Michael Sweet Gives Us The Rundown of The New Stryper Release on This Weeks Focus on Metal

  Episode 473 - Even The Devil Believes

So this week we start off with some chat about drive in concert events and the new Rust in Peace book but we managed to rein in our metal chatter long enough to have another chat with Michael Sweet. Yep, Michael makes yet another appearance the show this week as we talk with him about Stryper’s latest release “Even The Devil Believes”

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Guitarist Bill Leverty Guests on This Weeks Focus on Metal

  

Episode 472 - Divided We Fall

Firehouse guitarist Bill Leverty has just released his fifth solo release. It’s been 7 years since Bill released “Drive” but this year he finally rolled out “Divided We Fall”. This week we’ll talk with Bill about the latest release and also take the opportunity to get the story behind the 1995 Firehouse album “3”.

If you want to pick up your own copy of “Divided We Fall” head to Leverty.com

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Producer Beau Hill Talks Twisted Sister & Ratt on This Weeks Focus on Metal

 

Episode 471 - Reach For The Suckers

This week we sit down once again with producer Beau Hill. The topic this week is a late 80s double header. First up we discuss Twisted Sister’s 87 effort “Love is For Suckers” and after that we delve into the stories behind Ratt’s 88 release “Reach For The Sky”.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

We honor "The Headmaster" Martin Birch on this weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 470 - The Headmaster

This week we opted to honor legendary engineer and producer Martin Birch. Of course we could have done some long discussion on his legacy but being FoM we had do something a little different. So we are going old school FoM with a full discussion episode as we compare what we think are the top five Martin Birch albums. Rest in peace Headmaster.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Dave Reynolds Guests Once Again on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 469 - Europe and The Rise of Melodic Metal

We had Dave Reynolds on as our guest for the final two episodes of our large format Kerrang! project. This week we have him back to talk about (of all things) Europe and the rise of melodic metal. Given his background and history of the bands he wrote about it seemed like a good fit.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Mark Slaughter takes us through the making of "Stick It To Ya" on this weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 468 - Stick It To Ya

Yep after enjoying a good chunk of time off we are back with more Focus on Metal.

Little issue with the feed today BUT it's fixed and the latest episode is live.

January 23rd 1990 Slaughter puts out their debut album “Stick It To Ya” on Chrysalis. With three singles released in 1990 alone this album has become a classic. With 30 years under its belt We sat down months ago with Mark Slaughter to talk all about the story behind this classic release.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Armored Saint reveals details for new album, 'Punching The Sky'; launches video for first single, "End of the Attention Span"

 

On October 23rd, Armored Saint will release their eighth full-length, Punching The Sky, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of the album, a video for the new single, "End of the Attention Span" (directed by Robert Graves // ashadowbeyond.com), can be viewed at: metalblade.com/armoredsaint 

Bassist Joey Vera comments: "We've teamed up with video director Robert Graves for our first single, 'End of the Attention Span'. Robert got the lyrical content right away and together we delved into society's ongoing fascination with electronic devices and the insidious disconnect it creates. The irony is that most of us feel connected together through our phone and computer screens, but the reality is that we have created a wedge between ourselves. Our human interactions have been infected with an intense need for information. We're always 'looking' for more. The end result is a very damaged attention span." 

Pre-order Punching The Sky now at metalblade.com/armoredsaint in the following formats: 
- digipak-CD
- ltd. digibook-CD/DVD (incl. 3 bonus tracks) 
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive) 
- clear purple / white marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies) 
- dark violet marbled vinyl w/ 7" & patch (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 300 copies) 
- signal orange marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies) 
- white w/ purple & red splatter vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 200 copies) 
- purple / red melt vinyl (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 100 copies) 
- deep purple marbled vinyl (US exclusive) 
- lavender marbled vinyl w/ 7" & patch (US exclusive) 

Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint's Punching The Sky sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it's everything the band's faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. "The goal is to write really good music. I know I'm stating the obvious here but that's about the size of our agenda," says bassist Joey Vera. "We've been able to shed a lot of expectations that sometimes plague a band like ours that has been around a long time, and we've recently moved into a comfort zone with just being ourselves. We have this kind of freedom now that we didn't really have early in our career, and we can take some chances and make the kind of music that wewant to hear. This record is a reflection of where we are at, right now." Exploding to life with the crunchy, rousing "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants" and not letting up until the closing ruthless riff of "Never You Fret", the record is possessed of an urgency and vigor which very much places it in the right now, but could only be the work of Vera, guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and vocalist John Bush. "When you're a band that began four decades ago, you really have to push yourself harder than ever when it comes to making a new record," states Bush. "The last thing you ever want is for it to appear as though you were going through the motions or that you're just putting a product out to do some touring. The records are immortal. They'll be here long after us. Every one needs to count in its own individual way." 

