The Black Angel Zine
Welcome to The Black Angel Zine, where Black Angel Promotions brings you the latest and greatest in rock, metal, and punk culture. Our zine is your go-to source for concert reviews, movie and documentary critiques, advice for aspiring musicians, retro music reviews, and the freshest news in the industry. Dive into each section and discover the raw, unfiltered content that makes Black Angel Promotions the voice of the underground.
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Stay in the know with the latest happenings in the world of rock, metal, and punk. Our news section is your source for the updates that matter—band announcements, tour plans, album release dates, and the events shaking up the industry. Whether it's a long-awaited reunion, a shocking split, or a game-changing collaboration, we’ve got the info you need.
We don’t just report the news; we deliver it with the edge and attitude you expect from Black Angel Promotions. Our commitment is to keep you connected to the heartbeat of the music you love, cutting through the noise to bring you real stories that resonate. Check back regularly for updates that keep your finger on the pulse.
Black Angel Promotions is proud to announce the release of the CD press of The Unforgotten: The Rare and Unreleased from the legendary Hellbilly/Cow Punk Texas band, Ghoultown. This album features several deep cuts, a few live cuts and the long OOP “Killer in Texas” EP. This album has never been offered in physical format until now. This pressing will be limited to 100 pieces only. Each CD will be hand numbered. We won’t be offering a repress, no holds and no preorders will be available. No sales outside of the USA will be offered. The release date is February 25 th @ 5PM (EST) Prepare yourselves to DRINK WITH THE LIVING DEAD once more… https://blackangelpromotions.bigcartel.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiumPFYv058&list=PLKKv22G-G4CKRAmk1RB0KjyQu_xlx34g2
Welcome to Black Angel Promotions Top Ten Releases of 2024! We put a lot of thought into our lists and we wanted to celebrate these releases one more time publicly. TJ's Top Ten Releases of 2024~ 10. BAT - Under the Crooked Claw 9. Aborted - Vault of Horrors 8. The Crown - Crown of Thorns 7. Zombeast - Heart of Darkness 6. The Lurking Corpses - Lurking After Midnight 5. Alkaline Trio - Blood, Hair and Eyeballs 4. Spectral Wound - Songs of Blood and Mire 3. Unto Others - Never, Neverland 2. Tribulation - Sub Rosa In Æternum 1. Pøltergeist - Nachtmusik TJ's Honorable Mentions~ Catbreath - Slice 'em All Cavalera Conspiracy - Schizophrenia Kerry King - From Hell I Rise Wraith - Fueled by Fea r
Today, we’re humbled to announce that our first release will be the 20th Anniversary Edition of “Scourge of The South” from the Rockabilly band, The Tremors. Originally released in 2004, this is the band’s debut release, and it set the tone for what the band would go on to become – a hell raisin’ band of backwoods hillbilly boppers that dish out tons of Rockabilly Boogie that hearken back to the early days of Sun Records when the sounds of the 50’s were thought of as dangerous and profane. The Tremors also rip, romp and snort much like The Cramps did when they first burst onto the scene in the 70’s! One half hillbilly, one half punk, with a heaping helping of the King, Elvis Presley tossed in for good measure. To borrow a line from an old Cramps ad – they’ll ooze, you’ll throb, and nothing will ever be the same again! The Scourge of The South disc has been long out of print and unavailable outside of digital platforms. With this reissue, we’ve not only remastered the album, but we’ve gotten the fellas to unearth a RARE long-lost radio performance, also from 2004. Outside of the band and the lucky radio listeners who tuned in on that fateful evening, this performance has never been heard. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the band live, you’re in for one hell of a treat. The radio performance has also been remastered for maximum playback enjoyment and let me tell you, the band jumps and shouts like a Baptist preacher who’s got a bad case of the runnin’ fits! With the addition of the Radio Performance, the album comes in at a whoppin’ 31 tracks! The press will be limited to 100 pieces, and they will be individually numbered. Aside from the band’s live shows, the only place you’ll be able to get the album will be from our bigcartel store. The CD will be available for purchase on October 11, 2024 . We will not be offering pre-orders, nor will we be offering holds or selling downloads. We here at Black Angel Promotions have had a long and wonderful relationship with the band that started years ago when we first reviewed their sophomore release “Invasion of The Saucermen”. Since then, we’ve reviewed all their releases and have taken every opportunity we could to lift them up and spread the band’s good name. The band still has four other releases currently available to be purchased from their website and we can’t recommend them enough – life without the music of The Tremors just isn’t living! Please join us in welcoming The Tremors to the B.A.P. family, we are sincerely grateful to offer the reissue of the band’s debut album “Scourge of The South”! https://thetremors1.bandcamp.com/merch https://blackangelpromotions.bandcamp.com/album/the-tremors-scourge-of-the-south-20th-anniversary-remastered-edition https://blackangelpromotions.bigcartel.com/
R.I.P. Jack Russell, the original and one true voice of the band, Great White. Captain Jack was more than just a voice on the radio, he was one of my favorite vocalists, period. I got into the band when I was a kid due to compilations and so forth, so Jack has been a part of my life for well over half of it & I’m not exactly a young buck anymore. I’ve had some tough moments in life with nothing to soothe me aside from a few choice albums – Great White was at the top of that heap. Hard Rock bands are a dime a dozen and often we don’t stop to think or appreciate the talent that it takes to perform this kind of music – we take it for granted. Those with a true penchant for music know after one listen to Great White/Jack Russell that the band WAS heaped with talent, but the most amazing part of the band was Jack Russell’s voice. His ability to perform at a high level was unmatched and even after years of substance abuse, he was able to stand and deliver a jaw dropping performance, be it live or in the studio.
