Skeletonwitch's New Album Art Will Burn Your Balls

I'm serious:


If that isn't Metal, I don't know what is

If you haven't seen Skeletonwitch live yet, you don't know what you're missing.

Breathing the Fire drops October 13 on Prosthetic.

Black Metal Cookies

Cookies have never been kvltier.

Upgrade Your Girlfriend

I won't go into the backstory on how this (joke) project got started for a second time, but it's moving along swimmingly. Currently I'm writing all the content for the site. I'm just grabbing material from my past experiences and changing names, places and events. :D

If anyone who has experience in comedic writing (or no experience at all) and would like to volunteer for the website it would be much appreciated. Suggestions will also be taken. Should I make it a one page blog? or should I make it a multi-page site. It's really a coin toss right now. For the uninitiated here's the address: www.upgradeyourgirlfriend.info

Playlist July 30th, 2009: MetalBeard's Bearded Women

It finally happened. Metal Beard has broken the rules of Metal Beard's Bearded Bands all but once or twice in it's running. To finally cover his ass, he's implemented the "Honorary Beard" Accord, which allows him to give "Honorary Beards" to awesome bands. So it is written, so it shall be done.

This week he hit us with some hot female fronted bands, I forgot to do Dio's Dirty Secrets, we made a Big Four Feud Block and played a butt-load (yes a butt-load, that's like way more than a ton) of new stuff I've been meaning to play, but always run out of time on.

Oh and the reason there's four Bigelf songs at the end, is that I let the CD run while we finished ripping cds in the air room. Oh and don't forget to check out the video for The Metal Shakespeare Company's "To Bleed or Not to Bleed."

The Sledge (Rock (Loud)) with Timothy Sledge 07.30.2009 10:30PM to 12:30AM

1. Iron Maiden "Twilight Zone" from "Killers"
2. The Metal Shakespeare Company "To Bleed or Not to Bleed" from "Hamlet III"
3. Judas Priest "Between the Hammer and the Anvil" from "Touch of Evil"
4. Ram "Sudden Impact" from "Heavy Metal Killers"
5. Steel Panther "Turn Out The Lights" from "Death To All But Metal"
6. Kylesa "Only One" from "Static Tensions" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
7. Made Out of Babies "Silverback" from "Coward" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
8. Lundicra "In The Greenest Maze" from "Another Great Love Song" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
9. Voetsek "The Blueprint For The Perfect Circle Pit" from "Infernal Command" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
10. Light This City "Obituary" from "Remains of the Gods" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
11. Megadeth "Devil's Island" from "Rust in Peace" -- Big Four Block
12. Metallica "Creeping Death" from "Ride the Lightning" -- Big Four Block
13. Anthrax "Subjugator" from "Fistful of Metal" -- Big Four Block
14. Slayer "Raining Blood" from "Reign in Blood" -- Big Four Block
15. Gojira "Toxic Garbage Island" from "The Way of All Flesh"
16. Ex Deo "Storm the Gates of Alesia" from "Romulus"
17. Suidakra "Shattering Swords" from "Crógacht"
18. Isis "Hall of the Dead" from "Wavering Radiant"
19. Hull "IV: Healer" from "Sole Lord"
20. Children "Advanced Mind Control" from "Hard Times Hanging At The End of The World"
21. Bigelf "The Evils of Rock n Roll" from "Cheat The Gallows"
22. Bigelf "No Parachute" from "Cheat The Gallows"
23. Bigelf "The Game" from "Cheat The Gallows"
24. Bigelf "Superstar" from "Cheat The Gallows"

The Real Santa Cruz

If you've ever wondered what it's like living in Santa Cruz, wonder no more! This video of a Santa Cruz City Council meeting truly captures the Santa Cruz experience.

ATTN: IF YOU ARE IN TURKEY, DON'T THROW THE HORNS!!!

Metal Insider has reported that five metal fans who were in Turkey to attend the "Rock N’ Coke Festival" were detained for throwing the horns to fellow Metallions. Apparently this is on orders from the Prime Minister, citing that the horns lead to "endless uncontrolled moral erosion." Check out the full article HERE.

Tonight on The Sledge... Get Dirty?

