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They were on Earache and they’re on stage covered in blood, so at the very least they walk like a duck and a talk like a duck.

I like me some Rival Sons! I bought Head Down on a whim, and I thought it was a neat little rock album. You’re right though, this is quite a few steps ahead of that.

On this side of the pond there’s an overlap between the metal scene and what some call Scandinavian Action Rock, or just action rock for short - I’m sure we’re happy to share it with the world - which is Americana-worshipping high intensity rock. I think it was pioneered by The Hellacopters?

Those bands tend to get booked at the broader metal festivals.

My personal favourite is Hard Action, featuring members of Finnish speed/heavy metal bands Speedtrap and Rotör.

Also, keeping in mind that I must own 200+ mostly black t-shirts of bands that I love, these guys are responsible for the design of my all-time favorite music shirt:

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This is a blast. I’ve really enjoyed Joe Elliott showing up here and there with bands he digs. The song he did with The Struts during the pandemic with Phil Collen also is one of the best on that record.

“It’s Joe! King of the Leppards!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd12wjIqCjE

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Hard Action is great! I will definitely be listening to more.

My hard rock/metal life is formed by my older brother. Born in 1972 and the last of three, my two older bros were pretty different guys and both are ten+ years older than me. The guy in the middle actually pursued being a rock artist and fronted a few bands in our area for a number of years. He was fortunate enough to open shows for Kix, Quiet Riot, Night Ranger, and a large handful of other smaller acts from the 80’s/90’s scene. More importantly though, before he took that path, he was a massive fan of Judas Priest. I listened to a LOT of the Priest growing up.

So that informed my love of metal, and one band that my brother saw who opened for Priest was The Dictators. Handsome Dick and the boys were supporting Blood Brothers at the time I think. I’ve been a massive fan of them ever since, and when I hear stuff like Hard Action, I’m reminded of how that Punk/Rock/Metal fusion is still one of my favorite things.

@MelesMeles You have no idea how good you have it over there. It’s so hard to see rock music in the States from any band that’s not already established. There are festivals now, sometimes, but it often involves serious travel to get there. We get some acts that come through Philly, which is definitely a Rock ‘n’ Roll town, but there’s so many bands I wish I could see from over there that will never make it over here. It sucks.

For example…

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When I saw the double bill of BSC and The Darkness, I flipped my lid. Two of my all-time favorites on one stage? Sign me up! Then that image popped up a few weeks later.

DANKO FUCKING JONES TOO! Good Lord. That’s a triumvirate of perfection for me personally. Three of my all-timers. Bands that just keep putting out amazing rock. Bands that put on a SHOW. Sigh. I may need to move overseas… just for music.

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Awesome dude! I’m sure I’d love to pick his brain :D

Quiet Riot was such a major gateway band for so many people. I have friends today who listen to metal because of those guys.

Heck yeah! I went to Newcastle for something called Brofest, which is a really nerdy classic metal festival, especially focused on NWOBHM bands, and that was such a big treat for me.

I got to see Satan play an anniversary gig, in their hometown, in front of all their old friends.

And I got to go see Newcastle City Hall (which is a venue) where Motörhead recorded some of No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith, which is one of my favorite albums - or live albums - of all time.

A friend (who may or may not be totally unreliable) claimed that it’s also where Joey DiMaio met Ross the Boss, of The Dictators fame. DiMaio was the guitar tech for Black Sabbath, and Ross the Boss was playing in a band called Shakin’ Street. And supposedly, that’s how Manowar got started!

I’m already going too long here, but you’re bringing up so much cool stuff, and dude, I know!

Before the pandemic my main obsession in life was traveling for festivals, so I’ve been to Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse in Chicago (now called Legions of Metal), Wings of Metal in Montreal, and Frost and Fire in Ventura, California.

I think it’s just because America is fricken huge, and you have to drive for 10 hours to get to another city, and another scene. I met people in Ventura who had driven from fricken Washington to get there, and the distance involved continues to blow the mind of this Euro-bumpkin.

