Meister's Monsters of Rock Cruise 2014 #2-The Liver's Call to Arms (Pre & Pool Parties)

Here we go again folks with round #2 of my Monsters of Rock Cruise ramblings.  I thought that I’d again mutter on about some of my plans and activities for this year’s event before I get into something really exciting coming next week…….until then…..

January is upon us and here in Toronto Mother Nature is seriously pissed off at us for something, hammering us with a much harsher and higher level of weather than we are accustomed to!  We’ve had wicked ice storms, leaving many residents without power for more than a week over the
Christmas holidays, much colder than normal temperatures, extreme wind chill factors and several feet more snow than the last two years combined.  I’m afraid to see what it’s like in normally colder areas of the world this year and with the bigger and badder 2014 voyage of The Monsters of Rock Cruise: Escape to Monster Island already totally sold out, I’m not the only one using the excitement of this cruise to ward off the depression of Mother Nature’s wrath!

At this time of year a good bulk of the world’s population are making and trying to stick to a whole host of New Year’s resolutions, a big one being working out at the gym and training to get into shape.  I’m sure some of my fellow cruisers are doing something similar as we speak and The Meister is no exception……I’m however on a different style of workout and have begun training my liver for Miami and the awesome Monsters of Rock Cruise.  While you don’t have to drink alcohol and will surely enjoy the concerts and experiences just as much, I as do many of us choose to imbibe mass quantities of adult beverages and I can feel my liver cringe and visibly shake, giving a gasp of fear whenever I log into the MORC Facebook page as it remembers last year’s escapades.  Never fear buddy, we’ll get you on a great program to be ready for this year’s massive floating rock party!

Last year the excursion was subtitled “The Lost Weekend”, but I and many fellow cruisers turned it into more of a lost week, spending a few days in sunny Florida before and/or after the voyage.  This year I fully plan on doing the same, the flights are all booked, the luggage packed (who am I kidding that’s only 2 pair of shorts, a couple of age old rock t-shirts and lots of clean under wear!  Should all fit nicely into a plastic Wal-Mart bag!).  I leave the frigidity of Toronto on the 26^th of March arriving in sparkling Miami in the early afternoon for three nights prior to cruising.  After we disembark on April 2nd it’s off to Nashville for two nights to drop in on podcast hosts Chris Czynszak and Aaron Camaro as well as harass a couple of the Decibel Geek staff writers.

As for the 26th, the main plan is to get settled in my residence at the hotel and perhaps explore a little of the city.  Probably join with some cruise friends from around the globe that I know are also arriving on the 26^th not to mention a few of my fellow “EH” Team that are on the same flight as me even!  Still looking for any Canadians going on The Monsters of Rock Cruise to join our group, message me through the Facebook link at the bottom of the page.

The real mayhem begins on March 27^th, two days before we set sail on the high seas.  Kicking off at 12 noon is the Rockerz Gone Wild Pool Party II.  This pool party is in no way affiliated with Monsters of Rock, or any of its trademarks and brands.  It’s put on by a fellow cruiser and last year’s event was a great place to mingle and meet other cruisers (who may and or may not offer ridiculous sums of money for a 20 year old Four Horsemen Canada Tour shirt should you have one to bring along....true story! 2013's ROCKERZ POOL PARTY RECAP), artists and generally begin punishing ones liver.  The Rockerz Gone Wild Pool Party 2014 features 12 Bands including some well known names like Burning Rain, London and Trixter.  The party keeps rocking until 5am, so that’s 17 hours of drinking and general mayhem…..somehow I think this ole man won’t make it that long!  Since this event is not affiliated with MORC it’s open to the public for ticket purchase at a face value of $60 available through this link: (ROCKERZ PAYPAL).

Well, also on the 27th and perhaps an option for those not interested in the mass drinking or bands that the pool party offers is the official MORC Pre-Party #1.  This event is sponsored by MORC and offers free admission to all cruisers on 2014’s ship’s registry.  There may be a limited number of tickets for sale at the door for those not aboard ship.  The Pre-Party for 2013’s excursion featured cruise bands Enuff Z’Nuff and JSRG.  JSRG are ¾ of the original Vixen all female group, only missing Jan Kuehnemund.  Sadly Kuehnemund passed away from cancer back in October 2013 and in tribute to her the remaining members have once again taken up the Vixen moniker.  JSRG/Vixen were absolutely mind blowing at last year’s event and I look forward to seeing them again aboard ship this year (2013's PRE-PARTY RECAP)…..but I’m straying away from my topic here!  Pre-Party #1 will be hosted by Ted Poley (or as I like to refer to him “Mr. Cruise”……as this cruise just wouldn’t be the same without him!) and Autograph….where do I sign in please?

Can’t decide whether it’s Pool or Pre-Party for you?  Perhaps you could start out at the Rockerz Gone Wild Pool Party II at noon for some casual afternoon drinks and live rock music and then catch a cab over to Magic City Casino for the Pre-Party, finishing up the evening back at The Rockerz Pool event.  The Pool Party, at The Howard Johnson Hotel at Hialeah Gardens, appears to be about a 20 minute drive to The Magic City Casino providing that I’ve operated Google maps correctly!  With a few friends in tow that can’t cost too much in a cab ride could it?

