Tag: Joe Lynn Turner
0 JOE LYNN TURNER JOINS THE ALL-STAR LINEUP OF RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT
Joe Lynn Turner, former vocalist for legendary hard rock bands Rainbow and Deep Purple, joins the all-star lineup of RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT, the ultimate journey through the history of rock ‘n’ roll, Monday, March 25 through Wednesday, April 17. The iconic vocalist, known for co-writing and recording hit Rainbow songs “Stone Cold” and “Street of Dreams,” also performed with Deep Purple and has had a prolific solo career.
The story of classic rock comes to life with RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT. Boasting the ultimate set list, the show takes audiences on a magical musical journey from 1948 to 1989, traversing the genre’s history chronologically through the ‘40s, ‘50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT features classic anthems from The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Eagles, Queen, Van Halen, AC/DC, Journey, Free, Bryan Adams, Supertramp, Toto, Deep Purple, and more, truly boasting “The Greatest Set List Ever.”
The show’s all-star lineup includes Howard Leese [Guitar] (Heart, Bad Company), Tracii Guns [Guitar] (LA Guns, Guns n’ Roses), Robin McAuley [Lead Vocals] (MSG, Survivor), John Payne [Lead Vocals and Bass] (Asia), Paul Shortino [Lead Vocals] (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot), Jay Schellen [Drums] (Badfinger, Asia), Andrew Freeman [Lead Vocals and Guitars] (Lynch Mob, The Offspring), and Michael T. Ross [Keyboards] (Lita Ford, Hardline).
Ticket prices for RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT range from $49 to $100 (plus fees) for a special Rock Star Package (which includes tickets in first five rows, t-shirt, signed concert program, signed album, meet and greet and VIP pass). Tickets can be purchased by visiting the LVH box office or by logging onto thelvh.com, vegas.com, or ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 702-732-5755 or 1-800-222-5361.
About LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino: LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, a world-class destination, offers a unique blend of amenities and excitement with all your favorite table games, hottest slots on the market, incredible restaurants, endless entertainment, more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space and the world’s largest race and sports SuperBook®. LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino provides a range of culinary adventures including exhibition-style Japanese cuisine at the world-famous Benihana, fine steaks at TJ’s Steakhouse, Pan-Asian dining at 888 Noodle Bar, authentic Japanese sushi at Teru Sushi, a traditional buffet that features tastes from around the world, and more. LVH boasts a strong entertainment schedule led by world-class headliners in the LVH Theater, as well as a variety of on-going production shows in the Shimmer Cabaret. Its proximity to the Las Vegas Convention Center and its designation as a Monorail station (connecting it to the Las Vegas Strip) makes it the ideal hotel for conventions and visitors alike. For more information or to book accommodations, call toll free at (800) 732-7117 or log on to www.thelvh.com or connect with us on our social pages www.thelvh.com/Hotel/stayconnected.
www.facebook.com/RaidingTheRockVault
https://twitter.com/Rock_Vault
1 Joe Lynn Turns Returns On New Sunstorm Album, “Emotional Fire” in February; Audio Samples Available
Joe Lynn Turner’s popular AOR side project with German/American producer Dennis Ward, SUNSTORM, will release the third album entitled “Emotional Fire” on February 24th 2012 in Europe (February 28th in North America) on Frontiers Records.
Born after Turner met with Frontiers Records’ President Serafino Perugino, the SUNSTORM project was a way to dig up some old gems, written by the former Rainbow, Deep Purple and Yngwie Malmsteen singer during the mid 80’s. The task was to create an ultimate Joe Lynn Turner Melodic Rock “dream collection.” This brought on the release of the first SUNSTORM album in 2006 –which met with much critic and fan approval – and the follow up “House of Dreams” three years later.
While the first two albums’ basic inspiration came from the Melodic Rock catalogue of songs that Turner penned for himself or other artists of the genre, for this third album, Frontiers and JLT decided to look at Turner’s numerous vocal sessions he did in the 80’s as a background vocalist for other artists. This brought on a resurrection of some of Michael Bolton’s Melodic Rock gems such as “Gina,” (originally included on “The Hunger” album, where Turner contributed with background vocals), “You Wouldn’t Know Love” and “Emotional Fire,” which Bolton penned for the “Heart of Stone” album by Cher (in which Turner also appeared as background vocalist). “I sang background on the original ‘Gina,’” says Joe, “Michael and I did all of the parts but I tried to rock it up a bit more than the original… not so pop! Good song though! It’s funny…I heard ‘Emotional Fire’ from Desmond Child during a writing session and then he asked me to sing background vocals on it! Crazy! It’s like one big circle!”
