As of the first week of December, it’s been fifteen years since I started writing for Last Rites — which wasn’t called Last Rites then, if you remember. (And if you don’t, then it’s irrelevant, either way.) I don’t remember now what I expected when I started, but I never thought I’d still be here now, I’m sure. This past decade and a half has been a long and crazy ride, and it’s also been a blast… So thanks to all my Last Rites compatriots, past and present (except for that one guy), and thanks to everyone who reads all my dumb words. Both of you.
Even with two years of pandemic bullshit, constant political sturm und drang the whole world around, the death of Betty White, the Packers epic 2022 collapse, and the fact that olives still exist (utterly wretched things, olives), it’s been a pretty good year, I admit. Mostly, it’s been a pretty good year because the last few years have been awful, and everything is relative, but let me have my bright-side moment. It feels like we’re on the upswing again, after a long dark stretch. Above even that, let’s agree that there are better days to come, kids, and if we agree upon that, then let’s agree upon this: More important than anything is that we’ll get there together, and we’ll have much metal to listen to along the way.
So, in lieu of any further waxings of poetics (not that I was doing all that well there, anyway — “ramblings” is perhaps a more accurate description), let’s get to the list, right?
But before the big reveal, two quick notes:
1 – 2022 was (finally) the year I got rolling on the grind feature I’d quietly threatened to do many times before, a personal goal achieved and some meager justification for the hours I spend on Bandcamp / YouTube / blogs trolling about for the blasty things I do so love. So a thanks to anyone who read Blast Rites this year, and to all of the bands featured across it (and more to come in 2023, for sure) — each release was handpicked for coverage, which is another way of saying, “If I wrote a Blast Rites about it, then it could easily have been in the list below because it was already better than most.”
2 – as is customary, as soon as the list is committed, a thousand omissions present themselves, and the guilt and self-kickings begin. To ameliorate that, I’ve included a quick list of contenders that should’ve gotten more love below. Just because they aren’t numbered doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy.
Cheers,
AE
A FEW MENTIONS, EVER SO HONORABLE
Or some of those to whom I should’ve given more time…
– Candlemass – Sweet Evil Sun – Dropping a record in the middle of November is a pain in the ass when it comes to list season. I didn’t have much of a chance to live with this one, but what I heard, I thoroughly enjoyed, even if it’s pretty much also exactly what I expected from these eternal doom masters. Listen up.
– Blind Guardian – The God Machine – Many of my compatriots will be concerned to see this down here, vs. anywhere in either of the lists below, but I’m a relatively late convert to the powers of Blind Guardian’s pompous metal (even though, on paper, it seems like something I should immediately love). The God Machine is good, no question, but it didn’t wrap itself around me like it did others, apparently. Don’t worry, Hansi: I’ll keep trying. Listen up.
– Suppression – The Sorrow Of Soul Through Flesh – Classic tech-tinted death metal from Chile, touching on the obvious champions like Death, but also the next level heroes like Monstrosity and Malevolent Creation. Old school, for sure, and vibrant, vicious, and very very … good. I ran out of Vs, but you get the point. It’s just damned good. Listen up.
– Tишина – Увод... -The incredible Mother Of Graves record was my favorite death / doom offering of the year, but damned if this one from one-man Serbian project Tишина (Tishina) doesn’t give it a run for its money. Sadness prevails across these five tracks, in classic fashion, the morose and the majestic in perfect balance. And just as with Mother Of Graves, they’re (he’s) just getting started. Listen up.
– Heaving Earth – Darkness Of God – Dissonant death metal done damned… good. Ran out of Ds there, too. These guys upped their game on this one, and I heard many a rumbling about this one the year throughout, but didn’t get around to actually listening to it until list season, so it felt a bit disingenuous to include it below, even though it likely belongs there. Listen up.