We are quite blessed over here, no question. It takes me 6 hours or less to get to Stockholm by train, less to get to Berlin, so really, everything is just closer.

Also really love punk influence in just about anything!

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Second new song from Ne Obliv

3573

Speaking of punk worming its way into various forms of metal, here in Copenhagen there’s a lot of movement in the black metal scene, and a lot of that comes from punks crossing over.

Yesterday I saw Nyredolk (who I think I linked earlier?) and Stikkersvin, who are both of that ilk.

3574

Speaking of professional and ambitious bands, I first saw Enforcer back in 2011, and back then they were terrible musically, but extremely well rehearsed, perfectly synced in their stage moves, and hamming it up to good effect.

Hamming it up is pretty much what they’re about. Even if Enforcer were just playing clubs, in their heads they were Kiss.

Eventually they sorted out the musical stuff, and managed to put out one album that I really like, Death By Fire from 2013. Undying Evil is from the sequel to that, which I didn’t think was as great, but it’s a solid song that is probably as close to their full potential as they ever came.

They’ve lost some of their most skilled personel, and I don’t suspect a musical revival is in the cards, but they were and are a road band, so if you’re anywhere in Europe, Enforcer is a band you’re gonna see a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EExbLCeUnI

They used to be joined by Joseph Tholl who is a known quantity around these parts. Great performer, great singer. Possibly too great to be playing second fiddle.

I saw him do a cover of Venom’s “Countess” at Muskelrock, and he was also in a shortlived project called Black Trip (developed into VOJD, I think) with Peter Stjärnvind, who is a bit of a celebrity in extreme metal circles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzdKBstsjSI

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Milwaukee Metal Fest is back!

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@Vesper

Also, more new L.A.Guns in 2023.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zDjAtG_y5A

Finally a release date for the new album of May 19th.

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New The Ocean track.

This week I discovered how good the post-rock Mono band is. Like, amazing

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They’re so good. Saw them on tour with Emma Ruth Rundle. It was an amazing double set.

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Holy Terror is the classic story of a band that never realized just how good they were, and ended up losing it all to drugs and drink, but I think they just might be my favorite thrash metal band.

They were all excellent, but the big draw is obviously Keith Deens voice and his haunting cadence. He sings like he’s chanting from a holy book.

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I’m just going to assume everyone knows that there’s a new Avatar record even though I wasn’t aware because you’d have to have been rocking for two months to this awesome riff under the guitar solo in…

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Haiduk - Sea of Fire

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Some new kids on the block with a new song

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Yesterday I listened to this straight through on a drive for the first time in quite awhile. Could there be another record more relevant today? This was 1988… things were not like they are now… and how many are there waking up and looking in a mirror thinking about their Dr. X that has led them astray…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8_JqGPteKk

It’s a shame we may never see the original band play it live ever again. De Garmo is retired and Tate is kinda nuts. Wilton, and Jackson keep on truckin’ with another banger that came out recently with excellent Tate replacement Todd LaTorre, but wow… Mindcrime is still one of a kind. Probably the best “concept album” there’s ever been. It’s so coherent, sweeping, and tight. IMO it never wavers and never wanders. Empire might have some better individual songs, but Mindcrime is the fucking biz.

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It has some very tough competition, Scenes from a Memory is my pick with the entirety of Ayreon’s catalogue and Symphony X’s V: A New Mythology Suite being close contenders, but it is no doubt in that conversation. And if that is your pick I definitely can’t say you’re wrong. It’s in the top 10 all time albums for me.

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I got to see the classic Queensryche lineup play the entire Mindcrime album on the tour for Empire. Amazing experience and I was in the 5th row. They filmed it all for videos and Operation Livecrime. In fact you can see me for about 1/10 of a second in the Jet City Woman video.

Definitely in the top 5 concert experiences of my life.

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I saw them on that tour too. It was fantastic. Also among my top five.