Tune into The Sledge tonight for a fiery fury of face melting heavy metal! We'll be featuring Metal Beard's Bearded Bands (Mx3B). I hear he may be doing a comic book themed setlist. There's a chance that my good friend Dirty Mac will be joining us. If that happens Ronnie James Dio will make an appearance to dish out some of his saucy secrets.

Tune into 88.1FM at 10:30 or click here to listen in!

UPDATE: Dirty Mac will not be joining us tonight as his travel plans could not get him here in time.

Some Juicy Big Four Clusterfuck

And you thought this summer's band feuds were getting boring. This is a classic he said she said. Head over to Metalsucks.net for the full story.

I have a new joke website coming...

Ok, so basically Metalbeard, "Sophire" and I were hanging out, joking around. I really don't remember how this came about, but in the end I bought for $1.07 the webdomain "UpgradeYourGirlfriend.info". Now that I've bought it, I might as well develop it, right? I'm in the process of doing that, but if anyone would like to host it on their webserver or donate money to buy legitimate hosting (right now it's on godaddy.com's free hosting) <===crappy, ads and stuff. Also, if a professional web developer would like to help out, let me know. You can reach me at "sledgemetalkzsc [at] gmail [dot] com.

Upgrade Your Girlfriend in five months or less!

What's Metal About Shakespeare? The Metal Shakespear Company

Ok, so these guys look like a bunch of theater geeks that got together and decided to write heavy metal inspired by Shakespeare. They dress up in Renaissance style garb and tights. For how lame they look, this song "To Bleed or Not to Bleed" has grown on me. You'll definitely be hearing this on The Sledge tonight. Sadly, I missed these guys coming to Berkley and San Fransisco be a couple of days. DAMN!

P.S. - Nike hightops are essential for any Renaissance outfit.

Album Review: Steel Panther - Feel The Steel

For the uninitiated Steel Panther is a totally awesome, kick ass, raunchy and awesome modern day hair/glam metal band. Here's my epic review of Feel The Steel.

I know this isn't an original thing to do, but I felt I must do a track by track review for this album. It's just too good.

Track 1: Death To All But Metal

/10

Track 2: Asian Hooker

/10

Track 3: Community Property

/10

Track 4: Eyes Of A Panther:

/10

Track 5: Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)

/10

Track 6: Eatin' Ain't Cheatin'

/10

Track 7: Party All Day

Spring Break 4 ever
/10

Track 8: Turn Out The Lights


+
/10

Track 9: Stripper Girl

/10

Track 10: The Shocker

+ /10

Track 11: Girl From Oklahoma

/10

Track 12: Hell's On Fire

/10


OVERALL SCORE:


+
/10

Playlist July 23rd, 2009: Tease Up Your Hair!

Last week I had gotten a request for some hair metal that I did not have time to fulfill. So this week we donned our spandex, stole our girlfriends' eyeliner and teased up our hair for hair metal power hour. I call it a power hour because it went much longer than an hour. However, to stand against the clean-shaven foe, we also aired Metal Beard's Bearded Bands (Mx3B!) and featured a new song from the Power Metal band Cage.

The Sledge (Rock (Loud)) with Timothy Sledge 07.23.2009 10:30PM to 12:30AM

1. Dio "Time To Burn" from "Time To Burn"
2. Tyr "Hold the Heathen Hammer High" from "By The Light of the Northern Star" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
3. Thyrfing "Host" from "Farsotstider" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
4. Windir "1184" from "1184" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
5. Einherjer "Burning Yggdrasil" from "Norwegian Native Art" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
6. Hammer Horde "In the Name of Winter's Wrath" from "Under the Mighty Oath" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
7. Cage "Planetcrusher" from "The Science of Annihilation"
8. Dokken "Breaking the Chains" from "Breaking the Chains"
9. Kix "Blow My Fuse" from "Blow My Fuse"
10. Steel Panther "Eatin' Ain't Cheatin'" from "Feel The Steel"
11. Twisted Sister "Stay Hungry" from "Still Hungry"
12. Motley Crue "Smokin' in the Boys Room" from "Theatre of Pain"
13. Nitro "Freight Train" from "O.F.R."
14. RATT "Dangerous But Worth The Risk" from "Tell The World: The Very Best of RATT"
15. White Lion "Dirty Woman" from "Big Game"
16. Queensryche "Queen of the Reich" from "Queensryche"
17. Whitesnake "Hot Stuff" from "come an' get it"
18. Michael Schenker Group "Are You Ready to Rock" from "Michael Schenker Group"
19. Night Ranger "Saven Wishes" from "Seven Wishes"
20. Hear n' Aid "We're Stars" from "We're Stars"
21. Yngwie Malmsteen "Heaven Tonight" from "Odessey"
22. Warrant "32 Pennies" from "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich"
23. Fastway "Backdoor Man" from "Waiting For The Roar"

