Rods, The - Let Them Eat Metal

Special Deluxe Collector s Edition / Fully Remastered Audio shaped from 24 bit digital technology / 4 bonus tracks / 16 -page full colour booklet 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork with previously unseen photos and new interviews. East coast power metallers the Rods, despite their hallowed reputation, had been subjected to a string of overwhelming career obstacles, not least of all their sudden departure from major label Arista records and their inability to gain exposure in the UK after a string of lauded dates supporting Iron Maiden. Life was an uphill struggle for a band that at one point in their existence seemed to have it all in the palm of their hands. Refusing to succumb to this tidal wave of resistance, the band picked themselves up and released two further albums on independent labels, which led to a more substantive association with the newly formed Combat label in America. Helmed by Walter O Brien (later to manage Pantera) who was also connected to the band via drummer Carl Canedy s burgeoning production career, Combat bankrolled the band s fourth studio album, titled Let Them Eat Metal , originally issued in 1984. It is a record of dynamic power, packing a real punch, with such Rods classics as Rock Warriors , I m A Rocker and the peddle to the metal gear shift of Bad Blood . All songs that continued the emphasis on red hot power metal, spearheaded by the track She s So Tight . The record even gained a UK release through the Music For Nations label. Once again, however, the band was unable to follow up on touring plans even though a headline tour, supported by Metallica and Exciter, was planned but mysteriously evaporated at the eleventh hour. Still, this album is a fine testament of the band s infatigable spirit and refusal to give up.