradio.com

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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One of NJ's best metal bands is back!!!
 
Footage from HADES first rehearsal with the Resisting Success line-up (their first jam together since 1986) can be seen here.
 
Alan Tecchio, Dan Lorenzo, Jimmy Schulman, Scott LePage and drummer T.Coombs will play their only American show on Wednesday April 21st at Dingbatz in Clifton NJ at 10pm. The show is a warm up before Hades fly the next day to Germany where they will perform at the Keep It True Festival.

-- Mark Strigl
 
 

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It is amazing that Black Sabbath's self titled debut is celebrating a 40 year milestone. Was this the start of 'heavy metal'? Some people point to the fact that Blue Cheer, Steppenwolf, Cream or Led Zepplin started metal before Black Sabbath. Make no mistake about it, it is a landmark album, but can we pin the title 'first metal album' on it, when the band hates the term? I've heard Ozzy, Bill Ward, and Tony Iommi openly say that they're not a metal band, they consider themselves a 'hard rock' band, and actually detest the fact that they're considered metal.

There is no doubt in my mind that metal started in Birmingham, England, but could it have been another band from the area that perfected metal, and helped create the sound that so many other bands took on? I'm referring to Judas Priest, a band that considers Sabbath as one of their main influences, but that went on strip blues out of the 'hard rock' that Sabbath was putting out, and gave it the necessary kick in the ass that Sabbath started missing after Vol. 4. The members of Priest have also not been shy about saying that they're a metal band, and have never professed to be anything but a metal band. Something that Sabbath, again, has never done.

There is a fine line between, Metal, Hard Rock, at times Punk, Alternative Rock, Classic Rock, Heritage Rock, and any other sub-genre or label that one might put on various forms of rock music. A lot of this is subject to the person you are speaking to, and their taste of music. Unlike say automobile racing where there are several class types, music's class types are somewhat ambiguous, especially between the various genres of rock.

Both bands have gone onto influence many others, and regardless of my opinion, the debate will always loom. What is metal, and who started it? Send me an e-mail at marsariesattacks@live.com and tell me what you think.

Speaking of milestones, another classic album also celebrated its birthday last week, none other than the self titled debut from Van Halen. It was released 32 years ago this month. Where do you put this album, hard rock, classic rock.....once again the vicious cycle begins!

None the less, congrats to all three of these bands for their longevity, talent, and influence over the years.

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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I have been waiting a few months to put this comparison together, ever since I spoke to Bruce Kulick back in December for episode 12. At that time I asked him to give me his opinion on both Anomaly and Sonic Boom. We went over things briefly, and at the time he mentioned that he'd like to see someone compare all three albums once his came out. So here we are, comparing all three. Interestingly enough, both of us share the same opinion of Sonic Boom, more on that in a second.

Kiss is my all time favorite band, I can remember looking at the book that came with Alive II, and seeing the picture of Ace Frehley in his Love Gun outfit with a yellow light shining right over top of him. That image mesmerized me, and made me want to listen to the band, and music in general. Mr. Frehley you are to blame for initially infecting me with music! Kiss as a whole. As a result I have always followed (to the best of my ability) the band, and all of its former members. Now, I don't have absolutely every album that the former member have put out (I don't have the White Tiger album, or the majority of Peter Criss' solo work), but I do have everything Ace, Bruce, and Vinnie have put out, and most of the two Eric's material. This includes official releases and bootlegs. Long before the internet, there were the tape trading days (some of you remember), there was a small store called Second Sighting Records (Ace reference) that had a nice supply of live or unreleased Ace and Vinnie material on vinyl and cassette (Bruce was still in the band at the time). If I couldn't get my fill there, well there was the yearly Kiss Expo (back then held in Teaneck, NJ at Fairley Dickinson), that had a lot of bootlegs on CD. I bring this up because I purchased a CD at one of the Expo's that contains the song "Sister", which ultimately made it onto Anomaly. At these Expos I have also been lucky enough to meet Bruce, Vinnie, and Eric Singer. As a result I have a signed copy of AudioDog, an album that in my opinion should have received way more attention then it garnered when it was released. "Change Is Coming" was the only song that to my knowledge received any airplay. But this album had "Need Me", "I Don't Mind", and "Dogs Of Morrison" which should have all been on your local station. Especially the first and last tracks that I mentioned.

In any event, on with the comparison, what I'm doing is focusing on the tracks that I really enjoyed off of each album. Each one has a few good to great tracks, and there are two that in my opinion are head and shoulders above the other.

Let me start out with Sonic Boom, tracks I really enjoyed:

- Modern Day Delilah
- Say Yeah
- All For The Glory

First of all I was pumped to hear Kiss was finally going to put out a new album. I was also thrilled to hear that Tommy and Eric were going to sing on the album as well. The opinion that I shared with Bruce was that the album was originally supposed to be a 70's sounding album, which it isn't. What I also agree with is that this album can be a launch point what is to come next with the band, which is a good thing. Now I see this album fitting in more with the Hot In The Shades, Animalize and Asylums of the catalogue. Which isn't bad, but to me albums like Creatures, Revenge, and Carnival of Souls still tower above it. Detractors for me are the fact that all of Gene's lyrics are practically the same, nothing wrong with that, but due to this the songs don't hold up like the others on the album. There are also moments where the band inadvertently copies themselves, or others. I don't think this is done on purpose, but it's still there. I still would have preferred an angry or defiant Gene or Paul on this album, but it is what it is. I have personally always found Kiss' rebellious lyrics to be very empowering. The line in Creatures where Paul says "Remember when the clock strikes 12, the losers always win" captivated me the first time I heard it. It spoke to me, it made me feel that no matter how down I was, that there would be a time where the tables would be turned. "I Love It Loud", "Unholy", etc. angry songs, with attitude that made me want to get behind them and.....Say Yeah! The album is good, but I just don't feel that, outside of the three songs listed above.

With Ace's Anomaly, tracks that enjoyed are:

- Foxy & Free
- Outer Space
- Pain In The Neck
- Too Many Faces
- Sister
- Space Bear

Twenty years had passed since Trouble Walking, my favorite Ace album. And although this album does show a kinder side of Ace, it also still shows his hard rocking side as well. All of these songs show off Ace's meat and potatoes no non-sense hard rocking sound. The second I heard "Outer Space" I was hooked, hearing Ace tune down to D (something I hadn't noticed in any of his other recordings) sucked me in. The album sounds fresh, with an edge. All of the songs listed above really kick ass. As a bonus I was able to see Ace at the Viper Room back in September, he did play "Sister", "Space Bear", and "Outer Space" during the show. "Sister" is a song I've enjoyed since I originally heard it on the bootleg CD I mention above, it is one of my favorite Ace tunes. "Too Many Faces" incorporates some signature Anton Fig playing, which brings songs like "Torpedo Girl" and "Whipped Out" to mind. "Foxy & Free" has a great groove to it, while "Pain In The Neck" has a chorus that is bound to get stuck in your head.

So, I was chomping at the bit to finally listen to BK3, and see if it at least to measured
up or surpassed the other two. I also wanted the album to at least live up to Audio Dog, or the Union albums Bruce had released. I initially purchased the EP he released on iTunes, and once I heard John Corabi sing on "No Friend of Mine", I knew things were going to be alright! Here are the tracks I enjoyed off of BK3.

- Fate
- Ain't Gonna Die
- Hand Of The King
- No Friend Of Mine
- I'm The Animal
- And I Know

First off this album is chalked full of guests, Corabi (as mentioned above), Gene and Nick Simmons, Tobias Sammet, Eric Singer, Steve Luckather, and Doug Fieger. "Ain't Gonna Die" is the best Gene Simmons track since Unholy, it has that attitude that is missing from Sonic Boom. "Hand of The King", with Nick, also sounds better than any Simmons related material since at least Carnival of Souls. If you're not privy to the fact that it's Nick you'd swear it was his dad. The melodies in "No Friend of Mine" remind you how good Union actually was, and leave you clamoring for a continuation of this partnership. I'm not the biggest Edguy fan, but "I'm The Animal" is one of the best tracks I've heard in a while, again an infection chorus that has Eric Singer backing Tobias up. Wrapping things up are two tracks sung by Bruce "Fate" which was written by Kevin Churko (Ozzy producer, makes you wonder if Zakk was in mind when the song was written), a fast paced hard rocking track and "And I Know" which harkens back to Bruce's previous two albums.

