​​Here's this week's list of favorite songs as chosen by the Philly Rock Radio crew -- great to see two area bands -- Rat Rod and The Hixon on the playlist! Check out all the tunes, see what you think, let us know and for sure let us know what YOU are listening to!

​Each week the crew here at Philly Rock Radio will list the song, songs, albums or collections they currently have in heavy rotation when they have their listenin' devices activated. Check them out and let us know what you're pushin' the play button on over and over again.

Each week the crew here at Philly Rock Radio will list the song, songs, albums or collections they currently have in heavy rotation when they have their listenin' devices activated. Check them out and let us know what you're pushin' the play button on over and over again.

We can be a fickle bunch around here at Philly Rock Radio. We're constantly getting our fix of new music and in turn always discovering our new favorite song and/or album. Sometimes that "new" favorite is a song that's 40 years old, y'know, something we've rediscovered. So we thought it would be fun to see what everyone is listening to and post it here each week. ​Click on the titles and hear what we're puttin' up. ​Feel free to add your latest favorite(s) in the comments section. No doubt the titles you share with us will become someone else's new favorite next week!

Thank you for reading and LISTENING!

Ron Keel began his radio program back in 2012 and Philly Rock Radio was extremely honored to be the first station to carry the show. Nobody delivers the rock and talk the way Ron does and radio took notice. He went on to some great things in South Dakota when he was hand-picked to spearhead the launch of a revolutionary new Midwest rock station, KBAD 94.5FM (Sioux Falls) and spent three consecutive ratings periods as the #1 voice on the #1 rock station in that market. Now Ron has re-launched STREETS OF ROCK N ROLL weekly, combining the passion that initially ignited his radio career with his years of experience on live radio.

Ron Keel's STREETS OF ROCK N ROLL is built on a solid but diverse foundation of all styles of rock music and highlighted by compelling exclusive interviews with multi-platinum rock stars,TV celebrities, and new artists. Keel takes the listeners along on his travels around the world and backstage at some of the industry’s biggest events, creating a unique and entertaining listening experience each week.

The Streets of Rock N Roll airs on Philly Rock Radio every Thursday night at 10pm.

By Kevin Law,
PhillyRockRadio.com
​
South Jersey’s Rat Rod have completed their second full-length album, Light ’Em Up, a collection of high energy tracks sure to fuel the fire of an impassioned rock and roll spirit. It will be available for purchase at their shows, and through their website ratrodrocks.com, beginning June 1.
 
But before I dive in, I need to push an Aussie elephant out of the room right off the bat. Yes, Rat Rod will make you think of AC/DC. You’ll picture Bon Scott while listening to vocalist Mike Smith’s voice at times, and you’ll hear the sounds of the brothers Young in Mark McCarty’s riffs, especially at the beginning of the title track. Please know that they know (try as they might, they ain’t deaf), and are appreciative of the comparisons to them, and the many other influences they embrace. If this band were merely an AC/DC copycat, I could assure you, I wouldn’t bother writing this review. This band captures the vibe and exhibits a feel for this style of music, and it comes through loud and clear on these songs.
 
Overall Light ’Em Up is a continuation of the Rat Rod sound first heard on their 2017 album Do You Remember Rock And Roll. However, they’ve added some new ingredients making this release stronger than its predecessor. First, you’ll hear a broader range of singer Mike Smith’s voice which provides a nice balance throughout. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, is that this album is a full band effort, whereas the previous was created before the group being formed and only had McCarty and Smith as the primary players. The steady and driving rhythm that bassist LJ, guitarist Matt Flanigan and drummer Elliott Howard deliver is a welcomed new feature to the growing Rat Rod arsenal.
 
To love this album, look no further than the opener “Lightning Strikes” which invites the listener in by busting the door open and introducing you to the singer’s “Step right in” tone of voice. The song builds on a slow and steady rhythm leading to an infectious chorus that makes singing along an involuntary action. It’s here that Rat Rod shows a marked difference from any comparison that they might get labeled with. And that is that THEY ARE FUN! The singing in the chorus adds a dash of good-humored flavor, leaving no doubt that they are into what they’re doing. It doesn’t tell you to have fun, it MAKES you do it. A similar feeling is heard at the beginning of the second song, “American Rock n Roll.” The playful call-and-response guitars get the listener into it, the way the chorus vocals do in “Lightning Strikes.”
 
You’ll also get something you wouldn’t point to AC/DC for, and that’s a ballad (ok, even if it is just a word in the title). “Peacemaker (The Ballad Of Tombstone),” inspired by one of Smith’s favorite films, shows another side of the band, sonically, compared to their debut album. It's also indicative of a theme that runs through the album’s lyrics — a man who, although made cynical by the world around him, holds hope, and is ready for a clean break and new connections. In “Hell And Back,” (by the way, the guitar solo on this song, F-U-N, FUN!) the singer has circled his wagons and set up for defense while in “Lone Wolf Rider” he’s “Free as the breeze, free to ride on!” Philly area listeners will also appreciate The Dead End Kids reference in the song. A pretty good indication that Smith’s lyrics come from a personal place.
 
