Genghis

He may not be the brightest, or the handsomest, or the coolest... That's really all we wanted to say. (joke stolen from Dana Gould)He may have been a late-comer to metal, but Genghis cut his teeth on the works of such metal stalwarts as Yngwie Malmsteen (Rising Force) and Iron Maiden (Powerslave). He's since become a big fan of the genre - particularly of progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater, Lemur Voice and Symphony X. He loves other genres too, but nothing compares to Balls And Chunk™.

"The thing about metal is that I can always get into it, no matter my mood. Hell, my [iPhone] alarm plays 'Mob Rules' every morning to get me up for work."

As time has gone on, he's learned to appreciate other subgenres of metal - especially the more melodic ones - being a [mediocre] guitarist himself since 1984.

Ragman

Say something bad about heavy metal, and Rags'll give you the Three Stooges salute, right in the eyes.Our infamous co-host, Ragman, has had metal running through his veins since the mid 70s and his discovery of KISS Alive in 1975. At that point it was on. Well, sort of. After that, it wasn’t until Van Halen’s debut the following year that the metal monster inside was unleashed. This time it was really on as Ragman dove fully into metal, experiencing the NWoBHM with Saxon, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, et al…

The next phase in his metal education came with the American thrash movement exemplified by Metallica, Slayer, Exodus and Anthrax. He also took a liking to the more melodic side of hard rock and metal with bands like Motley Crue, Keel, Ratt, Malice, Icon, and Quiet Riot.

Ragman enjoyed every facet of the hard rock and metal genre and his allegiance to metal is very heartfelt being told that he would grow out of it on countless occasions, but at this point - decades later - it doesn’t look like a phase anymore. The naysayer’s have finally accepted the inevitable.

Ragman currently enjoys the old and the new when it comes to his music. One day he may be jamming to the new Shadows Fall or Soilwork, and the next he might be jamming to House of Lords or Enuff Z'Nuff. He's not prejudiced, as long as the music rocks.

Ragman has 3 loves in his life: His beautiful daughter, Metal, and good beer.