A 'nut-swinger' is typically defined as a true fanboi. As oft-vague as this anecdotic is, it does illustrate my perception of Heavy Metal pros Twisted Sister and, more specifically, their frontman Daniel 'Dee' Snider. Coupled by guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda, bassist Mark 'The Animal' Mendoza and their late A.J. Pero, the group would spawn a series of multi-Platinum efforts before plunging within their Forty And Fuck It tour. Now, with Snider poised to issue his latest--and quite possibly greatest--solo offering(s) For The Love Of Metal upon a truly blood-thirsty populace, the future is incredibly bright.Read More
When revitalized Hard Rock icons Rainbow added Ronnie Romero to their 'ranks', I felt little hope for their near future. Predictably, the quintet again imploded amid the Renaissance fair aspirations of Blackmore's Night, leaving him free to join forces with oft-unsung Japanese guitarist Nozomu Wakai amid Melodic Hard Rock eidolon Destinia. Returning with Metal Souls (2018), the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to their full-length debut Requiem For A Scream (2014), Wakai, Romero et al. now appear truly destined for the dizzying--and halcyon-inducing--zenith of critical, commercial and compeer recognition.Read More
If the 'demise' of Black Metal titan Immortal taught me anything, it's that nothing truly endures. Luckily, when co-founder Abbath Doom Occulta announced his expatriation, Demonaz Doom Occulta and Horgh chose to forge upward, re-grouping with Demonaz now handling lead vocals and, perhaps most notably, contributing all guitars for the first time since Blizzard Beasts in 1997. At last unleashing Northern Chaos Gods, the first studio effort in nearly ten (!) years, the long-running group appears entirely destined for what should be a curiously long-overdue and surely well-deserved commercial resurrection.Read More