I honestly think that both Anomaly and BK3 have surpassed Sonic Boom. Ace and Bruce have shown us different facets of their writing and playing ability, and have matured with both of these albums. Sonic Boom is good, but it leaves me wanting to listen to some of their other material to get my fill of the band (been listening to a lot of Asylum as a result). I can't say the same for BK3 or Anomaly, I put each of these albums on, and I'm right there start to finish. At no point do I think, let me listen to Trouble Walking, or "Dogs of Morrison". It is also hard for me to choose between either one of those albums, as I enjoy both of them immensely.

Buy don't pay me no mind, check out all three albums out, and determine for yourselves which of the three you enjoy the most!

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Tonight, February 11th, Host Victor M. Ruiz is joined by Chuck Billy from Testament during an all-new episode of Mars Attacks at 8pm EST on MarkStriglRadio.com.

Items discussed during this interview are the Rust In Peace Tour, the recording of new albums by Testament and Dublin Death Patrol as well as the expanded rerelease of DDP´s debut album. He also dispels any rumors regarding Alex Skolnik´s original parting with the band, discusses how cancer has changed his life, and gives his opinion on the term "The Big Four".

Mars Attacks! with Victor M. Ruiz is a weekly radio show that airs exclusively on Mark Strigl Radio. Episodes debut on Thursdays at 8PM EST / 5PM PST / 2AM Friday CET. If you miss out on the initial airing, the show repeats at the follow times:

Fridays:

4PM EST / 1PM PST / 10PM CET

Saturdays:

6AM EST / 3AM PST / 12PM CET

For show recaps check out www.marsattacksradio.com

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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As reported last week, Chuck Billy will be on this week's episode of Mars Attacks. Chuck Billy mentions during the interview that aside from Megadeth playing Rust In Peace in its entirety, that Testament will play The Legacy (previously reported on blabbermouth), and Exodus will play Bonded By Blood.

Interesting side note, Testament will be using Glenn Drover as their guitarist for this tour. Alex Skolnick already had a tour lined up, and cannot partake in the outing. This will be the first time a former member of the band plays on the same bill as Megadeth. This of course is all a moot point now, since Dave Mustaine has decided to bring David Ellefson back into the fold. Aside from Mustaine recording with Lars and James, I don´t see how anything can eclipse the fact that he brought Jr. back to the band. Call Mustaine what you might, and I think you either love him or hate him, but in these last few years he's done a lot to atone for errors that he's made in the past (don't tell Jeff Young this). It's cool that Jr. is back, very insightful interview with Mark and John last night (can't wait for the podcast version to be released). For a long time fan like myself it was cool to hear him talk up "Head Crusher", "Kick The Chair" and "1,320' " (a song voted by my listeners as the best song of 2009), songs that he obviously did not record. It is also cool to hear that he patched everything up with Mustaine.

In any event, back to the interview, as the title says, Chuck Billy makes several things perfectly clear to me regarding Testament. He sets several rumors to rest, and without getting into too much detail, discusses his theory on the "Big 4".

Anyway tune in tomorrow 8PM EST / 5PM PST MarkStriglRadio.com to hear the interview in its entirety.

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Yesterday I gave you a review of White Wizzard's Over The Top, today I bring you a review of Rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe 2.

I´ll admit that I´m not the world´s biggest Rob Zombie fan, and when I heard that he named his new album Hellbilly Deluxe 2, I became skeptical like a lot of you. A lot of sequels, just plain suck, but I saw the pre-order come up on iTunes, and figured, hell he´s always good for about four decent songs (minimum) on his albums, so why not? As I result, I pulled the trigger and ordered the album. I have to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised with the album once it became available.

Now Rob isn´t reinventing anything here, and you know what who cares? Will someone that´s waiting for the Triptikon album to come out enjoy this? Probably not, because it´s more than likely not "metal" enough for them. But I don´t think he´s trying to go after that market, and there´s nothing wrong with that. You usually know what to expect from Rob, and it´s almost always a little weird, a little strange, has a dash of sex, mixed in with a horror or outer space theme, hella fun and very entertaining when it´s on. The music isn´t overly complex, it´s pretty straight forward, and focused, something that hasn´t happened on a Rob Zombie album in a while.
The album starts out with "Jesus Frankenstein", which sounds like a track that could have made its way onto an old White Zombie album. Then all of a sudden, this acoustic part hits you courtesy of John 5 (will Marilyn Manson ever cop to the fact that he never should have fired him?). Jimmy Clufetos drum track on this song is very raw, as it is throughout an entire album, which also features a drum solo in a latter track. The current single "Sick Bubblegum" is up next, with a traditional chugging guitar/bass riff reminiscent of so many other previous Zombie songs. "What?" is the single that was initially released on iTunes before the pre-order was made available, another catchy tune where Rob applies a distortion effect on his voice. Accompanying them on this track is an organ apropos of a classic horror flick. The next track "Mars Needs Woman"…angry red woman, starts out with an acoustic riff well suited for an episode of Deadwood. Then all of a sudden Zombie jumps in with Clufetos, and John 5 follows suit with the type of playing we´re accustomed hearing from him. Mr. Lowry gives us a mix of chords with a shrieking note over top that sounds as if he´s using a Whammy pedal, but knowing this six string genius, it´s probably something completely different. "Werewolf, Baby" starts out with some classic southern rock riffage (more classic John 5), before Zombie comes in clearly showing off his Alice Cooper influence, before kicking it up a registry for the song´s chorus. The chorus is constructed with a melody that´s difficult to get out of your head (this has been a common theme with releases over the past few months, seems like hooks and melody are back). Did someone say sex and horror? "Virgin Witch" is up next, it is another track that is very reminiscent of his earlier White Zombie work. It is the first track on the album that displays Zombie´s love of overlapping various sounds to create a pallet that is distinctly his. "Death And Destiny Inside The Dream Factory" is a quick little Ramones like tune, that has classic Zombie vocals doubled over top of this sololess song. "Burn" is a track that was made available a little while back as a free download. The best way that I can describe the song is as a mix between old White Zombie, "Thunderkiss" and some Joey Ramone type singing over top of the chorus, with the uh-huh-uh-uh-huh, etc. part. Another track that easily gets stuck in your head. "Cease to Exist" starts out with some Sabbath inspired riffing courtesy of John 5, it is the first song that has an abundant amount of sampling going on over top. Zombie´s vocals are also Ozzyesque on this track, further displaying the Sabbath influence in the track. "Werewolf Woman of the SS" is based on a fake trailer he made for the movie Grindhouse. The clip featured who else, but Rob´s wife Sheri Moon Zombie, if you´re a fan of his, you´re no stranger to her. Another classic Zombie track in the vein of "Superbeast". "The Man Who Laughs" starts out with horror stylings that come courtesy of a string section. John 5 kicks in with a quick little solo ditty before Clufetos kicks in with, as mentioned above a drum solo! The solo lasts a few good minutes before John 5 and bassist Piggie D, and the string section kick things back into gear before wrapping up the song and album. If you bought the deluxe edition off of iTunes you´ll also receive three mostly forgettable remixes of "What?", "Jesus Frankenstein", and "Sick Bubblegum". I don´t mind remixes, Rob´s put out plenty of good ones in the past, these just aren´t my cup of tea.

If you´re a long time fan of Rob Zombie, this album will be right up your valley. For those of you that don´t know any of his material, and don´t want a greatest hits, this might be a good introduction to the world of Rob Zombie. If you just want to kick back, and listen to some entertaining music while in the car or while kicking back some cold ones, this could be your album of choice!

On a side note, for those of you that don't already know I have a Spanish language podcast called Fusion Sonica. I like to say that although it is in Spanish, and some of you may not understand the language, the music is all kick ass, and easy to understand!

