By: Jay Broderick - Iron Maiden ... you will be hard pressed to run into anybody who has never heard of them. Even those who aren't familiar with the band's music, will at minimum have heard the band's name (and no, not only because they have heard of the Medieval torture device). Heck, even my mother was familiar with the band and their mascot Eddie (albeit, this was because of some negative publicity in Toronto in the 1980s, nothing of which had anything to do with the ban

By: Michael Drukarsh - Gene Simmons ’ music career started in the mid 60s, at the age of 15, a mere six years after arriving in the US from Israel with his mother Florence. Taking on a variety of “9-5” jobs to help support his family and supplement his musical aspirations, Simmons continued to search for success and grasp the gold ring that comes with fulfilling the “American Dream”. 58 years later, in 2023, after not only achieving the “American Dream”, but living the dream

Sacrifice (L-R): Scott Watts, Rob Urbinati, Gus Pynn, Joe Rico. Photo By: Kieran Palmerston By: Jay Broderick - Canadian Thrash Metal Titans Sacrifice have recorded their sixth studio album. The aptly titled Volume Six is locked down, and is set to officially hit the streets on February 21. The album is receiving tons of acclaim from media outlets, including us here at LoudTO . The album is an absolute killer! But it's been a while since the band's previous release. The On

By: Michael Drukarsh - It is not unusual for bands of all genres to stretch their talents and experiment with different musical styles. Black Sabbath dabbled in the softer side of music with songs like “Solitude” and “Changes”. Kiss had a huge hit in 1976 with the sappy (but awesome) ballad "Beth", reaching #7 on the Billboard top 100 and then they went even further astray with Disco Dynasty in 1979 and Melodic Mood Music on The Elder in 1981. Even the mighty Metallica

By: Jay Broderick - London, England... 1975... While touring with his band in Canada, Hawkwind bassist Lemmy Kilmister was arrested for drug possession. The band was having nothing to do with it, so they relieved Lemmy of his duties. In wonderous Rock and Roll fashion, Lemmy gave a big 'Fuck-You' and went on to form the greatest rock and roll band of all time... MOTORHEAD ! And there it was... GONE! 50 years! Since Lemmy's passing, Motorhead has put together a number of spec

By: Jay Broderick - The 1970s was a decade of some of the best music of our time, and some of the best cinema, the likes of which we will never see again. On the film front, Italian Cinema took a strong foothold in the world of movie lovers. Specifically, genre lovers like horror were in their glory. But another genre of Italian Cinema was called Giallo. These films revolved around murder mysteries, and became a huge phenomenon. The soundtracks to these movies were just as i

By: Jay Broderick - Tragically, there are some musicians who dwell in the background, and don't get the same fanfare as the lead vocalist, or the shredder on guitar. But it doesn't diminish their contributions. One of the most skilled keyboardists in Rock and Roll is Don Airey , and today, announced his newest solo album Pushed to the Edge , which is due for a March 28 release via earMUSIC . Don Airey has played with the biggest names in the business including Ozzy Osbourne ,

By: Jay Broderick - Kerry King ! The name in itself is synonymous with Thrash Metal. Whether you were a teenager when Slayer stormed onto the scene in 1983 with their debut album Show No Mercy , or you are a teenager today some 40+ years later, if you are a fan of metal music, you know this man! With the unfortunate and untimely end of his former band, King has risen from hell, and is embarking on a headlining North American tour with his brand new band. And the tour will s

Death to All perform live at The Opera House in Toronto, Canada in March 2023. Photo Credit: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick - Health, whether mental, or physical, it's the one critical element we all need in this life to make sure we push on to many years of fulfilling pleasure. DEATH ... the inevitable end to us all. When the lack of the former threatens the latter, we fight... or we flight. I suppose our choices are dependent on what stage we are at on our respective jour