AND FEW MORE MENTIONS, EVER SO GRINDY
Or some of those Blast Rites left behind…
– Fake Meat —腐肉 – Gurgleblast Taiwanese goregrind… what’s not to love? Burp-grunt-growl vocals lost in the caverns, atop a vaguely Lymphatic Phlegm-ish reverbed-out production — it’s atmospheric and icky, just like it should be. Plus, get a load of that guy’s smiling mug, will ya? Listen up.
– Blasted Pancreas – Pathogenic Organisms In Blood – I mean, c’mon, the band is called “Blasted Pancreas,” so you know it’s good, right? But yeah, for sure, it is good. Pathological death/grind with all the right blasts and all the right vomits and all the right riffs and just… all the rights. Listen up.
– Shitstormstrooper – Gulf Coast Grindviolence – Absolutely furious crossover-tinted grindviolence — twenty-three bursts of stop-start speed in a mere eleven minutes, all punked-out and topped with snotty sociopolitical rage. What’s not to love? Listen up.
– Wadge – Grindcore Penitentiary – A concept album themed around a prison for grindcore stalwarts like Shane Embury and Will Rahmer and the rest, this one’s ridiculous, through and through — a declaration the record makes in its spoken-word intro. But it’s also a damned fun punked-out blast. Like the hype sticker on the CD says, it ain’t for everyone. But it is for me. And maybe for you. Listen up.
– Shitgrinder – Shitgrinder – Well, if you thought I could make it through this whole article without saying “Shitgrinder,” think again, grandma. I didn’t even make it to the third section. Regardless, these Aussies dropped a massive bomb of filthy — you guessed it — grind with this self-titled ear-smasher. Put simply: Shitgrinder by Shitgrinder grinds shit up, and good. So there, I’ve said “Shitgrinder” an even five times now…
Ah, what the hell, one more for the road: “Shitgrinder.” Listen up.
THE BEST OF THE LONGER, PART TWO
Or those that ruled, but perhaps not quite as much as others…
20. Putrefaction Sets In – Repugnant Inception Of Decomposing Paroxysm
First outing from this international collaboration of grody-grinders, with members of Nasum, Regurgitate, Expurgo, and Lymphatic Phlegm scattered across three continents. You know what to expect from that list of names: gnarled and raw riffage, jackhammer rhythms, and vocals that run from the pitch-shifted to the typically throat-ripping. This one’s a killer start for a new band of old rats.
• Don’t believe me? I guess you missed this.
• Listen up.
19. Massgrav – Slowly We Rock
I dunno who these Stockholm rockers are tryna fool with that “slowly” bit, because Massgrav doesn’t do much of anything at less than full-tilt speed. Like Motorhead colliding with Anti-Cimex in a whirl of punked-up metallic rock ‘n’ roll frenzy and fun, Slowly We Rock may have lied about the slow part, but it damned sure nailed the rock.
• Don’t believe me? Well, Google it. We didn’t cover it.
• Listen up
18. No/Mas – Consume/Deny/Repent
Beatdown groovy grindcore, another swaggering success from these Mid-Atlantic bashers, Consume/Deny/Repent is a total bruiser, filled with big swinging fists and enough steamroller drive to crush anything in its path, the burly rumble of a Misery Index ratcheted up another notch. Yes, mas, por favor.
• Don’t believe me? Well, we sort of covered it…
• Listen up.
17. Suffering Mind – Lifeless
Blink and you’ll miss it: That’s the name of the game here, for half this one, at least. Filled with blistering grinding, the latest from these hyperkinetic Poles (and formerly hyper-prolific ones, although regrettably not as much of late) is a rip-roaring great time, with Side A dedicated to nonstop fast-punch grindcore, and Side B an ambient musique concrète exploration with bits of grindcore in the mix. Still, all new Suffering Mind is worthy, and Lifeless is suitably kick-ass.
• Don’t believe me? Ask Blast Rites.
• Listen up.