After what I’m sure will be a "late-to-rise" morning/afternoon and more investigation of what Miami has to offer, it’ll be time to keep the party going on Friday March 28^th with MORC Pre-Party #2.  The sequel Pre-Party offers KIX with special guests Firehouse in what are sure to be another two great rock performances again held at the Magic City Casino, also open late for those with the gambling itch.  Remember, as a MORC cruiser, admission is free to this event, but there may be a limited number of tickets available at the door for those non cruisers wishing to go.

That should successfully fill the time for my three days in Miami prior to embarkation of the MSC Divina.  For those who have not yet investigated the vessel, here is one of several videos available from different sources on You-Tube (MSC DIVINA).  Can you imagine how different that pool deck will look packed with long haired and tattooed heavy metal fans for the sail away concert?  For the last two voyages Tesla has led us out of port with the sail away show and it’s hard to imagine anyone else guiding us out to sea for the commencement of the cruise, but then again sometimes a change is nice……..any ideas or thoughts on who it might be this time around?

Tune in again next week for something I find really exciting………in the meantime for more 2013 cruise ramblings, here's my first cruise blog from last year: ("VIEWS OF THE CRUISE #1-THE 2012 RECAP")

Cheers,
The Meister  ("LIKE" THE MEISTER ON FACEBOOK)

KISSteria Circa 1977!

With the recent announcement of KISS' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year, it would seem that such a big event would galvanize the KISS Army from all over the world. Unfortunately, it seems to be having the opposite effect.

So many "will they/won't they" questions are keeping all factions of the fan base at each others' throats. This division is not being helped by the band itself as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have released contradicting statements via Twitter over the past few weeks. 

To help forget about that tension for a moment and to help us remember what made/makes KISS magical, we present this video that was recently uploaded to Youtube by a user named malfuncsean. Here's the description from the video:

"This is a video my friend Craig's parents filmed on Super 8 of myself as Paul Stanley, Craig as Gene Simmons, Morgan as Peter Criss and Craig's sister making an appearance as her own version of KISS. This had no sound so the music was added just for fun. This was filmed in Craig's backyard in Anaheim, CA some time in 1977."

There's plenty of time for finger-pointing between now and April. Until then, enjoy this little look at how much fun it is to be a KISS fan.

Skrou - Giving Us A Place To Shake!

A couple things happened at my place during the first weekend of 2014 that totally took me back in time. The first occurred when my daughter turned on a movie to watch, and suddenly I heard the familiar sounds of Warrant playing. I looked up at the TV to find her intently watching Rock of Ages. Watching the headbanging eighties unfurl within the fictitious rock bar called "The Bourbon Room", I smiled remembering the fashions, the music and of course the hair of my youth. Just in case you missed it, it's a musical set on the sunset strip in the mid 80's with a soundtrack featuring Def Leppard, Poison, Twisted Sister, Bon Jovi and other hard melodic rock tunes.

The other was listening to the soon to be released self titled debut CD from Toronto rockers "SKROU". From the opening crunchy power chords of "Place to Shake" I was grooving. A totally infectious, hard rock anthem filled with all the sleaze and attitude of the aforementioned sunset strip circa 1987. One hundred percent sleazy rock n roll at it's finest or maybe that should read 100 proof sleazy rock n roll, either way I loved it. Time to head over to "The Bourbon Room", order a Jack n Coke and bang my head, and that was just the first song.

Skrou have become a fixture on the Toronto music scene and I have been fortunate to catch a few of their shows over the last year. Always a great time, they deliver a tight set of melodic 80's rock covering bands like Whitesnake, Scorpions and Ratt. All the while they have been hard at work preparing some originals to unleash in 2014.

From where I am sitting this CD provides a double barrel blast of ten vintage yet brand new songs. If you rocked along with the Crue, Ratt and Dokken than you should really dig this album. From the melodic groove of "Dirty Little Fantasy" to the shredding guitar on "Eye Catcher" to the Judas Priest feel riffs of "Ride On", the ten songs found here lay it all on the line. Party rock is alive and well in Toronto and Skrou is here to provide the "place to shake". In fact someone should be contacting Sirius Hair Nation and tell them to add this to their rotation! This review is over, I am going to contact Sirius myself. Horns up for Skrou!

Biily's Top 20 Hard Rock Albums of 2013!!!!!!