Austin Texas has long been a hotbed of killer bands no matter the genre you prefer, there seems to be a great band coming out of the city at every turn. I can only imagine how good it feels to be a local and get to bar hop and take in all those shows. The latest band from the area to pop up on my radar isn’t exactly brand new nor is their release. The Black Birds have been around for a few years now and their debut full length, “1979” was released in 2023. The Black Birds are a 3-piece Rock N’ Roll band and none of these fellas are wet behind their ears, they’re all seasoned and veteran musicians. Lead vocalist/guitarist Scotty Roller is one half of one of my favorite bands - the Alt. Country/Cowpunk/Rockabilly band, The Saddle Tramps. Seriously, take a moment right now and check any of their music, it’s brilliant. Bassist, Rick Watson has lent his talents to Jesse Dayton, Dale Watson and the impressive Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers. I wasn’t aware of that until I read the bio, and I was like well damn, I should pay more attention! Drummer Juan Gutierrez has manned the kit in the band’s Blockage and Sore Losers. Sadly, I had never heard of those bands before, so I had to do some digging. I really appreciate getting a full bio of a band with a release, it shows that the band cares that you know who they are and where they come from. I’m an avid listener of music of all genres and often I don’t have the time to read the liner notes of everything I listen to so things like this are important, and you learn about new bands a lot of the time. Something else that’s been lost is physical media being sent out for review and I understand the financial implications and things like that, but it says an awful lot about a band when they go out of their way to send a vinyl copy of the record for review. It shows they’re serious about their craft, the album they’ve recorded, and they genuinely care about the PR they’re going to get. Record labels aren’t doing this anymore, not even for their bigger artists that are guaranteed to sell a few thousand on the day of release. Long story short, it’s all about effort and few folks in the music scene be it large or small are big on it nowadays. The Black Birds stand alone in this dept and that deserves to be known and commended. The band’s debut album “1979” was released in 2023 and it’s a blistering dose of Rock N’ Roll with a Punk swagger much like we were treated to with releases from Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, The Dolls and The Dead Boys in the late 70’s. However, the sound isn’t dated, no sir! If I had to pick a current band the group has similarities too, it would be Social Distortion on their more Rock oriented tunes. Admittedly, the fanboy in me has a hard time not hearing a bit of the Cowpunk flavor in Roller’s guitar playing, but I’ve been a long-time fan, and that guitar tone/playing is undeniable. Lyrically, the entire album stands out – I’m used to the Comedic/NFSW lyrical approach of Roller’s band, The Saddle Tramps, so this is really something quite special and new to me. As a middle-aged man, I relate to every song in some shape or form – songs about living, dying, hard work, wishing, hoping and fucking. You name it, it’s all covered here and it’s real, there’s no funny business, it’s genuine and it hits hard. Opening track “Quitter” gets the album moving with Roller leaning into his higher register vocally in the verses, his melody choices really pop and add a lot of character to the song. Next up, the tune “Everything” digs into the Rock element of the album, although it does start off like an old Sex Pistols track that slips my mind right now. This track also features one of Roller’s patented fantastic lead breaks which further strengthens the overall feel of the song. The tune “A few Dollars More” swings hard with a country-fried swag much like some of the more rambunctious Saddle Tramps tracks that I’m used to. For my money, this is one of my favorites from the album, the band clicks in all the right spots and really brings the song home. The same can be said of the tune “Damaged Goods”, I feel the lyrics to this song in my bones. Watson’s bass lines really serve the song well and stand out, he’s got a great tone which isn’t talked about much when it comes to bassists. “Nothin’ to Lose” is a song that’s considerably a bit meatier than a lot of the songs on this album, it’s a bit angrier than the rest, which is fine by me, I’m an angry middle-aged man! HA The lead break and bridge drive the angry feelings even further home. The tune “ADHD” reminds me of my younger brother who’s no longer with us, the lyrics hit home, and I’m reminded of moments in my childhood where I witnessed my brother be punished for things that he legitimately had a hard time controlling even with medication. The Black Birds 1979 album is one that I’ll listen to often for years to come. There aren’t many perfect albums from beginning to end, but I’d say this album fits that term well. The version I received was the aqua vinyl edition with a bit of a marble swirl, it’s a gorgeous piece of wax. I’d suggest you check the band out, the album is on bandcamp, you can take in a good strong listen and purchase the digital version, or you can grab a vinyl edition, which I prefer and recommend. The music on this album was made for a turn table, but more so than that, this music was made for you – there’s not a moment heard here that can’t be related to, it’s classy and heartfelt all at the same time. I can’t wait to hear what these guys come up with next!