16. Ripped To Shreds – 劇變 (Jubian)
Andrew Lee is a bad-ass, if you haven’t noticed. Between this straight-ahead classic-styled death metal ripper and the shorter, grindier Houkago Grind Time and his guest appearance on Pharmacist tracks, he’s the all-star of my list season, and here’s his first entry. Just plain old kick-ass death metal, pulled apart and stitched back together into something that feels as fresh as it is familiar, this Ripped To Shreds does exactly that to your earholes.
• Don’t believe me? How did we miss this one?
• Listen up.
15. Wake – Thought Form Descent
When Misery Rites came out and topped my year-end list a few years back, I made a big deal about how Wake was growing up, expanding, developing, moving on… and then they did, and basically moved on from grindcore. Which is entirely fine, of course, but it’s hard to call Thought Form Descent a “grind” record, per se. However, it’s easy to call it a great record, because it goddamned is, pulling from many different sub-genres in such a manner that it’s sort of undefinable, except as “new Wake” and “still great.”
• Don’t believe me? Ask the same jackass.
• Listen up.
14. Clutch – Sunrise On Slaughter Beach
Clutch has carved themselves a nice little niche in jammy stoner… metal? rock? Whatever side of the line you put it on, it’s catchy as hell, bouncy, filled with pentatonic riffs and groove for days, plus Neil Fallon’s inimitable lyrical skills. Coming off one of their lesser efforts in Book Of Bad Decisions, Sunrise feels a bit like just that: the dawn of another day, not so much a new one as just the next step down the line, and sometimes it’s great just to wake up again to the same ol’ bright sunshiney world.
• Don’t believe me? It’s Clutch — you know it rules.
• Listen up
13. Human Cull – To Weep For Unconquered Worlds
2022’s earliest released grind monster is still one of its finest, this one dropping mid-January to get the party started. Continuing the band’s upward trajectory across their decade-long career, To Weep For Unconquered Worlds is Human Cull’s finest hour so far, filled with dissonant blasting death/grind. That any band can project this much fury is impressive enough, let alone a trio. Just pure fiery ugly perfection.
• Don’t believe me? Ask the me from eleven months ago.
• Listen up.
12. Whoresnation – Dearth
This French grindcore unit occupied a large portion of my listening time in the spring, leading up to a fun set at Maryland Deathfest. Never thought I’d get to see Whoresnation live, so I can check that off the ol’ bucket list, but more important than that, it came alongside Dearth, one hell of a death-grinding good time, riffy and roaring and impeccably tight-wound, landing like a thousand punches right to the skull.
• Don’t believe me? Try again.
• Listen up.
11. Ares Kingdom – In Darkness At Last
Some bands just have the magic. Ares Kingdom has the magic. What these Midwesterners do is a fairly straightforward death/thrash amalgam, obsessed with war and filled to bursting with riff after riff, but that’s not meant to short-sell it even a tiny bit, because it’s exactly what Ares Kingdom does, but exactly what they do is seriously kick ass. If you can put this record on and not move, not thrash around, not bang your head (figuratively, if not literally), then you’re hopeless. This is Ares Kingdom. This is heavy metal done right.
• Don’t believe me? Tough luck. We didn’t cover this, either.
• Listen up.
THE BEST OF THE LONGER, PART ONE
Or those that were ostensibly better than those before…
10. EXHUMED – TO THE DEAD
I admit it: I’m an Exhumed fanboy. Why is that, you ask? (Or maybe you didn’t, but it’s my article, so I’ll tell you anyway.) It’s quite simply because Exhumed rules. Taking the well-worn Carcass blueprint and pushing it around into something recognizable but still unique, this Californian quartet churns out some bloody disgusting (and disgustingly great) gore metal. After the grindier climes of Horror, the simply titled To The Dead takes a few small steps back towards Exhumed’s middle ground, but it’s still a razor-sharp blast-happy riff-fest, all high-energy slice ‘n’ dice beneath the perfectly paired gurgle-and-snarl vocal team of Ross Sewage and Matt Harvey. Add to that a not-unsizeable dash of sick humor, and whaddaya got? You got Exhumed, and they’ve got another great record for you.
