It seems as though I have been saying this every year since the Mansion has been around (2007), but this year (2017), in my humble opinion, could possibly be the best year for new rock and metal releases since then! The Hair Metal Mansion staff has kept up with all of it for you and below you will find top lists from yours truly Andrew the Axeman, Joe Schaeffer, Dawn Osbourne and 'The Music God' CJ Plain. To all the artists, labels, publicists and the Mansion faithful in general, we salute you!
~ANDREW~ Top Albums: 1. L.A. Guns - "The Missing Peace" 2. Stephen Pearcy - "Smash" 3. Janet Gardner - Self-titled 4. Mark Slaughter - "Halfway There" 5. Junkyard - "High Water" 6. Babylon A.D. - "Revelation Highway" 7. The New Roses - "One More For The Road" 8. Tommy Paris Band - Self-titled 9. Tokyo Motor Fist - Self-titled 10. Kickin Valentina - "Imaginary Creatures" 11. Great White - "Full Circle" 12. Lynch Mob - "Brotherhood" 13. Every Mother's Nightmare - "Grind" 14. Madam X - "Monstrocity" 15. Wraith - "Revelation" 16. Black Star Riders - "Heavy Fire" 17. Night Ranger - "Don't Let Up" 18. Warrant - "Louder Harder Faster" 19. Jack Russell's Great White - "He Saw It Comin" 20. Accept - "The Rise of Chaos" 21. Autograph - "Get Off Your Ass" 22. Mr. Big - "Defying Gravity" 23. Inglorious - "II 24. Sainted Sinners - Self-titled 25. Rhino Bucket - "The Last Real Rock N' Roll" Honorable mentions: Richie Kotzen - "Salting Earth", Nova Rex - "Rockstar Road Show", Sweet & Lynch - "Unified", Gotthard - "Silver", SteelHeart - "Through Worlds of Stardust", House of Lords - "Saint of the Lost Souls", Count's 77 - "Soul Transfusion", Vain - "Rolling With the Punches", Crazy Lixx - "Ruff Justice", Eclipse - "Momentum", Thunder - "Rip It Up", Bonfire - "Byte the Bullet", Broken Teeth - "4 On the Floor", Artificial Agent - "Programmed to Destroy", Vandenberg's Moonkings - "MKII", Appice - "Sinister", Warrior Soul - "Back on the Lash", Bigfoot - Self-Titled, Alice Cooper - "Paranormal", Dave Friday Band - "Life Imitating Art", Julian Angel - "The Death of Cool", Stonebreed - "Heart of Stone", Jorn - "Life on Death Road", Revolution Saints - "Light in the Dark", Riverdogs - "California", Heaven & Earth - "Hard To Kill" EP's: 1. Greta Van Fleet - "Black Smoke Rising" 2. Denman - "The Life We Live" 3. Jenna Syde & The Watchers - "Prey For Los Angeles" 4. Still Warning - Still Warning Live: 1. Tyketto - Live From Milan 2. The Dead Daisies - Live & Louder ~JOE~ TOP ALBUMS: 1. LA Guns - The Missing Peace 2. Richie Kotzen – Salting Earth 3. Stephen Pearcy – Smash 4. Janet Gardner – Self Titled 5. Tommy Paris Band – Self Titled 6. Black Star Riders – Heavy Fire 7. Junkyard – High Water 8. Mark Slaughter – Halfway There 9. Kickin’ Valentina – Imaginary Creatures 10. Deep Purple – Infinite 11. Mr. Big – Defying Gravity 12. Jack Russell’s Great White – He Saw it Coming 13. Lynch Mob – Brotherhood 14. Great White – Full Circle 15. Ronnie Montrose - 10 by 10 16. Inglorious - II 17. EMN - Grind 18. Babylon A.D. – Revolution Highway 19. Autograph – Get Off Your Ass 20. Rhino Bucket – The Last Real Rock ‘N Roll 21. Warrant – Louder, Harder , Faster 22. Tokyo Motor Fist – Self Titled 23. Madam X – Monstrocity 24. Accept – The Rise of Chaos 25. Night Ranger – Don’t Let Up HONORABLE MENTION Riverdogs – California Alice Cooper – Paranormal Heaven and Earth – Hard to Kill EP’s Greta Van Fleet – Black Smoke Rising Jenna Syde and the Watchers – Prey for Los Angeles Denman – The Life We Live LIVE The Dead Daisies – Live and Louder The Winery Dogs - Dog Years: Live in Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016 Armored Saint – Carpe Noctum ~DAWN~ Top Albums: 1. Autograph - Get Off Your Ass 2. Kickin Valentina - Imaginary Creatures 3. Shokker - III 4. L.A. Guns - The Missing Peace 5. Neon Animal - Bring Back Rock N Roll From the Dead ~THE MUSIC GOD CJ PLAIN~ Top Albums: 30) Warrant - Louder Harder Faster 29) Lynch Mob - The Brotherhood 28) Kickin Valentina - Imaginary Creatures 27) Every Mother's Nightmare - Grind 26) Cream Pie - No Secrets 25) Dave Friday Band - Life Imitating Art 24) Theia - Back In Line 23) Degreed - Degreed 22) Kee Of Hearts - Kee of Hearts 21) Heaven & Earth - Hard To Kill 20) Martina Edoff - We Will Align 19) Sisters Doll - All Dolled Up 18) Mark Slaughter - Halfway There 17) Tequila Sunrise - Danger Zone 16) Dirtbag Republic - Downtown Eastside 15) Devilfire - Dark Manoeuvres 14) The New Roses - One More For The Road 13) LA Guns - The Missing Peace 12) One Bad Son - Made In The Name of Rock n Roll 11) Tokyo Motor Fist - Tokyo Motor Fist 10) Julian Angel - The Death of Cool 9) Art Nation - Liberation 8) Rhino Bucket - The Last Real Rock n Roll 7) Heavy Tiger - Glitter 6) Babylon A.D. - Revelation Highway 5) Janet Gardner - Janet Gardner 4) Warrior Soul - Back On The Lash 3) Sainted Sinners - Sainted Sinners 2) Gotthard - Silver 1) Wraith - Revelation
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![]() This week, on a very special, annual edition of the Hair Metal Mansion Radio Show, host Andrew the Axeman reveals his Top 25 albums of 2017! Close out the year with a bang and join him as he counts down from 25 to 1 while playing tracks from each of them. This past year is one of the best in recent memory and find out who made the Axeman's cut! The Hair Metal Mansion Radio Show w/ Andrew the Axeman premieres every THURSDAY night @ 9pm ET/8pm CT/6pm PT! The premiere simulcasts on 2 stations, in 2 countries: - Philly Rock Radio: www.phillyrockradio.com & - Rock Radio UK - www.rock-radio.co.uk Each station has free mobile apps that you can download if on the go! Also available via iTunes, TuneIn and Google Play. Miss the premiere? Hair Metal Mansion is proudly syndicated to the best FM, AM and internet stations worldwide throughout the week and weekend! For ALL the air times, go here: http://hmmofficial.weebly.com/radio-showaffiliates.html The classic lineup of DOKKEN — vocalist Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown — filmed a video in Los Angeles on Tuesday (December 19) for a new song called "It's Just Another Day". The track, which will be featured on the band's forthcoming CD/DVD package, marks the the first new song by the classic DOKKEN lineup since the 1997 "Shadowlife" album.