20.  Jesse Damon - Temptation In The Garden Of Eve
19. Place Vendome - Thunder In The Darkness
18. Coldspell - Frozen Paradise
17. King Kobra - II
16. FM - Rockville and Rockville II
15. Degreed - We Don't Belong
14. Black Star Riders - All Hell Breaks Loose
13. Laneslide - Flying High
12. Impera - Pieces Of Eden
11. Adriangale - SuckerPunch
10. Stryper - No More Hell To Pay
  9. Seventh Key - I Will Survive
  8. Halestorm - ReAnimate 2.0
  7. Tom Keifer - The Way Life Goes
  6. The Winery Dogs - The Winery Dogs
  5. W.E.T. - Rise Up
  4. LaValle - Dear Sanity
  3. Magnus Karlsson - Freefall
  2. Queensryche - Queensryche (Tateless)
  1. Alter Bridge - Fortress

There it is kids, alot of great music released in 2013.  This is my list of Hard Rock albums, I didn't include Metal because I figure someone else will do that.  I listen to alot of Melodic Rock and there is some great Melodic Rock releases here that are worth checking out if you love that 80's AOR sound.   I can't wait to hear what 2014 has in store for us music wise!!!!!!

 Later my peeps!!!!!

Episode 118 - Paul Taylor

We kick off 2014 with a guest that has seen many facets of the music industry in his 30+ years in it. Paul Taylor joins Aaron and Chris this week to discuss his career in rock with artists like Aldo Nova, Alice Cooper, Winger, and current projects including The Big Rock Show and production work with up and coming singer Rizzi Myers.

Paul Taylor was brought up in the San Francisco bay area to parents that he describes as "70's hippies." Paul's professional debut in music would take a few years but, as you'll hear in this discussion, his face appeared on a major label album cover by a well-known Vietnam-era band.

After honing his skills in the Bay area, Taylor catches his first big break as touring keyboardist for Aldo Nova as well as a cameo in the 'Fantasy' video from 1981. In this discussion, Paul tells Aaron and Chris about Nova's difficult demeanor on the road as well as the surprising supplier of the hokey visual effects in the 'Fantasy' video.

After a stint with Nick Gilder in the early 80's, Paul winds up in the Alice Cooper band for The Nightmare Returns tour in 1986. He shares the circumstances that led to his hiring in the Cooper act as well as memories of forming a friendship with bassist Kip Winger that would lead to big things down the road.

Also in this discussion, Taylor reminisces on the Raise Your Fist and Yell era of Alice Cooper including memories of protesters outside the venues and the continued misunderstanding of Alice the person in comparison to Alice the performer.

After the European tour with Alice Cooper, Taylor leaves the band to join his former band mate Winger in a new, original project that had just achieved label backing. In this conversation, Paul shares his thoughts on the rise of Winger including the criticism they faced due to the band's image overshadowing the undeniable talent in the band. 

Winger toured the world on the strong sales of their self-titled debut as well as the successful followup 'In the Heart of the Young.' In this discussion, Taylor remembers the tours the band undertook including stints with Scorpions as well as KISS and the bond formed with late drummer Eric Carr.

He also gives his thoughts on Mike Judge's 'Beavis & Butthead' putting a bullseye on the band through MTV and his opinions on Judge himself. This part of the conversation also dovetails into a discussion of the rise of grunge causing the fall of bands of Winger's ilk as well as the work he's done with Winger in more recent years and some reunion dates going on right now.

After his departure from Winger, Taylor teamed up with former Journey vocalist Steve Perry for 1994's 'For the Love of Strange Medicine.' In this conversation, Paul tells Aaron and Chris how a simple songwriting session turned into an entire album collaboration, Perry's vision for a record, and his thoughts on the then-new digital mix the album received and what he'd do differently with it today.

These days, Paul Taylor is as busy as ever. He recently finished a stint touring with Cinderella vocalist Tom Keifer for his recent solo album. This gig spawned two music videos as well as an appearance with Tom on the David Letterman show.

Paul is also a member of The Big Rock Show; no stranger to the Decibel Geek podcast. This group performs all of the country as well as on many of the rock-themed cruise lines.

in addition to performing duties, Taylor is also a writer, arranger, and producer for up and coming talent Rizzi Myers. Myers was present during this interview recording and we see big things for her in the future based on the great tracks Paul shared with Aaron and Chris. Check Rizzi Myers out HERE.

We want to thank Paul Taylor for taking the time to share such great stories from a great career in music. Aaron, Chris, and the entire Decibel Geek staff want to wish Paul much success in the future.

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BJ's Top Ten of 2013

1. The Bronx - IV

What might it sound like if an L.A. hardcore band defected to the hard rock camp? The Bronx outdid themselves this year and released an amazing album chock full of hooks and great melodies. Heavy as hell but catchy as well.

http://thebronxxx.shop.musictoday.com/Product.aspx?cp=47984&pc=XNCD07

2. Hey! Hello!

The end result of Ginger Wildheart's second Pledgemusic campaign is this wonderful collaboration with singer Victoria Liedtke. Hard rock that veers towards eighties new wave at times but still very recognizable as the work of Ginger.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hey!-hello!/id659272301

3. Tom Keifer - The Way Life Goes

See my review here: http://dbgeekshow.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-cinderella-story-tom-keifers-big.html

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-way-life-goes/id634693996

4. Shy Mirrors - Negative Collector

A pop punk band from Sweden that sounds like Superchunk (see below) circa 1993. This is their second album, great stuff.