Enough can’t be said about the guitar playing on this album. Mark McCarty’s solos are on (last AC/DC reference I swear) FIRE! They alone give reason for the album’s title. The rhythm section provides the heart to the band’s sound, and the lead guitar is the high blood pressure coursing through it. Listen to “Memphis Belle” as proof of this point. And one more note on the added dashes of fun, pay attention to the first part of the solo on this one and notice that Mark shares it with rhythm guitarist Matt Flanigan. “Memphis Belle,” along with track six, “Sleep With The Saints,” clearly demonstrate what to expect when you see this band perform live. To reiterate, this band is high energy and, as LJ summed up in a recent interview with Bay Ragni, “Three chords and a cloud of dust.”
 
Safe to say that dust is all you’ll be left with if you don’t get on board with Rat Rod and Light ’Em Up.

Written By
​Jason Voorhees For Philly Rock Radio

THE THREE TREMORS
"The Three Tremors"

1. Invaders from the Sky
2. Bullets For the Damned 
3. When the Last Scream Fades
4. Wrath of Asgard
5. The Cause
​6. King of the Monsters
7. The Pit Shows No Mercy
8. Sonic Suicide
9. Fly or Die
10. Lust of the Blade
11. Speed to Burn
12. The Three Tremors
13. Sweet Divine
14. Prelude to Doom
(Steel Cartel)

RATING: 7/10​​

Philly Rock Radio is pleased to bring you a NEW element to our site...album reviews! The first album on the docket adds a brand new flavor to the Metal scene… THE THREE TREMORS with their self-titled debut.

This band is composed of an elite trifecta of screaming vocalists, the most notable being someone who is no stranger to the stage, Tim "Ripper" Owens. He has been the frontman for Judas Priest, Iced Earth, and the DIO tribute band.  Owens has always been at the top of any metal vocalist lists for his range and stage presence.

Owens is joined by two other "screaming" vocalists… Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (Jag Panzer, Satan's Host, Titan Force) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (Cage, Denner/Shermann, Death Dealer). This cutthroat trio boasts a powerful range of screeching vocals providing a sound that combines the muscle of Judas Priest and the stamina of Iced Earth.

When first listening to the album, I was instantly blown away by the first track… "Invaders From the Sky." All three vocalists appear at the very beginning in unison with an all-out assault of screaming gold. The track brought me back to my glory days of metal lore during the ‘80s. The three vocalists joined together to provide a Rob Halford-esque tone that is carried through the remainder of the album.

The Three Tremors is an energetic assault of "in your face" metal.  "Bullets for the Damned," the second track, is just as heavy as the first, but provides more hooks and bridges, highlighting the super talent of Dave Conan Garcia/Casey Trask on guitars, Alex Pickard on bass, and Sean Elg on drums as well. Although the band is known more for its vocalists, these musicians cannot be ignored.

Overall the album is old school speed metal at its best. And the extra element of three screaming vocalists infuses the hammer and the anvil of metal-speak. "Sonic Suicide" and "Wrath of Asgard" both sound like they could have appeared on a Judas Priest album during the Ram it Down/PainKiller era. Both tunes provide raw power and thrash infused massacre.

Fourteen tracks in all...The Three Tremors is an earthquake of sound that sets off a volcanic eruption of red hot metal with a "never say die" attitude. The three voices become one on this masterpiece exacting total domination of the senses that will bring you to your knees. The musicianship is above average, and the production is top notch, especially given the high range and treble of these voices. 

I definitely recommend the album to anyone that considers themselves an old school heavy metal fan. Being a massive fan of both Judas Priest and Iced Earth, I would tell you that the album combines elements of both of these bands and you can definitely hear a similarity when moving from track to track.  Philly Rock Radio gives this album a solid 7/10 rating and definitely agrees that it was a successful debut album.  Will also say that the album will grow on you with time as you put your ears to the ultimate test of sound. Check out one of the tracks from the album..."The Wrath of Asgard." 

By Pete Fry, host of Fryday Night with Fry, 8-11pm on PhillyRockRadio.com

Each Friday night I get the pleasure of presenting songs from great bands in the world of Melodic Rock. Hope you've enjoyed hearing them as much as I had playing them. Below is the list of albums that I selected as the best releases of 2018. Certainly welcome your opinion on the following choices and would love to know how they compare to your list. Cheers!

CLICK ON THE ALBUM ART OR ALBUM NAME TO HEAR SONGS