Back in 2017, one of the premier tech death metal bands called it quits. Spawn of Possession had proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with and while they only released three albums, fans praise their catalog for the sheer speed, brutality and technicality. While there was a fourth album planned, the group disbanded before it could happen. Fortunately, for those who've been waiting, we are essentially seeing that album now with Retromorphosis' 'Psalmus Mortis'. All of the final line up of Spawn of Possession are back with the exception of drummer Henrik Schönström who has been replaced by former Decrepit Birth drummer KC Howard. Clearly, the band hasn't lost a step as the instrumental opening track "Obscure Exordium" harkens back to the 'Incurso' closing track "Apparition" with its symphonic nature swelling of devastation and intensity as the flood gates begin to overflow. After setting the tone,"Vanished" comes in and showcases itself as one of the most technically proficient efforts here and with its furious and frantic riffing and outrageously precise rhythmic sections finds itself as my favorite song on the album. The title track is another standout with its ferocious shredding intro and vocalist Dennis Röndum delivering some of his best vocal work that I found reminiscent of George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. "Machine" is a bit of a change of pace, as it's more of a mid-tempo offering, but still wildly heavy. By embracing more of the symphonic elements, I found myself having fleeting thoughts of Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. The musicianship found on 'Psalmus Mortis' is second to none and a true standout out in the modern tech death genre.
We’re a few weeks outside of the release of the W.A.S.P. 7 Savage CD box set and Madfish/W.A.S.P. has decided to bless hardcore fans with a digital release of the Bonus and B-Sides disc that was also included in the set. This release is up for streaming on all the typical streaming platforms, but it’s also available for purchase digitally. Which is a bit uncommon, releasing an album like this is unheard of – most bands/labels would rather push the fanbase to purchase the entire set just to land an album like this. W.A.S.P. fans have always been a different breed, so it’s nice to see us getting some special treatment, it’s well deserved! If you follow me at all, you’ll know that I am a self-professed W.A.S.P. junkie and have been since 1984. I own hundreds of their records, CDs, DVDs, posters, tour books and various other forms of memorabilia. I’m constantly on the hunt for bootlegs of live shows in any format no matter the quality. The only thing that I haven’t done is meet the guys in the band past or present. I’m not a meet and greet kind of guy specifically at the price point of the current W.A.S.P. meet and greets. There’s nothing wrong with it and I support anyone else partaking, but it’s just not for me. They say “don’t meet your heroes” so this is one time I’m kind of sticking that logic and thought process. I’ve also seen the band live on SEVERAL occasions every time they’ve rolled through my area, I make it my sole mission to be up in front for the show, it’s serious business when W.A.S.P. rolls into town. So, yes, I was able to see the recent tour/show where the band performed the entire first album and it was as good as I’d thought it would be. The band is currently readying themselves from European tour, don’t cheat yourself and miss it! Back to the Bonus and B-sides release, the album doesn’t necessarily offer anything new for hardcore fans like me aside from another W.A.S.P. piece to put on the shelves. However, there are some fans who haven’t gone out of their way to purchase import singles, extended CD reissues and things of that nature. In essence, this release is for that group of people. I’m a B-sides fan, no matter who the artist may be, I’ve always felt that B-side tunes featured some of the artists’ best work and W.A.S.P. is a perfect example of this thought process. “Show No Mercy” is the B-side to “Animal Fuck Like a Beast”. Sure “Animal” is one of the coolest songs ever, but “Show No Mercy” is an absolute ripper of a tune, I’m still mortified that someone in the band’s camp didn’t think it was important enough to release on the self-titled album and just slapped it on the B-side of “Animal”. It was a big mistake in my opinion, this track could’ve been as important as “Hellion”. It still is to me, but it’s not common outside of the W.A.S.P. faithful. The same can be said of the track “Savage” which was a B-side for the single “Blind in Texas”. Most fans would disagree, but “Savage” fit “The Last Command” album a bit better than “Blind in Texas” to me. Maybe Blackie thought the track was too similar and wanted to break up the monotony of the album and add a bit more “Fun” . The tune “Flesh and Fire” should’ve been released on the “Inside the Electric Circus” album too as opposed to being hidden on the import 12” of “9.5. Nasty”. It took me a few years to get that one, I didn’t get it until around the release of “Crimson Idol”. I’m so glad the internet is a thing now! The younger W.A.S.P. fan in me searched high and low for the songs represented on this album, it was fun but it was exhausting considering that the U.S.A. always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to singles/B-sides. As we get past the first 3 W.A.S.P. releases we start to get into the era of the band where significant members left, so the sound/lyrics and style of the band shifted/changed. “The Headless Children” was a drastic change, but they were still my favorite band, so I whored myself silly and drank