Podcast #118: Opera

You can't believe how connected to music Bob is. The guy's done it all.Does Opera fit into the metal schematic?  Can metalheads be sophisticated?   Hell yes!  It started with The Who and Queen and has been taken to a new level with bands like Savatage and Avantasia.  Join Genghis and Ragman as they class this joint up by talking of the arts, metal style.  G & R give you the best options for the more highbrow bands out there today.   Next, the boys are joined by Producers/Musicians Bob Kulick and Brett Chassen for a one on one two as they discuss their latest tribute project, Sin-Atra, as well as what we can look forward to in the future.

Guest Sound Man: Turtlehead

DVD of the Show: An Evening With Frank Zappa - The Torture Never Stops

Beer of the Show: Troubadour Obscura (Mild Stout)  Beer Rating:  3

Featured tracks: Mnemic - March of the Tripods;  Cradle of Filth - Forgive Me Father, I Have Sinned; Steve Vai - Windows to the Soul; Savatage - Black Jack Guillotine; Dream Theater - Overture 1928; Avantasia - The Looking Glass; Rhapsody of Fire - Lamento Eroico [Editor’s Note: This song was referenced incorrectly in the show - Sorry, too many Ales, I’m thinking…]; Manowar - Nessum Dorma; Blind Guardian - Wait For An Answer; [From Sin-Atra] Eric Martin - Lady is a Tramp; Devin Townsend - NY, NY; Glenn Hughes - Under My Skin; Dee Snider - Very Good Year; Dug Pinnick - I've Got a World on a String, Ritchie Kotzen and Janie Lane - That’s Life

Classic of the Show: Mollo/Martin - Time to Kill     

Ragman Pick of the Week: Circle II Circle - Out of Nowhere

Genghis Pick of the Week: Miss May I - Relentless Chaos

- Ragman is stressing...

Podcast #118: Opera

Podcast #117: Extinct

Thanks for some bad-ass music over the years, you crazy Germans.Who's gonna carry the torch once the Priest, Maiden and The Scorpions are done?  Is there really a band out there other than Metallica that can fill an arena these days?   Can the metal dinosaurs still Rock Us Like A Hurricane?  Join Genghis and Ragman as they discuss the vets as well as the newcomers.  Did G & R find a successor to Judas Priest?  Tune in and find out.   Next, the boys bring in Oleg and Konstantin from Pushking for a heart to heart as they discuss their first US release as well as the big stars that helped them achieve their goal.

Guest Soundman: Lars

DVD of the Show: Kings X - Live in London

Beer of the Show:  Samichlaus -  Helles  Beer Rating:  3

Featured Tracks: Circle II Circle - Redemption, Kings X - Dogman, Van Halen - Top Jimmy, Lizzy Borden - Under Your Skin, Scorpions - Rock Zone,  Keel - The Devil May Care,  Enuff  Z Nuff - Goodtimes Are Hard To Find,  Slipknot - Snuff, Pushking - I Believe, Cut the Wire, Troubled Love and Heroin.

Classic of the Show: Widowmaker - Widowmaker   

Ragman's Pick of the Week:  Angra - Hollow

Genghis' Pick of the Week:  Yngwie Malmsteen - The Enemy Within

- Ragman vows to get back on track...

Podcast #117: Extinct

Where We At?

Fear not, friends, the crew at The Right To Rock have not abandoned you.  We just ocassionally get busy with work and other real life shit.  Sorry.  But, there's good news on the horizon.  Yours truly is working on some sweet merchandise for you that will go up soon - okay, soon in Genghis-Time™, but it's better than nothing, right? Right? Anyway, to whet your appetite, here's a little somethin' somethin' I'm working on:

So, whaddaya say?  Interested, maybe? Spread the word for our site and look cool at the same time? And if you get laid cuz of your bitchin' new threads, we won't even demand you pay us twice.

- Genghis is on the jazz...