This week we debut a brand new episode where we touch on new albums or singles that have either come out recently, or are about to be released. Groups featured are:

White Wizzard, Rob Zombie, Bruce Kulick, Dokken, H.I.M., Fear Factory, Ratt, Coheed & Cambria, We Are The Fallen, Charred Walls of the Damned, High On Fire, Airbourne, and Meshuggah.

The episode can be found here, it should be up on iTunes in the next few days:

http://fusionsonica.com/2010/02/09/podcast-episodio-35-albumes-y-singles-nuevos/

Thanks in advance to anyone that checks the show out.

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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White Wizzard´s Over the Top is in my opinion one of the most anticipated releases of 2010. They were signed over at Earache last year, and if you recall the folks over at that very label voted their EP High Speed GTO the best release of 2009. Aside from this they have already been featured in magazines such as Kerrang, Guitar World, Metal Hammer, etc. So the publicity machine is definitely in motion, and justifiably so, if I do say so.

Let´s get to the issue at hand; I´ve had Over the Top since the beginning of this year, courtesy of the swell people over at Earache (Thanks Anthony!). The album has (in my opinion) lived up to all of my expectations, and surpassed them. For a long time bands have been worried about how fast they can play, how much they can growl, how many arpeggios they can fit into a given space, and have forgotten about composing good solid music. To their credit, White Wizzard has crafted nine stellar songs, with no weak links in the bunch. For those of you that have checked their MySpace page out, you´ve already been hearing the title track "Over the Top", and "40 Deuces" for a while now. For those of you that aren´t familiar with the band or have only heard the EP, everything has been taken up a notch with the inclusion of (for the most part) a new band. If you like the Maiden/Priest influence of High Speed GTO, add some Saxon, Scorpions, High N Dry Era Def Leppard, and some Dave Mustaine like soloing to the mix. And don´t expect to find any ballads either. The album is full of infectious tracks, with melodies and choruses that just hook you in and stick in your head.

The album starts out with the title track (you´ve probably all seen the great video by now), and rips into the aforementioned "40 Dueces". The song gallops along, and during its chorus Wyatt screams out the phrase "my metal heart will never die" (could this be an Accept reference?), a sentiment that a lot of us head bangers will forever hold. From here we get into "High Roller" which starts off with some dueling guitars that permeate throughout the track. A lot of Maiden flavoring going on during this track, you´ll find out that it´s a common theme that´s woven throughout the album. The next track is "Live Free or Die" it continues on the same route, with the infusion of a pre-chorus that is tailor made for Wacken, Download, etc., or any other festival, in the sense that it calls for everyone in the crowd to sing along with Wyatt. "Iron Goddess of Vengeance" starts out with some of the middle-eastern riffage made popular by Mustaine. Unlike most that try to play in this style, Erik Kluibert knows exactly how to give you exactly what´s called for, without going overboard. Said style then quickly shift to be more Maidenesque, in the sense of "To Tame A Land" or "Nomad" so as to fit the foundation Jon Leon is laying down with his bass. This band is all about paying homage to classic bands that have come before them, and as alluded to before the with Accept reference, there is a Slayer reference in this song as well. Not sure if that is done on purpose, or if it just fit. It sure does make you wonder though. "Iron Goddess" is the longest track on the album clocking in at a little over seven and a half minutes. "Out of Control" is next on deck; this song is a direct descendant of the Scorpion´s "Dynamite". With this said, in no way is it a rip off of that song, however, the band is very keen on showing their influences throughout the album without blatantly ripping any one off, as many others have done before them. The song is shot full of that same energy that the classic Scorp´s song possess. The following songs are "Strike Of The Viper", "Death Race", they both are in the ilk of Saxon and Maiden. The latter recounts a Mad Max type race across the desert involving all types of weapons, while the former has another one of those choruses that will easily get stuck in your head. The regular album wraps up with the track "White Wizzard" which to me is easily the best track on the album. This is the second longest track on the album, and it takes a minute and a half for the lyrics to kick in. It is as most you probably suspect a recount of the Wizzard himself. This track mixes in all of the styles I´ve mentioned throughout this review, and brings them into the now. In doing so, it blatantly showcases each member´s prowess with their instruments. The version I purchased off of iTunes also has a cover of Cloven Hoof´s "Gates Of Gehenna", and Judas Priest´s "Heading Out To The Highway" as you may guess are handled perfectly.

I would recommend this album to anyone that is into the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, or just strait on metal in the vein of any of the bands mentioned above. Over the Top presents us an early reason to keep our metal hearts alive in 2010!

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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Our friend Jay Bones put together footage from our November 2009 Talking Metal Live Pirate Radio show into an awesome TV show.  Jay Bones is NYC's most metal camera guy and editor, make sure you contact him for all your video needs.
 
Watch the episode with Rob Halford, Metal Mike, the Revolver guys and the Metal Nurse here.
 
 

ps - a few short clips from this interview with Halford will at some point appear on MTV2's Headbangers Ball.


-- Mark Strigl
 

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Yesterday I mentioned how Chuck Billy had divulged some news regarding the Dublin Death Patrol, and Testament. But he's not the first artist to give me these types of scoops. Now I'm not going to kid you and say that I have some inside source, or that I may be the first to know about the items I'm going to mention, but I haven't seen some of these tidbits mentioned in any of the sites I frequent on a daily basis.

Back on December 3rd Episode 9 of Mars Attacks debuts. This episode contained an interview with fellow New Jersian Doc Coyle from God Forbid. During this episode Doc clearly states that Matt Wiklund (ex-Himsa) is the new guitarist in God Forbid. This wasn't even picked up by any of the news sites for at least another month. He also states that he has no beef with Century Media, and like any other artist feels that the label could have done more. He clarifies his statement by mentioning something to the effect that no matter how big an artist they all feel this way (that the album should have been pushed more), and that in no way is he upset with them (Century Media).

Episode 8 debuted a week earlier on November the 26th. I know, it was Thanks Giving, and a lot of you were with the family and missed it (more on scheduling in a sec). This episode contained an hour long interview with Joey Z from Life of Agony. During this episode Joey divulged that they were going to record the shows they did at the Starland Ballroom in late November, and the Highline in middle of December for a live album that will be released early this year. As per Joey, the album was going to be an iTunes/online only exclusive. Aside from this, he mentions that the band (Life of Agony) is writing new music, but does not know when or if it will lead to a new studio album being put out. We'll just have to wait and see! In any event, I have yet to see anything posted on the web regarding either of these two L.O.A. topics.

My advice to you? Tune in and check the show out! You never know when someone is going to "let the cat out of the bag" per say. My goal when doing the interviews is getting the artists to open up, feel comfortable, and discuss topics they enjoy talking about. If along the way someone like Robert Fleischman calls Dana Strum a jerk, or Bruce Kulick mentions that they'll punch Vinnie Vincent out (for saying that he recorded on Revenge), then that's just a bonus! Again, this is exactly why you should tune in!

With regards to scheduling, did you miss last night's episode of Mars Attacks? Did you catch the Dave McClain interview half way through, and want to find out what we were jabbering about initially? Well you're in luck, you can listen to the interview again today! As a matter of a fact you have 8, that's right 8 hours of Mars Attacks today starting at 4PM EST / 1PM PST. Now you're probably asking yourself what is this 8 hours of Dave McClain and the 19 year old Victor? Not exactly, check out what's on tap:

4PM EST / 1PM PST - Dave McClain - Machine Head / Sacred Reich
Bobby Blitz - Overkill
Jeremy Goldberg - Age Of Evil
Mercedes Lander - Kittie
Ripper Owens - Judas Priest / Charred Walls Of The Damed...etc.
Bruce Kulick - Kiss

You'll also find an all music episode mixed in there, as well as sporadic music mixed within the various episodes. If you want to find out specifics on each episode go to www.marsattacksradio.com.

-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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My first official post within the Wire, and I wanted to mention that I just got off the phone with none other than Chuck Billy.  Two things that I wanted to mention are that he's currently working on two different albums.  One with his side project DDP aka Dublin Death Patrol, and another with Testament.  The DDP album will be out in the next few months on Mascot Records.  They're also going to rerelease the first DDP album with a bunch of bonus tracks.  If you haven't checked the album out, I recommend doing so, it has a nice mix of original tracks and covers. 
 
