Krokus
No more Mr. Nice Guy dogs. It’s coming down fast and it’s coming down hard. Thanks for listening to METAL SHOP.
The major metal news outlets have not confirmed, but this site posted yesterday that a ‘source close to AC/DC confirms singer Brian Johnson was fired.’ Comedian Jim Breuer feels ‘really bad’ about invading AC/DC’s privacy last week when he said Brian Johnson was “kicked to the curb” by the band, but the report from United Media Publishing claims “everything Mr. Breuer originally said is basically the truth, in a roundabout way.”
The informant, speaking out only under the condition of anonymity, says it’s his loyalty to Brian Johnson as to why he’s risking his job by speaking out. He says Brian is a “fab guy and has been treated like shit. He does have hearing issues but not as serious as they’re saying. This was just an excuse to fire the guy, basically.” The insider also denied claims that KROKUS singer Marc Storace was contacted by the band’s record label to possibly replace Johnson.
The source said lead guitarist (and sole remaining original member) Angus Young has narrowed the search down to two or three guys, all relative unknowns outside of their respective countries, putting to rest rumors of a possible mashup of classic rock royalty. “They’re not well known names. The band never considered any big name vocalists to replace Brian. I think they wanted to find a fresh new talent. The plan is to decide on the singer within the next couple of weeks, maybe sooner, reschedule the tour and get back out on the road as if nothing’s happened.”
METALLICA released audio of ‘The Four Horseman’ from the remastered edition of ‘Kill ‘Em All,’ coming out April 15th. The quality is excellent, but probably too clean. Maybe new fans will appreciate this, but I still get most excited hearing the energy and raw sound of the original that got me hooked in the first place. Have a listen – Click Here.
After a major runway accident in Chile, IRON MAIDEN’s Ed Force One has been repaired and will rejoin the tour today in Brasilia. While Maiden had continued touring South America without it, it’s good news if you hoped to get a glimpse of the plane when they come to your town.
Maiden’s third album and first with singer Bruce Dickinson, “The Number of the Beast,” was released today in 1982. The album cover was originally created for the song “Purgatory”, but was deemed too high a calibre of artwork for a single release and it was saved for The Number of the Beast album instead. The original 1982 artwork includes a blue sky in the background; this was a mistake by the printers of the album cover, and was later rectified and became black when the album was remastered for compact disc in 1998.
ANTHRAX released their big breakthrough album “Among the Living” today in 1987. It features the singles, “I Am the Law” and “Indians” and was dedicated to the memory of METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton.
SCORPIONS were forced to cut short their concert in Hamburg last night because of a “viral infection” affecting the voice of the band’s lead singer, Klaus Meine. The band reportedly performed for about thirty minutes before calling off the rest of the gig. It is not clear if Meine will be well enough to take part in the next performance scheduled for Wednesday in Leipzig.
An official announcement is expected today, but there is speculation that former GUNS N’ ROSES drummer Steven Adler will join the big reunion. Stay tuned.
Hola! regular readers and dubious skimmers alike!
It’s Wednesday, March 16th and AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson’s close friend, comedian Jim Breuer, has released a video message clarifying the comments he made in which he suggested the singer was “kicked to the curb” by the band after 36 years. “Just so people know, I’m not quoting Brian Johnson,” said Breuer. “It’s me venting. He didn’t say a lot of those things. When I first saw him he was just down and sad and just saying, ‘I’m just trying to work things out and I hope it all comes to fruition.’ The rest is me just trying to lift him up, being funny and goofy. Then I just talked in a conversation with a friend kind of exaggerating some of those points. I had no clue the madness that it would create.”
Many famous names have been floated as possibilities to guest sing for AC/DC and finish out the current tour. One of those names is KROKUS vocalist Marc Storace, whose band has opened for AC/DC in the past and who once turned down an opportunity to audition to replace the late Bon Scott in 1980. Storace says he would ‘certainly’ accept the offer to front the band, if an offer came, saying “As far as it concerns me, obviously there’s my loyalty to Krokus, but the guys would understand if the offer came and I would certainly take it up this time and go for an audition. Then it’s up to Angus to decide. For me, AC/DC is Angus Young — no offense to Brian Johnson. I think Brian Johnson did a magnificent job with his special unique kind of voice. But losing your hearing is not a nice thing. It’s like losing our eyesight for a musician.”