http://shymirrors.bandcamp.com/album/negative-collector

5. Wyldlife - The Time Has Come To Rock & Roll

The sophomore album from these NYC rockers certainly lives up to the potential I saw in their debut. Sadly we didn't get any new music from The Biters in 2013 but Wyldlife filled the void quite well.

http://wyldlife.bandcamp.com/album/the-time-has-come-to-rock-roll

6. Steve Adamyk Band - Third

This is the third consecutive year that these Canadian pop punkers have made my top ten list, this being their third release. They always serve up a great seventies-eighties-nineties punk stew.

http://dirtnaprecords.bandcamp.com/album/steve-adamyk-band-third

7. Superchunk - I Hate Music

One of my favorite bands from the nineties continue their comeback. Bad album title, good songs. I like this one more than 2010's Majesty Shredding but Shy Mirrors are beating them at their own game.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-hate-music/id659518529

8. Mikal Cronin - MCII

Pretty decent power pop put out by Merge Records, Superchunk's (see above) label.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mcii/id601409150

9. Reckless Love - Spirit

These pretty boys from Finland released one of my favorite records of 2010 but I was beyond disappointed by their sophomore album, Animal Attraction. Thankfully they've redeemed themselves with this sticky slab of hard rock.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/spirit/id686268019

10. Giuda - Let's Do It Again

This Italian band is doing a great job of recreating European seventies glam rock. It's a lot of fun. Thanks to Fistful of Dave for finding these guys.

http://giuda.bandcamp.com/


Honorable mentions:

Big Eyes - Almost Famous
http://bigeyes.bandcamp.com/releases

Black Diamonds - Perfect Sin
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/blackdiamonds1

Stone Orange - The Dreamcatcher
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stoneorange

Screamer - Phoenix
http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Screamer/dp/B00BFD8M8S/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0

Dregen - Dregen
http://www.amazon.com/Dregen/dp/B00ENZUUPI


You can hear snippets of songs from all of these albums and more on my own podcast:

http://rockandorrollpodcast.blogspot.com/2013/12/rock-andor-roll-026-2013_5.html

Meister's Monsters of Rock 2014 #1-Introduction

Well, here we go!  It’s that time of year again folks!  I know some of you have missed it and some of you probably not so much, but my Monsters of Rock Cruise ramblings are back for another year as I count down the weeks remaining until I set sail aboard the third instalment of the voyage, Monsters of Rock Cruise 2014: Escape to Monster Island.

The Monsters of Rock Cruise 2014: Escape to Monster Island is fast approaching, but not fast enough for me and many of my fellow cruisers.  This year we set sail from the port of Miami from March 29 to April 2^nd.  Co-workers are already reaching their breaking points as I mutter on all day
long about cruise related business.  I'm often met with blank stares as I arrive for the shift all excited about the latest band announced, development or travel plan I've concocted.  They've realised that the best way to shut me up is to allow me to don my headphones and play my playlist peppered with Monsters Of Rock Cruise artists, which also entertains them quite well as I have been known to randomly start air-drumming with whatever utensils are readily at hand during the cooking of that customers meal, I just have to remember that it's not safe to use knives...lol.  The only thing on my Christmas list each year is to do with my upcoming voyage from the few albums of bands playing that I don’t already own to gift cards for new cruise wear or hotel vouchers for pre and post parties.  This year will be The Meister’s third experience with MORC as it’s become to be known but surely won’t be my last!

MORC has become so much more than a cruise, vacation or concert for me and many of the other cruisers…it’s developed into a community and in more than a few cases a family.  The initial Monsters of Rock Cruise set sail in 2012 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and sailed to Key West,
Nassau Bahamas and back during three days of pure rock and roll bliss from February 26th to 28th.  I was so excited leading up to the cruise, singing songs at work and making it a quest to purchase the discographies of every band aboard.  I left Toronto that night for the first cruise, so timid and shy, even though I had done a fair bit of solo travelling in the past, this was with goose bumps to see some of my rock heroes and my first venture on a cruise ship.  I met a few different folks on board the floating rock party during the first year and generally had an excellent time….it was everything that I’d hoped for!  To read about my adventures from the first year, here’s the first in my 2013 “Views of the Cruise” series of blog articles: ("Views of the Cruise #1-The 2012 Recap").