Classics Under Review: Twisted Sister - Come Out and Play and Love is for Suckers

Recently Twisted Sister, with the help of Armoury Records, have just released their 2nd wave of re-issues, with the remastered versions of Come Out and Play and Love is for Suckers.  The great thing about these re-issues, is that it gives you a chance to re-discover some past gems.   Some TS fans may not remember these albums as classics, but they would be hard pressed to say that their was no good material on either release.  The first CD we analyzed is Come Out and Play.

Come Out and Play was the band's first release after their breakthrough album Stay Hungry.  I'm sure the band band felt pressured to top their previous work, so they pulled out all the stops to try to surpass the now legendary Stay Hungry.  Unfortunately the band fell short and made some costly mistakes, which led them to breaking up 2 years after it's release.  

This is an interesting CD to listen to today, if you're a fan of the band, because it is easier to dissect.  If you listen close to the better tracks on the CD, you will hear elements of classic TS, mixed with some of the elements from Stay Hungry.  The CD starts off strong with the title track, which is one of the bands heavier/faster tracks in their catalog.  After the title track though, it is kind and hit and miss.  Tracks like Leader of the Pack, which the band had in their set years prior, Be Chrool to Your Scuel and You Want What We Got just don't hit the mark.  Don't get me wrong, there are some great tracks like Fire Still Burns, Out on the Streets, I Believe in Rock n Roll and King of Fools, that make this release worth adding to the collection.  Another bonus, is that the remastered recording sounds much better than the one that Spitfire released, several years ago.  Definitely a CD that has aged well.

Love is for Suckers was supposed to be a Dee Snider solo record, but after some heavy persuasion by Atlantic Records, the band released it under their own moniker.  This was a tough time for the band, because they were on the verge of splitting up and tensions were high.  It didn't help that original drummer A.J. Pero had left the band, as well as the addition of session players (Reb Beach - Whitesnake/Winger) to make the record happen, the band was heading for a long painful breakup.  It amazes me to this day how strong this record came out. 

Though it didn't receive the accolades from the press, Love is for Suckers is a pretty solid record.  The first 7 tracks on the CD are as solid as they come with TS.  There are heavy tracks, mixed with nice melodies and memorable choruses.  There are some clunkers, like One Bad Habit, but for the most part this is a solid CD.  Also, with this remaster, there were 4 bonus tracks.  All the bonus tracks were solid. with the exception of Feel Appeal.  Didn't dig that one.  This is a nice package.  A better sounding disk, with bonus tracks, need I say more?  This one is a keeper as well.

Bottom Line: Re-discovering some classic TS records.  Two very different records, but both very strong in their own right.  Both CD's get a facelift and come off sounding better than the original releases.

-Ragman is wanting a new Twisted record...will it ever happen?

Podcast #116: Ticket

With Dee Simon, it's class all the way. Take it sleazy, people.Are ticket prices too high (hell yes!)?  Who's raising the rates, the artists or TicketBastard Ticketmaster?  Join Genghis and Ragman as they discuss the current state of ticket prices.  Are the artists pricing their fans out of the market?  Tune in and find out.  Next, the boys bring in fellow podcaster Dee Simon from the Sick and Wrong podcast, who discusses his show as well as his love for Der Teufel's musik.

DVD of the Show: Bullet for My Valentine - Live at the Brixton

Beer of the Show:  Infinium Ale   Rating:  3.5

Featured Tracks:  James Labrie - Euphoric; Bullet for My Valentine - 4 words; Aiden - Killing Machine; The Absence - Enemy Unbound; Ozzy - I Want it More; ZZ Top - Jesus Just Left Chicago;  Iron Maiden - The Alchemist; Alter Bridge - The Ghost of Days Gone By; Kiss - Rock N Roll Hell; Accept - Balls to the Wall

Genghis' Pick of the Show:  Allen/Lande - Never Again

Ragman's Pick of the Show:  Amorphis - My Sun

Classic of the Show:  Cheap Trick - I Can’t Take It

- Ragman is workin' it on the fly...

Podcast #116: Ticket