Check out their MySpace:
 
http://www.myspace.com/dublindeathpatrol
 
Or Official Web Site:
 
http://www.dublindeathpatrol.com/
 
On the Testament front they're working on the follow up to The Formation of Damnation.  No ETA as they have no intentions of rushing the album out.  By the way don't go looking for any drama with Alex Skolnick, because there isn't, he's still a member of the band, and will be for the foreseeable future.
 
You'll be able to hear the entire next week on Mars Attacks!
 
Tonight on the show we'll have an old interview I resurrected with Dave McClain from Machinehead.  At the time the interview was conducted he was still with Sacred Reich.  Dave is now known as one of the premier drummers in metal, but during one of the segments he mentions how no one recognizes him, and says something to the effect of not understanding why people would want his autography! Hmmm there are two Sacred albums and several MH albums that I could give as reasons to want his autography!  He's pretty sick live as well!
 
If you're interested in checking the show out, Mars Attacks airs on MarkStriglRadio.com.  Show times are as follows:
 
Thursdays:
 
8PM EST / 5PM PST
 
Fridays:
 
4PM EST / 1PM PST / 10PM CET
 
Saturdays:
 
6AM EST / 3AM PST / 12PM CET
 
-- Victor M. Ruiz
 

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MTV has posted a few of the clips from last Monday's episode of the Headbangers Ball with Zakk Wylde and Talking Metal on their website.  Click here and scroll down.



-- Mark Strigl
 

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Los Angeles' traditional metal act WHITE WIZZARD has confirmed a UK tour with German melodic metallers EDGUY.

WHITE WIZZARD will be heading to the UK with EDGUY in March, marking the band's first official UK tour following their first and only UK show at the Earache Records Christmas party in London on December 17th.

WHITE WIZZARD are also set to appear at Hammerfest in Prestatyn, Wales, just two days before kicking off the tour with EDGUY.

WHITE WIZZARD singer Wyatt "The Screaming Demon" Anderson comments:

"We are so excited to be playing the Hammerfest and doing a quick run with Edguy.  We have so much respect for all of these bands and just to share the stage with them is a big honor.  It's going to be a great experience and a dream come true.  We can't wait to give the UK a taste of what we bring live.  We look forward to meeting new friends, seeing new fans and tasting the many pints of good English Ale.  See you all in a couple of months!"

Catch WHITE WIZZARD live in the UK at the following shows:

WHITE WIZZARD
13.03.10 Prestatyn, Wales - Hammerfest
;
WHITE WIZZARD w/ EDGUY
15.03.10 Glasgow - Cathouse
16.03.10 Leeds - Rio's
17.03.10 Manchester - Academy 2
19.03.10 Nottingham - The Rescue Rooms
20.03.10 London - O2 Islington Academy

 

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Guitarist Zakk Wylde will be the featured guest on this Monday’s edition of “Headbangers Ball”, which now airs every Monday night (technically Tuesday morning) at 3:00 a.m. EST/PST on MTV2. This episode includes short interview segments conducted by Talking Metal’s John Ostronomy and Mark Strigl, as well as numerous music videos spanning Zakk’s legendary career.
 


-- Mark Strigl
 

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The Beast is on US soil. Welcome back Paul Dianno. I think last night’s show in NJ was his 1st gig in the USA in over a decade. Talking Metal cameraman, Jay Bones & I am heading over to meet Paul at his NJ hotel in a bit. We are going to do an interview and then drive him into the city for his gig at BB Kings on 42nd Street tonight! Last night a band of heavy metal all-stars covered some of Paul’s music in their set at BB Kings…. Tonight we get to hear the real deal!




-- Mark Strigl
 

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Ostronomy has been doing some blog entries for mtv.com.  Here is his latest.




-- Mark Strigl
 

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Screw all the corprate BS. Talking Metal is currently producing a new version of our TV show on our own with our friend Jay Bones of Viking Digital Films. http://www.vikingdigitalfilms.com/



-- Mark Strigl
 

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Tonight, January 21^st,  Host Victor M. Ruiz is joined by Jeremy Goldberg from Age of Evil during an all-new episode of Mars Attacks at 8pm EST on MarkStriglRadio.com.


 Items discussed during this interview are their new EP Get Dead, their previous work with Marty Friedman and their desire to work with various hard rock and metal legends including Rob Halford.  Jeremy also comments on what it was like touring with Jon Oliva’s Pain, and what their dream tour would be.   
 
Mars Attacks! with Victor M. Ruiz is a weekly radio show that airs exclusively on Mark Strigl Radio.  Episodes debut on Thursdays at 8PM EST / 5PM PST  / 2AM Friday CET.  If you miss out on the initial airing, the show
repeats at the follow times:
 
Fridays:
4PM EST / 1PM PST / 10PM CET
Saturdays:
6AM EST / 3AM PST / 12PM CET
2PM EST / 11AM PST / 8PM CET


-- Mark Strigl
 

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I realize it is still January but I believe my favorite album of 2010 will be Addicted by the Devin Townsend Project. This is Devin's best work period and I know that is a bold statement considering how much great stuff he has been giving us these past 2 decades.  Go buy this CD today it is amazing.
 


-- Mark Strigl
 

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This chick used to date some metal guy from the East Village.  She listens to Maiden and Sabbath.  She knows Saxon lyrics.

I proabably shouldn't admit this but I think her album, The Fame, is really good. Parts of it remind me of Prince, who I am also a big fan of. Gaga knows how to write a song and how to find the groove, that is for sure.


-- Mark Strigl
 

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Our pal Richard Christy has some new music coming out.
 

www.CharredWallsoftheDamned.com 
www.Facebook.com/CharredWallsoftheDamned 
www.twitter.com/CWOTD 

Charred Walls of the Damned Debut album 
available worldwide Feb. 2, 2010 on 
Metal Blade Records! First single 
"Ghost Town" available now on Itunes! 


-- Mark Strigl
 

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Tonight's Talking Metal Live will feature interviews with legendary Ozzy Osbourne/King Kobra/Blue Murder drummer, Carmine Appice, as well as Mark Cimino from the Devin Townsend Project and Derrek Hawkins of the Ace Frehley Band (formerly of Stabbing Westward).
 
The program will stream live online at Live 365's Mark Strigl Radio from 7-10 PM Eastern and 4-7 Pacific. Check it out at www.talkingmetallive.com!
 
-- Ostronomy
 

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Our friend Devin Townsend sent me this brutal clip this morning from the DTP rehearsals for the upcoming tour beginning January 8th in Nashville, TN. Following is a message from Devin! -- Ostronomy
 



 
Here's a short clip of a DTP rehearsal, no overdubs, no fixes. We plan to have a choir for the tours coming up after January to cover the background vocals. My plan was ALWAYS to make the live experience tight, and like the record (with a few surprises...) This was our first take of By Your Command that day.

I am thrilled to be able to come play for you, thank you for allowing me to continue doing whatever it is I do. I believe now is the start of it all, What I want to do is pretty epic in terms of live concerts, I think my dissatisfaction with shows in the past is that I want to see and provide people with an EVENT, a spectacle... and the music is the soundtrack to the experience. First things first is getting the new band tight and disciplined, we're ready to play this first tour (our first one) with BTBAM, Cynic, and Scale The Summit. When I complete 'Deconstruction' I believe we'll have every musical base covered to make a heck of a statement.

Have a great new year folks, keep it strong, keep it brutal. Keep it quiet, keep it gentle.

Devin

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Happy New Year Talking Metalheads!
 
Thanks for your continued support!  We couldn't do this without you!
 
-- Ostronomy
 

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Happy New Year Talking Metalheads!
 
Thanks for your continued support!  We couldn't do this without you!
 
-- Ostronomy
 

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I shot this footage of Mushroomhead performing "Kill Tomorrow" from the photo pit at the Blender Theater in New York City in 2009.
 
This is one of my favorite Mushroomhead tracks.
 



 
-- Ostronomy

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Too anyone who says “metal” isn’t big, “metal” isn’t mainstream… go screw yourself.
The best selling album of the past 20 years is the Black album by Metallica.
Take that U2, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Puff Daddy, Nirvana and anyone else that is seen as a big name in the music biz.