Tonight on The Sledge...

Grab your spandex, steal your girlfriend's eyeliner and tease your hair up for a hair metal power hour! Also, we'll have Metalbeard's Bearded Bands to battle against the clean-shaven foe.

It all goes down tonight at 10:30! Click here to listen. Or tune into 88.1 FM for the greater Santa Cruz Co area.

Steel Panther's New Video "Community Property"

Here's another great video from Glam/Hair/Buttrockers Steel Panther. These guys are truly living the dream. This is what rock n roll was invented for: getting girls.

Tyr "Hold The Heathen Hammer High" Music Video Kicks Your Mother's Balls

When I first heard Tyr, I thought it was a joke. I could not stop laughing at their songs. Strangely, they started growing on me. I saw them at Thee Parkside in San Fransisco with Alestorm and Suidakra (I thought Suidakra should've been headlining). So bag on Tyr all you want, but their new video for "Hold the Heathen Hammer High" is fucking kickass. Viking longships, axes, swords and chopping down a christian cross. Tyr, my hat goes off to you and a big thumbs up for a solid TOP SCORE!

Andrew W.K. Is Hosting The Most Awesome Reality TV Show EVER!

Really, why didn't anyone tell me about this before? The show is called Destroy Build Destroy. Kids blow stuff up and then build awesome crap out of the wreckage. Andrew W.K. hosting it should be enough reason to watch it.

Playlist July 16th, 2009: Fire When Ready

I was very excited for this week's show. We got a new digital console to replace our aging analog unit. It's a little too much fun to stand at the console speaking the words: "Fire when ready" then pressing the play button.

Tonight's edition of Metal Beard's Bearded Bands took things in a different direction with: "Why the hell don't you have a beard?" bands. Here's the countdown: 5. High on Fire 4. Hammerfall 3. Fintroll 2. Bathory 1......Manowar!

Regardless of all that, I honestly consider tonight's show as the best The Sledge installment thus far and one of the best shows in my radio career. Thanks to our listeners for calling in!

Here's the playlist:

The Sledge (Rock (Loud)) with Timothy Sledge 07.16.2009 10:30PM to 12:30AM

1. Judas Priest "The Hellion/Electric Eye" from "Screaming For Vengeance"
2. Rainbow "Kill the King" from "Long Live Rock n Roll"
3. Dio "Rock n Roll Children" from "Sacred Heart"
4. Lizzy Borden "We Got the Power" from "Master Of Disguise"
5. Yngwie Malmsteen "On The Run Again" from "Marching Out"
6. Warlock "Hellbound" from "Hellbound"
7. High on Fire "Rumors of War" from "Blessed Black Wings" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
8. Hammerfall "Heeding The Call" from "Legacy Of Kings" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
9. Fintroll "Korpens Saga" from "Ur Jorden's Djup" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
10. Bathory "For Those Who Died" from "Blood Fire Death" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
11. Manowar "Blood of My Enemies" from "Blood of My Enemies" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
12. Slayer "Skeletons of Society" from "Seasons In The Abyss" -- Big Four Block
13. Anthrax "Death From Above" from "Fistful of Metal" -- Big Four Block
14. Metallica "Phantom Lord" from "Whiplash EP" -- Big Four Block
15. Megadeth "Killing is My Business...and Business is Good" from "Killing is My Business...and Business is Good!" -- Big Four Block
16. Carnivore "God Is Dead" from "Carnivore"
17. Forbidden "Forbidden Evil" from "Forbidden Evil"
18. Exodus "Last Act of Defiance" from "Bonded by Blood"
19. Strapping Young Lad "All Hail The New Flesh" from "No Sleep 'Til Bed Time"
20. Tenet "Being and Nothingness" from "Being and Nothingness"
21. Ex Deo "Romulus" from "Romulus"
22. Gojira "Ocean Planet" from "From Mars to Sirius"
23. Minsk "Three Moons" from "With Echoes in the Movement of Stone"

Get Hit By The Sledge Tonight!