With production and mixing once again under the expert hands of Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Place Vendome, Angra etc.) and a tracklisting rounded out by some amazing songs written by the likes of Soren Kronkvist (Crash the System, Issa), Tom and James Martin (Vega, Sunstorm, Khymera) and Daniel Palmqvist (Xorigin, The Murder of My Sweet), the third Sunstorm album, “Emotional Fire,” is destined to reignite the Melodic Rock passion in every fan. “I think this record has a good mix of songs,” concludes Joe, “Just what ‘Sunstorm’ is supposed to be! Dennis Ward is a great producer and the players are amazing. I have to say I am pleased with the work we did and hope that everyone else will be pleased as well…enjoy!”
SUNSTORM’s “Emotional Fire” will include the following songs: Never Give Up, Emotional Fire, Lay Down Your Arms, You Wouldn’t Know Love, Wish You Were Here, Torn In Half, Gina, The Higher You Rise, Emily, Follow Your Heart, All I Am.
The first single, “Never Give Up” can be exclusively streamed on the Frontiers Records webradio www.frontiers.it/webradio
Weblinks: www.joelynnturner.com / www.frontiers.it
1 Open Letter from Joe Lynn Turner to Fans and the Media
Dear Fans and Media Friends,
I am aware of a compilation of unfinished demo songs that was published on the Internet by an individual named Scott rolaf. These demos were recorded in my studio about two years ago. While there was discussion of releasing some of them as part of an album for a special project, I was not happy with the way the collaboration was progressing on all levels…artistically, musically and in how it was prematurely presented online. This is why I stopped having contact with Scott Rolaf. We were at odds, however, he continued to pretend on the social media sites that we were still friends and that this project was moving forward. this was an outright lie.
I never had confirmed plans for this album to be released but Rolaf took it upon himself to publish a website and other social media sites (i.e. Revrbnation, etc.) without getting prior approval from me. This misled my fans, members of my street team and several reputable media outlets. I have since severed my professional and personal relationship with Scott Rolaf permanently.
Scott Rolaf’s recent posting of these demos for free download in the form of an “album” is unethical. I have taken legal action to protect my artistic/intellectual property and reputation. On July 21, 2011, Rolaf was served a Cease and Desist by my lawyers. Sometime around July 29, 2011, he had the audacity to post free files of these demos along with a “new” press release which he wrote. These actions are, in my opinion, nothing more than an attempt by Scott Rolaf to gain fame on my name!
I admit that I made the mistake of trusting Rolaf with some unfinished songwriting demos…simple ideas, incomplete performances, music, vocals, production, etc. He betrayed that trust by releasing these songs without legal or personal confirmation. This is an unscrupulous, immoral act, and, by the laws that protect artistic/intellectual property, it is criminal!
It is individuals who take actions, like Rolaf did, who hurt and destroy the hopes and chances of honest and talented artists who want and need a helping hand to clime the ladder of success! This action is a pathetic example to the true creative people who love to write and perform music. What a stain on the heart of honest art!
My loyal friends and fans know of the high quality of work I have delivered throughout my career. To think that Scott Rolaf, to whom I extended my hand in friendship as well as professional trust, has betrayed me by releasing unfinished/unapproved works, is an outrage! My only hope is that you can understand this situation and realize that this is a sad event that can happen to anybody…anywhere…regardless of position and status. Don’t let it happen to you.
Sincerely,
Joe Lynn Turner
newsdesk@joelynnturner.com
P.S. Please feel free to check out a portion of an interview I did with journalist James Gaden in February 2011. I have pasted this portion of the interview below:
INTERVIEW SEGMENT with Journalist JAMES GADEN
The following segments were transcribed from a conversation that journalist James Gaden had with me (Joe Lynn Turner) on the 24th of February 2011. It was taken out of what became the article that was published in Fireworks Issue 45.
JAMES: “I’m also intrugued to hear the album you’ve done with Scott Rolaf, because again, the snippets I’ve heard online sounded good.”