it all in like there wasn’t a tomorrow. However, I must say that leaving “Lake of Fools” off “Headless” was a big miss, this track is epic, and it had SINGLE written all over it, the chorus is HUGE, and the lyrics are so well written. Chris Holmes’ guitar playing on this album was fantastic – supposedly, he was somewhat sober around this time having married Lita Ford, so he was really into it. As Holmes’s time in the band drew to a close his playing seemed to get even better, as if he had something more to prove, which to me, he didn’t – he’ll forever be my favorite guitarist, his tone is incredible/unmistakable and you can look near and far and you won’t find a better player that fit the sound of W.A.S.P. The same can be said of Randy Piper, his playing on the first two albums is amazing! The track “War Cry” from the “Headless” era is also represented here, this one was a good choice for a B-side, while it’s a great song, the chorus does seem to get a bit jumbled up, it doesn’t stand up as well as the verse, it almost seems to lose focus. This isn’t the case for the Crimson Idol era of B-sides “Phantom in the Mirror” and “The Eulogy”. These 2 tracks should’ve also seen the light of day with release of the “Crimson Idol”, they play a vital role in the telling of the story. Depending on who you ask, a lot of fans prefer this album over any of them, I’m somewhere in between on that thought – the first era of W.A.S.P. will always be my favorite, but this era deserves a great deal of credit. “Crimson” was Lawless at the peak of his song writing skills and by that time he was the only one left, so the bulk of the album if not all of it was his alone and that can’t be overlooked or discredited. I’m aware that there are concept albums galore from various bands, but none of them can hold a candle to the Crimson Idol. It’s a tale of love, loss, brotherhood, family trauma and the rise and fall. I relate to it in so many ways that at times it’s painful to listen to then there are other times where it strengthens me. It’s a must listen, if you’re a fan of the band and Heavy Metal in general. I’ve skimped on talking about the covers on this album on purpose, those are for you to seek out, but I will say this, you absolutely shouldn’t miss “Locomotive Breath”. Of all the covers the band has performed, this one is definitively the best of the bunch! W.A.S.P. Bonus and B-sides is an album that all fans should be dying to snatch unless you have all the singles, imports, special editions and so on like I do, then again, it’s still something to have. Once being able to burn CDS became a thing, I made several compilations that featured these songs and various other live performances so I could take them along with me on car rides or I could skip digging through the singles for a listen. As a vinyl fan, it’s also nice that this album was featured on the vinyl box set too. Being a W.A.S.P. fan is something that I’ve always cherished and no matter what’s said about the band or how they’ve been perceived through the years, I’m damned proud to have been on the front lines since day one. Next to the Stones, there’s not a better band in the world and there never will be. Every member from the original era are heroes to me. You get the picture, I can talk W.A.S.P. all day… Grab the digital release of this album if you haven’t gotten the CD/Vinyl set, it's a MUST HAVE!
If you're not ready for some hardcore punk from Philly, what the fuck are you doing here?! Formed in 2011, 'For the Dark' is The Brood's first full length album and it's evident that they have put considerable time and effort into crafting this bombastic, bitter and dread-filled encapsulation of indignation. With so much attitude and aggression at the forefront of this effort, it's hard not to immediately think of bands like Poison Idea and Black Flag as influences. With its breakneck pacing and blazing hatred, the band rips through all twelve tracks on 'For the Dark' in just over 20 minutes. Just when you're starting to feel the electricity in your veins, the song is over and the next beatdown commences. Frontman Ned Wells' deep, almost gruff vocals pack a hell of a wallop and do a great job conveying the anger and animosity in songs such as "Destroy Fuckers", "Enemy" and "Culture of Piss". One of the more notable points on the album are the backing vocals of bassist Janine St. Clair who reminds me of Dinah Cancer (Penis Flytrap) on tracks like "Burning With the Sands of Time" and "The Best Parts of You Died". For those looking for a swift shotgun blast of anathema, you're not going to do much better than this.
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A few days ago, the opportunity was presented to me to interview the founder and CEO of Cleopatra Records, Brian Perera. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to speak with Brian as Cleopatra Records has released several albums that I’m a big fan of through the years. I also appreciate the label becoming a home for wayward bands of the 80’s that have been cast aside. Most notably Jack Russell’s Great White, those last few albums are absolutely killer, and we might not have them if not for Cleopatra Records. Enough of my fandom, let’s get on with it! Hi Brian, it’s a pleasure to catch up with you today. I know you’ve done tons of interviews through the years, so we’ll try to avoid too many repeat offenders if possible. Cleopatra Records means a lot of different things to people – some people associate you with Goth, some people associate you with tributes and then there are folks like me who look at the label as a home to disregarded 80’s bands from the Hollywood scene & of course old school Punk Rock!