Tune in tonight at 10:30 for another edition of The Sledge. A special segment of Metal Beard's Bearded Bands with "Why the hell don't you have a beard?" I hear we'll get some classic tracks and maybe a little power metal :D

Tune into 88.1fm for the greater Santa Cruz County area or CLICK HERE!

Roboaurus Is Something Out of a Judas Priest Album

I got home late last night, threw some leftover pasta in the microwave and clicked on the tv. Immediately a commercial for the California Airshow in Salinas was on. I went to an airshow once when I was a little kid. Good times, but I'm not too interested in that stuff now. What did catch my eye was one of the attractions that they were advertising: Robosaurus. What the fuck is Robosaurus? I had to figure this out. From the few fleeting tv clips I saw, it was clearly a large, fire breathing mechanical dinosaur. Jumping on-line I quickly found Robosaurus' 1994 sytle website. Here's some promotional photos of Robosaurus:


AWESOME!





The cool thing about Robosaurus is that it's controlled by a pilot in much the same way the mech in the film Aliens was controlled. Seeing this beast immediately reminded me of this Judas Priest concert footage:



What I'm trying to say is this: Judas Priest should probably write their next album about Robosaurus.

Attack Attack! Singer Interviewed (Hint: He's Not Very Bright)

I must provide a disclaimer: Your intelligence will decrease while watching this.

Attack Attack Interview HARDTIMES.CA


Apparently all the singer needs is his cigarettes. I really don't want to talk about this.

Dio's Dirty Secrets!

Now in case you missed last week's show here's a little snippit of Dio's Dirty Secrets. Dio's Dirty Secrets is a segment where Metal Beard and I dig out forgotten recordings early in Ronnie James Dio's career.

Wolves In the Skeletonwitch Room (Part 2)

What's a better way to follow up an excellent dive show than with another concert? Metal Beard, some others and myself again trekked to San Fransisco. This time we would be seeing Ninth Moon Black, Minsk and the headliners Wolves In The Throne Room.

Ninth Moon Black set the mood with expertly played ambient doom tracks. Projected over them were...well, we couldn't really figure it out... graining black and white video from what looked like 1920s Russia. It was hard to tell. Ninth Moon Black also has a female drummer. Don't see that very often. After an excellent set by them Metal Beard and I moved up for Minsk.

As they started their set I knew we were in for some good shit. It's bands like these that are continually pushing me to explore more Doom Metal. Although these songs often blend together into one giant set, that's the point. They did thank us for coming out to see the show.

Up next was Wolves in the Throne Room. They just went up on stage and started playing. They played through their whole set without even acknowledging that the crowd was there. It was also near impossible to tell what song they were playing. There was no moshing at all. Everyone just stood there watching in awe with the occasional headbanging. The audience cheered for an encore, but no dice.

All in all it was a good ambient doomy =>black metal show, and a solid way to end the week/begin the weekend.

New Music Video From Clutch Looks Like An Apple Ad

Seriously, just look at all this cool stuff Mac's can do:

Clutch - New Music - More Music Videos

Wolves in the Skeletonwitch Room (Part 1)

I had a great end of the weekend/start of this week. Sunday night at Thee Parkside in SF Skeletonwitch played and Monday night at Slim's Wolves in the Throne Room rocked the house. I'm going to start my recap/review (...whatever) with Sunday night.