I re-booked for the 2013 voyage and adventure before the first trip was even completed.  Now fully embracing my love of hard rock and heavy metal music that had been suppressed or lain dormant for so long, I started to travel to see some of these bands that just don’t come to Canada.  In the process I met other "MORC’ers", so when it came around to 2013's excursion my MORC family had grown exponentially.  From there it was like an explosion and I am proud to say that last year I added to that repertoire and now actually use my Facebook account for more than the friends you see every day or "that person from high school that you never talked to back then"’s friend requests.  Through MORC I have met folks from all over the USA, Brasil, The UK, Finland and even a surprising number right here in my own backyard in Toronto.  I no longer attend concerts here alone as there’s always a like-minded person, usually from MORC to enjoy a great show
with.  Between the 2012 trip and the 2013 excursions I had been fortunate enough to become involved with The Decibel Geek Podcast as a writer for their website submitting concert/album reviews, interviews and commentaries.  I love discussing this music, introducing people to new bands and Decibel Geek was a great fit for me, so when it got close to the 2013 voyage I decided to start a series of articles called “Meister’s Views of the Cruise” about my beloved MORC vacation.  The series swelled to twenty volumes encompassing personal stories, interviews, band bios and generally anything and everything cruise related with the final instalment being me as a guest on the live podcast to recap my “top twenty” moments from the 2013 voyage.  Listen to the episode here: ("Episode #88-Meister's Morc 2013 Memories"), just click the play arrow in the centre of the graphic at the top of the page to listen or download through I-Tunes.  I will include the links to the whole series at the bottom of this rambling.

And now we get to the upcoming 2014 voyage.  This time the cruise has moved to a larger ship as it has totally sold out in the past two years and is nearly there again even with the additional approximately 1000 passenger spaces.  We depart from the port of Miami verses the port of Fort Lauderdale and our new vessel is christened the MSC Divina.  Here’s one of several You-Tube links for a tour of this floating beauty: (MSC DIVINA), I wonder how different that pool deck will look filled with 3500 long-haired, tattooed metalheads?  Part of the excitement is making all the plans and arrangements in anticipation of seeing old friends again and making new ones.  This time around I had the brilliant idea to contact everyone that I’d met and try to request that our rooms be close to each other during our booking process.  We chose deck 11, seeming to have the style of cabins that would suit everyone’s price point and requirements, to be our home after scouring deck plans of the Divina on line.  Everyone agreed that it would be a capital idea and I think in the end most of us did indeed end up on deck 11, but it doesn't really matter as long as we’re all aboard.  In another of my brilliant ideas I collected a group of "MORC’ers" that I knew from the Toronto area in an attempt at a "countdown shot" with Ted Poley/Bang Tango/Enuff Z’nuff when their 80’s Invasion tour rolled into town
given as they were all MORC alumni.  A "countdown shot" is a photo from a cruiser, usually something creative or with a MORC band, to depict the number of days remaining until we set sail that year.  The group grew as people added other Torontonian Cruisers that they knew and I even had t-shirts made for our group.  The excitement was high between us all as we prepared for the countdown shot, some of us veterans and some first-timers to the cruise.  The veterans anxiously answering the questions from the virgins as the Facebook page became alight with chatter. (STORY OF THE COUNTDOWN PHOTO).  I began to find other Canadians from across the Great White North and our “EH Team” group has now surpassed forty “Canadian Cruisers”!!  My next plan is to attempt to gather us all (and more Canadians yet to be discovered) for a huge “Canuck Photo” aboard ship…..let’s see what happens......Hit me up on Facebook if you're a "Canadian Cruiser" and want to join in!

In another exciting turn of events this year……prior to the 2013 cruise experience I had met, at Queensryche’s Toronto concert ("Views of the Cruise #11-Queensryche"), another cruiser from my area and we became friends meeting several times aboard ship during the voyage.  He was friends with another young lady who I met at that same Queensryche show and a couple of other times throughout the year.  She contacted me after she had seen a concert, wanting to do a review and subsequently became a writer for The Decibel Geek podcast as well….I’m very excited to announce that my fellow Decibel Geek, Kate Campbell will also be aboard the MSC Divina for her very first MORC experience this year!  Expect lots of drinking and general silliness as we bring you our adventures or better still visit the website (Monsters of Rock Cruise) and book yourself a cabin before they're gone!

Thank-you Larry Morand and MORC for creating this absolutely amazing floating party and bringing us all together to make new friends and see the bands we love, I for one will be a part of MORC as long as I'm able.....at this point I'm not sure I even care if the ship ever leaves port!

"MEISTER'S VIEWS OF THE CRUISE 2013 (links)"

#1 - "The 2012 Recap"

#2 - "Interview With Dangerous Toys' Jason McMaster"

#3 - "Maidens of the Voyage"

#4 - "Discovering New Bands"

#5 - "Interview With Nigel Glockler of Saxon"

#6 - "My Fellow Countrymen"

#7 - "Anticipated Return Of..."

#8 - "The Ballads"

#10 - "Planning the Debauchery"

#11 - "Queensryche"

#13 - "Daily Diary"

#14 - "Day #2 (or Thursday)"

#15 - "Day #3 (Also known as Friday)"

#16 - "Day #4 - Let The Voyage Begin"

#17 - "Sunday March 17th"

#18 - "Monday In Coco Cay"

#19 - "Tuesday March 19th"

#20 - "Podcast Episode #88 - Meister's MORC Memories"

So I invite you to follow along with Kate and I again this year as each week we explore the bands and activities involved in the experience of Monsters of Rock 2014: Escape To Monster Island.

