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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHot on the heels of High Roller Records\u2019 sensational set of vinyl reissues covering The Rods back catalogue from their 1980 debut right up to their 2011 reunion, this 4CD set from Cherry Red provides a rather poignant addendum to the band\u2019s back story covering as it does the same period in time, albeit from a \u201clive in-concert\u201d perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Formed in 1980 in Cortland New York, The Rods came from an age when sub-genres of rock\/metal didn\u2019t really exist, or in fact matter, and if \u201cyou rocked\u201d \u2013 \u201cyou rocked\u201d. As such, mainstays, guitarist and lead vocalist David \u2018Rock\u2019 Feinstein (guitarist and lead vocals) and drummer Carl Canedy – who are both still in the band to this very day – along with then bassist Steven Starmer, set out their clear mission statement by naming their excellent debut release \u2018Rock Hard\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swapping out Stamer, for one Garry Bordonaro, before then being snapped up by Arista Records, who revamped and rejigged their debut and re-released it as a self titled album (set to take the rock world by storm). CD one of \u2018Metal Will Never Die\u2019 perfectly captures this fledgling version of the band via a dozen tracks recorded during two shows from 1981 and 1982 in El Paso, Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have sampled any of Hear No Evil\u2019s previous \u201cbootleg\u201d box sets from the likes of Riot or Humble Pie, it\u2019s worth noting that that these archive Rods recordings are not finished live albums \u2013 like say \u2018Live And Dangerous\u2019 or \u2018Live After Death\u2019 \u2013 nah these recordings are rough \u2018n\u2019 ready, warts \u2018n\u2019 all, and originate for a variety of different sources, although most importantly they are all fully approved by the band themselves. In fact, you only have to leaf through the excellent 16-page booklet that accompanies this set to find out exactly what they think of the shows in question as David and Carl take you on a whistle-stop tour through their band history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s the second CD that will probably be of most interest to UK based Rods\u2019 fans. Recorded at Portsmouth Guildhall on 8th<\/sup> March 1982, this ten tracker is the band\u2019s setlist from when they were supporting Iron Maiden on the UK leg of their Beast On The Road tour, and I must admit it\u2019s an absolute riot to listen to four decades on. Okay granted the bass drops out during the opening couple of tracks \u2018Rockin\u2019 N Rollin\u2019 Again\u2019 and oddly they choose to follow this with \u2018Waiting for Tomorrow\u2019, another tune the band had yet to release (they both came from the band\u2019s third album \u2018Wild Dogs\u2019), but as soon as the boogie-tastic \u2018Get Ready To Rock And Roll\u2019 kicks in everything just seems to click and just as I recall (from seeing them three nights later in Bristol) they really were on fire back then. The quality of this recording sounds (to my ears at least) to be taken from the soundboard and is totally (ahem) \u2018In The Raw\u2019. Great stuff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n From this tour onwards there seemed to be missed opportunities alongside each new album and numerous record deals that seemed to promise so much yet ended up providing the band with diminishing returns with each subsequent release. I mean, does anyone remember the \u2018Hell On Earth\u2019 UK tour from 1984 that was due to see The Rods play 11 shows alongside Exciter and a then little-known band by the name of Metallica? Nope, well it was cancelled due to poor ticket sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the late 80s, with the band slowly becoming disillusioned with their management and record labels they began to drift apart and move on to new musical projects before disappearing from the scene altogether. Feinstein, Bordonaro and Canedy finally being tempted out of their self-imposed hiatus in 2008 to play a few live shows in Europe, and with their success the gig list just grew and grew, CD three showcasing the band at Germany\u2019s Headbangers Festival in July 2009 and CD four boasting a great sounding 2010 home town show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rods quickly followed this 2010 gig with their 2011 album \u2018Vengeance\u2019 and \u2018Brotherhood Of Metal\u2019 in 2019, and as I mentioned at the top of this review, still continue to this day, albeit as a newly expanded (and Bordonaro-less) four piece with their next studio album \u2018Shockwave\u2019 planned for a 2022. In the meantime, you\u2019ve got those aforementioned High Roller vinyl reissues to invest in and of course this box set to enjoy too, this proving that \u2018Metal Will Never Die\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n