Four bands were lined up to play Thee Parkside that night. Only two really rocked. The first band were unsigned and to tell you the truth, I didn't catch their name. Everyone in the band looked like 80s thrashers, so I was looking forward to some good shit. Hey, remember when I said everyone in the band looked like 80s thrashers? Yea? Well, everyone except the singer. He looked like one of those emo/scenester douches. Thus my friends and I began referring to them as "Unfortunate Haircut." The instruments were fuckin' great, but the singer was VERY out of place. (On a side story, Metal Beard saw the singer outside after the set, Unfortunate Haircut singer attempted to pick up a chick via asking her if she "needed a piggyback ride." Her reply was "uhhh...no..." To which Unfortunate Haircut shot back: "well, if you need one, I'll give you one...") ...Moving right along...

The next band was the hardcore band Trap Them. Only about 10 people in the audience were digging them. I felt the singer had a terribly misdirected energy and stage presence. At one point he jumped off stage and ran into the audience. Everyone simply got out of the way and was looking at him like "what the hell is this guy doing?" At this point the singer realized only 10 people were digging it and he returned to the stage.

Next up were Saviours. This is where the show started to pick up. Finally some good quality metal. I recommend checking Saviours out HERE. After they owned the stage, it was time for the headliners to take over.

Skeletonwitch had a stage presence I haven't seen in a long time. They owned the crowd. Everyone in the band looked like they were having a fuckin' great time. Vocalist, Chance Garnette had expert audience interaction. He'd hold the mic to some of the front row thrashers for them to sing along with him. His crazy antics quickly got everyone having fun. I cite his interpreting movements to cymbal crashes: a lightning bolt hitting his chest, riping his chest open and then pulling out his own heart and holding it above the crowd. Yea, this was a fun fuckin' show.

When their set was over, the crowd still wanted more to which Chance replied in deathmetal growl: "WHY THE HELL NOT!"

Stick around for part 2

EDIT: I've since discovered "Unfortunate Haircut" is actually called "At Our Heels"

Is Heavy Metal The New Fad Diet?

I say WIN!

Higher quality clip HERE.

HOLY GRAIL SIGNS TO PROSTHETIC RECORDS

If you listened to The Sledge (which I know you did) last night you would've heard a track called "Fight to Kill" from Holy Grail. I first caught onto these guys when they were originally with White Wizzard. Thanks to Mike from Early Man for posting this up on his blog: Whiplash

Prosthetic Records has signed the Los Angeles-based act HOLY GRAIL. The band, formerly known as SORCERER, features three former members of WHITE WIZZARD and takes its influence from such classic metal acts as IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, and the SCORPIONS.

Vocalist James Paul Luna's Rob Halford-meets-Sebastian Bach voice belts out lyrics focusing on "chicks, vikings, ex-chicks, being tough, macho/machismo, FEMA, Fabio, Conan, rad dinosaurs, UFOs and Bilderberg Group," while guitarists James J LaRue and Eli Santana's dueling solos play out like a fencing match and bassist Blake Mount and drummer Tyler Meahl gallop like a pack of wild horses. After just a handful of shows, the band landed a two-page feature in the LA Weekly, and has planted its boot, firmly on the throat of L.A.'s metal scene.

Luna commented: "After months of losing our minds and shredding through many contracts and label offers, Prosthetic always stayed at the top of our list. They live and breathe the same L.A. metal air we do, and know what it takes to develop a band from ground zero. Business aside, we are beyond stoked to work with guys that have the same eccentric and twisted views on music, life, art and shred. Things can only get wilder from here!"

The band will play their first show, post signing, at the infamous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip on July 30, with an out-of-town gig at the Jumping Turtle in San Marcos and a concert supporting CHILDREN OF BODOM on October 11 at the Glass House in Pomona. Expect to experience a blistering stage show and hear songs off the band's debut EP, "Improper Burial", due out this fall (which will feature two originals and two covers). The band will journey out on a West Coast tour in conjunction with the release, and before they enter the studio to start their full-length.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/holygrailofficial.

You'll definitely be hearing more of these guys on The Sledge.

Ozzy Osbourne Breaks Up With Zack Wylde +Ozzy's a Douche

Thanks to MetalInjection for posting:

From a recent interview with Classic Rock Mag:
“Well, I’m getting a new guitar player as we speak,” said Ozzy, “and everyone has been saying to me for a long time, ‘Get Johnny 5!’ And I tried him at one time and I didn’t really give him a chance. We’ll see, I don’t know. I haven’t fallen out with Zakk, but Zakk’s got his own band, and I felt like my stuff was beginning to sound like Black Label Society. I just felt like I wanted a change, y’know?