Pilson wrote on social media that "It's Just Another Day" "came out amazing," adding that "it's amazing how much it sounds like vintage DOKKEN." DOKKEN's classic lineup played its only U.S. show in September 2016 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota before embarking on a six-show Japanese run dubbed "Unleashed In The East". DOKKEN's upcoming concert DVD will reportedly feature footage from two of the Japanese shows — including Tokyo — as well as the band's Sioux Falls gig. The band also recorded two acoustic remakes of a couple of the old DOKKEN songs, which also "came out really amazing," according to Pilson. Jeff told the "Music Mania" podcast that he "enjoyed" the DOKKEN reunion "quite a bit," explaining that "because of DOKKEN's history, I wasn't necessarily expecting to enjoy it personally as much as I did. But we ended up getting along great," he said. "We went out there and did the shows, and the audience reaction kind of made it all worthwhile right there." Asked about the possibility of more U.S. shows featuring DOKKEN's classic lineup, Pilson said: "You know, I would never say never, because… It's a good thing I didn't say 'never' before, because… [Laughs] I wouldn't rule it out. The thing that's tricky is our schedules are very hard to get together. The reason it worked out with that particular reunion is the Japanese were very, very helpful in helping organize it. They actually got a copy of the FOREIGNER tour schedule and booked around that, which made it impossible to say no. They really went the extra mile for us. But behind something like that, it's very, very hard to schedule time for something like that. But we'll see. I hope it happens. And I really enjoyed working with the guys again. And like I said, when you hear how strong the new song is, you're gonna be shocked that we ever took a break. So it's pretty cool, man." The 2016 Japanese tour featuring Pilson, Dokken, Lynch and Brown marked the first time in 21 years DOKKEN's classic lineup had hit the road. Don told "The Classic Metal Show" that the main reason he doesn't want to continue with the classic DOKKEN lineup is that he "loves" the band he has now — which features Brown, alongside guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvill. Courtesy of www.blabbermouth.net
Nuclear Blast recently announced the release of the upcoming first Michael Schenker Fest studio album. Along with producer Michael Voss-Schoen, the band recently completed the recordings for the record, entitled Resurrection, out on March 2nd, 2018. Besides Michael Schenker and the three M.S.G. singers Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley, you can also hear Doogie White (Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock) as well as musicians Steve Mann (guitars, keyboards), Ted McKenna (drums) and Chris Glen (bass). In addition, there are also some guest appearances from Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schoen included.
Two weeks ago, the band has already released their first digital single "Warrior" as well as a video including some impressions of the studio recording process. Today, the pre-order for Resurrection has started. Physical and digital preorders available here . The album will be available in the following formats: CD CD + DVD-DIGI (incl. Bonus-DVD) 2LP (black in gatefold) 2LP (clear in gatefold) 2LP (clear + red splatter in gatefold, Nuclear Blast Mailorder Exclusive!) 2LP (gold in gatefold, Nuclear Blast Mailorder Exclusive!) BOX (DIGI + Flying V Replica + photo card) Tracklisting: CD “Heart And Soul” “Warrior” “Take Me To Church” “Night Moods” “The Girl With The Stars In Her Eyes” “Everest” “Messin’ Around” “Time Knows When It’s Time” “Anchors Away” “Salvation” “Livin’ A Life Worth Livin’” “The Last Supper” 2LP (33 RPM) Side A “Heart And Soul” “Warrior” “Take Me To Church” “Night Moods” Side B “The Girl With The Stars In Her Eyes” “Everest” “Messin’ Around” “Time Knows When It’s Time” Side C “Anchors Away” “Salvation” “Livin’ A Life Worth Livin’” “The Last Supper” Bonus DVD “Warrior” (video clip) Michael Schenker Fest – The Documentation Michael Schenker Fest – Interview Michael Schenker Fest at Loudpark 2017 "Warrior" video:
Courtesy of www.bravewords.com
![]() This week on the Hair Metal Mansion Radio Show, TRIXTER drummer MARK GUS SCOTT returns! Mark checks in with host Andrew the Axeman to talk about his new Christmas album, 'Christmas Miracle". Mark gives us an update on TRIXTER and what's ahead for the band in 2018. Also, a wide variety of topics are discussed;, including remembering MALCOLM YOUNG and Mark's DONALD TRUMP story at a charity baseball game back in the day. Also on tap ... - We have an early premiere of new SAXON, as well as more new music from DEAD WEST, SWIRL, WARRANT and TOMMY PARIS BAND. This is the final 'regularly programmed' show of the year, before the Top 25 Albums of 2017 Countdown Special on December 28th. The Hair Metal Mansion Radio Show w/ Andrew the Axeman premieres every THURSDAY night @ 9pm ET/8pm CT/6pm PT! The premiere simulcasts on 2 stations: - Philly Rock Radio: www.phillyrockradio.com & - Rock Radio UK - www.rock-radio.co.uk Each station has free mobile apps that you can download if on the go! Also available via iTunes, TuneIn and Google Play. Miss the premiere? Hair Metal Mansion is proudly syndicated to the best FM, AM and internet stations worldwide throughout the week and weekend! For ALL the air times, go here: http://hmmofficial.weebly.com/radio-showaffiliates.html Photos courtesy of Joe Schaeffer Photography & Michael Cox
Following the recent announcement about his debut solo album Year Of The Tiger, Myles Kennedy has now shared the video for its compelling title track, giving fans a first glimpse of what's in store on the new record. Watch "Year Of The Tiger" below.