 
--Mark Strigl

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Check out this minute and a half clip of Mark and me talking riffs with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth in New York City. I plays Dave my version of "United Abominations" while Mark requests to hear some "Hook in Mouth." 
 



 
-- Ostronomy
 

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Check out this :35 outtake from Talking Metal's Ace Frehley video interview where Ace and I discuss on-stage amps used by both KISS and Ace's band.
 



 
-- Ostronomy
 

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I hope everyone had a good holiday! This article was written by Ian Grey. He is a listener of Talking Metal and we read one or 2 of his emails on the show 5 or 6 months ago. Here is a good article he wrote on female fronted metal. Read it here.



 
--Mark Strigl

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Metal has given us many technically exceptional lead vocalists including Bruce Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio, and Geoff Tate, but at the top of my list is The Metal God, Rob Halford!  One of the many things I like about Halford is that he is comfortable performing other artist's material.  For example, he filled in for both Dio and Ozzy with Sabbath in '92 and '04 respectively in addition to covering the Scorpions' "Blackout" with Rudolf Schenker on the Japanese and remastered versions of Halford's "Live Insurrection." (A sound sample of the track is also available in Talking Metal Episode 292 featuring The Metal God!)
 
In keeping with the holiday spirit, MetalGodShop.com, the official Rob Halford merchandise store, is offering some killer holiday sales, many of which include giveaways including radio promo CDs and T-shirts.
 
So "Get Into the Spirit," support metal, and support The Metal God!
 
-- Ostronomy
 

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1. KISS "Live In Beunos Aires" DVD (included in Sonic Boom CD)
 
I recommend  purchasing the new KISS CD at WalMart.  You can't beat two CDs and a DVD for a total of $12!  As a self-admitted perfectionist, I have nothing against touching up live recordings, but in this case, I prefer the raw sound of this concert experience.  My friend Sebastian Monaco from Argentina was at the show!
 
2. Danzig "Twist of Cain"
 
I loved this song since I jammed it on drums with my high school band Apocalypse...or was it Dry Mortality?  I've got to relearn it on guitar for the Screaming Metal gig on March 6th.
 
3. Motley Crue "Looks That Kill"
 
My friends and I convinced the DJ to play tracks from "Shout at the Devil" at our high school dances.  This classic will also be on the Screaming Metal March 6th setlist.
 
-- Ostronomy
 

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Hey Talking Metalheads!
 
2009 is rounding out to be an amazing year for us, and we're definitely ending on a high note!
 
First, the guests on our holiday episode were none other than the Metal God himself, Rob Halford, our brother (from a different mother as he would say) Metal Mike Chlasciak, and the very, very Metal Nurse!
 
And then, our brand new year-end special posted online today features the one and only Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society! Check out the end of the episode for some killer outtakes from the interview!
 
Thanks to all of you, and cheers to 2010!
 
Image Caption: Ace Frehley and John Ostronomy
Credit: Justin Borucki
 
Click here to see a larger image. 
 
 -- Ostronomy

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The new issue of Revolver magazine hit news stands today.  It features a story on Pantera, the top albums of 2009, a picture of the Talking Metal crew with Rob Halford on page 17 and much more.   Check it out!

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!


 
--Mark Strigl

---

The Band Brand
 
What is a band?  Is it the members who make it up?  At one point in the history it may have been, but today, for most hard rock bands, it has moved beyond that.  Many bands are now more of a brand.  A name that evokes a certain memory and feeling in all of us.  The band name has become more important than the individual band members and I believe that this isn’t always a bad thing.  Let’s look at a couple examples.
 
Kiss just put out a new album that is actually really good.  “Sonic Boom” captures a sound and attitude that most consumers equate to a band called Kiss.   Kiss spent a lot of their career trying to keep up with current trends.  Their 1970’s style of rock helped create the 1980’s pop metal movement, strongly influencing bands like Motley Crue, LA Guns, WASP and Ratt.  In 1983, Kiss wiped off their makeup, updated their sound and fit in perfectly alongside this new 80s generation.  In the 90’s Kiss again kept up with the times with releases like Revenge (1992) and Carnival of Souls (1996).  Kiss always had well-written songs, but at some point it began to feel like they were trying too hard to keep up with the Joneses.  1996 marked a turning point for Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons when they welcomed back Ace and Peter to the band and put the iconic makeup back on.  This was definitive Kiss.  This was and still is the Kiss brand.  A few years later, Ace and Peter were out, but their makeup and image remained with new member playing their classic parts.  This is the Kiss that the world wants to see and most people don’t even care if it isn’t the real guys up there.
 
I just bought tickets to see Alice In Chains and I am looking forward to it, but when AIC first resurfaced as a band a few years back, I had my doubts.   Two of my favorite albums have always been Dirt (1992) and Facelift (1990) but this modern day version of AIC only has 2 of the 4 members that were part of those 2 amazing albums.  Mike Starr is long gone and Layne is long dead.   Layne Staley’s vocal style was such a part of AIC, how could this band ever exist without him?  The answer is by staying true to the signature style and sound of the Alice In Chains brand.  I was really blown away by Jerry Cantrell’s solo albums especially “Degradation Trip” (2002).  A lot of the songs on that album sounded like AIC.  When people would ask me what I was listening to I would tell them “Degradation Trip” by Jerry Cantrell and they would say, “Who?”  “You know, the guy from Alice In Chains,” I would tell them.  They would then usually say, “I love that band.” But they never bothered to check out Jerry’s solo album.  Cantrell is an amazing talent and really was more than 25% of Alice In Chains.  He was not only the guitar player but also the main songwriter and he sang co-lead and backing vocals too.  Even though his solo albums had great songs and a similar sound and vibe to AIC, people just weren’t interested.  Now that he has resurrected the Alice In Chains name, he once again has an audience for his art.
 
These are just 2 examples of how a band name and brand can be just as important as the members…    just ask David Gilmour, Axl Rose, Dave Mustaine, Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, Gary Holt, Gary Rossington, Pete Townshend, … etc.
 
Sometimes it is more about the survival of the spirit than the actual members.  Long Live Rock!
 
 
--Mark Strigl

---

Cool news.  You can now listen to Talking Metal using Stitcher.  This is a great service which allows you stream podcasts on the iPhone and the Google/Verizon Droid without having to download an MP3.  Download the Stitcher APP to your smart phone and look for Talking Metal in Culture and Lifestyle section under Music and Talk.
 


 
--Mark Strigl

---

Our friends at Revolver have a new calendar out for 2010 featuring the Hottest Chicks in Metal.
I have a few free copies of it for you. US RESDIENTS ONLY.

Send me an email if you are interested at talkingmetal@yahoo.com

I will randomly pick out a few winners.

http://secure.nps1.net/guitarworld/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=61

 
--Mark Strigl

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Rob Halford and Bud Friendy in the Talking Metal studio can be seen here.


 
--Mark Strigl

---

We recently shot some stuff for MTV2's Headbangers Ball with Zakk Wylde and Rob Halford.  Stay tuned to this news section for the air dates.



 
--Mark Strigl

---

TILL THE END is Zakk Wylde on vocals/piano, Bumblefoot on guitar, Mark Strigl on bass and John Ostronomy on drums. We all sang backing vocals along with anybody who happened to be in the room. It was recorded way back in December 2007 the night before Zakk played a sold out show with Ozzy at Madison Sq. Garden. Fooatge from the 13 hour songwriting and recording session were featured on our TV show. Here is the full song mixed by Bumblefoot. Enjoy! Download it here. <Mac users ctrl apple click.> We hope to be back on TV real soon with Zakk. This time during an upcoming episode of the Headbangers Ball.



 
--Mark Strigl

---

Talking Metal hits the pages of NJ´s Stepping Out Magazine´s metal issue. http://www.steppinoutmagazine.com/ Check John out on page 46 at this link.

I have a Top 5 list on page 45.
http://www.steppinoutmagazine.com/3dissue/111109/pageflip.html

Pick up a copy at bars, cafes and stores throughout the Garden State.


 
--Mark Strigl

---

Just got this press release in from Dan Lorenzo.
 
