For an album and a time that was super decadent, I feel that I have to set the tone before I can review this week’s album of the week. The year is 1985 and you’re lead singer has served whatever little time that he received for killing your band’s best friend in Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley. What is your band supposed to do at this point in time when all the proverbial sh** has hit the fan? Most bands would crumble without their star lead singer behind the helm and then there are bands that would simply move on and try to find another singer to take his place. That is what 1980’s hair metal legends Mötley Crüe did when lead singer Vince Neil was arrested and charged. Nikki Sixx (bassist) took control of the situation as he started to write new material for the band’s third album Theater Of Pain and then he almost had Ratt lead singer Stephen Pearcy take Vince’s spot. Luckily for the band, that didn’t need to happen as Vince was eventually released and the album was recorded despite the tensions between the rest of the band (guitarist Mick Mars, drummer Tommy Lee) and Vince. The album was pretty successful for the band as it peaked at number six on the Billboard Top 200 as it went well on it’s way to going four times platinum.
1. City Boy Blues– The first track on the record that kicks off the new, more glam oriented style for the band as Nikki wrote the song about being a country kid now injected into the city life. 4.5/5
2. Smokin’ In The Boys Room– This is the bands cover of the Brownsville Station classic which helped put them back on the map. 5/5
3. Louder Than Hell– Originally written during the Shout At The Devil sessions and known as Hotter Than Hell originally. The song was reworked and turned into this classic about their love for Metal. This is as close as you’ll get to Shout. 5/5
4. Keep Your Eye On The Money– an interesting track that sounds like their singing about gambling, but I think it’s more about the gamble you take in life in the music business. 4.5/5
5. Home Sweet Home– The ultimate 1980’s ballads which was the ballsiest move the band did at the time because no other band had done it. A live staple that begins and ends with Tommy on Piano. It’s about life on the road and in a little side note this track is what made me fall in love with Mötley Crüe. 5/5
6. Tonight (We Need A Lover)– interesting track that is all about the backstage festivities that went on during the decadent 80’s. 4/5
7. Use It Or Lose It– An in your face track that is about life in the fast lane and how you better use it before you lose it. 4/5
8. Save Our Souls– Power chord heaven as this track opens up with a bluesy tinge to Mick’s guitar. It’s another track that explores their decadent ways and how their lucky to be alive. 4/5
9. Raise Your Hands to Rock– a track that starts with a more clean channel guitar sound at times in this anthem about never giving up on the dream of becoming a rock and roll star. 4/5
10. Fight For Your Rights– a track that is all about living your life to the fullest no matter what laws or what people have to say. 4/5
My Final Thoughts– I always thought highly of this album even back in 1985 when my brother would play it for me. After all it contains the quintessential ballad of the 80’s which is also my favorite track on the album. Sure, Mötley Crüe did what any band would do and that is they got better with every release. My least favorite track on the album is actually Raise Your Hands To Rock. I am giving the album 4.4 stars out of five for a final grade.
One of the things we have learned over the years is that being in a band is a very difficult thing to do. We have learned that being in a band is like being in a committed relationship with your bandmates and we have learned from bands like Kiss, Motley Crue, Skid Row, White Zombie, Guns N Roses, Black Sabbath, and so many other countless bands that sometimes divorces happen and those can get pretty ugly pretty damn often. A little more than year ago, a nasty break up was definitely the case when came to Swedish rock/metal act Ghost after four Nameless Ghouls came out and revealed some information to the world. The Nameless Ghouls came out and revealed their names and claimed that the frontman of Ghost Papa Emeritus a.k.a. Tobias Forge had screwed them out of money. Simon Söderberg (Alpha, Guitars), Mauro Rubino (Air, Keyboards), Henrik Palm (Ether, Guitars), and Martin Hjertstedt (Earth, Drums) all filed a lawsuit for compensation that basically totals $22,000. If you look below, you will see a full statement that Söderberg posted on Facebook airing out all of his grievances.
Of course, Tobias Forge didn’t stay quite for a very long time and he basically responded saying that Ghost was a solo project and that when the band was formed that, “none of the plaintiffs were present at the time.” He basically says that they were paid a price like hired guns that was fixed and that he is basically the mastermind of the band having created the image and music. If you want to read the full response to the lawsuit you can do so by clicking on article 
One of the things that bothered me the most as a fan of the band was the fact that his identity was revealed. I thought it was a very cool mystique to have as people continually tried to figure out whether it was Tobias Forge behind the mask. Tobias doesn’t seem to be sour about it tell Blabbermouth, “I haven’t felt very anonymous for many years. I don’t feel very bummed by that. I can feel bummed about the reasons why it was revealed. [Laughs] But, it didn’t do much harm. I don’t feel, in any way, like a loser here and it didn’t seem to do a lot of harm. No, especially with a little bit of hindsight and couth. It’s fine. I feel good. It’s going well. I’m out here working. I made a record. [Laughs] You know, it’s always alarming, obviously, when you have people, and some of them used to be close to you, working diligently to destroy your life. That’s always a bummer. That sucks. Sometimes that happens in all parts of the world: at workplaces, in schools, in families, in relationships and friendships. There’s nothing new about it; it’s perfectly natural. It’s a sad avenue to ride down on, but it’s a part of life and it’s fine.” He also added to the convo about who he will choose in the future saying, “You should hire people because of their abilities and not proximity. You usually learn the hard way, unfortunately. I learned that. [Laughs] So, lesson learned! It’s all good. I’m never, ever going to do that again.”