When I started back toying around with the idea of starting my own label again there was one band specifically that I really wanted to work with – The Tremors! I met them eons ago when I was combing the net looking for cool bands to review. I’ll never forget Jimmy Tremor’s reply – sure we’d love to get a review but from the looks of your site I’m not sure you’d like what we’re doing. I quickly replied that I was into Rockabilly, but I just couldn’t drum up any interest from other Rockabilly bands to get anything in for review. A few days later the band’s Sophomore effort “Invasion of the Saucermen” hit my box and nothing has been the same since. I’ve followed the band’s every move and I’ve reviewed every release they’ve put out since this fateful encounter. By the time I met the band their debut release Scourge of The South had already sold out, so I wasn’t able to get it and that never sat well with me, I looked everywhere for it with no luck! Thanks to the genius of eBay and the advent of the search/save/email notifications I was able to land the CD a few years back – for 40$! A small price to pay for a band that I’ve admired for years. And now here we are a few weeks from the 20 th Anniversary Remastered Reissue that I couldn’t be more excited and prouder of! It just goes to show you that sometimes those high prices you pay for things you love can turn into so much more. So, in honor of this reissue, we wanted to catch up with Jimmy and talk some smack about gear, the band and the upcoming reissue! Good to have you here with us Jimmy, let’s start with some of the oldest questions in the book. What made you want to pick up the guitar and learn to play? How old were you? Did you take lessons/study, or did you pick it up and just start twangin’?! I started playing at 13. My older sister had a Yamaha classical guitar and that's what I started on. When I heard the Rolling Stones, I knew I wanted to play electric guitar in a Rock 'n' Roll band. I took enough lessons to get off the ground from a brilliant guitarist named Jim Ryan, but soon learned that playing by ear was the way to really learn the kind of music that I wanted to play. Did you start singing when you started playing guitar or was that something that came with time? I sang in chorus in grade school, mainly to get out of class, so I’d already been singing some. As soon as I could sing and play at the same time, I was doing it. When did you start playing live/doing shows? Any recordings floating around from that era that our readers go out searching for? I played some talent shows and battle of the bands in high school but didn't start playing clubs until 1989 with a band called Rocket 99. Other than some demos that I have somewhere around the house, there's no recordings or videos from that time. Vocally, who are your biggest influences? I hear a lot of Lux Interior influence, but I’m probably looking hard for it since they’re a favorite band of mine. Hard to be a Rockabilly musician in the 21st century and not be influenced by the Cramps. I definitely love Lux's over the top stylized Rockabilly vocals. I guess the biggest influences on vocals would be Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Elvis. Guitar-wise and musically who would you say are your biggest influences? Musically, Jerry Lee Lewis is a huge influence even though he plays a different instrument. My first memories of music is my mom's 45 of "Great Balls of Fire". A few of the guitarists I've really been influenced by are Scotty Moore, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Grady Martin, Keith Richards, Marc Bolan, Johnny Thunders and Johnny Ramone. So many great guitarists, it's hard to narrow it down. Are there any other genres of music outside of Rockabilly that you spent a lot of time chasing and playing in the early days? Any Jimmy Tremor stories that involve big hair, aqua net and lip stick?! Rocket 99 and Ubangi Stomp were pre-Tremors bands that had a touch of sleazy glam. It was my take on what I thought modern Rock 'n Roll should be about.
One of the things that I’ve cherished the most in my years of music journalism/PR is that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to be around as new bands creep on to the scene. While a great deal of these bands fall by the way side due to various reasons, there are those who not only flourish but remain a staunch main-stay in the scene and wreak havoc every chance they get. This couldn’t be more true when it comes to The Lurking Corpses. The band burst onto the Indy Horror Punk scene in 2003 with their debut album 23 Tales Of Terror and we certainly felt it in our neck of the woods – it would seem a lot of others felt it too. I won’t talk about that album too much, but it was basically 2 albums on one release – long as hell and there’s not a track to be skipped! We have always been smitten with the band, it also helps that they’ve been so cool to everyone in the scene and through the years they’ve remained humble, working tirelessly to release the best albums they possibly can for their hardcore fan-base. Now here we are in 2024 and the band is quickly approaching the release of their latest album “Lurking After Midnight”, which we’ve already covered – go check it out while you’re here. Naturally, TJ & I wanted to be the first one’s to get an interview with the band on this album release so we can spread the good word of The Lurking Corpses a little further and a little deeper into the minds of all you monster babies! A few days ago we were able to catch up with the band’s front man and driving force, his lordship, Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul!! Without further a do……