“I’ve got a guy from Greece coming in – not the musical, the country of Greece – but I’m not going to say too much about it, cos I don’t know myself at this point. I’ve got a new album, I’m working on it as we speak. I’ve got a studio at my house and I’ve got a guy called Kevin Churko, the guy that did the last album [Churko also worked on Ozzy’s Under Cover album, produced Cheap Trick’s highly rated 2006 album Rockford, and has credits on releases by Britney Spears, Celine Dion and Shania Twain] – he’s great to work with.

I'm really not a big Ozzy fan. I mean, I respect the classics: Bark at the Moon, Crazy Train, ect. but he's a shell of the man he once was. Hopefully this record will give Ozzy the will power to stand against Sharon and perhaps press charges for abuse of the elderly.

UPDATE:
Oh, so it looks like Ozzy and Sharon did the honorable thing and let Zack Wylde find out with the rest of us. Here are two of Zack's tweets:

I’m doing Blizzcon with him in August and supposed to finish up the cd in September….this is news to me about 4 hours ago from web

I haven’t heard anything about this. Until I talk to the Boss I don’t know. I love Ozzy.about 4 hours ago from web

This is really a douchey way to tell someone they're fired. What the hell Ozzy? You worked with Zack Wylde for twenty years, you couldn't find the time to tell him he's fired? Douche.

Playlist July 9th, 2009: Premier of MetalBeard's Bearded Bands and The Return of Dio's Dirty Secrets

Tonight we opened with a shaky start due to some technical difficulties. Once those got under control it was kill time! Metal Beard, valiant as ever, sought out his allies against the clean shaven foe in "Metal Beard's Bearded Bands" and Dio made a triumphant return in "Dio's Dirty Secrets."

The Sledge (Rock (Loud)) with Timothy Sledge 07.09.2009 10:30PM to 12:30AM

1. King Diamond "Abigail" from "Abigail"
2. Diamond Head "Am I Evil?" from "Lightning to the Nations"
3. Iron Maiden "Duellists" from "Powerslave"
4. Holy Grail "Fight to Kill" from "Fight to Kill"
5. Saxon "Wheels of Steels" from "Wheels of Steel"
6. Judas Priest "Hell Rider" from "Touch of Evil"
7. The Absence "Into The Pit (Cover)" from "Riders of the Plague" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
8. Down "I Scream" from "over the under" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
9. Immortal "Solarfall" from "At The Heart of Winter" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
10. Mastodon "Megalodon" from "Leviathan" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
11. Amon Amarth "Thousand Years of Oppression" from "Versus the World" -- MetalBeard's Bearded Bands
12. 3 Inches of Blood "Call of the Hammere" from "Here Waits Thy Doom"
13. Megadeth "Headcrusher" from "Headcrusher" -- Big Four Block
14. Metallica "Blackened" from "And Justice For All" -- Big Four Block
15. Ronnie Dio & the Prophets "Love Potion #9" from "Love Potion #9" -- Dio's Dirty Secrets
16. Slayer "Metalstorm/Face The Slayer" from "Show no Mercy" -- Big Four Block
17. Anthrax "Pipeline" from "Attack of the Killer Bees" -- Big Four Block
18. Havok "Afterburner" from "Burn"
19. Sanctuary "Die For My Sins" from "Refuge Denied"
20. Forced Entry "Microcosm Macrocosm" from "As Above So Below"
21. Heaven and Hell "Double the Pain" from "The Devil You Know"
22. Gojira "A Sight To Behold" from "The Way of All Flesh"
23. Agoraphobic Nosebleed "Moral Distortion" from "Agorapocalypse"

Get Hit By The Sledge Tonight!

Tune into The Sledge tonight at 10:30 PST for a healthy dose of Heavy Metal! If you're in Santa Cruz and surrounding counties, listen at 88.1fm. For those outside of our broadcast range you can catch us at KZSC.org. Just click the "Listen Now" button!