JLT: Well, look…alright, I’ve got to tell you the skinny on that right now. It’s on hold. I’ve got some personal problems with Rolaf… I never agreed to the Rolaf/Turner name. I never agreed to have any of the clips on Facebook or wherever the F**K they were. Everything has been taken down for now. The songs are still there, but we’ve had some problems between us. He’s the kind of guy – maybe you have someone in your life like this, they just go off and they do what they want. All of a sudden, you go ‘Hey, I’m supposed to be your partner!’ I’m over in Europe somewhere, I come back and there’s bits and pieces of this thing all over the place. That is not the way to market something. I don’t mind him leaking a few things here and there, but those were demos. You should hear these things now, we’ve got real drums, real bass, we’ve been tearing down the fluff and makint it real. It’s so much better. So I don’t want to totally abandon “the songs” but I’m not Rolaf/Turner. I never agreed to that. This guy is a wannabe star, he’s putting his name first – this isn’t Hughes/Turner, this is not comparable. I was incised at that.
JAMES: “I can understand that. It was your name that drew my interest to the project anyway. I’d probably have completely ignored you if you hadn’t been attached to it.”
JLT: He’s riding on my back isn’t he? We were supposed to be getting a big marketing company, hitting the internet, setting up all the right things, putting out ads… that’s correct, that’s the way to do it. Then Scott starts releasing stuff everywhere and we were like ‘Hey, you’re giving away the game!’ I don’t mind a snippet here and there but it became ridiculous. That, and the name he came up with, he did that himself and he was looking to press CD’s and put out the demos from the computer without real drums, the tracks were murky and awful… I said hey, I don’t do that standard. It’s a low standard for me. If my name is going on it, I’ve gotta have it right. Anyway, we had a big f**king argument and he called me all kinds of names and I was ready to punch him out, I swear I was. So I said ‘Alright, I’m done with your ass. You’re an egotist – you’re arrogant and it’s not even earned.’ I said ‘You’ve done nothing, and if I open my hand and release you, you’ll go back into obscurity where you belong’. I said ‘Just because have a bit of talent to write a fair song…please, I’ve written hundreds of great songs. Have the common decency, respect and consideration for a partnership.’ If you don’t have that, you have nothing. So that’s it, you have the full story there in a nutshell. Right now, it’s on hold. The songs are there, lots of good songs, but I also got a whole album of songs with a guy in Sweden that will just blow your mind. I don’t mean heavy rock stuff, it’s in a much more commercial, radio oriented way. It’s got writing from guys like Gary Baker from Nashville, guys who wrote for Backstreet Boys. It’s just a set of brillant songs. We’re finishing up the drums now and stuff – the only thing I’m worried about is the vocals, they’re demo vocals. I was reading the lyrics, really just mapping out the songs, but the recordings sound so good! I don’t know whether I need to go and put some excitement in there… I don’t know, I feel I’ve got so much more ability vocally than what is on there, but people who’ve heard them are just saying it’s a great other side of me. I digress, but I’m just saying I don’t need this. Working with a guy who has come out of obscurity, all the while I was under the impression he’d follow my lead because I’m the experienced one, but I found out that apparently he was the important one, he was the rock star, and I’m just a tool to sing the songs. So I said ‘Oh really? F**k you’.
It’s tough, on one side he’s actually quite a nice guy, but on the other side, he can be a f**king asshole! Not unlike everyone else (laughs).
————–
NOTE: The email address newsdesk@joelynnturner.com is for MEDIA contacts (If you are in the media and are not on the mailing list, you are encouraged to sign up for it). Fans are encouraged to contact Joe via this email address JLTFcMGNT@aol.com
0 Hard Rock Hideout’s Pushking Giveaway!
PUSHKING has released The World As We Love It, the Russian band’s star-studded new album. The World As We Love It also includes guest appearances from Paul Stanley (Kiss), Steve Vai, Udo Dirkschneider (Accept), Steve Lukather (Toto), Alice Cooper, Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top) among many others.
Hard Rock Hideout has three copies of The World As We Love It to giveaway!
Submit your name and email address in the box below to enter!!!