My first exposure to 80’s hard rock was Motörhead’s “Killed by Death” in 1984. Other tunes that followed were “I’ll Wait” by Van Halen, Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper,” Ozzy’s “Crazy Train,” and Quiet Riot’s cover of Slade’s “Cum on Feel the Noize.” I went from being a strait-laced, tie-wearing preppie, A-student, and quickly evolved into a full-fledged, tee shirt wearing sass-mouthed, metal head. But my grades remained up for the time being. After reading the book and viewing the Paramount+ adaptation Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion, I honestly believe I know the exact moment the cultural center of the music industry shifted from L.A. to Seattle. It was, predictably, MTV’s fault. Rikki Rachtman described it in the Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock penned book, claiming the powers that be at the network selected Alice in Chain’s “Man in the Box” for the Buzz Bin, over Thunder’s “Dirty Love.” I think that’s the tipping point. That, coupled with the third and fourth generation glam bands that flooded the airwaves, it ignited an onslaught of industry bloat that created a downward spiral. Too many bands, doing the same thing, cliché after cliché. Don’t tell the metal heads, they still blame Nirvana. But the book and three-part Paramount+ documentary that resulted from said book, however, is more concerned with the rise and popularity of the genre than its eventual downfall. From the rise of Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P., Dokken and Ratt, to the second wave of bands such as Great White, and Poison, on through the successive generations, including the likes of White Lion, Jetboy, Trixter, and Tuff, most major bands are featured, at least in a cursory fashion, with very few exceptions. I noted specifically Cinderella, Europe and Slaughter’s absence from the Paramount+ documentary, but they are represented in the book. A surprising omission from the show was a discussion of Whitesnake’s defining “Here I Go Again,” what red-blooded American boy could resist drooling over Tawny Kitaen draped all over the hoods of a couple Jaguars in the music video? The video, however, makes a couple cameos without much real discussion. Starting with a look back at the late 70s when Van Halen was the final big rock act to be signed to a major label before New Wave broke, the first episode of the series focuses initially upon Quiet Riot and Randy Rhoads, then slips into a look at the birth of Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P., and Dokken. Some of the most revealing comments from the series came from producer/manger/song writer Alan Niven, who worked with the likes of Guns N’ Roses and Great White, to name a few. He emphasized the title of the piece, Nöthin' But a Good Time, stating that wasn’t his experience. It was life and death on the road, who lives, who dies, but Niven proudly states his biggest accomplishment was not losing anybody on his watch. Other sobering scenes from the series come a bit later in the form of a look back at Penelope Spheeris’ Decline of Western Civilization part II: the Metal Years documentary. The tale of the Gazzarri’s house band fixture Odin comes to the forefront. In Spheeris’ film the lead singer confidently states he’d kill himself if he didn’t make it, well, aside from a small independent release of the seven-song e.p. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1987), the band and singer Randy “O” went nowhere. Fortunately, he had a change of heart and Randy “O” has not taken his own life, to date. Slipknot’s Corey Taylor penned the foreword to the book and appears frequently in the series, singing the praises of bands such as White Lion, Poison, Vain, and Life, Sex & Death. Taylor was first drawn into the genre upon catching the video for “Looks That Kill” on MTV, and he was hooked. Taylor is steeped and very knowledgeable about the 80s metal scene. Looking back from 40 years down the line at the 80s hard rock scene, I abhor the derogatory term hair metal, and have little love for the term glam metal, it was a different time, fueled by sex, drugs, strong drink and rock n roll. The misogyny is a little in your face from a 2025 perspective, but Spheeris interestingly notes, the women of the time were okay with it. She stood back as a documentarian and tried to objectively look at the scene, and found the ladies were complicit in their behavior. Deedee Keel, a booking agent for the Whiskey, stated in the show that working in a candy store, you were going to taste the sweets, and alludes to a hookup with Ratt’s Robin Crosby. Several key albums are examined in depth, including Shout at the Devil, Look What the Cat Dragged In, and Appetite for Destruction. Videos and live performances abound from the likes of Faster Pussycat, and there’s even shots of the infamous meat-throwing days of W.A.S.P. The PMRC is briefly mentioned, but oddly the song “Shelter Me” was not referenced, as we all know, “Tipper led the war against the record industry / she said she saw the Devil on her MTV.” All the key sites on the Sunset Strip make an appearance, The Troubadour, Cathouse, The Whiskey, The Rainbow, Gazzarri’s, and the rest. The series is more of a synopsis, a companion piece, to the Beaujour, Bienstock book. If you want to see how the times were from the perspective of artists, producers, groupies, roadies, hangers-on, etc., this is most certainly a series for you. And if you have a desire to dig deeper than the show goes, I highly recommend giving the book a read. A document that depicts the heyday of L.A.’s hard rock scene, Nöthin' But a Good Time is just that, a good time, a good read, a good binge worthy series.
This was funny, but also not too off from how punks were viewed by the older generation at the time. Weird hair color or piercings were definitely looked at ascance in 1987, when this aired as an ABC Afterschool Special. The "punk" music in this is more like mainstream new wave, so no lost gems like in the Quincy punk episode. The punks are all presented sympathetically, so we also don't get the sensationalized violence and drug use you might expect from 80s punksploitation. The kids are all depicted as just needing a little attention and probably just going through a phase. As silly as it is, it does at least send a message to uptight parents that their kids may look weird, but they're still good kids. In the context of the times, that's actually not too bad. We do at least get a great cast of 80s character actors including the guy who played the Governor on Benson, Roxie Roker from The Jeffersons, and the ship's doctor from The Love Boat. And star Jay Underwood would go on to play Bug in Uncle Buck, The Human Torch in Roger Corman's (technically) unreleased Fantastic Four, and Sonny Bono in The Sonny and Cher Story. At the end of the day, this is neither particularly good taken at face value, nor is it super campy fun. It is, however, a decent little time capsule, and at just 45 minutes it's over right about when you're ready for it to be.
