Year : 2014
Style : Hard Rock , Heavy Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 128 mb
Bio:
THE RODS are a classic heavy metal trio that rocked their way through the 80's with a powerful, raw energy that led them on tours with some of today's greatest metal bands—Judas Priest, Ozzy, Motorhead, and Metallica, to name just a few.Listeners will find that THE RODS are still a force to be reckoned with today, as they come screaming full-throttle into the present day with a forceful vintage sound.The Rods used to dominate back in the early and mid 80’s by releasing six albums in a row. After the intensive years of banging their heads and rocking hard, The Rods went on a hiatus for a long time. David “Rock” Feinstein did a few one/off shows by playing material from The Rods. It wasn’t until 2011 that The Rods officially got back together to release the long waited comeback album title VENGEANCE. The legendary trio arrived at Swedenrock and therefore sitting down with the whole band after the gig was obviously a great idea. THE RODS, here we go…This is a bit old of an topic already, but David, you played at Wacken Open Air in 2004 under the Feinstein name but then you also played a brief set with the Rods which also was a kind of reunion show of the band. What was the idea to play with both bands at Wacken in the first place?Feinstein: It was just an idea of the promoter who thought it was a good idea to do that because I had the association with The Rods. But it really wasn’t a Rods reunion, just a matter of just doing a couple of Rods songs. I was mainly there with promoting my solo album.
Album:
Carl Canedy has been a stalwart of the U.S. hard rock / heavy metal scene for more than three decades. His primary claim to fame is as drummer / songwriter to the seminal upstate New York power trio, The Rods, who are still alive and kicking (and awesome!) after all these years. But Canedy was also an in-demand producer in the 1980s, working on classic albums by the likes of Overkill, Exciter, Anthrax, E-X-E, Helstar, Jack Starr, and Possessed. So it was interesting that in late 2014, Canedy released his very first solo album under the “Canedy” banner. As one might expect, Carl himself supplied the bulk of the heavy lifting, writing all the songs, playing all the drums, and producing the album. However, he also lined up a stellar list of talented guests to appear on the album. Mark Tornillo (Accept / TT Quick) sings three songs. Joe Comeau (Liege Lord / Annihilator) sings on a pair of songs. Chris Caffery (Savatage / TSO) adds lead guitar to a couple of tracks, and Canedy’s own bandmate from The Rods, Garry Bordonaro, lays down bass grooves on a song. Numerous other musicians contribute bits and pieces here and there to make ‘Headbanger’ what it is.I gotta admit, I had a little trepidation when I purchased the ‘Headbanger’ CD, not really knowing what was in store. I mean, metal drummers don’t usually make solo albums. Would it be a percussion-heavy showcase of no interest to non-musicians? Would the songs hold up? Would it stray too far from Canedy’s roots? Would it just be a half-baked ego-stroking exercise? No, yes, no and no. Despite a few special and creative nods to the drums (more about those in a minute), ‘Headbanger’ is very much a song-focused affair, and it is absolutely rooted in the classic hard rock / metal stylings that Carl Canedy and his mates in The Rods have been dishing out for decades. Musical influences would be The Rods, Black Sabbath, Dio, and even a little Whitesnake / Deep Purple (on the song “Crossfire”). Carl has always been a gifted songwriter, and he really makes these tunes shine. They are well-written, heavy, classy, diverse and memorable. Vocal performances are also uniformly stellar, with the Mark Tornillo numbers particularly standing out. As a welcome bonus cut, the album also tacks on “The Code,” a fantastic Canedy-penned song sung by the late, great Ronnie James Dio and previously featured on The Rods’ ‘Vengeance’ album in 2011. (Okay, “Madman” and “Live Free or Die” also appear on the ‘Vengeance’ disc, but they’re in different versions here.) Overall, this is a great record for listening to in the car, while driving around town, singing along and hitting those air drums.Speaking of drums, Canedy’s way of featuring his playing on the ‘Headbanger’ album is interesting. Several of the songs (most notably “No One Walks Away”) are written around distinctive, prominent drum patterns. At the end of each song, Canedy does a flashy 20-30 second drum feature to show off his considerable skills behind the kit. It’s a great compromise really. By including these little “vignettes,” Carl gets to showcase his playing in a way that impresses and entertains without losing or boring the non-musician listener. A full drum solo shows up as a bonus track at the end. It’s actually a good solution to the dilemma of how a drummer should arrange a solo album. Bottom line: ‘Headbanger’ should be mandatory listening for fans of The Rods, or devotees of well-written classy melodic metal / hard rock in the old-fashioned style. May Carl Canedy continue to pound those drums, write those songs, and twist those knobs for many more years. Hell, I’d love to hear another solo album from him.
Line-Up:
Carl Canedy, Producer, Writer, Drummer for The Rods and "Canedy" (The Rods)
Tracklist:
01. The Calm Before / Into the Storm (Instrumental Version)
02. Cult of the Poisoned Mind
03. My Life, My Way
04. No One Walks Away
05. Crush (Instrumental Version)
06. Heat of the Night
07. Crossfire
08. Ride Free or Die
09. Madman
10. The Code (Bonus Track)
11. No One Walks Away [Demo Version] (Bonus Track)
12. Cult of the Poisoned Mind [Demo Version] (Bonus Track)
13. Rabid Thunder (Live) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
