It will come as no surprise to many Queensryche fans that the weakest link in Geoff Tate’s version of the band may be Tate himself.

Recent discussions about the current Queensryche debacle have me thinking about what happens when bands implode, tempers flare and members are either fired or take their ball and go home.

In 1990, Judas Priest was coming out of something of a tough period. After recording metal classics like British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance in the early 1980s, they had released the polarizing Turbo

What do you get when you mix the three original members of Dokken who were not named Don Dokken with drummer Brian Tichy and guest shots from a few of the best singers in the hard rock realm? A surprisingly solid and vibrant record.

The intrigue of compilations like this is when seemingly incongruent artists successfully combine, or when somebody turns a familiar tune inside out.

You’ll want to jump start your short week with some new sounds from the likes of Bob Mould, Chick Corea and Gary Burton, Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame, and Melissa Etheridge.

Andy Rehfeldt, a YouTube favorite for his headscratchingly brilliant mashups combining such things as smooth jazz and hard rock, is back with a hilarious bossa nova take on Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin.’”

A Christmas record from Rob Halford? Yes, that Rob Halford. The leather-clad screaming frontman of Judas Priest.

by Fred Phillips I’m the kind of guy that comes down firmly in the Iron Maiden camp every time the age-old Maiden or Priest argument comes up. I love Priest, but there’s something about Maiden that’s always appealed to me more.

by Fred Phillips In the early days of my metal fandom, one of the best ways to sample new music was the compilation albums from K-Tel and the like. They were a lot cheaper than a standard cassette, usually running $4-$5 as opposed to $7-$8 for regular albums