• Don’t believe me? Well, then you’re wrong, but okay…
• Listen up.
9. PHARMACIST – FLOURISHING EXTREMITIES ON UNSPOILED MENTAL GROUNDS
I admit it: I’m becoming a Pharmacist fanboy. Why is that you ask? (Or maybe you didn’t, but see above.) Well, it’s because, not unlike Exhumed up there, Pharmacist rules. And also not unlike Exhumed, Pharmacist works within the same framework, which is highly Carcass-indebted but also more than strong enough to stand on its own. This two-man Japanese project has been on a flesh-ripping sonic tear these past few years, and Flourishing Extremities is the highest peak (so far) in a career that has seen only peaks (so far). To add to the fun: Atop Pharmacist’s seemingly endless wellspring of killer riffs — riffs and riffs and riffs being Flourishing Extremities‘ most prominent factor — we’re treated to many melodic shred guitar leads courtesy of wunderkind Andrew Lee, he of Ripped To Shreds and Houkago Grind Time and others. A masterful display of carving goregrind, Flourishing Extremities is proof that the greatness Pharmacist showed on Medical Renditions Of Grinding Decomposition and the EPs wasn’t just beginner’s luck…
• Don’t believe me? Ask me again once you click this.
• Listen up.
8. ESCUELA GRIND – MEMORY THEATER
Escuela Grind’s debut dropped two years ago, a stout mix of hardcore, grindcore, death metal, and powerviolence that certainly got the moshpits of our hearts a-thrashin’. Flash forward to now, and Memory Theater tops Indoctrination in almost every way — it’s stouter, heavier, groovier, angrier, tighter, more fierce and ferocious and fiery, and all of that in spades. Produced by noise maestro Kurt Ballou, Memory Theater sounds as heavy as it hits, taut and tight and punchy with just enough polish. Kris Morash’s guitar tone is gnarled, appropriately filthy; Katerina Economou snarls and barks, spitting venomous hooks across the smashing and blasting rhythms that add a masterful sense of groove amongst grindcore’s inherent aggression.
• Don’t believe me? Le sigh — I tried.
• Listen up.
7. ANTIGAMA – WHITEOUT
Since Meteor landed however many years ago, Antigama has been positioned in the upper reaches of the grindcore pyramid, their blend of sci-fi-tinted technicality, electronic influences, jazz and ambient moments, and sheer pummeling coming off like a Napalm Death from the 24th century. With Whiteout, Antigama trimmed away many of the proverbial bells and whistles, stripping their sound down to an even-more-Napalm Death-y experimental modern death/grind, and though it’s free of any of the extraneous frills that sometimes make it easy to define Antigama’s approach, it pulls everything back to what matters: Rage and riff, and each of those are present and countless. Sebastian Rokicki rips through dissonant chords and chunky thrashing bits; Pawel Jaroszewicz is damned-near machine precise; Lucasz Myszkowski grunts, growls, screams, evokes Jaz Coleman-esque clean-toned menace… Even without the space-age weirdness, Antigama brings the bashing.
• Don’t believe me? Not my fault…
• Listen up.
6. WORMROT – HISS
If you’re gonna go out, go out on top, right?
It’s not so much that Wormrot is going out, though — at least, I certainly hope not. But they are changing voices, as founding vocalist Arif announced his departure on June 1 of this year, just a little over a month before Hiss was let loose into the world. That’s tragic, of course, because across three previous albums, Wormrot established themselves as a grindcore force, taking the raw-edged primal nature of classic grind and spinning their own way through it. Knowing then going into this that the first chapter of Wormrot was over only makes Hiss that much more impressive, but really, the story is its scope, the deviations from Wormrot’s earlier works. Hiss is a sprawling record, covering far more ground than just mere grinding — blackness, death metal, all kinds of weirdness — pushing boundaries sideways and outwards and in every other direction even as it never once forgets to Just.&^%$ing.Crush.