Tonight's show features a brand new segment titled: "MetalBeard's Bearded Bands." My valiant co-host, MetalBeard, showcases a selection of his bearded comrades who stand against the clean-shaven foe.
We're also bringing back the much loved segment: "Dio's Dirty Secrets." In which we explore Ronnie James Dio's dark and forgotten past.

Here's a nice photo of MetalBeard I made a while back:

Early Man vs Meatwad

If you haven't checked out Early Man yet, do so NOW! I was able to catch them a while ago with A Band of Orcs, Toxic Holocaust and of course: 3 Inches of Blood.

Here's a track they wrote for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie:

UCSC Needs These...

on and in every building.

Thanks to MetalSucks.net!

New 3 Inches of Blood Track

Check the link below for "Call of the Hammer" from 3IOB's upcoming album: "Here Waits Thy Doom." It's a distinctly different sound after the departure of Jamie Hooper. Maybe it's the low quality on myspace, but something sounds a little off. Still, I can't wait for the whole album. Enjoy.

http://www.myspace.com/3iob

I Regret Not Doing This First

Some amazing person made a nice little .gif from the worst song/music video ever made: Attack Attack!'s "Stick Stickly"



If you haven't seen/heard this music video yet, I envy you so much. But it is also my job to tarnish and scar as many souls as possible, so here's the video:

We Are The World Can Kiss My Ass

I'm tired of hearing about Michael Jackson and that song "We Are the World" (although the 7" somehow found it's way into my record collection). As the story goes Michael helped organize the music industry to record "We Are the World" to raise aid for Africa. In doing this Hard Rock and Heavy Metal musicians were barred from participating.

Angered, then Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell got the ball rolling on a collaboration of epic proportions. Vocal contributions include Ronnie James Dio, Eric Bloom, Don Dokken, Rob Halford, Geoff Tate, among others. There's an epic guitar solo in the middle featuring Vivian Campbell, Craig Goldy, Yngwie Malmsteen, Buck Dharma, and many more. Thus the song "We're Stars" was recorded. Leave it to Heavy Metal to one up pop music. They're the world? Well fuck you, we're stars motherfucker! Check below for the video:

New Megadeth Single and Judas Priest Live Album

What a great fucking day to be a metal head. Metalsucks.net has the new Judas Priest live album "A Touch of Evil." I've already given the whole thing a listen and it fucking-balls-to-the-walls rules. The album is comprised of live recordings from their 2005 and 2008 world tour. I was able to catch the last concert of the Masters of Metal tour with Heaven and Hell, Motorhead and Testament. Check out the album art below and don't forget to head over to Metal Sucks to stream the entire album here. The album is available for streaming until 11:59pm EDT on the night before the album’s official release date: July 14th. Don't forget to enter to win a free signed copy.



But let's not forget Megadeth's big news. They've released for a free 24hr download their new single "Headcrusher." You can download it for free, you just gotta fork over your email. Headcrusher fucking rules. Look below for a listen. Nice work Dave!

If You Haven't Heard This Yet...

...I take great pity on you. Back in the day Hulk Hogan recorded a rap album. This has nothing to do with metal and everything to do with awesome. Here's my favorite song from the album: "Beach Patrol."

Album Review: Hull's Sole Lord

First off, the album artwork just screams epic: an orange and yellow tinted photo of one of the great pyramids of Egypt (don’t ask me which one, that’s a question for Karl Sanders).

This is a great ambient stoner album because rather than being a collection of songs, “Sole Lord” takes you on a winding journey across desert sands. The album is arranged into three songs that have been divided into chapters:

1. Endless Obsidian Abyss: I. Innocence II. Transition III. Immortal IV. Deliverance
2. Wrath of the Sands
3. Born from Flesh and Stone: I. Wanderer II. Healer III. Aesthetic IV. Architect V. Vessel
   

Sole Lord isn’t an album you rock out to. It has a very slow droning pace. Hull expertly mixes clean and distorted guitars to achieve the over arching ambiance. I can’t name a favorite song because each track blends so well together. That said, I recommend listening to it in its entirety.
The only aspect of this album I dislike would be the vocals. They have two vocalists. One does spot-on killer growly-screams while another backs them with whiney screaming (of which I’ve never been a fan).
All in all, sit down, listen to the album all the way through and enjoy your desert voyage.
I give it 3 ½ out of 5 hammers.