I remember being sick and staying home from school one day in 1976 and my dad coming home from work with the new KISS album as a get well gift. That record was ‘Destroyer’ released this week 40 years ago and what most consider to be their best album. Rolling Stone magazine disagreed with that sentiment, writing “the vocals are undistinguished and emotionally empty; the lyrics — about partying and the rock scene, with plenty of campy S&M allusions — trite. Worse yet, there’s not a memorable guitar solo on the album.” Click Here to read the rest of the review.
Today in 1992, during a METALLICA concert at Orlando Arena, fans dangled an usher by his ankles from the balcony as trouble broke out at the show. The band was charged $38,000 for repairs and cleaning after the audience trashed the building.
On this date in 2008, Daniel MacMaster, vocalist for Bonham, died of complications from pneumonia at age 39. R.I.P.
It’s a short one today, but the best part of this is your contribution, anyway. So, have at it!
Hi there! Back for another merry round of what’s up in 80’s Metal.
Photos, video and stories are coming from the big weekend of live metal in Las Vegas.
METAL SHOP listener Bianca Trujillo attended the MEGADETH concert last Friday (Feb. 26th). Check out her recap and photos at this location – Click Here
METAL SHOP’s Ralph Cartel attended the IRON MAIDEN concert on Sunday (Feb. 28th). Check out his recap and photos – Click Here
A new Twitter account purportedly belonging to former GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin has appeared on the social media site, according to The Pulse Of Radio. Two sources have apparently confirmed to The Wall Street Journal reporter Neil Shah that the account is real, with Stradlin himself — or the person behind the account claiming to be Stradlin — tweeting a video of himself playing guitar. But more importantly, the first tweet from the @IzzyStradlin999 account on Feb. 22nd read, “At this point in time, I’ve no involvement in the upcoming April 2016 GNR shows.”
Former DIO and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013 and is continues to battle the disease, saying recently, “It keeps coming back. I’ve done three rounds of chemo, stem cell transplant and I really thought would be it with the stem cell transplant, but no, it came back, so I’m kind of resigned to the fact that I’ll probably deal with the rest of my life. But I’m really not at all concerned with it; it’s just maintenance. I put it on par with going to the dentist. It’s a little bit more involved than that, but it’s just something that I got to keep doing.”
Today in 1997, a MÖTLEY CRÜE fan who claimed his hearing had been irreparably damaged after a show in New Jersey had his lawsuit thrown out of court. The judge told Clifford Goldberg who had sat near the front of the stage, knew the risk he was taking.
Happy Birthday to original SKID ROW drummer Rob Affuso. He turns 53 today.
On this date in 1982, KROKUS released their sixth album “One Vice at a Time”, featuring the single “Long Stick Goes Boom” and today in 2005, JUDAS PRIEST released the album “Angel of Retribution”, their first album since 1990’s ‘Painkiller’ to feature Rob Halford.
That’s all I’ve got so far. Check in, chime in….and thank you!
You know it’s Friday because the volume on your 80’s metal has gone up a little before you crank it to 11 at the end of the day.
30 years ago this year, METALLICA released their finest album “Master Of Puppets” and to celebrate will be releasing a book in the fall on the making of that classic 1986 record. The bands says they hit the storage lockers, attics and basements to fill the book with hundreds of never-before-seen images pulled from their personal archives. Highlights includes interviews with members of the bands who toured with Metallica, ANTHRAX and ARMORED SAINT and Cliff Burton’s dad Ray sat down for an extensive interview.
What a trip last weekend for METAL SHOP’s Ralph Cartel, who made the 400 mile drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco to see the Metallica Pre-Super Bowl Concert. His recap that includes a link to the entire concert in HD is on the METAL SHOP website.