• Don’t believe me? You’ll have to — for some dumbass reason, we didn’t cover this.
• Listen up.
5. THE CHASM – THE SCARS OF A LOST REFLECTIVE SHADOW
The Chasm doesn’t make bad metal — it’s that simple. And here we are with another album’s worth of explosive, thrashing, raw-nerve death metal from these two fine fellows, all blistering riff and sheer adrenaline, catchy and comforting at the same time that it rips your damned throat out. It’s a more direct take on The Chasm’s inherent power than some earlier efforts, filled beyond the brim with riff after riff after riff after riff. (And hey, this one has vocals again.) Old school and yet somehow ahead of time itself, mystical and nebulous even as they carve and cut with a straightforward flair, The Chasm is a beast above all but the beastliest of beasts, and The Scars Of A Lost Reflective Shadow is further proof.
• Don’t believe me? Ask the boss… (But not Springsteen. He has security people to prevent that.)
• Listen up.
4. MOTHER OF GRAVES – WHERE THE SHADOWS ADORN
When it comes to these year-end lists, I’m often accused of playing to favorites established decades ago. (I mean, see the next three entries, if you don’t believe me.) I can’t help it — it’s rare when a completely new band comes barreling in with something that shakes me out of the warm glow of a new effort from old friends. But it can happen, and for this year’s biggest barreler, look no farther than this debut disc from Indianan death/doom outfit Mother Of Graves. Maybe it helps that they work within established parameters, particularly those of the Peaceville Three and early Katatonia, but Where The Shadows Adorn feels like the work of a band that emerged fully formed, a confident and masterful take on sadsack melody and crushing despondent riff, all topped off with Brandon Howe’s formidably morbid growl. A young band plying an old sound on par with the legends who built it — the future is bright for these dour fellows, so surely they’re happy about that…
• Don’t believe me? Well, that’s rude…
• Listen up.
3. QUEENSRŸCHE – DIGITAL NOISE ALLIANCE
I don’t have to admit that I’m a Queensrÿche fanboy — I would imagine by now that everyone knows it. Now over a decade into their resurgence, and thirty years after the classics that built their name, these progressive metal kings continue to kick ass, even with 3/5 of a new line-up. If you’re still one of the “No Tate, no ‘Ryche” doofuses who crop up on social media posts every.single.time, then do us all a favor and move on because you’ve been left behind. Todd LaTorre has more than proven himself worthy of holding that microphone, and here as on The Verdict before (and two albums before that, even), he soars and screams and brings that stately sense of majesty that characterizes Queensrÿche’s greatest moments. Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson bring in some absolutely killer tracks — “Lost In Sorrow,” “Behind The Walls,” “Hold On,” “In Extremis” — and “new” drummer Casey Grillo slots in perfectly. (He’s making here his debut on a ‘Ryche studio recording after filling in for the past few tours.) There are days when I’d tell you The Verdict may still slide in as just a little bit better than this one, and days when I’d tell you the opposite, but the end result is that Digital Noise Alliance is another killer record from the reborn ‘Rÿche, forty years atop the progressive metal tower, and may they never stop.
• Don’t believe me? I done told you once, you son of a gun…
• Listen up.
2. IMMOLATION – ACTS OF GOD
Is it cool to call Immolation gods when they’ve railed against one god for their entire career? Who cares? That’s overthinking it — just let the fury overtake you, get lost in the anger and the riff, the squall and the crashing, in Vigna’s weirdo dissonance and Dolan’s furnace-fiery roar. Immolation has been making impeccable death metal for thirty years now, and Acts Of God is yet another high point in their impressive catalog, and finally one that rights the production woes that have plagued some more recent Immo offerings. Playing to all the band’s myriad established strengths, Acts Of God is one of Immolation’s strongest, particularly in the back half of their career — if that main riff in “Noose Of Thorns” doesn’t cut you to pieces, then you’re made of a stronger steel than I am. All hail the old gods. Long may they rule.