With Vera acting as producer, he recruited the same engineering team that worked on Win Hands Down with drums recorded by Josh Newell at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, CA, guitars tracked by Bill Metoyer at Skullseven studios in North Hollywood, CA, and vocals, bass and additional recordings by the bassist at his studio. "I like working with people that I trust and have a good personal rapport with. That same reason is why I hired Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stonesour) to mix the record. It's important to be able to work with people who understand what the end goal is." The process of realizing the album was a lot of hard work, Vera admitting he took on too many of the tasks himself, but he states that overall it was a good experience and everyone brought their A-game to the table and the right attitude for getting things done. "At the end of the mixing stage, I always have a hard time walking away from the project we've been working on for so long. It's hard to let it go. The end result is good though. Everyone played and sang their asses off and it shows." The record also features a few guest musicians further expanding its sonic palette, the whole thing kicking off with the sound of Uilleann Pipes, Vera finding player Patrick D'Arcy in LA and recruiting him to the cause. Guns 'N' Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed also contributes, Vera giving both him and D'Arcy some general directions and letting them loose, both of them delivering strong performances. The band's own Gonzo Sandoval plays an American Indian flute on "Never You Fret" - a first for Armored Saint and their drummer. Also Jacob Ayala, the son of a childhood friend who is a drum major in high school, added some marching snare on one of the tracks, which really stands out. 

With the band's place in the metal scene firmly reestablished with Punching The Sky, they are staring down their four decade anniversary, which Vera reflects on. "Part of me feels like I can't believe we've been doing this for that long. It's kind of incredible. So I feel pretty damn lucky really, that we've been able to have the support from fans and our record company for all these years. Without this support, we really couldn't do any of this. So this is the big part of what has kept us going, and when I stop and look around, I am humbled that we've had this opportunity to make music and tour for such a long time. That's what our initial goal was back when we were just 18 years old." 

Punching The Sky track-listing
1. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
2. End of the Attention Span
3. Bubble
4. My Jurisdiction
5. Do Wrong to None
6. Lone Wolf
7. Missile to Gun
8. Fly in the Ointment
9. Bark, No Bite
10. Unfair
11. Never You Fret 

Armored Saint online:
http://armoredsaint.com
https://www.facebook.com/thearmoredsaint
https://twitter.com/thearmoredsaint
https://www.instagram.com/thearmoredsaint

Metal Mike Rijswijk Talks Aardschok on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 467 - Aardschok

January 30th 1982, “Metal Mike” Rijswijk presented the first Aardschok festival. Like the launch of the long running magazine the festival was another major milestone in metal. The festival was last held in 1999 but the tradition in the Netherlands is carried on by Dynamo Open Air. Since none of us are going to enjoy any of the mighty festivals this year we figured we’d get “Metal Mike” on the show to talk about the history of the Aardschok Festival and it’s parent magazine.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Adrian Vandenberg Guests on This Bonus Episode of Focus on Metal

Episode 466SE - Vandenberg 2020

May 29th marked the first release in 37 years for the band Vandenberg as they rolled out “2020”. In this episode We’ll talk with Adrian Vandenberg about the decision to relaunch his namesake band and the the ensuing album. Plus we’ll talk a little Whitesnake and Moon Kings too.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Talks With Mark Weiss And James Christian on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 466 - The Weiss Guy

Longtime photographer Mark Weiss just published his first book “The Decade That Rocked: The Photography of Mark “Weissguy” Weiss”. Mark is on the show this week to gives us his insights into the music scene and to talk about what inspired him to finally release a book that celebrates the decade that rocked. 

Get your own personalized copy of Mark’s book at: TheDecadeThatRocked.com

Also this week we talk again with House of Lords vocalist James Christian as they release their latest “New World-New Eyes”.

Here's the title track off the new album

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Flotsam And Jetsam Guitarist Michael Gilbert Returns on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 465 - Flotsback

May 1st, 1990 Arizona’s metal vanguards Flotsam And Jetsam released their third studio effort “When The Storm Comes Down”. This was their first release with MCA and they had a lot of expectations behind this one that never materialized to the level they expected. This week we have a throwback episode as we talk with founding guitarist Michael Gilbert about the story behind this release.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Michael Angelo Batio Guests Once Again on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 464 - More Machine Than Man

On June 12th guitarist Michael Angelo Batio will release latest his solo release “More Machine Than Man” via Rat Pak Records. This week we welcome him back to the show to discuss the new album, guitars, and several other topics.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Guitarist Brandon Cook Guests on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 463 - The Loyal Order

This week we have guitarist Brandon Cook on the show. Some of you may know Brandon from Black ’N Blue where he’s been holding down axe duties since 2017. This week though he’s with us to talk about his other band The Loyal Order. In case you’re wondering yep we do have some classic Black ’N Blue talk in here too.