Directed by Dan Sturgess, the video is based on a concept created from a discussion between Kennedy and his manager. The video follows a reflective Kennedy as he travels through the memory of the loss of his father in 1974 - the year of the tiger. Year Of The Tiger is currently available for pre-order in various bundle configurationshere. Starting today, the album is also available for digital pre-order at this location, and fans that order the album digitally will receive an instant download of the title track. The song is also available at all streaming services today including Spotify and Apple Music. On Year Of The Tiger, Myles embarks on his first venture as a solo artist by embracing musical elements and influences he hasn’t explored until this point in his career. Kennedy himself plays banjo, lap steel, bass, and mandolin, in addition to guitar throughout the album. His emotional journey and personal story is captured in a bluesy-Americana album with a twist of country and rock, highlighting his unmistakable and soulful voice.
Tracklisting:
"Year Of The Tiger" "The Great Beyond" "Blind Faith" "Devil On The Wall" "Ghost of Shangri La" "Turning Stones" "Haunted By Design" "Mother" "Nothing But A Name" "Love Can Only Heal" "Songbird" "One Fine Day" "Year Of The Tiger" video:
Courtesy of www.bravewords.com
If you consider the songs on Voodoo Circle’s new album, Raised On Rock, to be an indicator of the current emotional condition their most important protagonists find themselves in, there seems to be no reason to worry about band founder, guitarist and main composer Alex Beyrodt in particular. Thanks to Beyrodt’s excellent songwriting - as usual inspired by renowned sources such as Whitesnake, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix - and his outstanding guitar performance which brings to mind icons from Ritchie Blackmore through Jimmy Page to John Sykes, this recording oozes pure, unadulterated fervour. This exuberant energy, however, isn’t the merit of Beyrodt alone but, without doubt, also that of his colleagues Mat Sinner (bass), Francesco Jovino (drums) and - last but not least - new vocalist Herbie Langhans (Avantasia). Beyrodt and Langhans met in 2015 at the Wacken Open Air, when they belted out the Wacken anthem together from the gigantic Black Stage. Beyrodt: “The amazing thing about this story is that Herbie and I had never met before but talked to each other in person for the very first time after we’d rocked only minutes earlier the 100,000 people in front of the stage and around four million viewers in front of their TV sets.” With Langhans as the group’s new frontman, the stylistic direction of the Voodoo Circle compositions hasn’t significantly changed - unlike the general flair of the material: “I feel that the band sounds even more autonomous, a little less bluesy and much meatier with Herbie at the mic,” Beyrodt enthuses. “This allowed me to work on ideas which would probably not really have suited his predecessor David Readman but are absolutely perfect for Herbie’s powerful voice.” The Voodoo Circle boss is referring to numbers such as "Running Away From Love", with its anthemic vocal melody and the subsequent mid-tempo rock track "Higher Love", which went down a treat with the audience at its official live debut. Beyrodt: “In the beginning, the song caused me a number of sleepless nights because I felt that there was still one small, all-important element missing. Then I came up with the idea of the talk box, which lends it a different, very interesting note. To me, 'Higher Love' in its current form is one of the best Voodoo Circle numbers of all time.” The almost six-and-a-half-minute "Dreamchaser", with its Blackmore references dates back to the very early days of the group. Beyrodt had originally composed it for the 2008 Voodoo Circle debut album but wasn’t entirely satisfied with the result at the time. “The arrangement of the number was changed and overhauled repeatedly over the years, now it’s matured to the point where it was ready for recording.” "You Promised Me Heaven" sees Beyrodt delve deep into the Page/Sykes bag of tricks, a veritable guitar festival featuring Telecaster, Strat and Les Paul sounds which support the bluesy feel of the track, adding even greater depth. Talking of the sound: Raised On Rock was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, U.D.O.), whose unerring instinct for dynamics and frequencies lends the recording its modern touch. And another musician contributed significantly to the tight overall impression of Raised On Rock: the keyboards were manned by Corvin Bahn (Saxon, Uli Jon Roth). So all in all, we can say that the new Voodoo Circle album truly lives up to its programmatic title. Raised On Rock will be available on February 9th as CD, Digipak and ltd. colored vinyl. Raised On Rock tracklisting:
"Running Away From Love" "Higher Love" "Walk On The Line" "You Promised Me Heaven" "Just Take My Heart" "Where Is The World We Love" "Ultimate Sin" "Chase Me Away" "Unknown Stranger" "Dreamchaser" "Love Is An Ocean" "Time For The Innocent" (Bonus track on Digipak) "There's More To See" (Bonus track on Digipak) Courtesy of www.bravewords.com Y&T has announced an exclusive Meniketti Wines event (frontman Dave Menikitti’s wine) that includes a very special Y&T acoustic performance on Friday, January 5th in Sacramento, CA. Have some wine & cheese with Y&T. Taste all four Meniketti Wines, enjoy an intimate Y&T acoustic set, then hang out with Dave, Jill (author and Y&T's manager), and the band afterward, all included in the price of your ticket. Tickets available here.
In other news, The Y&T documentary team has provided another update and teaser clip, both of which you can see on the Kickstarter campaign page updates: “Hello wonderful Kickstarter contributors! We remain hard at work editing the Y&T documentary. As we progress, and we are progressing, we are still hearing from new participants who want to contribute to the documentary. Recently, we heard from Producer Tom Allom (In Rock We Trust.) He has agreed to send us a self-interview. He has been busy with Judas Priest's new album. We are in the process of working that out A.S.A.P. Also, Jimmy Degrasso has been searching high and low for a certain VHS tape and has finally found it! As we continue to work hard assembling this documentary, you can see it takes a team to get it done! We are proud of what we've accomplished so far. We hope you enjoy this latest clip, and we hope you know that we want to see the final cut just as much as you do! Thanks for your continued patience, and we hope you have a great holiday season! Stay Tuned!” Upcoming Y&T tour dates: January 6 - Tracy, CA - Grand Theatre 19 - Fresno, CA - Tower Theatre for the Performing Arts 20 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst 26 - Las Vegas, NV - Vamp'd 27 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red 28 - Tucson, AZ - Club XS February 2 - Austin, TX - 3TEN @ ACL Live (an evening with Y&T) 3 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey 7 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge (an evening with Y&T) 11-16 - Miami-Jamaica-Labadee - Monsters of Rock Cruise 18 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre 20 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater (an evening with Y&T) 21 - New York, NY - BB King Blues Club 23 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance Theater 24 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall (an evening with Y&T) 27 - Warrendale, PA - Jergel's March 2 - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop 3 - St Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre 6 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall 8 - North Kansas City, MO - VooDoo Lounge @ Harrah's 10 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater 17 - Grants Pass, OR - Rogue Theatre April 19 - Pasadena, CA - The Rose 20 - Santa Clarita, CA - The Canyon Santa Clarita 21 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House 22 - Agoura Hills, CA - The Canyon Courtesy of www.bravewords.com This week on the Hair Metal Mansion Radio Show, host Andrew the Axeman welcomes AUTOGRAPH guitarist STEVE LYNCH as the special guest! Steve checks in to talk and premiere the newly released record, "Get Off Your Ass", that is available now via the EMP Label Group. In this career-spanning interview, Steve also talks about his early days of developing his unique playing style, teaching guitar and some good stories involving OZZY OSBOURNE, VAN HALEN and MOTLEY CRUE.