2 Rainbow – Bent Out of Shape (1983)
One of my recent finds in a Baltimore record store was Rainbow’s 1983 release Bent Out of Shape. If you are not familiar with Bent Out of Shape, this is the last Rainbow CD to feature Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, and Roger Glover on bass. This disc produced a couple of the band’s bigger songs, “Street of Dreams” and “Can’t Let You Go”. The initial release only came out on LP and cassette, and was released on CD years later. I have never seen this CD in any of my local stores before, so I was pretty excited to find this disc while in Maryland for the M3 Rock festival. “Street of Dreams” has been one of my favorite Rainbow songs for years. I have had the song on The Very Best of Rainbow CD, for a while, but never had the original release with the song until now.
“Can’t Let You Go” is another killer tune, with its creepy 70’s horror movie pipe organ intro. The album intro “Stranded” is another notable track, with a superb vocal from Joe Lynn Turner.
“Fool For the Night” sounds a lot like a Loverboy tune. I don’t know if Ritchie Blackmore was taking a smoke break when this song was recorded. The guitar work could have easily have been a session player for most of this one. There is a brief guitar solo which is pretty cool, but over all the guitar work blends so much with the keyboards that it sounds more like an 80’s pop/rock tune. This one isn’t one of my favorites, but it is an ok tune.
After hearing “Fire Dance” I wondered if the band was pissed about having to do “Fool For the Night”. On “Fire Dance” it seems that everyone cuts loose. David Rosenthal is no slouch on the keyboards. His playing is superb on “Fire Dance”. Roger Glover shows why his is one of the bass players in the business, and Blackmore’s guitar work is pure magic. I absolutely love this song.
Rainbow gives Joe Lynn Turner a break with the instrumental song “Anybody There”. This is another unappreciated gem that needs to be heard at maximum volume.
I guess it is a sign of the times when Bent Out of Shape was released. “Desperate Heart” kind of sounds like a Survivor tune. Joe Lynn Turner is such an amazing singer, he can an average song, and turn into something great, which he does here. This song sounds like Rainbow as trying to find some mainstream appeal on the radio, but it didn’t work out for them. It is too bad, this song had some potential.
“Street of Dreams” is easily one of the best Rainbow songs ever. This song is as close to perfection as it gets. It is absolute classic! (Check it out in the video below!).
“Drinking With the Devil” should have been another big song for Rainbow. This is a fast tempo rocker that sees Blackmore strut his stuff. I wish I could have seen Rainbow perform this live. This is such a fun tune.
“Snowman” is another instrumental. I must admit, I am not a big fan of instrumental tracks, and two on a ten track CD seems a little excessive to me. Bent Out of Shape could have used another rocker, instead of this song. The CD does end in fine fashion with rockin’ album closer “Make Your Move”.
Although Bent Out of Shape, isn’t the best disc in the Rainbow catalog, the outstanding vocals of Joe Lynn Turner alone make this a disc worth seeking out. “Street of Dreams” is worth the price of admission in my opinion. Chances are you won’t find this in a retail store, but you can get it dirt cheap at this link.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Stranded
2. Can’t Let You Go
3. Fool for the Night
4. Fire Dance
5. Anybody There
6. Desperate Heart
7. Street of Dreams
8. Drinking With the Devil
9. Snowman
10. Make Your Move
Rainbow is:
Ritchie Blackmore – Guitars
Roger Glover – Bass, Percussion
Joe Lynn Turner – Vocals
David Rosenthal – Keyboards
Chuck Burgi – Drums
2 Tribute to DIO – Joe Lynn Turner with School of Rock
SCHOOL OF ROCK TO PRESENT
JOE LYNN TURNER
AS GUEST PROFESSOR/PERFORMER AT THREE LOCATIONS
IN NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA JUNE 17-19
Students attending the SCHOOL OF ROCK programs in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania will have an opportunity to share a studio and stage with legendary rock singer/guitarist Joe Lynn Turner, when he serves as guest professor and performer with the All-Stars at three locations in June: Downington PA 6/17, Bergen County, NJ 6/18 and New York City 6/19. Included in the set list for the shows, the students and Turner will perform a tribute to his former Rainbow band mate who recently passed away, Ronnie James Dio.
Turner’s career highlights in the heavy metal/rock world include performing and/or recording with Rainbow, Bob Daisley and Phil Soussan (Ozzy Osbourne), Brian Johnson (AC/DC), Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple.