• Don’t believe me? Ask Sasquatch.
• Listen up.
1. VOIVOD – SYNCHRO ANARCHY
Voivod is such a Last Rites-wide favorite that we dedicated an entire week of February to our (admittedly ridiculous) Voivodentine’s Week love affair with them, culminating in a review of this, their latest and an absolute smasher of a disc. Like the equally influential and tenured prog-metal giants in Queensrÿche, these Canadian weirdo thrashers returned to the top with a record that was both exactly what they do — and thus exactly what we want from them — and yet one that’s still fresh and interesting, even within that established comfort zone. Now three albums into an unlikely second-half rejuvenation, Voivod is still one of the greatest bands around, and as long as they can keep coming up with metal this interesting, there’s no stopping them.
• Don’t believe me? Ask the Proglodyte.
• Listen up
THE BEST OF THE SHORTER
Or EPs, demos, splits, and other rank oddities; unranked, except for one…
Defect Designer – Neanderthal
We’ve covered this one multiple times now, both in the initial review and in several lists since then, so you should be familiar with both Defect Designer and Neanderthal. It’s weird tech death/grind spazzy fun, filled with riffs and shifting rhythms, and all of it engaging as all hell. It was the #1 staff-wide EP for a reason — because it rules.
• Don’t believe me? Read this for like the fifth time.
• Listen up.
Deliriant Nerve – Uncontrollable Ascension
These DC blasters released two EPs this year, of which this is the first and, I’d say right now, the best, but I also had more time with it. Regardless of which one you pick, the answer is that both are worthy, and these death-infected grinders are equally worthy of your time. It’s not too far outside the box — it just kicks the living shit out of anything unfortunate enough to be in the box with it. Let’s hope the future holds many more records like this to come.
• Don’t believe me? Hey, look, it’s a grindcore review that I didn’t write.
• Listen up.
Endorphins Lost – Head Sick
Been keeping tabs on this Pacific Northwest powerviolence-grindcore-hardcore unit for awhile now, and Head Sick is another quality rager in a catalog of just that. Leaning a bit heavier into the hardcore side of their formula, Endorphins Lost bring the expected anger, plus killer covers of Cryptic Slaughter and Negative Approach as icing on the proverbial cake.
.
Septic Vomet – Infected Cadaveric Slaves (Demo 2022)
G.R.O.S.S. and grindy — that was pretty much the theme of my 2022, and this second demo from these German lifers (featuring Moshfred from the underrated Mindflair) definitely scratched the itches from all those oozing sores. Featuring the best use of an opening film sample in recent history, Infected Cadaveric Slaves is really about the icky riffy cacophony that follows, but damn, how that opening sample does kick ass…
• Don’t believe me? Check this out.
• Listen up.
— GOLD MEDAL WINNER — Napalm Death — Resentment Is Always Seismic: A Final Throw Of Throes
I mean, come on… Did you think my top EP of 2022 was going to be anything but this one? Napalm Death is an all-time favorite band, and they’re still riding high on a creative crest that’s spanned two decades. Even with its tracks being outtakes from the previous record, Resentment rips from start to stop, among its wonders the blistering punch of “Narcissus,” and a wicked cover of Slab! in the industrial-funk destruction of “People Pie.” Napalm Death simply never fails.
THE BEST OF THE LIGHTER
Or unranked rock, the best of the rest…
Scorpions – Rock Believer
One of history’s greatest hard rock bands returns after their alleged retirement, with the stated goal of recapturing the spark of their early 80s classics, and what happens next will blow your mind… They actually (almost) did it. Sure, Rock Believer isn’t Blackout, but after 50 years, Scorpions have hardly lost any sting at all, and that, my friends, is damned amazing.
• Don’t believe me? We actually did cover this one.
• Listen up.
