Tag: Thor

Rock God Thor Joins Nuclear Messiah For A Taste Of Death Or Glory

As the April 24 release of Nuclear Messiah’s much-anticipated Black Flame concept album draws closer, Cleopatra Records are thrilled to release what even producer Brian Perera describes as “one of the best and most under-rated metal songs of all time”… and all who have heard it agree wholeheartedly.
A deep cut from New Wave of British Heavy Metal heroes Holocaust, “Death Or Glory” … like the remainder of the album … features a dazzling array of all-star musicians to accompany frontman Chris Poland [Megadeth] through the storm.
But with a title like “Death Or Glory,” who more fitting to handle lead vocals than the mighty Thor?
He says, “I had to sing a searing brand of rock on this track as I was amongst strong swords such Chris, Bob Daisley [Ozzy Osbourne], Jurgen Engler [Die Krupps], Glen Drover [Megadeth and Fred Aching [Dead Groove].
“I was psyched, and sang with power and intensity. I was honored to be included on this album along with these great legendary artists.”
Neither is this all you’ll be hearing from Thor over the next few months, as he wraps up​ his next album… which is also the last one he’ll ever make..  Yep, that’s right.  Thor hasn’t just lived the rock ‘n’ roll life — he’s abused his body to keep it like a gladiator: relentless weight training , and pushing through injuries while punishing himself night after night onstage.
And now, it’s caught up with him.
After 40 years and 40 records of bending steel, breaking bones, and driving himself past the limit in the name of rock ‘n’ roll, the wear and tear is real — and Thor is finally stepping away.
But he’s not going quietly.
Over the coming months, he unleashes The Final Battle — and he is resolute.  “It is my ultimate and absolutely final album.  “It’s Ragnarok!”
There’ll be more details and information coming soon.  But don’t fear.  As Nuclear Messiah’s “Death Or Glory” proves, the Thunder God’s hammer is still in full flight, the lightning is blinding, the thunder is explosive… and still “Death Or Glory” is only one of its highlights.
How could it be otherwise, with fellow guest vocalists the caliber of Arthur Brown, Sebastian Bach and William Shatner (himself hard at work on his forthcoming metal album for Cleopatra Records!), and a staggering lineup that represents every era of heavy music, from Vanilla Fudge to the Kings of Thrash, via Guns N’Roses, Uriah Heep, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, UFO, Rainbow, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, King Diamond, Deep Purple, Yngwie Malmsteen, Testament, Night Ranger, the Michael Schenker Group, Yes and more.
“This record has so many metal icons playing on it,” says Chris Poland.  “It’s really a must for any metal head’s record collection.”
Track listing
1. The Prophet Of Fallout feat. Chris Poland & William Shatner
2. Devil Won’t Let Go feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Vinnie Moore, Vinny Appice, Don Airey, Steve Di Giorgio
3. Death Or Glory feat. Chris Poland, Thor, Bob Daisley, Glen Drover, Fred Aching
4. Ride The Sky feat. Chris Poland, Arthur Brown, Vinny Appice, Alan Davey
5. Dice And Thunder feat. Chris Poland, Rick Wakeman, Ronnie Romero, Bumblefoot, Steve Di Giorgio, Fred Aching
6. For Mad Men Only feat. Chris Poland, Pat Travers, Joe Lynn Turner, Alan Davey, Shawn Drover
7. Nuclear Messiah feat. Chris Poland, Lance Lopez, Greg Walker, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Vinny Appice, Don Airey
8. Look At Yourself feat. Chris Poland, Sebastian Bach, Derek Sherinian, Bob Daisley, Mick Box, Carmine Appice
9. She’s So Evil feat. Chris Poland, Joel Hoekstra, David Ellefson, Don Airey, Andrew Freeman, Simon Wright
10. Black Flame feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Jonathan Cain, Phil Soussan, Glen Drover, Chris Adler
11. Electric Burn feat. Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, Joe Bouchard, Marc Lopes, Chris Adler

EXPECT ACTION WHEN THE MIGHTY THOR MEETS MERV GRIFFIN

Long ago and far away, an aspiring young Canadian rocker named John Thor was performing at Las Vegas’s newly refurbished Aladdin Hotel, in the Bicentennial-themed Red Hot and Blue show… the Strongman Star, they called him, and with good reason.
A champion body builder, becloaked and be-glittered, exploding hot water bottles with his breath alone, wielding a hammer and bathed in pyrotechnics, even veteran rock fans (and yes, that includes the KISS army) had never seen anything like Thor.
And neither had America at large, at least until this vision in muscle and mayhem turned up on the Merv Griffin show in June 1976, to perform a cover of a recent single by UK glam rockers The Sweet that itself might have been written for him.  It was called “Action,” and it was killer.
Thor recalls, “Merv saw me perform at the Aladdin Hotel and invited me to appear on his show, live from Caesars Palace.”
It was a stunning appearance, although Thor acknowledges that things did not go quite to plan. For the last few years he had been touring with fellow Canadians The Imps – so-called, he says, because they were “small characters. During the show, I would hold Frank Soda up with one hand and dance while he played his lead guitar break midway through ’Action,’ which was our signature tune.”  (Another crowd pleaser was when Thor would have bricks broken on his chest with a sledgehammer.)

