I’m not going to start this write-up and pretend like I have a solution for grief or that I’ve made peace with the fact that Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder is no longer with us. As of this writing, it’s been nearly a week since his passing and frankly, I’m still trying to process that. Telling myself that it can’t be true since I’ve seen Strnad and his bandmates have seemingly all the fun onstage at least seven times.
In time I’ll accept what has occurred. But let’s take a look back.
Gimme Metal TV, the video arm of has announced the debut of a new music video show, “The Ball”, presented by Slipknot’s Knotfest.com and hosted by MTV Headbangers Ball classic VJ Riki Rachtman. The debut episode will feature videos from the likes of Megadeth, Metallica, Power Trip, and so much more. Watch the announcement from Riki, in an interview with Knotfest.com’s Ryan Downey.
As we previously reported, Code Orange will host a new livestream event for fans on July 30th. In a collaborative announcement teaser, Riki Rachtman, the host of the 1990s edition of the Headbangers Ball, Riki will host the Code Orange event MudTV. The band and Riki dropped a teaser, which Riki then explained further on his YouTube channel. According to Riki Code Orange will perform a career-spanning “unplugged” set, and Riki will host, introducing videos and the band. He will introduce a video playlist curated by Code Orange and will feature “a popular band” from France, which we are guessing means Code Orange’s labelmates at Roadrunner Records, Gojira. If figures that other modern and classic bands may factor into the playlist too. Riki will be live in the studio with the band, as he rides to Pittsburgh as part of his Riki’s Ride annual charity event, #RikisRide20. You can get info on the stream below, and follow Riki at this link here. Continue reading
You cannot really put into words what Exodus has meant to Thrash Metal. Without their contribution, we’d have a lot of Heavy Metal thunder, but no lightning to ride. The band has had its share of ups and downs and only in the last half of their career have they even had the same lineup on albums more than once, as was this incarnation of the bad did in 1989. With legend, but problem child Paul Baloff dismissed after masterwork Bonded By Blood, Steve “Zetro” Souza had settled in and down as the frontman and vocalist. Band leader Gary Holt kept an iron fist on the writing in these days, and with good reason. His riff style and due diligence in songcraft helped give the band their pivotal third album, Fabulous Disaster (Relativity, Music For Nations).Continue reading