HADES Resisting Success line-up reunites-Announces only US show

For the first time since 1986, Hades classic Resisting Success line-up will perform together for two shows in April-the first will be a 10pm show on Wednesday April 21st at Dingbatz in Clifton NJ. Drummer Tom Coombs will perform with Hades for the first time since the cd Exist To Resist was released in 1994. Guitarist Scott LePage (who actually played bass on Saviorself and The Downside in 1999 and 2000)returns to lead guitar for Hades for the first time since recording Resisting Success.
"The German promoter from Keep It True kept telling me fans would really like an old school performance of songs from the first two albums", said guitarist Dan Lorenzo. Lorenzo continued, "When I relayed our conversations to (Hades bassist) Jimmy Schulman, Jimmy asked me what I thought about doing the show with Tom on drums and maybe having both Scott LePage and Ed Fuhrman perform. Ed passed on it, but Scott was really psyched when we first pitched the idea to him. It's a bit difficult with Jimmy living in L.A. and Scott in Dallas, but they'll both fly up for some rehearsals around the holidays then again right before we play at Keep It True. The night before we leave we'll be at Dingbatz on a Wednesday night...we'll go on at 10pm sharp."
Vocalist Alan Tecchio said, "I am so stoked that the legendary T. Coombs is going to be behind the drum kit for these two shows and I am sure the fans will feel the same way. Hades has made some great recordings since his departure but his signature style helped give the first four Hades recordings their unique sound. He and bassist Jimmy Schulman gave the band the progressive tag that got prog fans into what was essentially a thrash band."
As to why drummer T.Coombs rejoined at this time, Coombs said,
"I feel now Hades has come full circle. After all these years apart the things that led to the break up of the band do not matter anymore, and the good memories will inspire us to perform these songs again and enjoy the journey that started so long ago. I am also amazed that our die hard fans have kept the songs alive for almost 25 years.As a founding member of the band, it just feels right."
Hades live footage of the band performing the songs The Leaders? and Resist Success in 1987 can be seen herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3qeemG1l0Q&feature=related
The recently released Hades DVD "Bootlegged in Boston 1988" is now available in Best Buy's nationwide.
For more information on Hades visit http://www.Myspace.com/hadesusa
HADES HOT SAUCE IS HERE!

Fresh on the heels of the announcement that the original HADES line-up is reuniting for 2 shows this April, comes Hades Hot Sauce. Seriously, what band name invokes heat more than Hades? Hades hot sauce (Persephone's Fire) was created, not just as another novelty hot sauce that burns your mouth, but as a real tasteful hot sauce with a smokey flavor.
Hades vocalist Alan Tecchio said, "There are lots of hot sauces out there that try to out-burn each other. Persephone's Fire actually tastes great but still carries some kick for those that like it hot."

To purchase Hades hot sauce click here  http://www.frommildtowild.com/xcart/product.php?productid=364&cat=25&page=1 or for large orders call 902 482-0900.

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Most of you know that I have a dog named Ozzy. He is now 2.5 years old and about 85 pounds. Anyway now there is another dog named Ozzy. He is in Indiana and was paid for by the Ozzy and Jack Osbourne. Check it out here.


 
--Mark Strigl

---

Sunday's Premiere:
Adult Swim: Metalocalypse at 1230a


 
--Mark Strigl

---

As many of you have read on Blabbermouth yesterday, Zakk has been sober over 3 months now. I think this is awesome news. We want this guy to stay healthy. We hung out with Mr. Wylde this morning. I would like to tell you all that Zakk's recent health issues with the blood clots had nothing to do with his drinking. Zakk's doctor told him this. I have read some stuff online applying that it was because of his drinking and I am telling you that it was not. We recorded an interview with him for the podcast and also shot it on video. Some of the video clips will be seen in an upcoming episode of Headbangers Ball on MTV2.
 


 
--Mark Strigl

---

The biggest Metal News of the day is there is none because Blabbermouth.net has been down.   Just kidding, there is still news happening even though them mighty Blabbermouth is having work done.
 
I suggest adding Bravewords to your favorites.  It is another great metal news site.


 
--Mark Strigl

---

Revolver are back with more hot chicks - The Hottest Chicks in Metal 2010.
 
Check it out here.
 



 
--Mark Strigl

---

Memories of the TM TV show which reruns yet again this weekend can be read here.

 
--Mark Strigl

---

Tune in to upcoming TM podcast episodes for a chance to win great prizes and meet Zakk Wylde.
 
Here is a special audio message from the man himself.  Listen here.
 
--Mark Strigl

---

 

 
 
Talking Metal's John Ostronomy appeared in a recent Artistan News Service segment on Ace Frehley. The footage was shot during an in-store appearance at Looney Tunes in West Babylon, NY.
 
Check out the video here.
 
Click for larger images:
Image 1 (John Ostronomy walking Ace Frehley into Looney Tunes with umbrella)
Image 2 (John Ostronomy, Ace Frehley, and Mike Suppa)
 

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Check out these photos of Mark and John with Alive (NE) at the second official Ace Frehley "Anomaly" listening party in New York, NY on 9/11/09.
 
Click for larger images Image 1 Image 2
 
-- John Ostronomy
 

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--Mark Strigl

---

 

These shows are getting a little dated at this point but Fuse still airs them.
 
Tune into Talking Metal on Fuse:
October 3rd 2009 5pm EST – Don Dokken/Mike Patton episode.
October 3rd, 2009 5:30pm EST – Slash/Vinne Paul episode
October 4th, 2009 1am EST – Ozzy/Kerry King
October 4th, 2009 1:30am – Killswitch Engage/Lamb Of God
 
 
 


--Mark Strigl

---

 

Add Dave Grohl's name to the long list of musicians who will play on Slash's upcoming solo album.  
 
 


--Mark Strigl

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These guys put out an EP a few years back that was unbelievably good. I am looking forward to the full length from them in November. Here is the press release:
 
THE COMPANY BAND Gear Up For A Busy Fall Schedule; Digital Single Planned For Early October THE COMPANY BAND, featuring vocalist Neil Fallon, drummer Jess Margera, guitarists Jim Rota and Dave Bone with bassist Brad Davis, today confirm November 10 as the release date of their full length debut. The self-titled album was recorded in Los Angeles earlier this year and teamed the band with renowned producer/engineer Andrew Alekel (Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters). The band will release in advance to the album a special digital-only single featuring the album track “It’s A Confusing World” with an exclusive cover of BTO’s “Not Fragile.” The single will be available for download via various DSP’s in early October. “It was pretty awesome to get everyone into a studio together and make this record,” reveals Jess Margera of the album’s recording process. “I never thought it would happen given that everyone has insanely crazy touring schedules. But sure enough the results turned out amazing. It was a strange reality for me, personally, as I am a huge fan of Fireball Ministry, Clutch and Fu Manchu. So to be in a room playing drums with members of all those bands was kind of unbelievable." “It's not very often that one gets to write and play music with people that they respect as well consider family,” says Jim Rota. “This band is a dream come true.” “Good times and great friends made this music that we are proud to bring you,” adds Dave Bone. “So pick up your balls and load up your cannons for the 21 gun salute!” Founded by Margera (CKY) with Rota (Fireball Ministry) and Dave Bone in 2006, THE COMPANY BAND originally got together to jam among friends. Their initial recordings were laid down for the band’s 2008’s mini-album Sign Here, Here, And Here. It quickly sold through its limited pressing and has continued to be a popular digital seller via CDBaby.com and others since release. Restricted Release has now pressed it on a special 10-inch available now exclusively through the label’s Amazon store. The vinyl pressing features exclusive artwork and is hand-numbered; limited to 1000 copies.


--Mark Strigl

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Ozzy Osbourne will be on hand to receive the prestigious Billboard Legend of Live Award at the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards on November 5th in NYC.
 
“Ozzy has altered the course of rock music and live performance through his work with Black Sabbath and as a hugely popular solo artist, and his continued commitment to playing live makes him the perfect choice for The Billboard Legend Of Live Award,” says Ray Waddell, Billboard’s executive director of content and programming, Touring & Live Entertainment. “There is no doubt that Ozzy’s impact on live music, including pioneering the multi-act rock festival touring with Ozzfest, will be felt for many years to come, and his efforts continue to shape the touring landscape in this century.”
 