"Another day to live through. Better get started." Based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend, 'The Last Man on Earth' is a post-apocalyptic horror film that follows Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) as the lone survivor in a hellish wasteland filled with vampiric creatures caused by a plague. In December of 1965, he inherited the earth and has been living each day ad nauseam for three years. Every day he has the same routine - he checks the fuel for his generator, goes out for supplies, kills vampires and returns home before dark. The bodies of the slain vampires are thrown into a pit and set ablaze to control the contagion. Through a flashback, it is revealed that Dr. Morgan had a wife and daughter, both of whom succumbed to the plague. Upon the death of his wife, he didn't want her burned with the others and decided to bury her on his own. To his surprise, she rises from the grave and makes her way back to their home. This in part explains why we see him lose pieces of his sanity throughout the film and even at times almost resents being alive. While out one day, he stumbles across a woman who he brings back to his home. He starts to have concerns about her and then shoves a wreath of garlic in her face resulting in an adverse reaction. She swears that she's not one of them, but Dr. Morgan finds her trying to inject herself with a vaccine. She explains that there's a large group of infected who are taking the vaccine and that many of those that he killed were actually part of their group and she was sent to secure him so that the others could kill him. This results in a chase through the police station and finally the church where Dr. Morgan is shot and impaled by a spear. This is where he proclaims that he's the last man on earth meaning that he is the last actual man and not an infected or hybrid.
I'll be the first to admit that I get bent out of shape when horror movies are remade. I automatically assume they'll be garbage because generally speaking it's the truth. Fortunately, this remake of George A. Romero's 1978 classic is one of the few that actually get it right. I remember seeing this in theaters and being impressed with how it did its own thing while maintaining the authenticity of the original. Additionally, the cameos made by Tom Savini and Ken Foree help in paying homage to the film they starred in 26 years earlier. I feel it's worth noting that this is Zack Snyder's directorial debut. Regardless of how you feel about his later work (primarily directing superhero films), he does a solid job here and would even go on to direct another zombie film ('Army of the Dead') in 2021. He pays a lot of attention to detail such as different colors of blood used based on the age and state of decomposition of the zombies. Red blood is used for the "fresher" zombies, brownish/red for the medium-aged ones and blackish blood for the oldest. Conversely, there are some continuity issues, as it seems that there is no set time in how long it takes someone to turn once they're bitten. Some people it's instantaneous while others take hours. If you've seen the original, you know the gist. During a zombie outbreak, a group of people make their way to a mall in order to protect themselves in hopes of riding out the storm until help can arrive or they can escape on their own. There are considerable differences between the two films such as there being more plot that involves the group being outside the safety of the mall in the remake. There's also a zombie baby, a dog and some souped up buses that look to be the prototype for those in 'Land of the Dead'. The fates of the survivors are ambiguous as they sail away to an island and look to be attacked, but we are not provided any definitive answers.
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This lineup could rival any other three death or thrash metal bands anyone could put together. Admittedly, I am not the biggest Possessed fan, but respect the hell out of them for their contributions to the genre and was really interested in seeing them perform. I had my earplugs in, but took those mother fuckers out when they took the stage to take in all the blasphemous hymns! Their set was short and sweet (about seven or eight songs) and when they played "Tribulation" I was amped because that's one of my favorite tracks from 'Beyond the Gates' and they killed it! My biggest issue with their performance is that while Jeff gave everything in his vocal performance, it came across as a little subdued. The instruments drowned his efforts a bit which is rather unfortunate. And I know this is super trivial, but their bassist did not move from his position on stage at all. It was almost like his feet were glued to the floor and it was a bit distracting. The fact that your lead singer moves around more and he's in a wheelchair speaks volumes.
This past Friday, (August 9 th) I took my girl to see L.A. Guns & Tom Keifer (Cinderella) in Peachtree City at The Fred Amphitheater. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about the show until a few days before. To be blunt, the PR for the show was trash, otherwise I would’ve had front row seats or a “table” as that was the thing at this venue. Nevertheless, we were able to land great seats and the way the Amphitheater is set up I knew we were going to be able to see the bands well. I was still a bit pissed about the lack of PR though, if I’d missed another chance to see L.A. Guns, I would’ve been MAD AS HELL!! The ride to the venue was highly amusing, we took the backroads and had an adventure, it also helped that my girl was half in the bag and feeling a strong wine buzz – she’s always hilarious, but when she’s on the “drank” and we’re traveling she’s even more fun! We got to see several old farmhouses, ranches and so forth. About 30 minutes outside of Peachtree City we rode through some small town where they had what I believe to be a hunting store with two large statues of Bigfoot standing outside which turned my girl’s tickle box on full tilt and she laughed herself into a stupor. Right then and there she decided we were going to ride back down that way on Vacation to see what's up with the Sasquatches. I’m sure that’s really going to happen, although we have no business in a Hunting Store whatsoever. After an hour or so of my wife loud talking, dranking and giggling we pulled into The Fred and were greeted with FREE