Turner excitedly agreed to take on the role of guest professor, saying “I wish there was a School of Rock when I was growing up…what a fantastic idea! I wanted to work with the students way before this but my touring schedule did not allow, so I am so excited to have this opportunity to rock out and share my experience. It will be a blast!!”
Tickets for the three shows are $5.00 for School of Rock members and $10.00 for general admission at the door.
Thursday June 17:
School of Rock
478 Acorn Lane
Downingtown, PA 19335
610-518-7625
Showtime: 7:00pm
Friday June 18:
School of Rock
31 Schrieffer Street
South Hackensack, NJ 07606
201 342 8314
Showtime: 7:00pm
Saturday June 19:
Crash Mansion
199 Bowery Street, NY, NY 10002
212-982-0740
Showtime: 5:00pm
About School of Rock:
School of Rock is the national leader in music education for kids. Our mission is to inspire kids to rock on stage and in life. Our proprietary performance-based curriculum teaches kids to play rock music in a unique and interactive way, which is changing the way kids learn to play music across America. Professional musicians teach students of all levels, developing both their music skills and confidence. School of Rock operates 58 schools in 23 states and has developed an aggressive growth strategy seeking franchise partners throughout the United States.
For more information about School of Rock, please visit www.SchoolofRock.com.
For more information about Joe Lynn Turner, log on to:
www.joelynnturner.com
3 Video – Rainbow – Stone Cold
Bob from Mojo Radio played Rainbow’s “Stone Cold” for me the other night, and it made me wonder how many people have never heard this song. This is Rainbow with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals. This song is on the ’82 Rainbow classic, Straight Between the Eyes.
Check out the clip below!
5 New CD From Heart Guitarist Howard Leese July 3rd; Audio Samples Availalble
Frontiers Records is excited to announce the European release of the brand new HOWARD LEESE album “Secret Weapon” on July 3rd 2009.
Best known as guitar player for Heart which he joined in 1975 and with whom he stayed for 22 years, Leese co-produced some of their 13 albums. Heart had 20 top 40 singles, 3 International n. 1 singles, a n. 1 album (“Heart”) in 85′, has received 4 Grammy nominations and has sold 40 million records worldwide. Following his decision to leave the band he put together a group in Seattle called “The Brigade”, a band playing some old Free classics and where he could express at best the various influences that shaped up his guitar playing: from Dick Dale (the first live experience that he had) and Mike Bloomfield to Keith Richards, Peter Green from Fleetwood Mac, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Eric Clapton and of course Paul Kossoff of Free.
In 1997 the legendary Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Co, The Firm with 
Jimmy Page, Queen) had moved from England to Vancouver and was looking for a U.S. back-up band. Intrigued by how well Leese could play Kossoff’s particular style and licks, he asked him to join his band. In 1998 Howard Leese joined The Paul Rodgers Band and more recently became touring member in the reformed Bad Company line-up. “For the last 10 years, every summer I play shows with Paul Rodgers” says Howard. “But 3 years ago, Paul was doing a QUEEN tour, and I had the summer off. So I decided to record a solo CD. I had just put a studio in my home, and knew it was a perfect time to express myself as an artist”.
Howard Leese has often been called “Heart’s secret weapon”. His debut solo record, aptly titled “Secret Weapon” is an effort that’s sure to thrust him into the spotlight he so patiently has watched dance around in front of him for decades. “”Secret Weapon ” has a wide range of styles. It can go from heavy power trio rock to full symphony orchestra to tender acoustic passages, and that’s just in one song!” says Howard, who offered up such Rock giants like Joe Lynn Turner (former Rainbow and Deep Purple singer), Paul Rodgers, Keith Emerson or Jimi Jamison (ex Survivor), to have their spotlight turn on his record.
Howard Leese takes great pride in having his work heard from the dark depths that linger behind the spotlight. The only difference now is that the secret is out, so he might simply be a weapon – one hell of a weapon! “My fans mean so much to me, they have changed my life” concludes Leese, “Secret Weapon” was a labour of love for all of you, and I hope that you all will love it”.