For more information about the 6th annual Billboard Touring Conference and Awards, please visit billboardevents.com.

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If you went to your local Best Buy yesterday to buy the new Ace Frehley album, Anomaly, and they didn't have it in stock you were not alone. I hit the Best Buy on 5th Ave in NYC where I ran into Paulie from ZO2 and another Kiss fan. We were all there for the same reason, to buy the new Ace CD, the only problem was they did NOT have it.

I then checked at Barnes and Noble where they sell a ton of CDs. They also did not have the new Ace CD.

From what I am told this was a problem all over the country. Ace's people are not happy about this. They were assured by the distributor that is would be in stores on 9/15 and this was not the case. I am told that as of today all Best Buy stores will now have Anomaly in stock.

You can also get the album in download form at most online outlets such as iTunes.


--Mark Strigl

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Watch for Black Label Society/Speed X guitarist Nick Catanese's new Evil Twin signature model from PRS Guitars to come out this fall!  
 
Nick's band Speed X will also release their first CD, "Flat Black," at the end of October.
 
The release will be followed by a support tour.
 
Photos courtesy of Evil Twin HQ
 
Click for larger photos: Image 1 Image 2 Image 3

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KISS unveiled their new costumes at www.kissonline.com. The images were taken during a photo shoot for their new Alive! 35 tourbook.
 
Paul Stanley also posed with a new guitar similar to his 1970s style Gibson Flying V.
 
Photos courtesy of Dean Snowden/KISS Online
 
Click for larger photos: Image 1 Image 2

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Talking Metal will host a second official Ace Frehley "Anomaly" listening party in New York City at Don Hill's on Friday, September 11 at 7 PM.
 
ALIVE! the KISS tribute from New England will perform, and there will be giveaways of signed CDs and posters from Ace!
 
For tickets and information, please call (212) 219-2850 or visit www.donhills.com.
 
-- John Ostronomy

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Eddie is now on Twitter.
 
He reported rehearsing a few cool songs yesterday -  "Drop Dead Legs", "Girl Gone Bad" and "Outta Love Again"!


--Mark Strigl

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Remember RIP magazine?  One the best Rock magazines of all time run by Lonn Friend. Well, RIP is back from Resting In Peace.... well sort of anyway. Check out the new RIP FILES site.
 
Buy one of those cool vintage RIP t-shirts while you are there.
 
 
Speaking of T-shirts support Talking Metal by buying one of our new shirts in the STORE section of this site.
 
 
--Mark Strigl

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Talking Metal has been informed that Zakk Wylde's medical condition is showing signs of improvement. He hopes to be leaving Eugene, OR where he has been in the hospital for blood clots and head to California.

Zakk is the man. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.



--Mark Strigl

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Velvet Revolver update. Matt Sorum will tour with Motorhead. Slash is planning a solo tour. His first Slash solo gig will be in Las Vegas on 10/3/09. Expect to hear songs off his upcoming solo album and GnR, VR and Snakepit classics. Slash started mixing his solo album today. He is also working on a new guitar for Gibson which will be modeled after the guitar he used to record AFD. Right around the time Slash started teaming up with Axl he switched from BC Rich to Gibson. Axl is a big fan of Les Pauls and was more then supportive of Slash doing this.

--Mark Strigl

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Ace Frehley recently had this to say about Dimebag in a recent Talking Metal exclusive.

Ace Frehley on Dimebag Darrell

Ace: "We all miss him. He was a great person and a great musician. I will never forget the first time I met him, I was doing a photo session for Guitar Player or… Guitar World??? One of those. I remember there was a problem, I was doing the Frehley´s Comet thing at the time, as to whether or not I could wear the makeup or whether there would be a contractual thing. Someone came up with the idea that Dave "Snake" Sabo and Dimebag Darrell should wear the makeup and I wouldn´t wear makeup. I met Dimebag that day and we became instant friends. He invited me to his home and I spent a weekend at his joint in Dallas. Just a grea guy. Him and Rita had such a great life together. It is such a tradgey what happen and we all miss him a great deal. He was a great friend. What else can you say about him. Just a wonderful guy. He never had a bad word to say about anybody. A sweetheart of a guy."


Dimebag Darrell had a tattoo of Ace Frehley.

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Gus G. OK. Fine but we still don't know that he is going to be a real permanent band member. Remember Joe Holmes? that guy was in the band after Zakk and before Zakk came back.... for many years, recorded with Ozzy on Down To Earth only to have his parts deleted. At this point in time I am NOT calling Gus G. Zakk's replacement. First off you can't replace someone like Zakk. Secondly, who knows if Gus G. will even be still playing with Ozzy in a months time. I don't... AND neither do any of these other sites who are announcing him as a new member of Ozzy's band. Does anybody know who Ozzy's new drummer is? Mike is back in Faith No More. It does appear that Blasko is still in the band. Have a good weekend.
--Mark Strigl
 
Update:  Tommy Clufetos from Rob Zombie's band played the gig.

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I had a great time at the official Talking Metal listening party for Ace Frehley´s Anomaly. John Ostronomy was personally asked by Ace to organize and host this private event for a small group of fans to listen to the album. I would guess there was about 50 people on hand at Dixie´s bar on the west side of Manhattan to hear the new album and throw back a few drinks. Among those attending the party were Derek Hawkins (formerly of Stabbing Westward and currently in Ace´s band), Frank Ferrer (Pisser and Guns N Roses), Rob Bailey (Pisser, Mandy Moore´s band and Delta Goodrem´s band), Brian Delaney (New York Dolls), and actor Jose Hernandez Jr. (HBO´s Oz and America´s Most Wanted).

It was a real honor for me to hang out and talk with a bunch of true Ace and Kiss fans and listen to the amazing new album.

Be sure to buy it in stores and on iTunes September 15th.

--Mark Strigl

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About 10 years ago, while interviewing Greg Allman for VH1 he told me that he thought Metallica sucked and told me they were not real music. 
 
In a recent issue of Rolling Stone, Cream drummer Ginger Baker had this to say: “They credited us with the birth of that sort of heavy metal thing. Well, if that's the case, there should have been an immediate abortion.”
 
One of my favorite rockers of all time, Neil Young, was recently asked by Guitar World magazine what he thinks of metal players.
 
Here is Young's response:  I love that music.  It’s like classical rock n roll.  The Scorpions, Iron Maiden…  That whole thing is quite strong.  It’s an art form in itself.  That’s the thing about metal:  some people think one band is great and another is shit, while a normal person standing there couldn’t tell the difference between the two.  So I was never a metalhead, but I’ll listen to a guy like Zakk Wylde play guitar.  And I know a lot of metal guys.  They come to our shows because there’s something we do that I guess they connect with.
 


--Mark Strigl

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Talking Metal will host the official New York City listening party for Ace Frehley's "Anomaly" on Tuesday, August 18th at 8:00 PM.
 
When: Tuesday, August 18 at 8:00 PM
Where: New York, NY
(Address will be provided to those selected)
 
If you would like to attend this event, please e-mail
your name, address, and telephone number to talkingmetal@yahoo.com! 
Each person chosen will be notified via e-mail and receive two tickets.

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Today, we lost a friend, teacher, innovator, inventor, musician, guitarist, legend, and so much more.
 
We love you Les Paul...you will always be the greatest!
 
-- Ostronomy
 
Pictured: Anna Avagyan, Les Paul, and John Ostronomy
Photos: Copyright 2009 Talking Metal
 

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Devin Townsend will be the guest on the next episode of the Talking Metal podcast.
 
 



















--Mark Strigl

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Talking Metal's Metal Mike has open an all-metal music school in NJ.  Please view the website here.
 
 
 

--Mark Strigl

---

 

Check out Talking Metal podcast episode 276 to hear Ace recount the recording of the cut "Ghengis Khan" which features Pearl Aday singing background vocals.
 

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I am now back on Facebook as "Mark TalkingMetal"
You can also follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/strigl




--Mark Strigl

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Did you miss our killer interview last week with Devin Townsend?  If so, tune in tonight at 7pm for the full unedited in show from last Tuesday.
 
