Warhead Drop ‘Explosive Rock’ On Fans
Warhead Drop ‘Explosive Rock’ On Fans
April 6, 2014
Last year Warhead has signed with FnA Records to release a collection of studio and live tracks to permanently document the band’s history for ‘old school hard-rock fans’ around the globe. Now a twenty-two track gem that has been hidden in the vaults for 30 years, entitled ‘Explosive Rock’, has been released. The album can be purchased and previewed at fnarecords.net.
The first 10 tracks on ‘Explosive Rock’ are all studio tracks and have been remastered. Within these studio tracks, one can find fan favorites like “Street Survivors”, “Savior In Rock”, “Come On And Dance”, “So Strong, So Fragile” and a mezmerising rendition of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”. The last 12 tracks comprise of a live rehearsal by Warhead featuring many songs that were never recorded in the studio. The artwork is jam-packed with pictures and liner notes on a six panel booklet with barely an ounce of room to spare. If you are looking for a solid hard rock album with a fist-pumping ’80s flare, then you cannot go wrong by picking up this true gem!
Warhead was the real deal! They had it all and were undoubtedly on the path to worldwide stardom. After all, Warhead won the Miller Highlife Rock to Riches national contest which helped spark the careers of Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Night Ranger and many others. Winning this contest came with riches and rewards that not only allowed the band to make a professional music video to be aired on MTV, but also to be featured in a televised concert at the Charleston, South Carolina baseball stadium.
Warhead formed back in 1981 when guitarists Greg Metts and Bob Emerson met while attending the University of South Carolina. Lex Scott (vocals) and Bubba Rucker (drums) were soon recruited. Fellow USC student, Erol Denizkurt, was the last piece of the puzzle added to round out Warhead’s solid lineup — one that would never deviate or change course.
At the forefront of a burgeoning hard rock medium, Warhead hit the studio and recorded and released their first single, “Street Survivors”. This led to the aforementioned win of the Miller Highlife Rock to Riches national contest. As their popularity grew, they were able to land a deal with a booking agency, CMC, who kept the band on the road throughout the southeast opening for acts like Foghat, Molly Hatchet, Black Oak Arkansas, Spirit, The Romantics, Blackfoot and others. Warhead also headlined the Friday night slot at the Coastal Carolina Fair’s large outdoor arena. One of the more memorable gigs took place in North Carolina was when Warhead joined fellow rockers, and good friends Maxx Warrior (whom later became national recording artist Firehouse), for a jam session which included ‘covers’ of a handful of Def Leppard tunes.
In 1984, Warhead’s ‘Tonight We Rock’ EP became CMC Record’s first release (despite the fact that they were not actually signed to the label) after CMC moved from being a booking agency to a record label. Things were moving along smoothly, or so the band thought, as tons of exposure was being generated from numerous publications across the country including a band ‘favorite’ review from Rock Scene Magazine — which gave the band a two-page spread and named Warhead as one of “the best unsigned bands on the east coast.”
Throughout the ’80s, Warhead kept the momentum going by recording more material and playing live shows wherever they could book a gig. The band took numerous meetings in New York City with the likes of Atlantic Records, Elektra Records, Chrysalis Records, and many other up-and-coming labels, but never got the deal they tried so hard for. In the late ’80s, Warhead’s personal management company was found to have embezzled most of the band’s money/funds which unfortunately led to the demise of the band. Erol and Bob moved to California in 1988 and kept the rock tradition going in Hollywood, while Greg, Bubba and Lex remained rocking the southeast region. While Warhead has never reunited, they remain good friends to this day.
Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com