All month long VH-1 has been celebrating what they call Metal Month. The month will end in an awards show that I'm pretty sure Jethro Tull will not win an award at. Super Group debuted this past week (and it was mildly amusing., but can someone tell me, did Sebastian Bach try to have surgery or is that just age?). They have a 4-part documentary called Heavy: The Story of Metal. I have seen the first episode. While I feel that they are kinda on track on how the music spread the way it did, I think they had a bit of narrow-minded-ness. To them Metal spawned from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. While in some respect I can see that, Metal also spawned from Alice Cooper (grandfather of the now Goth Movement) and even as much as I regret saying it (Dynasty anyone), and Kiss (forefathers of the glam movement). The series episode titles seem to cover it all. "Welcome To My Nightmare" (episode 1), "Looks that Kill" (Glam Episode), "British Steel" (70s British Rock), and "Seek and Destroy" (as they word it, "A walk on the dark side").

One thing I notice (and perhaps that will change this evening) is that the heavier end of the spectrum is left in the lurch. While I love the mainstream glam as much as the next gal, I must say there has been little to no mention of harder stuff. Everything they are playing is mainstream safe music. I think something like this would have been better suited to FUSE rather than VH-1. I have yet to hear a mention of the heavier side of metal, even the skater punk music of the 80s (hell Suicidal was in Encino man), the thrash end has been well, vanilla, and heaven forbid I have yet to hear a mention of death metal. I don't know if they feel playing Some Kind of Monster covers their butt on that end, but if you didn't like Metallica before, watching them cry will make you like them even less.

Anyhow, I'm babbling, Rock Honors will be Wednesday May 31, 2006 and the honorees are Kiss, Queen, Judas Priest, and Def Leppard. No mention which members will be in Kiss makeup. Am I thrilled with the choices? Not necessarily. Will I watch? Yes. Bands performing that evening will be Foo Fighters, All American Rejects and Godsmack. There is also an Air Guitar Championship.

I think for nostalgia's sake it will be fun. The whole month has been. But as always I'm left feeling a bit miffed that many of my favorites have been left by the side for the vanilla side of rock. The month is almost over, but if you find yourself sitting around the house doing nothing this holiday weekend, kick back and relax with the older stuff. Nothing ground breaking here. You may find some laughs. Of course remember to watch the Pantera BTM Friday night. Our touch of sprinkles on the vanilla sundae of Metal.

No longer the little label that could, Roadrunner Records signed Megadeth on May 16. What does that mean for those of us who yearn for the Vic of old? Well, I am pretty sure we will NOT be hearing a new version of "Crush." Of course Big Dave has always been best at times of political strife, as well as when he can really get angry about something. Well, times of political strife are here, so get angry, Dave, and hit us hard.

From Roadrunner Records:

Mustaine says of his new home "It is exciting to be some place you are respected, understood and appreciated. The truth is there's a lot of people I've known there over the years. I'm stoked we're all coming back together again to work on this project."

Megadeth is in the process of planning Gigantour 2, and the line up is still pending, but let's all hope Dave and the boys are able to get angry enough to hit us with some hard core old skool thrash.

Heaven help me. I would actually buy this CD, really I would. I have no clue why other than to keep the collection complete. It may be my OCD kicking in but I would buy it. That is IF it exists.

What CD you may ask? Well the new Guns N Roses Cd. The one that supposedly has been ready for oh maybe 20 years? Ok I'm exagerating. Only 10.

According to Axl Rose on the Eddie Truck show, when asked about it, stated "Sometime this fall or late fall." His band could be heard rehearsing in the background. "It will be out this year."

I coulda swore I heard that old song and dance before.

Apparently GNR now has Dizzy Reed from phase two of GNR, former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck, bassist Tommy Stinson from the Replacements, guitarist Richard Fortus from the former Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love, and keyboard player Chris Pittman. It is also rumored that Izzy Stradlin from GNR phase one is back. Buckethead left the band in 2004.

GNR has four shows at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, then off to Europe to play several music festivals.

Let's just say "IF" Chinese Democracy ever does come out, you will see it reviewed here. Until then, we can all wonder if it even exists.

I was anxiously awaiting midnight May 1 when Rebel Meets Rebel came out. Probably the coolest ever "Country" singer teams up with the Abbott boys and Rex Brown. Two years after we lost Dimebag in a horrible fashion, a new album is released.

It's a great album. Good summertime, backyard drinking music. And of course nothing goes better with a good beer than a David Allen Coe CD.

Country Pantera? Sound Odd? Not to me. The southern boys of metal never made a secret of their roots. Dime and Vinnie's dad was country songwriter Jerry Abbott who owned Pantego Studios in Pantego, Texas. Folks who have heard Pantera warm up have heard the Classic David Allen Coe song Jack Daniels If You Please. And honestly, the man wrote the song My Long Hair Just Can't Cover Up My Redneck.

To hear a clip of Rebel Meets Rebel visit the website.

More Dime News

Dime Vision is being released as well May 2. It is a DVD of Dimebag's life put out by his Brother Vinnie Paul. Dime was one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists, and from spending a bit of time with the CFHs back in the day, a helluva nice guy.