Cheers,
The Meister  (The Meister on Facebook)

Meister's Top Albums of 2013

Well folks, as the year draws to a close I've compiled MY favourite albums of 2013.  I've decided to break them into two of parts, #1 being the top ten more mainstream bands or groups that you've likely heard of and #2 being some more underground or relatively unknown releases.  They are not numbered within each part and are in no particular order in that manner.  Remember, these are MY favourite releases of the year, not Grammy winners, top radio airplay or your favourites, these are the albums that I personally enjoyed listening to throughout the year and they get the most play in my rotations.  Check out my thoughts and please, especially in the "Lesser known Bands" section, listen to the track links that I've included and let me know if you agree or disagree, you might just find a new gem!

Part #1: Top 10 Mainstream Releases:

Motorhead let loose their 21st full length offering, Aftershock, on October 21st, 2013.  There's nothing much different here than any past Motorhead album and that's ok...I was once told that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!  Motorhead is certainly not broken, although Lemmy has faced some health issues this year, no doubt brought about by his "hard living rock & roll style".  Never fear, Lemmy is on the mend and Motorhead have rescheduled their previously postponed European tour dates for February 2014.  Stand out cuts here include the opener, "Heartbreaker", the comical "Silence When You Speak To Me" and the bluesy "Dust & Glass".

MOTORHEAD FACEBOOK     MOTORHEAD OFFICIAL     MOTORHEAD TWITTER

The biggest Christian Hard Rock band returned in late 2013 with their 9th full length and possibly strongest ever record.  No More Hell To Pay hit the stores on November 5th, their first of new material in four years.  Vocalist Michael Sweet's tell-tale high registers are present, but somehow more tolerable than I found in the past, perhaps mellowing with age.  The album includes one cover song that couldn't be more apt for these four original members with The Art Reynolds Singer's 1966 song "Jesus Is Just Alright".  Other top track choices include, "Water Into Wine", "No More Hell To Pay" and "Sticks & Stones".  Stryper are touring in 2014 with dates posted on their website, including two back to back nights in Toronto.

STRYPER FACEBOOK     STRYPER OFFICIAL     STRYPER TWITTER

Canada's punk influenced rockers, The Headstones reunited after an eight year hiatus and produced a fine album.  It took some listens to grow on me, not holding up to their back catalogue at first, but now surpassing much of it.  Included here is their cover version of the ABBA classic "SOS", once a staple in their live show, it's nice to have it recorded and is bound to give any rock fan a new appreciation for the 70's Swedish pop/disco group.  Listen to "farawayfromhere", "binthiswayforyears", "longwaytoneverland" and "finalanalysis".  Headstones are known for their intense live performances, especially led by vocalist/actor Hugh Dillon (REVIEW OF BACK TO BACK NIGHTS WITH THE HEADSTONES)

HEADSTONES FACEBOOK     HEADSTONES OFFICIAL     HEADSTONES TWITTER

Canadian metal icons the KiLLeR DWaRfS bring their tongue in cheek humour to the the musical landscape once again in 2013 with the release of Start @ One.  The album was actually recorded more than twenty years ago, but got shelved due to the landslide of changes in the musical arena at the time.  The reformed 2013 DWaRfS, still carrying their adopted "DWaRf" surnames  includes originals Russ and Darrell with long time guitarist Gerry welcoming newcomer Johnny on bass.  The album credits original bassist Bad Ronbo DWaRf who did indeed play on the recording twenty years ago, but opted out of the reformation.  The DWaRfS are on tour throughout the US and Canada including an appearance aboard 2014's Monsters of Rock Cruise.

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One of Switzerland's biggest exports aside from knives and chocolates has to be the hard rock outfit Krokus.  Named after a flower, they issued their second album, Dirty Dynamite, since the classic line up reunited in 2008.  Maltese vocalist Marc Storace leads the band through a great "return to the classic Krokus sound", including their penchant for including a cover song, this time in the way of a very different Beatles "Help".  The year did not pass without adversity for Storace and crew as the news of former drummer Dani Crivelli's death was announced.  Top listening tracks here include "Dog Song", "Hallelujah Rock N Roll" and "Dirty Dynamite".

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With Kurdt Vanderhoof now back in the forefront of the band shredding his guitar rather than his behind the scenes composition role, the recently reunited Metal Church issued Generation Nothing.  Now consisting of Vanderhoof, vocalist Ronny Munroe, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Jeff Plate, the thrash metal pioneers who had an MTV hit with the video for "Watch The Children Pray" in 1986 deliver an awesome collection of grinding tracks here.  Metal Church promise to be a force to reckon with as 2014 moves forward and their Toronto dates of March 1st and 2nd are much anticipated.  Downloadable are the title track, "Generation Nothing", "Dead City", "Jump The Gun" and "Bulletproof".