Of course, the band responded to the claims of Ghost being a solo act saying on Reddit, “Forge has certainly been the band’s main songwriter, has had the role of cinematic front figure ‘Papa Emeritus,’ has been a driving force in the band’s business, as well as in the handling of the band’s business affairs. However, the activities carried out with respect to Ghost were extensively handled jointly by the members – for example, by making decisions jointly regarding the band’s image, by participating in interviews, and by the fact that every member has, at certain times, contributed when recording albums and singles, and by touring together almost continuously since 2011.” They went on to add, “To the contrary, Tobias Forge always emphasized that it was a collaboration that everyone was involved in, and would share in the profit of, once the business became profitable. The first time Tobias Forge, through the band’s management, mentioned that he saw them as hired musicians rather than full-fledged members of Ghost was in the context of a contract proposal presented in April 2016.” One thing is for certain and that is I agree 100% with Tobias and this statement regarding the lawsuit, “I took it almost as an acknowledgment that I must be doing something right. If things were going down the fucking tubes, no one would care.” Think about it, if Ghost was on their way out, none of these guys would have cared as much about it. It remains to be seen what happens next, but stay tuned for more because Justice will be served!
The Pedal To The Metal tournament has remained one of the most controversial tournaments in history mainly due to certain fan bases arguing over the legitimacy of the tournament. People have always questioned how certain bands have defeated other bands and it always seems to center on Iron Maiden. They have been in the tournament every year and they have never won the tournament yet. We’ve seen Motley Crue, Judas Priest (2X Champs), Kreator, Destruction, and Queensryche claim the title, but never them. The fact of the matter is that I post the article on every band’s Facebook page to try and alert the various fan bases, but it’s up the band to share the posts. If they do not then you obviously do not see it and therefore when you finally catch wind of the tournament, you cry foul that Iron Maiden was eliminated. I changed the tournament up the last couple of years to include newer bands, but this year we are going back to the beginning when things were simpler. First, we have shortened how many bands are in the tournament from 32 to 16 and the last thing we did is that it is only going to involve 1980’s hard rock and heavy metal bands.
In fact, we are only including the bands that could be considered the elite of the list and while it’s up for debate, we have chosen the bands. The following bands will be in the tournament this year: Queensryche (defending champions), Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, Motorhead, Def Leppard, and Scorpions are the qualified bands. The last four spots of the tournament will be contested between eight other bands with the top four qualifying for the tournament. The eight bands are Twisted Sister, Skid Row, W.A.S.P., Dokken, Ratt, Accept, Y&T, and King Diamond. The voting will occur in two places: one place you can visit to vote will be on my Twitter page 
Last week, we went on the lighter side of the spectrum of music with a hard rock classic in Street Fighting Man by The Rolling Stones and between Motley Crue and Tesla, you voted and chose Motley Crue as the winner by half the votes. This week we have another hard rock classic for you guys to vote on, but this is a unique one because it’s a battle of metal subgenres. This week we are checking out the classic 1984 track Perfect Strangers which was the title track to Deep Purple’s 11TH studio album (check out the review 
Another week has passed and another war is finished as all of you came by and you voted as to who covered Kiss’s War Machine better. Was it Amon Amarth or was it Six Feet Under? Well, you voted and Amon Amarth came out on top by one vote. When it came to deciding this week’s War Of The Covers, I wanted to go on the hard rock side of things and find a track that some legendary 80’s bands have covered. I found it int he form of the classic 1968 Rolling Stones classic Street Fighting Man which was off of the band’s legendary album Beggar’s Banquet. The two bands we chose for you guys to fight over is none other than 80’s Hair Metal giants Mötley Crüe and a band that should have never been looped in that conversation in Sacramento hard rock legends Tesla. In 2005, Mötley Crüe covered the track for their 2005 greatest hits album Red, White, and Crüe as part of three unreleased never before heard tracks. In 2007, Tesla would include a cover of the song as part of an all covers album entitled Real To Real which also included covers of Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Guess Who, and many more. Now it’s up to you guys to decide who you think did the better cover of Street Fighting Man, is it the bad boys from Hollywood Mötley Crüe or is it Tesla? You have until the next War Of The Covers to decide.
It is here, the moment you have all been waiting for when we separate the men from the boys. Two bands are one step closer to realizing their goal of winning the pedal to the metal championship which has seen the likes of Motley Crue, Judas Priest (2013 & 2014), Kreator, and Destruction (defeated Iron Maiden to win championship) all win the pedal to the metal championship. I was wondering heading into this tournament if we would finally see someone other than Judas Priest go back to back, but after three rounds of fan voting, we are going to once again have a brand new champion. In fact, all four bands in the final four have never been this far in the tournament which makes it even more exciting and this is also the first time in three years that not a single member of the Big Teutonic Four are in the final four. For Lamb Of God and Amon Amarth, this is the first time these two bands have been in the tournament so it’s a win no matter the result for both these bands. For tournament veterans Queensryche and Megadeth, this is a chance for both bands to finally win the championship that has been alluding them both since 2011 when the tournament started. You have until March 28 at 11PM ET to vote for who you want to see in the finals. I want to remind people that without the bands sharing the tournament, there is no tournament. This is a fan base vs fan base tournament so vote for the band you love and show your unity. If you forget how it works then follow this 