Check out the track Ready For Dead

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Mitch Perry & Ron Keel on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 462 - Mitch & Ron

Couldn’t think of a clever title this week so I’m going with Mitch and Ron cuz that’s who’s on the show this week Mitch Perry and Ron Keel. Yep we finally have one of the guitar greats, Mitch Perry on the show talking about the new Mitch Perry Group release “Music Box”. 

We also welcome back the metal cowboy Ron Keel to talk about the latest Ron Keel Band release “South x South Dakota”.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Author James Curl Talks Dokken on This Weeks Bonus Episode of Focus on Metal

Episode 461SE - Into The Fire

We’ve had author James Curl on the show before when he released his great Dio book. Well he’s back again and the occasion is the publication of “Dokken: Into The Fire And Other Embers Of 80s Metal” 

So lots of Dokken conversation on this bonus episode of Focus on Metal.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Revisiting Hurricane's Slave to The Thrill With Doug Aldrich & Tony Cavazo on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 461 - Slave to The Thrill

30 years ago this coming July Hurricane released their third studio album “Slave to The Thrill”. The band wouldn’t put out another release until 2001’s “Liquifury”. This week we talk with bassist Tony Cavazo and guitarist Doug Aldrich about their memories of this release.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Carl Canedy Returns on This Bonus Episode of Focus on Metal

Episode 460SE - Warrior

On May 8th Carl Canedy released his latest solo effort under the name Canedy with “Warrior”. Warrior is 10 tracks of the kind of classic metal we’ve come to expect from Carl. Beside Carl there’s also Mike Santarsiero on vocals. Charlie Russello handling guitars and synth stuff. Tony Garuba handles bass, takes some vocals duties and also throws in some metal cello. Head over to CanedyBand.com for your own copy.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

The Rebirth of Hair on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 460 - The Rise of Hair

This week we are joined by author Christopher P Hilton. In March he published The Spectacular Rise, Fall & Rebirth of Hair Metal. As a self professed fan of what is now known as hair metal Christopher is uniquely positioned to write a book like this. Find out all about it on this weeks FoM.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Anthem: Rush In The '70s- Martin Popoff (ECW Press)

There's no shortage of Rush books from Martin. He did Contents Under Pressure with the co-operation of the band, a couple of years ago he followed that up with beautiful coffee table books Rush: The Illustrated History and Rush: Album By Album featuring guest reviews of all their releases. In other words a wealth of reading and opinions. So after all that what is really left to tell? That is why I approached this book with caution, I thought it would be rehashed material bound in a new cover. How wrong I was.

For those who don't know Martin was involved with Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen at Banger Films on the documentary Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage. We all know how good that was, in my opinion it was superb. Award winning. With something like that there are edits and lots of them, some interviews make the bonus features of the dvd, most are never used. So Martin got access to all of it to flesh out the story. Think of this book as holding the unedited script of the documentary. Or the finished version with 20 hours of bonus extras. None of it crap.

This is the first book in a trilogy and is all about the band's beginnings up to Hemispheres. It features contributions from all three band members, their family members, manager Ray Daniels, producer Terry Brown, road crew members, Cliff Burnstein and many more. Each album is given a chapter, the band's early years over 60 pages and the debut album over 100!

You learn how friendship, loyalty and determination made the band and how touring nearly killed them. The real ingredients to the songs. The work back then was insane, no time off. Album tour album tour album tour in dodgy vehicles yet they somehow made it all work. You also find out what bands were nice to them when they opened (Kiss) and who were not (Aerosmith) and the lessons they learned when it came to their treatment of openers when they headlined.

All the text is housed in a beautiful leather bound hard back book with two color photo sections. If you are a fan of the band this is a must read, I loved the book and this is shaping up to be some of Martin's best work. It's released on May 12th and you can get it at the links below. The next installment of the story Limelight: Rush In The '80s is released in September and that is my favorite era of the band, the closing Driven book to finish the story is out in April 2021.

Richie.

http://www.martinpopoff.com/html/bookslist.html

https://ecwpress.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Popoff-ebook/dp/B083W2QWVB/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=martin+popoff+rush&qid=1589048011&sr=8-1

Michael Alago Guests on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 459 - Breathing Music

Honestly any one of the three phrases on the the cover of the new book “I Am Michael Alago” would have made a great episode title but Breathing Music seems to sum it up best. This week we talk with the A&R guy who most famously signed Metallica to Elektra records. But he has done, and has lived through so much more. So listen to our chat with Michael Alago and then do yourself a favor and get a copy of his book. It’s a worthy way to spend your quarantine time.