Also on tap.... - Additional new music premieres from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, LIES DECEIT & TREACHERY, STEELHEART, STILL WARNING and JENNA SYDE & THE WATCHERS. And of course, the perfect mix of headliners and hidden gems from the decade of decadence! The Hair Metal Mansion Radio Show w/ Andrew the Axeman premieres every THURSDAY night @ 9pm ET/8pm CT/6pm PT! The premiere simulcasts on 2 stations: - Philly Rock Radio: www.phillyrockradio.com & - Rock Radio UK - www.rock-radio.co.uk Each station has free mobile apps that you can download if on the go! Also available via iTunes, TuneIn and Google Play. Miss the premiere? Hair Metal Mansion is proudly syndicated to the best FM, AM and internet stations worldwide throughout the week and weekend! For ALL the air times, go here: http://hmmofficial.weebly.com/radio-showaffiliates.html Photos courtesy of Joe Schaeffer Photography & Michael Cox Michael Schenker Fest To Release Resurrection Album In March; Video For 'Warrior' Single Available12/2/2017 ![]()
"Resurrection", the new album from legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker's MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST project, will be released on March 2, 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The disc, which was produced by Michael Voss-Schön, was recorded in four different locations over a five-month period and features guest appearances by METALLICA's Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schön along with contributions from three original MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) singers — Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley — plus Doogie White, who plays with Michael in MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK. Also appearing on the album are musicians Steve Mann (guitars, keyboards), Ted McKenna (drums) and Chris Glen (bass).
The official video for MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST's new digital single, "Warrior", featuring impressions of the studio recording process, can be seen below. "Warrior" is one of two album tracks on which all of the four lead singers appear. It was composed by Schenker while the lyrics were written by Michael Voss-Schön. "When Michael Voss-Schön showed me his lyrical and vocals ideas, it instantly came to my mind that all four singers should be involved," Michael Schenker looks back and adds: "I'm really fascinated by the result. It's really interesting how the different voices complement each other. 'Warrior' is really heavy but at the same time ear-friendly and catchy!" "Michael Schenker played the basic riff of the track to me and I immediately had the expression 'Warrior' pop into my mind," says Michael Voss-Schön. "On the next day, the first raw version of the song was created; my vision was to let the four voices sound like the four musketeers!" According to Schenker, "Resurrection" contains all brand new songs, including "Warrior", which he previously described as "really, really good and really powerful." The studio album will follow the release of "Michael Schenker Fest Tokyo", a concert recording filmed in August 2016 at Tokyo, Japan's International Forum, which was made available this past March via Inakustik. "It was so funny when [Gary, Graham and Robin] all had to sing their lines and we were shooting behind-the-scenes footage, to see them how they get on," Michael recalled. "You can actually see it on the ['Michael Schenker Fest Tokyo'] DVD already, but it just continues to be as if these people have been together forever." Michael added that he is celebrating his music career and life itself with MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST. "It seems like everybody's celebrating their life and their career at the same time," he said. "But it's all the most popular music of Michael Schenker, and the best I can do at the moment is to have Gary and Graham and Robin and now [with the addition of] Doogie White."
Courtesy of www.blabbermouth.net
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