Former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell (currently playing with Last In Line and Def Leppard), who has been battling cancer since 2013, was recently asked why he continues to tour and not simply stay at home given his health issues. He replied, “That to me would be the death sentence. My work is catharsis for me. There’s nothing that brings me greater happiness. All I ever wanted to do in my life was play guitar in a band. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than staying at home just me and my illness.” Catch more of the interview at this location – Click Here
On this date in 1982, IRON MAIDEN released the single “Run To The Hills” from the album “The Number Of The Beast” and MÖTLEY CRÜE began the first of a three night run at the world famous Whisky A Go Go in L.A. Were you there? We would love to hear your memories and see photos if you have any.
For #FBF, check out the photo below posted by KROKUS on their Facebook page of the Single/45 record release of 1984’s “The Blitz”. Did you know Krokus was the first musical act from Switzerland to hit the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. with “Midnite Maniac” from that same “Blitz” album?
Don’t forget Valentine’s Day is Sunday and METAL SHOP’s sister station HAIR BAND RADIO is celebrating with all Power Ballads, Love Songs & Breakup Songs all day. Give your sweetie a squeeze and tune in here
Have a great weekend.
Blabbermouth.net: In his new autobiography, “Shut Up And Give Me The Mic”, Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER has nothing nice to say about KROKUS, the veteran hard rockers from Switzerland. For an entire chapter, he rages about KROKUS, calls the band “Crapus” and states: “You have no idea how close you came landing on the bottom of a lake.”
The reason for his outburst: KROKUS commissioned Snider’s wife Suzette in 1982 to sew stage outfits for the band’s U.S. tour, but the former KROKUS manager refused to pay her for her services.
“These guys ripped off my wife and threatened her,” says Snider, who points out that his wife’s mother emigrated from Switzerland.
“I was proud of this rock band from the home country of my mother,” says Suzette. But the pride has turned into rage.
KROKUS bassist/producer Chris Von Rohr recalls: “The clothes did not match at all our expectations. Too much harlequin style. So we made a bonfire of it.”
Many years have passed and KROKUS are older and wiser. “If we have not treated his wife with due respect, we are sorry,” Von Rohr says
Von Rohr proposes to Dee and his wife to bury the hatchet and drink a beer or two together at a festival this year where both bands will perform in reconciliation of an event that happened over 30 years ago.
Swiss newspaper Blick reached Snider by phone and submitted KROKUS’ peace offer. “If they are serious, I think it’s a nice gesture,” says Snider. “But I have to ask my wife first if she is ready to forgive KROKUS.”
KROKUS Vocalist Calls DEE SNIDER Feud ‘Childish’ And ‘Ridiculous’
Blabbermouth.net: In a recent interview with “The Metal Voice” (see video below), KROKUS vocalist Marc Storace responded to Snider’s comments, saying: “This is so childish. We gave her a chance. I mean, how do you do?! Before you buy a truckload of wine, you wanna taste a bottle. SO we just wanted to have samples… to see some clothes. And our tour manager, L.D., he sent off the sizes and… I can’t even remember the details; it’s ridiculous. In the end, she came with the stuff, we tried it on, and it looked horrible. I’m sorry. I mean, I’m sorry. And they got so offended, and it was such a great insult to them. And they wanted their money. And L.D. said, ‘Hey, we’re not buying. Keep the clothes. Sorry. No deal.'”
KROKUS bassist/producer Chris Von Rohr recently recalled: “The clothes did not match at all our expectations. Too much harlequin style. So we made a bonfire of it.”
Many years have passed and KROKUS are older and wiser. “If we have not treated his wife with due respect, we are sorry,” Von Rohr said.
Von Rohr proposed to Dee and his wife to bury the hatchet and drink a beer or two together at a festival this year where both bands will perform in reconciliation of an event that happened over 30 years ago.
Swiss newspaper Blick reached Snider by phone and submitted KROKUS’ peace offer. “If they are serious, I think it’s a nice gesture,” said Snider. “But I have to ask my wife first if she is ready to forgive KROKUS.”