Tracklisting of “Secret Weapon” includes: Alive Again (vocals Joe Lynn Turner); Heal The Broken Hearted (vocals Paul Rodgers); Hot To Cold (vocals: Deanna Johnston & Joe Lynn Turner), French Quarter (instrumental feat. Keith Emerson); 33 West Street (instrumental feat. Paul Reed Smith), The South Summit (vocals Duke Fame), Rada’s Theme (instrumental), The Vine (vocals Jimi Jamison), In These Eyes (vocals Keith St. John), Vermilion Border (instrumental), I’ve Been Leavin’ You (vocals Andrew Black), Somewhere (Theme From West Side Story) (instrumental).
1 Sunstorm – House of Dreams (Release Year – 2009)
Joe Lynn Turner is a man that needs no introduction to classic or hard rock fans, the former Fandango, Rainbow, Malmsteen and Deep Purple vocalist has been blowing crowds away for years with a voice that is still as powerful today as it was on Fandango’s 1977 debut. Now Melodic/AOR fans have a reason to celebrate with the release of Sunstorm’s second album “House of Dreams”. The return of the Joe Lynn Turner fronted project should be celebrated by not only melodic/aor fans but any fans of music that love well written songs loaded with plenty of melody and hooks galore. A virtual who’s who of songwriters, producers, and musicians lent their talents to this project lead by Dennis Ward (Pink Crean 69) who not only returned to the helm as producer but also supplied all the bass and background vocals on “House of Dreams”, Jim Peterik (Survivor, Pride of Lions), Tom and James Martin (House of Lords, Khymera) returned and Paul Sabu also came on board to help out in the songwriting process. Besides the presence of Turner and Ward this time around the band consists of Uwe Reitenauer and Thorsten Koehne on guitars, Chris Schmidt on drums and Gunter Werno on keyboards, all of which are accomplished musicians in their own right.
From the opening keyboards of “I Found Love” I knew I was in for one hell of an enjoyable ride and I was not disappointed at all. Great keyboards, and guitar with a chorus that will have you singing along long after the song is finished playing. “Divided” follows the same formula with the same excellent results. “Don’t Give Up” makes me think back to the 1980’s and those movie montage theme songs where the hero is trying to over come the impossible, much like Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and “Burning Heart” or Robert Tepper’s “No Way Out”. Along with “I Found Love”, “Gutters of Gold” is my favorite song on the album with Schmidt’s hard driving drums and an awesome chorus. “Walk On” is another stand out track that was written by Desmond Child and Joe Lynn Turner that originally appeared on Jimmy Barne’s 1987 release “Freight Train Heart”
The one thing you will not find on “House of Dreams” is filler material, every song has hit potential if they are given a chance. Although there is no mistaking that “House of Dreams” is a melodic rock album with it’s soaring vocals, guitar solos and keyboards the music is modern sounding and does not sound dated whatsoever.
If I have one complaint about Sunstorm it is the fact that in all actuality this is a side project. With the way the music scene is today a band this great with an album this great it’s a shame it can’t be the primary focus of the players involved.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
01. Divided 4:38
02. Don’t Give Up 4:49
03. The Spirit Inside 4:02
04. 04 I Found Love 4:00
05. Say You Will 4:34
06. Gutters Of Gold 4:39
07. Save A Place In Your Heart 4:14
08. Forever Now 4:16
09. Tears On The Pages 4:36
10. House Of Dreams 4:51
11. Walk On 4:35
Sunstorm is:
Joe Lynn Turner – vocals
Dennis Ward – bass, background vocals
Uwe Reitenauer, Thorsten Koehne – guitars
Chris Schmidt – drums
Gunter Werno – keyboards
1 We Wish You A Metal Xmas…And A Headbanging New Year (Release Year – 2008)
Twisted Sister seemingly opened the floodgates for a new batch of hard rockin’ Christmas tunes when they released their album, “Twisted Christmas” in 2006. “We Wish You A Metal Xmas, and a HeadBanging New Year” has more hard rock and metal stars than any other Christmas compilation in history (Yes, even more than Monster Ballads Christmas from 2007). With that being said, it has to be awesome right?!
For the most part it is, and I would go so far as saying they have one upped, “Twisted Christmas” with this compilation.