King’s X – Three Sides Of One
First one in fifteen years for this eternally underrated trio, and it’s a fine return, for sure. You know the drill: killer melodies, killer harmonies, heavy riffing, dreamy bits, Doug Pinnick’s soul, Ty Tabor’s spirit, Jerry Gaskill’s spark. For many reasons, these guys have been moving slowly the past however many years, but when they brought it this time, they brought it big time. Welcome back, fellas. Maybe don’t stay away so long again.
• Catch up on the band: Part 1 and Part 2.
• Listen up.
Marillion – An Hour Before It’s Dark
The last Marillion album was a grand example of their neo-prog style, and one of my favorite records of 2016, but An Hour Before It’s Dark is better in every way. Defined by the pandemic experience that shaped and inspired it, An Hour is as good as modern Marillion has been, all expansive, emotive, epic, melodic, soaring grandiosity. “The angels in this world are not in the walls of churches,” H repeats in the album’s closing moments, a reminder that, in the last few years, we’ve learned to appreciate a new set of heroes.
Spoon – Lucifer On The Sofa
Can’t say I blame ol’ Scratch — I spend as much time on the sofa as I can, myself. In fact, I’m on it right now, as I type this and undoubtedly (or at least, hopefully) right now, as you read this, whenever that may be. But that’s not the point, really. What is the point is that there’s a new Spoon album after a five-year wait, and it kicks ass. If you keep up with Spoon (and you should), then you kinda know what it is, on a fundamental level: Bouncy, catchy, fun alt-rock, although a little harder-edged than some more recent efforts, and there’s much to enjoy, from your sofa or wherever.
The Afghan Whigs – How Do You Burn?
The grungy kings of menacing cool are back again. It’s likely that they’ll never top the days of Gentlemen and Black Love in terms of impact — but these past few Whigs-reunited releases prove that they’ve still got a whole bunch left to offer, aspects of their sound as fluid as the membership of the band these days. All the usual adjectives apply: soulful, dark, boozy, world-weary, haunting, impeccable, impressive… Another old friend come back for a visit, and I’m always happy to see them.
TO ABSENT FRIENDS…
Or a list incomplete, in completely no order…
Nichelle Nichols
Dan McCafferty of Nazareth
Mark Lanegan
Loretta Lynn
Jerry Lee Lewis
Wilko Johnson of Dr. Feelgood
Burke Shelley of Budgie
Meat Loaf
Ian McDonald of King Crimson / Foreigner
Nik Turner of Hawkwind
Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters
DH Peligro of Dead Kennedys
Ronnie Deo of Incantation
Ric Parnell / Mick Shrimpton of Spinal Tap
Howie Pyro of D Generation
Keith Levene of Public Image Ltd. / The Clash
Garry Roberts of The Boomtown Rats
Fredrik Johansson of Dark Tranquillity
Trevor Strnad of Black Dahlia Murder
Andrew LaBarre of Impaled / Ghoul
Gabe Serbian of The Locust / Cattle Decapitation
Alec John Such of Bon Jovi
Manny Charlton of Nazareth
Nicky Moore of Samson
Steve Grimmett of Grim Reaper
Gord Kirchin of (The Exalted) Piledriver
Bob Heathcote of Suicidal Tendencies
Ted Kirkpatrick of Tourniquet
Michael Bloodgood of Bloodgood
Stuart Antsis of Cradle Of Filth
Dave Sherman of Earthride / Spirit Caravan
David Andersson of Soilwork
Alan White of Yes
Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode
Ronnie Spector
Coolio
Vangelis
Jerry Allison of the Crickets
Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown
Ronnie Hawkins
Mickey Gilley
Klaus Schulze
Angelo Badalamenti
Bobbie Nelson of Willie Nelson’s band
Mo Ostin of Warner / Reprise
Jon Zazula of Megaforce Records
Ralph Emery
Paul Sorvino
James Caan
Tony Sirico
Ray Liotta
Leslie Jordan
and others I may have inadvertently overlooked…
Ka-boom. Killer list, big guy. Thanks for all of your rad writing in ’22. Blast Rites is a great read. Keep ’em coming, mate.