Although Thor performed without the band in Vegas, he requested that The Imps also appear on the Griffin show. “I would fly them out from Canada. But Merv said an emphatic ‘no,’ as he felt the band was too heavy for prime time. So the Mort Lindsey Orchestra backed me up instead.”
Another misfortune, however, proved most providential.  “I was set to wear my white sequined jacket for the Griffin show, an Elvis-looking outfit which was popular in Vegas at the time. But just before the show, the jacket went missing. Possibly stolen, so I switched over to my unique stars and stripes glam superhero outfit, complete with hammer and cape. And I’m glad I did, because it established and represented the Thor character I was developing. It got showcased on national TV.”
So yes, long ago and far away. But “Action” not only retains its place in Thor’s heart, it also opens his new album Rock The Universe, and it’s his latest single as well.  Which is great news for everyone because the accompanying video – you guessed it!  
Clips from the Griffin show are cut throughout the video, but so is footage of today’s Thor taking another step back into the past by reuniting with Frank Soda.  “It’s an opportunity to make things right, many years later. It imagines that Frank and the Imps appear in Las Vegas and join me on stage, this time to see what it might have been like had we done this back in 1976.”
As for Rock The Universe itself, the action does not end with “Action.”  Eleven tracks, all covers, range across the the classic rock spectrum, from an impassioned take on Eric Burdon’s epic “Sky Pilot” and The Doors’ “Love Me Two Times,” to a spellbinding medley of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” and “Black Night,” and a raucously riffing take on The Yardbirds’ “Heart Full Of Soul.”  
“In the 1970s I toured extensively, over 300 days a year across North America, and Rock The Universe is chock-full of songs from that era. These are favorite songs of mine that we played each night, and thus enabled myself and the band to become seasoned performers.
“It also gave me the opportunity, almost 50 years later, to join forces again with Frank Soda to lay down those magical tracks we played live from yesteryear, that would fuel our tours. Songs by our heroes.”  Kevin Stuart Swain (who also produced the album), Al Harlow (Prism) and Ray Roper (Stonebolt) complete the line-up, and when Thor describes their performances as “stellar,” it’s not hyperbole.
A thunderous take on The Beatles’s “Back In The USSR” is as fab as the foursome that performed the original; and, in case anyone should need a break from the mayhem,Thor also takes on one of the most underrated ballads in Ray Davies’s entire Kinky kanon, the 1966 b-side “I’m Not Like Everybody Else.”
Another one, incidentally, that could have been written for him. “Since I was a child, I was never looked at by others as being normal. I loved Superheroes and would wear a Superman costume underneath my regular clothes at school. And change into Superman at recess. I also loved monsters and I would scare my nieces and nephews as I would transform myself into Frankenstein. Through my life, I was always regarded as “different”.
“During my whole life walking the earth, I never followed the beaten path. I was always defiant, non-conforming and plainly different from the rest. I have always seemed to find my own individual identity. So “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” is my anthem.
“After all how many of those classmates from school still wear Superhero costumes and put out albums at 72 years old?”

Rock Warrior Thor returns with a trip down memory lane.

Los Angeles, CA: Continuing the 50th anniversary celebrations ignited by his most recent album, the much-applauded Ride of the Iron Horse, Canadian hard rocker Thor returns with a phenomenal new video, the aptly titled “No Time for Games”.
Accompanying one of Thor’s most emotion-laden power ballads, the video is built around a veritable scrapbook of vintage Thor footage and photos: robots, costumes, helmets, dancers, packed venues, plus, of course, the shows of strength with which the one-time Mr Canada and Mr USA bodybuilder so astonished his audiences – bending iron bars with his teeth, exploding hot water bottles with his lungs, and his very own Mjölnir.
“As a child, I dreamt of becoming a hero….a cowboy, a gladiator, a superhuman,” recalls Thor, “and music gave me the opportunity to become these characters on stage and through song…
“’No Time For Games’ is a reflection of the past…yet an inspiration for the future. It’s a scrapbook of the battles won and lost and won again, of tributes to fellow band mates who were true road warriors at my side and the loves of my life.
“There were ups and downs….it was never a game, I was always a serious rock n roller,  but pondering it all, the true love that stands the test of time are the fans who were always there for my concerts and  music. I thank you all.
“The adventure continues….”
Here’s the video – you don’t want to miss it! : https://youtu.be/glCCsYQP51s
And if you didn’t catch the album…