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Delivering an EP at the start of 2013 and following with the full length, simply titled Heavy Metal Music later in the year, Jason Newsted, the former Metallica bassist and his band, Newsted have been busy in 2013.  This extremely strong collection quickly rose in the listening rotation and "...As The Crow Flies" can still be found nestled in the mix on the MP3 player.  Other stand outs include "Heroic Dose" "King Of The Underdogs", "Above All" and "Soldierhead", the three latter choices coupled with accompanying videos.  This is a definite must for fans of old school heavy metal and far superior to the last releases from the big guns like Metallica and MegaDave (Megadeth).

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The Barnsley boys of Saxon issued two albums in 2013, Sacrifice in March and Unplugged & Strung Up in November.  Sacrifice is their 20th full length release and quite possibly their heaviest and best to date.  Hard pressed to pick any one track over another, they all offer something different while keeping the Saxon sound carried by grinding riffs and Biff Byford's soaring vocals.  The deluxe edition of the release comes with a bonus CD containing some re-recordings also found on the later release Unplugged & Strung Up.  Continuing what they started with 2011's Call To Arms Saxon are touring hard visiting many markets that have not seen the band in decades as in the case of Toronto.  They have also began the initial writing sessions for a follow up record.

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After a 20 year hiatus Canadian hard rockers Coney Hatch release their inventively titled fourth CD, the product of a reuniting for a benefit show after Carl Dixon's horrific automobile accident while in Australia.  Once dubbed "The loudest band in Toronto", Coney Hatch possess two very different but equally talented vocalists in Carl Dixon and bassist Andy Curran and this album picks up exactly where they left off in 1985.  Check out "Blown Away", "Boys Club", "Connected" and "Keep Driving".  Coney Hatch are set to play the final Firefest Festival in Nottingham, England in 2014 and are sure to include some additional dates prior to that show, so make sure you get out and support this awesome Canadian band.

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Early in the year German power metal kings Helloween issued Straight Out Of Hell in January.  This 14th release for the band features one of the most stable line ups in Helloween history with original founding members Michael Weikath and Markus Grosskopf being joined by Andi Deris, Sascha Gerstner and Dani Loble.  One of the most thematically upbeat albums of their 30 year career Straight Out Of Hell is solid from start to finish.  The seven minute opus (shortened for the video) of "Nabataea" begins the record, paving the way for some other truly great additions to their catalogue such as "Waiting For The Thunder", "Straight Out Of Hell" and "Live Now!".

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Honourable Mentions:

U.D.O.-Steelhammer U.D.O.'s 14th studio album since departing Accept shows the German still has great songs in him.


     Kill Devil Hill-Revolution Rise, the sophomore effort from Vinny Appice and Rex Brown's new band.

Queensryche-Queensryche.  The Todd LaTorre fronted version of the band quells the naysayers and Tate fans with this strong album.

Part #2: Top 10 Lesser Known or Bands to Check Out

Shock are a band from Ottawa Canada and even though they originally formed back in the mid 80's Once Denied marks their first full length album release.  The eight songs for this record were chosen from their extensive back catalogue of music and with lots more in the tank to choose from one can only hope that Shock will be planning some future releases.  Check out "Paths To Glory", "Fighting Chance", "Flaming Towards Earth", "Splitting The Atom", "Full Speed Ahead", "Slashing To Live", "I'm Dangerous" and "Driven To Kill", that's right the whole album is a must hear!  "Flaming Towards Earth" was also featured on episode #112 of The Decibel Geek Podcast (Hoser Heavy Metal Hour Ep. #112)

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Brand New Machine was born in 2009 in Grand Rapids Michigan before relocating to Dallas Texas.  The Devil Made Me Do It is their first full length release following on the heels of an EP in 2011 and starts off with a bang from the get-go with "Here I Am".  This straight up American hard rock release loaded with gritty gutter rock is a "must have" for any rock fan.  Stand out tracks include "Here I Am", "Girls Like You", "Dust The Sky", "Blackout Overdose" and the title track "The Devil Made Me Do It".  The only unfortunate thing with The Devil Made Me Do It is the shortness of the songs, straight to the point I guess, but just over too quickly.

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Hailing from "Down Under" Australia's Taberah pushed out their sophomore record, Necromancer, in September.  Drawing you in with chunky bass lines and larger than life guitar riffs right off the bat in the opener "2012", this power/euro metal flavoured album runs at full tilt all the way through with the exception of the short instrumental, oddly titled "One Goon Bag Later".  Having been hand picked by Lemmy to open for Motorhead I would expect to hear more from these young Aussies who began playing their first pub gigs when they were only 16.  "Dying Wish", "For King & Country", "Burn" and "Hammer Of Hades" are all good representations of what's contained herein.

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Bassist extraordinaire Mat Sinner has been a busy guy in 2013 appearing on Voodoo Circle's More Than One Way Home, Silent Force's Rising From Ashes and also working on the new Primal Fear (Delivering The Black) release set for 2014.  Mat found the time to take his namesake band, Sinner and lock themselves in a studio for 30 days to re-record a selection of songs from the early days of the 17 album back catalogue.  The albums are long out of print and Sinner himself does not own the rights to those recordings so Touch of Sin 2 provides an updating while upholding the past and making these compositions available to the fans.  "Don't Believe A Word (Thin Lizzy Cover)" and "Coming Out Fighting" are great tracks, but all 14 selections are worth the album's price.

