January 3, 2015 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: All Time, Best, Guitarists, Heavy Metal, JIMMY PAGE, Top 10 • 1 Comment
When one thinks of Jimmy Page and the band that ruled the Earth from 1969 till 1980, LED ZEPPELIN, they may think of “Stairway To Heaven” as it is the most well-known song ever to incorporate the style of Heavy Metal in it’s construct. Their debut album was to the year 1969 what RUSH would […]
January 3, 2015 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: #3, Alex Lifeson, All Time, Best, Guitarists, Heavy Metal, Top 10 • 1 Comment
Haven’t I written enough about Alex Lifeson, 1/3 of the Heavy Rocking Progstravanga band RUSH, without writing a book?!? Alex Lifeson may not be suitable on his own, as the album “Victor” he made in 1986 tried to make a lyrical subject statement about the dark side of Love. Victor is a weird album (Weird […]
January 3, 2015 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: #2, All Time, Best, Guitarists, Heavy Metal, TOM WARRIOR, TONY IOMMI, Top 10 • 1 Comment
TRIPTYKON (has fronted CELTIC FROST/HELLHAMMER/CORONER) – The Swiss master changed Heavy Metal forever in 1983/84 when the primal, honest superdoom-supercharged notes rang out on the “Apocalyptic Raids” record. It was followed by CELIC FROST’s amazing journey on “Morbid Tales”. Shortly after, Thrashmeisters CORONER’s “Death Cult” featured Warrior on vocals. It upped his profile. He helped […]
January 3, 2015 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: All Time, Best, Guitarists, Heavy Metal, Jimi Hendrix, Top 10 • 1 Comment
Already I can see the shouts of “no, no — Jimi wasn’t a Heavy Metal guitarist”. Oh yeah, just say that sentence again and listen to yourself. Jimi Hendrix played loud and distorted and the music of the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE was something never heard before. Without Jimi Hendrix I would have been lost. I […]
January 3, 2015 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: All Time, Best, Guitarists, Heavy Metal, Introduction, Top 10 • 0 Comments
I don’t know how many of you have had a musical listening journey like I have had. I’ve been a guitar player since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. I have tended to want to find the most progressive and/or the most heavy, most outrageous, music I could clamp my ears on. Getting the first […]
January 3, 2015 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: brooklyn, concert, live, Manilla Road, New York, performance, Saint Vitus Bar • 0 Comments
Manilla Road, Sunday 11/23 circa 10:30pm @ Saint Vitus Bar played the following songs: 1. “Open The Gates” 2. “Masque of the Red Death” 3. “Death by the Hammer” 4. “Hammer of the Witches” 5. “Witches Brew” 6. “Only The Brave” 7. “Stand Your Ground” 8. “Far Side of the Sun” 9. “Road of Kings” […]
December 31, 2014 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: At The Gates, Best of 2014, Blastfest, death metal, Gothenburg, Grotesque, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Sweden • 0 Comments
I have come to the conclusion that being clued in to the often disparate listening habits of the musicians I listen to, will lead my brain to a big “?”. When I saw that Tomas Lindberg had for January 2015, a recommended list for/on Spotify — posted at the top of the band’s official website […]
December 28, 2014 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: CD, Debut album, Editor's Pick, Germany, Melodic Metal, Premortal Breath, THEY • 0 Comments
With vinyl, both 180G and regular good old style thickness too, re-appearing in Barnes & Nobles throughout New York City; it is in keeping with the flow of things that I review a hand-delivered 2014 album by Premortal Breath. Okay, it’s not on vinyl — but they sent a CD. The band is from Germany. […]
December 17, 2014 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: Clockwork, Prog, Rush, Signals, Tom Sawyer, Tribute band • 0 Comments
“Rich Castle Presents… Don Tomlinson”, says our trusty editor on the phone with Don Tomlinson, of Distant Signals, who plays keyboards for this most awesome RUSH tribute band. What is the most striking thing about this Pittsburgh-based band is how top-caliber their musicianship is; the keyboardist is the brainchild of this long-running project. The band […]
The Top 10 Best Heavy Metal Guitarists Of All Time – #5 RITCHIE BLACKMORE
January 3, 2015 by Rich Castle • Heavy Metal Reviews Tags: #5, All Time, Best, Guitarists, Heavy Metal, RITCHIE BLACKMORE, Top 10 • 1 Comment
When I play music with my pals, I always feel the beat of the street in me. What I mean is that musicians like Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW and BLACKMORE’S NIGHT) brought to me the feeling that I had kinship with them. Because they can and do play; so can I. […]
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