PARKING – HELL YES! I’m not sure of the age of the venue but it’s the newer style of Amphitheaters that are starting to sprout up all over the place that tends to cater to the local folks who have plenty of money and are just looking to have a good time and drink themselves blind with their golfing buddies. It’s a bit on the high falutin’ side, if you will. The Amphitheater is nestled deep back in the woods a few miles off a main highway, but you don’t realize it, it feels like you’re a million miles from nowhere. Aside from the normies in khaki shorts and collared Polo shirts, it was a brilliant vibe and there was enough of our tattooed brothers and sisters around to make us feel at home or at least me – my girl was buzzed, she didn't care, she was just happy to be there with me and I with her... L.A. Guns hit the stage at 7:35PM it was still light outside, but that didn’t sway the band or the crowd. Those ole Hollywood Vamps came out guns a'blazing. (If you haven’t seen LAG, this is a standard, they don’t fuck around, they dig in and deliver the goods). We were treated with ten-mile-wide smiles, laughter and cheers from the band too, they were as happy to be there as we were. LAG, stuck to the standards - “Sex Action”, “Electric Gypsy”, “Over the Edge”, “I Wanna Be Your Man” were a few of the notables. The band also sprinkled in some of their newer tunes – the much loved “Speed” from The Missing Peace record. They also opened the show with one of my personal favorites “Cannonball” off the “Checkered Past” album, which I thought was a nice touch. Sadly, they only played one track off their new album, “Black Diamonds” and that was “Like A Drug”. Naturally, the band played their biggest hit “Ballad of Jayne” and while I still adore it, I’m cool if I never hear it or see them play it live again. I’ve been a fan since the debut album in 1988, so it’s a bit old hat to me, but I know all the cool kids in collared shirts had probably never seen the band play it live. Plus, my girl had never seen LAG live, so that was a moment for her too. The band was highly interactive with the crowd, but this is the LAG way, they’re all about the fans and being in the moment. There were a few of the ladies down front who were a bit too excited to see Phil Lewis & Tracii Guns so we were all treated to a little “Breast Wishes”, but it’s all in fun and hey it’s an L.A. Guns show, if you can’t be sleazy there where in the hell can you be sleazy?! If you’ve never seen L.A. Guns live, don’t miss the chance when they come to your town, the band is still as good as they were in 1988!!! I’d go see them again tomorrow if they were playing near me. To be fair, I try not to miss L.A. Guns when they come to town, they’re one of my all-time favorite bands. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I still miss and love Steve Riley (R.I.P.) on drums, but the new guy held it down well enough to get the job done. Now we come to the hard part of the night - Tom Keifer’s set. I haven’t seen or heard Tom live outside of his time in Cinderella and that was years ago when we were both still young and wild. It’s well documented that Tom has fought a long hard battle with vocal cord paralysis. Over the years several surgeries have been performed and he’s basically had to teach himself to sing again over and over. From the first note I knew something was wrong, someone was singing off-key, or something was happening somewhere. Much to my dismay, I soon realized it was Tom. I was hoping it was just the on-stage volume and they’d get it figured out after the first song, however when Keifer spoke I could hear that his voice was gone, it cracked instantly as he welcomed the crowd. I’m not slagging Keifer at all, just calling it down the middle. Honestly, I didn’t think this was an issue anymore, I’ve got a few friends who’ve seen Tom several times, they go out of their way to travel miles and miles to see him and not a word has been said. My mind immediately went to this thought - I could leave, be disappointed and turn my back on one of my childhood heroes. Or either I could stay, scream my ass off and raise my hands in the air and cheer the man on as he sang and played his heart out for us. You all know I stayed and screamed, looking for that sacred “Shot of Gasoline”!!! Tom got me in my feelings several times when I was least expecting it too. The 3 rd track of the set was “Heartbreak Station”, and the intro was so heartfelt I was tearing up before he sang the first line. I stood their awe struck and dumbfounded with tears in my eyes remembering how much the song has meant to me through the years and how much of a pleasure it was to hear it live for what could be my very last time. It also stung me deep that Jeff LaBar (R.I.P.) wasn’t up on-stage playing guitar. These feelings hit me even harder on “Coming Home”. Of all the songs Cinderella released, this track has always been my favorite, it’s a bio of my life, warts and all. All I’ve ever wanted was to be loved and to “come home”, it felt like forever to be able to achieve that feeling. A million thanks to my girl for giving me that home that I yearned for my entire life. “I took a ride in a world I'll be spinnin’ for the rest of my life” … Keifer went on to play all the hits, he hit us with “Hot and Bothered”, “The Last Mile”, “Nobody’s Fool” and I thought the crowd was going to full on riot when they played “Somebody Save Me” and “Nightsongs”. It was a fantastic scene. There were several other classics played throughout the evening. I’m sincerely glad I stayed for Keifer’s set, the young man that still haunts the halls in my memory needed it. Now my cup runneth over with love for all the things that I’ve experienced and all the places I’ve been. It’s not just Tom who’s gotten older, I’ve done fucked around and gotten old too. Thankfully, us old dogs can still get up there and fucking get it when it's time. If either of these bands roll through your town, get off your ass and go! While Tom isn’t the young man he once was, know this, the voice he had in the in the late 80’s was wrecked for us and all in the name of Rock N’ Roll. Keifer deserves to hear the crowds roar and every one reading this “NEEDS A SHOT OF GASOLINE”! And if you can’t get down with Keifer, them Hollywood Vampires, L.A. Guns still got that 100-dollar bill and a bottle of lotion – S.E.X. Who’s next?! ~Black Angel
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