The next Talking Metal Live will be Aug. 25.   Lizzy from Vains Of Jenna might call in.   They have a new album coming out in September.
 
 
 

--Mark Strigl

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Photo: Justin Borucki
 
Click here to see a larger image. 

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In the recent issue of Wired magazine, Brad Pitt (or someone writing for him) gives bad advice in a feature called Ask A Basterd.  In the question someone ask him about kicking someone out of their video game Rock Band band.  In his answer Brad mentions that "all great artist go solo eventually.  Just think of Ronnie James Frickin Dio"
 
Page 84 - Wired - Aug 2009.
 
--Mark Strigl

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Eddie Van Halen is recovering after having hand surgery. Rolling Stone reports: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/23/exclusive-eddie-van-halen-recovering-after-hand-surgery/ 
 
--Mark Strigl

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Check out this great photo posted online by John's childhood friend, Stacy Rhodes! It' John (left), friends, Stacy, and Bruce Dickinson.
 
The gang pictured, along with friend and artist, Len Hoffman (who had an Eddie tatoo!), won a contest for creating the best Iron Maiden banner.  The prizes were backstage passes!
 
Click here to see a larger image.
 

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Credits: Jim Felber/Gibson Musical Instruments
 
(Links to larger images are available in the "show notes" section on the homepage.)
 

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Press release from Dan Lorenzo...


HADES who released the classics "Resisting Success and "If at First You Don't Succeed" back in the 80s (before disbanding and getting back together in 1999 to release three cds in three years for Metal Blade Records) have posted their first live footage seen here. The songs featured are "The Leaders?" and "Resist Success" were performed at the China Club in Hillsdale NJ in 1987 shortly after guitarist Ed Fuhrman replaced Scott LePage. Cruz Del Sur Records released HADES only DVD "Bootlegged in Boston 1988" last year in Europe and this year in America. HADES members Alan Tecchio, Dan Lorenzo, Jimmy Schulman, Ed Fuhrman and Ron Lipnicki will reunite and perform at the Keep It True Festival in Germany in April of 2010. The band will also most likely perform a show in NJ or NYC the night before leaving for Europe. For more information visit www.myspace.com/hadesusa



--Mark Strigl

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Award-winning Glendale, AZ heavy music powerhouse JOB FOR A COWBOY lands at #42 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart this week with its sophomore album, Ruination. The record dropped on July 7 in North American via Metal Blade Records and shifted nearly 11,000 units in just its first week of release.


--Mark Strigl

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Slash confirmed last night on his Twitter account that Velvet Revolver is still together and still looking for a singer.

GnR drummer, Frank Ferrer, will be appearing on our You Tube channel sometime in the near future.

--Mark Strigl

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Stephanie Oritz is a student, volunteer, and Hooters bartender. She is currently working with the non-profit organization, Cross Cultural Solutions, to take a trip to Thailand to provide art therapy to needy children. Stephanie recently took time to visit John Ostronomy at the New York Gibson Guitars showroom for a photo session and Talking Metal interview (available in Episode 272) to promote a charity iPod raffle. Proceeds will be used to support Stephanie's overseas trip.
 
Please click here for more great images from the photo session as well as complete details on how to participate in the raffle!
 

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Check out Mark's latest solo music-based episode online now featuring music from Dan Lorenzo, Thin Lizzy, and Pentagram!
 
Stay tuned for two more episodes this week featuring Brendon Small, creator of Metalocalypse, and John Kevill of Warbringer.
 
-- John Ostronomy
 

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Ace Frehley launched a brand new, space-age website at AceFrehley.com!  The site features news, photos, video, streaming audio, an "Ask Ace" section, and everything else you would expect from the Space Ace! Check out a streaming sample of "Sister," a blistering track appearing on his upcoming Bronx Born Records release, Anomaly.  
 
Gibson guitars will also be producing a brand new Ace Frehley signature model later this year.  More to follow, but let me assure you, it is going to rock! Stay tuned to TalkingMetal.com!
 
-- John Ostronomy
 

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Wendell Green has passed away.  He was a good friend to many rockers such as Slash.  He use to run the door at the Whiskey Bar and The Standard.   People tell me he was a real gentleman.
 
 
-- Mark Strigl

 

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Dr. Rockzo will return in season 3 of Metalocalypse - Adult Swim cartoon show. 


-- Mark Strigl

 

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Follow Scott Ian on Twitter - http://twitter.com/Scott_Ian
 
Here is a video of Scott talking about Poker 
 
 
-- Mark Strigl
 
 

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Hey guys, Just wanted to let you know that my friend Steve and I are taking the live stream that brings you Talking Metal Live to the next level.  The official launch will hopefully be on September 1st but in the meantime take a sneak peak at Bionic Strigl Radio on Live 365 now.  We will be bringing you a bunch of cool shows including F-Bombs For Everyone with Dan Lorenzo, the Metal Moment show, Strigl's Music News and of course Talking Metal.  The next Live broadcast will be July 21st starting around 7pm EST.
 
There is a ton of great metal music streaming up there now.  If you are looking for a good Internet Radio station, listen to Bionic Strigl Radio!  24/7.
 
-- Mark Strigl
 
 

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Getting ready to meet up with Brendon Small, creator of Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse," for a Talking Metal interview.
 
Brendon, Mark, and I all attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and we're mutual fans of each other's work, so the interview should turn out great!
 
-- John Ostronomy

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MTV's Headbanger's Ball Podcast seems to be 100% dead.  The last episode they posted was back on 2/20/09.  The Headbanger's Blog seems to still by alive but our friend, Jon Weiderhorn, is no longer updating it.  Jose Mangin recently told Metal Injection that he will take over has the host of the TV version of Headbanger's Ball on MTV2 in 2010.
 
Talking Metal still rules as the most popular hard rock/metal podcast, too bad MTV, better luck next time.
 
 
-- Mark Strigl

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Exposay.com reports that Gene Simmons of KISS was frisked by an off-duty cop (in uniform) in Beverly Hills, California.  Photos are available here.
 
I wonder if this event will be broadcast on an upcoming episode of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," one of A&E's highest rated programs.
 
Gene has always been an idol to me, and he's taught me some very important life lessons.  No matter what anyone says about him, he's laughing all the way to the bank!  Plus, regarding Ostronomy, Gene said, "Great name!  Galileo on guitar!"
 
 
-- John Ostronomy

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Talking Metal family member, Metal Mike, will be a special guest at Paul Green's School Of Rock in Cherry Hill, NJ on 8/3!!!!  Metal Mike is currently hard at work on his solo album called File Under Metal.
 
 
-- Mark Strigl
 

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I just found out the creator of this show is a big fan of Talking Metal.  Pretty cool considering we love his show.
 
We hope to hang with Brendon later this week when he comes to NYC.
 
 
In a bump on June 14, 2009, Adult Swim revealed that the third season would air in November and The Dethalbum II would be released September 8. On June 22 it was announced season 3 would have 30 minute episodes^[1].
 
--  Mark Strigl

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The 69 Eyes are Back in Blood
New Album Released September 15
 
Produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet)
New Music Video directed by Bam Margera
 
I am a big fan of Matt's work.
 
 
-- Mark Strigl
 

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A killer commercial for Ace Frehley's new album, "Anomaly," has been posted on Ace's YouTube page.
 
The album will be released worldwide on September 15.
 
Ace is back, and he told you so!
 
-- John Ostronomy
 

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I have don some work with Glendale, Arizona death metal band, Job For A Cowboy, through Gibson Guitars.  Their entire new album, "Ruination," is available for streaming on their MySpace page.
 
The album will be released in North America on July 7 via Metal Blade Records.
 
-- John Ostronomy
 

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I'm currently listening to Orianthi. She's a young Australian guitarist who has worked with artists including Steve Vai, Carlos Santana, Carrie Underwood, and most recently, Michael Jackson.
 
Check out her Highly Strung Duet with Steve Vai on her MySpace page.
 
 
Photo: Courtesy of myspace.com/orianthi
Caption: Steve Vai and Orianthi
 
 
-- John Ostronomy