On this week’s show we’ll be setting alight the New Year with a bang: ZZ Top, Status Quo, Shinedown, Def Leppard, UFO, Marillion, Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, Coheed and Cambria, Cage The Gods, Slaughter for starters.
We’ll also be kicking out the jams from groups appearing on our ‘Top 10 Albums of 2014‘ – Bloody Hammers, Magnum, Uriah Heep, Nothing More, Kyng, Lionize, Massive, Hellyeah, Rival Sons and Blues Pills.
Top 10s of this, Top 10s of that spring up all over the place at this time of year and well, what the heck, we thought we’d get in on the action and share with you our Top 10 Albums of 2014.
Here’s what floated our boat this year.
10. Bloody Hammers – Under Satan’s Sun:
Dark Transylvanian fuzz.
9. Magnum – Escape From The Shadow Garden:
Stories and soundscapes that keep drawing you in.
8. Uriah Heep – Outsider:
45 years of ‘Classic Rock’ experience put onto one album.
7. Nothing More – Nothing More:
Tension-filled, attention grabbing.
6. Kyng – Burn The Serum:
Monster riffage leads to profuse headbanging.
5. Lionize – Jetpack Soundtrack:
Phat grooves and hooks.
4. Massive – Full Throttle:
‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ with more than one schooner of beer added.
3. Hellyeah – Blood For Blood:
A full cartridge of amour-piercing metal.
2. Rival Sons – Great Western Valkyrie:
Hit their stride with ease and grace, pace and talent.
1. Blues Pills – Blues Pills:
All shades of blues, delivered with appeal and aplomb.
The albums that made it onto here, reflect well (we think) on what a thoroughly diverse and generally inspiring year for Rock Music 2014 has been; new kids on the block along with those out earning their stripes, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some old-stagers.
We caught up with Eddie Veliz of LA based riff monsters Kyng ahead of their ‘Lords Of The Riff 2’ UK tour with Lionize and, following Anti-Mortem’s announcement last week that they were disbanding, Greek rockers Planet Of Zeus.
Eddie was in fine form and we got to hear just how busy the band have been in 2014, having released the headbangingly brilliant ‘Burn The Serum’, the follow up album to ‘Trampled Sun’.
Lords Of The Riff 2 takes off in Leeds at The Key Club on November 5th for an 11 date tour of the UK. For a measly £10, this promises to be the best value gig of the year. Three bands that will be laying it down thick and heavy…pure riffage all the way, and as Eddie says, “(We’re gonna) throw down some big balls with heavy roots and some massive riffs”.
You would have had to have been hiding under a very large stone not to have heard that ‘Lords Of The Riff 2’ is soon to bring three of the best up and coming bands together for a tour of the UK.
LOTR 2 begins next month, November 2014, taking in Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester, Colchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Stoke and London.
Kyng, Anti-Mortem and Lionize have each worked on their craft for a good number of years – since the mid-to-late noughties – steadily growing their fan-base through the writing of great sounding music and seemingly tireless touring.
Lionize came over to the UK for the very first time earlier this year as tour support for fellow Weathermaker lablemates Clutch. The band complemented the headline act admirably, to the extent that the buzz heard coming out of the gigs was not just about Clutch, but Lionize too.
We caught up with Nate Bergman (Guitar/Vocals) to see how the band felt about returning to the UK.
On this week’s show we’ll be setting alight the New Year with a bang: ZZ Top, Status Quo, Shinedown, Def Leppard, UFO, Marillion, Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, Coheed and Cambria, Cage The Gods, Slaughter for starters.
The Classic Rock Show 