First and foremost, I am a Jeff Scott Soto fan and he can do little wrong in my eyes. He helps rock out this rocking version of “We Wish You A Merry (Metal) Xmas”. My step daughter likes this one too. I caught her singing “We Wish You A Metal Christmas”. :)
You either have to love or hate Lemmy Kilmister. His rendition of “Run Rudolph Run” is pretty fun for the most part, but you know what to expect from his vocals. I have officially started a new holiday tradition by singing “Run Rudolph Run” in my best Lemmy Kilmister voice. What a great way to annoy the spouse and siblings.! :)
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is a creepy and cool rendition of this tune. Ronnie James Dio and Tony Iommi make this sound like a lost Black Sabbath cut.
“Silver Bells” is one of the weaker moments on this disc. Geoff Tate’s lack of vocal fortitude really shows up badly on this song. He can’t hit the notes that this song requires, and that is a shame. He used to have an awesome voice, but it is severely lacking here.
Dug Pinnick from King’s X turns in a semi soulful version of the Little Drummer Boy. George Lynch adds some pretty tasty guitar licks to this version.
You have to love Ripper Owens. He may not be the best singer in the world, but he can really metalize Christmas songs like no one else. Steve Morse provides the tasty guitar licks on “Santa Claus is Back In Town”, and Ripper drives it home with his metal screams. I love it!
Chuck Billy destroys “Silent Night” with his death metal growl, but I think this is more tongue in cheek, than anything else. I can’t say I ever expected to hear a death/thrash metal version of “Silent Night”, but the unit of Scott Ian, Jon Donais, Chris Wyse and John Tempesta somehow manage to pull this off. The shredding on this tune is pretty awesome.
Every time I hear “Deck the Halls” I think it is Geoff Tate back for another dose. It is actually Lynch Mob’s Oni Logan. I don’t know if is just me, but his voice also sounds worse for wear here. I don’t remember him sounding anything like this in the 90’s.
RATT’s Stephen Pearcy pulls off a pretty good version of “Grandman Got Ran Over By A Reindeer”. As it turns out, Pearcy has a pretty good voice for this tune. Who would have thought that?
As a whole, I have enjoyed this CD, and have replayed this quite a bit . This is easily the best hard rock Christmas CD released in 2008. Buy it!!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- We Wish You A Merry Xmas – (Jeff Scott Soto, Bruce Kulick, Bob Kulick, Chris Wyse, Ray Luzier)
- Run Rudolph Run – (Lemmy Kilmister, Billy F. Gibbons, Dave Grohl)
- Santa Claws Is Coming To Town – (Alice Cooper, John 5, Billy Sheehan, Vinny Appice)
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – (Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Rudy Sarzo, Simon Wright)
- Silver Bells (Geoff Tate, Carlos Cavazo, James Lomenzo, Ray Luzier)
- Little Drummer Boy – (Dug Pinnick, George Lynch, Billy Sheehan, Simon Phillips)
- Santa Claus Is Back In Town – (Tim Owens, Steve Morse, Juan Garcia, Marco Mendoza, Vinny Appice)
- Silent Night – (Chuck Billy, Scott Ian, Jon Donais, Chris Wyse, John Tempesta)
- Deck The Halls – (Oni Logan, Craig Goldy, Tony Franklin, John Tempesta)
- Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer – (Stephen Pearcy, Tracii Guns, Bob Kulick, Billy Sheehan, Greg Bissonette)
- Rockin’ Around The Xmas Tree – (Joe Lynn Turner, Bruce Kulick, Bob Kulick, Rudy Sarzo, Simon Wright)
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – (Tommy Shaw, Steve Lukather, Marco Mendoza, Kenny Aronoff)
Produced by: Bob Kulick and Brett Chassen
1 BIG NOIZE FORCED TO CANCEL SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR
Supergroup Big Noize, featuring vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), bassist Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE, VINCE NEIL), guitarist Carlos Cavazo (QUIET RIOT, RATT) and drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, Dio) has been forced to cancel their South American tour this month.
On December 4, 2008 Big Noize and booking agent Sullivan Bigg released the following statement:
Although there were several promoters involved, all of them were in breach of contract by failing to make arrangements and provide the funding as agreed, despite repeated requests from band management and agent. Big Noize waited to cancel until “the last minute” in good faith that flight/hotel arrangements and funding would show up. As of today, neither flight/hotel arrangements or funding has been sent to band management nor their agent. The members of Big Noize were looking forward to playing to fans on this tour. The band, management and booking agent are all sad and disappointed that this has happened but they are looking forward to an opportunity in the future to reschedule a tour to South America with more reputable promoters.