Here's quick interview clip from London Real TV

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Martin Popoff Guests on This Weeks Bonus Episode of FoM

Episode 458 SE - Denim and Leather

Yep, another bonus episode. This time we sit down once again with author and perennial guest Martin Popoff. Martin always has a steady stream of hard rock and metal titles rolling out and this time we focus on the two latest ones.

First we look at the first one in his upcoming massive Rush trilogy “Anthem:Rush in The ’70s” which looks at the early years. After that we get to his first book focusing solely on Saxon, “Denim And Leather:Saxon’s First Ten Years” which focuses on the band through 1989.

These will sell fast so grab your own copy direct from the source at MartinPopoff.com

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Eric Peterson & Mike LePond on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 458 - Titans of Babylon

On April 3rd Testament released their 13th studio album “Titians of Creation” via Nuclear Blast. Founding guitarist (and only constant member) Eric Peterson joins us to give us all the updates on the album and everything else going on with the Bay Area thrashers. 

After that we talk once again with Symphony X bassist Mike LePond about his latest progressive metal effort DeadRisen with guitarist Rod Rivera. Mike remains an ever busy guy as he does press for this as he prepares to launch the latest Silent Assassins release “Whore of Babylon”. We haven’t talked to Mike since 2018’s Pawn and Prophecy so its a good time to catch up. 

A Taste of DeadRisen

Here's the first single off "Whore of Babylon" 

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Tesla's Brian Wheat Guests on This Bonus Episode of Focus on Metal

Episode 457 SE - Jammin’

This weeks bonus episode is a quick chat with Tesla bassist Brian Wheat about their new release “Five Man London Jam” recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studios. We also delve into some other Tesla discussion and we have a bit of a social distanced cohost chat.

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Metal Church Vocalist Mike Howe and Havok's David Sanchez Guest on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 457 - Havoc Church

Digging into a few new releases this week. First up we talk with vocalist Mike Howe about the new Metal Church release “From The Vault” from our friends at Rat Pak. After that we talk with David Sanchez about Havok’s upcoming fifth studio lease entitled very fittingly “V”. Another great new one brought to us by the Century Media.

Head to RatPakRecordsAmerica.com/metal-church to get your own copy of "From The Vault".

Here's the track "Dead on The Vine


Head to HavokBand.com to preorder your own copy of "V"

And from V here's the advance track "Phantom Force".

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or subscribe on iTunes.

You can hear us every Tuesday night on Pure Rock Radio
and each Wednesday afternoon on Metal World Radio

Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

And as always
Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

The Spectacular Rise, Fall and Rebirth Of Hair Metal- Christopher P. Hilton

 

   The cover of this book states hair metal was an era not to be forgotten. That's certainly true now with countless arena package tours doing good business. Heck even Ratt are in the new Geico commercial. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of most of what is termed "hair metal" and like the author I hate the term because it lumps all bands from that era into something that had more style then substance. Winger are in my top 5 bands of all time and those guys can really play.

   This is a big book over 400 pages and it traces the lineage of the genre from the early 80s (rise), the wilderness years (90s) and its resurgence (00s to now). It goes year by year with each chapter titled after the biggest release with an introduction on what in general happened followed by a breakdown of other releases and in closing the author picks his favorite albums. He's an uber fan of the genre, has self-published this book and isn't afraid to criticize bands or albums he didn't like, it's not an "all of the bands were great and never did anything wrong" book, there's enough of that crap in Facebook groups. He recommends music released in the wilderness years that I might even revisit or have never heard at all. He likes Motley Crue with Vince and still thinks the Corabi album is fantastic. I like the guy.

   There are bands he completely left out or didn't cover as much as I would have liked. There's no mention of Europe's worldwide smash The Final Countdown at all in his 1986 chapter, Dokken and WASP are barely mentioned yet there's ton on The Quireboys , Pretty Boy Floyd and The Electric Boys. He picks the bands he likes and there are a lot of them, I suppose if he put them all in the book would be 800 pages.

   In closing there's a chapter on the newer hair metal bands with Steel Panther being the biggest. I know most of them but have to say I don't own a ton of newer hair metal, I'm more akin to buying newer product from older established names. In closing the book is well written, features a ton of bands and albums from a much maligned yet important genre of music. If you want to gain some extra knowledge, find some band to (re)discover or even say to yourself the author is out of his fucking mind for liking or disliking an album this is the book for you.

Richie.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=christopher+hilton&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_1