Hull’s Sole Lord was released May 26th, 2009 on The End Records

-TS

3 Inches of Blood's New Album Art Is So Metal

I mean, just look at it:



3 Inches of Blood's new album, Here Waits Thy Doom is due to drop September 8th from Century Media. This will be the first album without secondary vocalist Jamie Hooper. He leaves as the last original member of 3 Inche of Blood. That said, I can't wait for this album.

The track listing for Here Waits Thy Doom is as follows:


Battles and Brotherhood
Rock In Hell
Silent Killer
Fierce Defender
Preachers Daughter
Call of the Hammer
Snake Fighter
At the Foot of the Great Glacier
All of them Witches
12:34
Execution Tank

For more about 3 Inches of Blood check out their website here: http://www.3inchesofblood.com/

Coming soon...

Album reviews:

• Havok's "Burn"
• Hull's "Soul Lord"
• The Children's "Hard Times Hanging At The End of the World"

and maybe if I the mood hits me: Dream Theater's "Black Clouds and Silver Linings"

Until then, feel free to email requests for next week's show to: sledgemetalkzsc [at] gmail [dot] com

-TS

Playlist July 2nd, 2009 or How Tim & Kate Perry Destroyed His Metal Cred In One Fell Swoop

The show kicked off with a mighty wind. Everything was going great until Tim decided to play that power metal remix of Kate Perry's "I Kissed A Girl". Game Over.

The Sledge (Rock (Loud)) with Toothgnasher/Tidal Wave Tim 07.02.2009 10:30PM to 12:30AM

1. Black Sabbath "Black Sabbath" from "Black Sabbath"
2. Judas Priest "Delivering the Goods" from "Hell Bent for Leather" on Columbia
3. Armored Saint "Can U Deliver" from "March of the Saint" on Chrysalis
4. Metal Church "Badlands" from "Blessing in Disguise" on Elektra
5. Mercyful Fate "Death Kiss" from "Return of the Vampire" on Road Racer
6. Black Sabbath "Paranoid (Alternative Lyrics)" from "Paranoid" on Warner Bros. -- Alternative Lyrics
7. Metallica "Whiplash" from "Whiplash EP" on Megaforce -- Special Neckbrace Version
8. Megadeth "Take No Prisoners" from "Rust in Peace" on Capitol
9. Anthrax "Out of Sight Out of Mind" from "State of Euphoria"
10. Slayer "Expendable Youth" from "Seasons In The Abyss"
11. Overkill "Hello From the Gutter" from "Under the Influence" on Megaforce
12. Municipal Waste "Terror Shark" from "World Wide Metal"
13. Nuclear Assault "Inherited Hell" from "handle with care"
14. Violence "Eternal Nightmare" from "Eternal Nightmare" Request
15. Kreator "Under the Guillotine" from "Pleasure to Kill" on Combat
16. No Mercy "Nightmare" from "Nightmare"
17. Dokken "Dream Warriors" from "Beast From the East" on Elektra
18. The Scorpions "Dynamite" from "Blackout" on Mercury
19. Motley Crue "Dr. Feelgood" from "Dr. Feelgood"
20. Steel Panther "Death To All But Metal" from "Death To All But Metal"
21. Crowning Glory "Sea of Dead Dreams" from "Heavy Metal Killers" on Earache
22. Dream Evil "The Sledge" from "The Book Of Heavy Metal"
23. Andy Xiong "I Kissed A Girl Power Metal Remix" from "Single" -- Kate Perry
24. Havok "The Root of Evil" from "Burn" New
25. Megadeth "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" from "Rust in Peace" on Capitol Request

First Installment of the Sledge Tonight 10:30pm Pacific

That's right! Tonight is the first installment of The Sledge! Get ready to be hit with two hours of Screamin' Hot Molten Heavy Metal! Listen online at http://www.kzsc.org or on 88.1fm for those of you in Santa Cruz County and beyond.

Playlist will be posted after the show.