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Hailing from Sweden, Sister Sin's output for 2013 is a re-mastering of their Dance Of The Wicked album originally released independently in 2003.  Also included here are three original demos and their recording of the Motorhead song "Rock N' Roll" featuring Doro Pesch.  This may not be the best starting point for a new listener, but for die hard fans like myself it is an absolute gem to have in the collection and you can hear the progression of their song writing and the maturity that has obviously set in with later works.  Liv Jagrell's strong vocals can be heard throughout and the piss and vinegar attitude of Sister Sin's old school metal assault is still prominent.  "Fall Into My Dreams", "Dirty Damn I" and "Minor You (Major Me) (Demo)" are some good listening points.

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A band out of Northern Ireland crossed the radar screens this year with their album, Songs Of Iron.  Trucker Diablo formed in 2008, releasing their first effort, The Devil Rhythm in 2012.  They have played some major festivals such as Download Festival and opened for the likes of Thin Lizzy and Foo Fighters.  This album is loaded with driving, gritty straight up working man's tunes, 14 in all,  guaranteed to please any hard rock fan.  Three videos available on you-tube, "Drive", "The Rebel" and "Maybe You're The One"  give a good representation of the album, but the true stand outs are "Red Light On" and "Not So Superstar" in my ears.

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Killer Bee issued Evolutionary Children in the latter part of the year.  The Swdedsh/Canadian outfit originally started back in 1990 under the name Desert Rain before releasing three albums between 1993 and 1997 under the Killer Bee moniker.  They returned to the musical landscape in 2011 with Almost There, a greatest hits compilation of sorts, followed with From Hell And Back in 2012, Evolutionary Children in 2013 and plans for another in 2014!  The album contains something for everyone from the epic, brooding, Black Sabbath-esque "Evolutionary Children" to the bluesy power ballad style of "All The Things You Say" to the emotion laden piano of "Angel's Dust".  This is not a "love at first listen" type of album, but grows on you with each spin as the compositions are more complex, offering you something new each time.

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I was turned onto this album by a review from a fellow Decibel Geek writer and it's a great find!  It contains all the elements of the 1980's glam heyday with shredding guitar solos, extensive harmonies and power ballads...in fact if you didn't know that it was recorded in 2013 you'd probably think it was an album from the 80's.  LaValle is made up of Eddie LaValle and Paul Logue (Eden's Curse) from the US, Carsten Lizard Schulz (Eden's Curse) and Ramy Ali (Iron Mask/Kiske/Sommerville) from Germany and Italian Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline/Eden's Curse).  I'm hard pressed to choose a stand out cut, but here's a promo video for the more ballady track "Don't Cry".  I sincerely hope this band continues working together and look forward to what they can do as their relationship strengthens!

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Santa Cruz, surprisingly are not from Santa Cruz, California but, hail from Helsinki, Finland.  Screaming For Adrenaline is their début record after a self released EP in 2011.  These average aged twenty year olds expertly meld their 80's hard rock influences with an updated, even punk feel at times to the record.  Check out the lead single "Relentless Renegades" or the second video for the even better song "Aiming High".  If that's not enough you could try the slower pace of "Nothing Compares To You", but for me it's the super charged "Screaming For Adrenaline" title track or "Lovin' You (Is Just For Playin')" that are the albums best.

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You may have heard of Pretty Maids previously as they have been around since 1981!  You may not have heard of them either as even though they've released a whopping 12 records, the first in 1984 they've never achieved a major breakthrough in North America and that's a tragedy!  While this is not my favourite Pretty Maids release, it's a strong album from the band from Horsens, Denmark.  Motherland leads off with the catchy "Mother Of All Lies" and follows suit on a yellow brick road of melodic rock throughout the whole album.  Other great tracks include "Hooligan", "Motherland", "Who, What, Where, When, Why" and "I See Ghosts".

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Notable EP's:

Loveblast from Chicago Illinois released their 5 song EP Hard Liquor In Big Glasses in June.  It is the second release for the hard hitting rock band, voted "best original band" and "best hard rock band" by Chicago Rocker in 2011, behind their self titled full length début in 2010.  While the whole EP can be found on the LOVEBLAST YOU-TUBE CHANNEL, make sure to listen to "Hard Liquor In Big Glasses" and "Wild Forever".  

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Also out of Illinois, Slam Bang's seven song album, Everyday Is A Party, is chock full of sex and booze laden rock tracks dripping with just the right amount of sleaze.  This band has been known to give out free Jagermeister shots and invite attractive ladies from the audience on stage during performances.  Forming in 2007 this is their fourth effort and unfortunately the final with vocalist, guitarist and founder Jeff Swan who has relocated to California.  "Hit It" and "Naked And Stoned" are a couple of good representations.

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Cheers,
The Meister  (THE MEISTER on FACEBOOK)