Talk Louder

Mark Tornillo He took a swing at the seemingly impossible pitch of replacing Udo Dirkschneider in Accept – and knocked it out of the park! Vocalist Mark Tornillo joins us to discuss his early days in TT Quick, his 14 years in Accept, the 2022 illness that temporarily brought our own Jason McMaster onboard as his replacement and the time Iron Maiden suddenly asked him to be their singer at an impro...

Neal Smith He scared the bejesus out of polite society while shock rocking with Alice Cooper on a string of classic albums and songs, including “School’s Out,” “I’m Eighteen,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Under My Wheels” and many more. Today, at 75, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer and multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Neal Smith finds his musical muse in the dusty lore of the Wild West. He joins...

Jack Gibson of Exodus He’s the gut-punch in Exodus’ thrash-metal assault who also has a deep appreciation for Nashville’s killer country pickers. Bassist Jack Gibson joins us to discuss Exodus’ latest thrashterpiece, “Persona Non Grata,” wild times with Paul Baloff and meeting one of his heroes, Glen Campbell. Created and Produced by Jared Tuten

Francis Ruiz Before joining Buckcherry, drummer Francis Ruiz worked for some if his heroes as the drum tech for Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, Slayer, Anthrax and Motorhead. He was also a member of Great White, Samantha 7 (featuring C.C. DeVille) and for one magical night, Motorhead! We caught up with him during a break from the Buckcherry/Skid Row tour to discuss Buckcherry’s new album, “Vol. 10,” his ad...

Derek Davis He knew he was destined to be a rocker after seeing an early version of Y&T perform at his high school (during lunch period, no less!). He soon became their roadie and went on to form his own band, Babylon A.D. Vocalist Derek Davis brings us up to date on Babylon A.D.’s latest album, “Live Lightning,” an in-the-works new album, his forays into southern rock and soul, and why Babylo...

Nigel Glockler Returning to the Talk Louder Podcast for a third time, drummer Nigel Glockler discusses his latest all-star project, The Flood, featuring bassist Billy Sheehan, guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick, keyboardist Didge Digital and vocalist Chris Ousey. He also updates us on Saxon, recalls Cozy Powell’s unwieldy drumkit and reveals an early obsession with KISS. Created and Produced by Jared Tuten

Jeff Wagner Author Jeff Wagner was an editor at Metal Maniacs magazine from 1997-2001 before turning his attention to music-related books beginning with 2010’s “Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal” (featuring cover art by Voivod drummer, Away). In 2014, Wagner published “Soul on Fire: The Life and Music of Peter Steele” followed by 2022’s “Destination Onward: The Story of Fates...

Richie Faulkner He stepped into legendary shoes and spent the past 12 years carving his own identity as co-lead guitarist in Judas Priest. More recently, he formed the heavy metal supergroup, Elegant Weapons, and is set to release the band’s debut album, “Horns for a Halo” on May 26. Richie Faulkner joins us to discuss Elegant Weapons, his performance at the Rock Hall induction alongside K.K Downi...

Mike Levine On May 29, 1983, Triumph – along with Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Motley Crue and Quiet Riot -- played in front of 300,000 heavy metal fans as part of the massive US Festival in San Bernardino, California. On the 40th anniversary of this monumental concert, Triumph bassist Mike Levine joins us to relive that memorable day and discuss the brand-new, limited-editio...

Klassik ’78 Klassik ’78 sounds so much like vintage KISS even Paul Stanley raised a starry eyebrow. Joe McGinness (aka “Paul Stanley”) joins us to discuss the down-to-the-details album, “Phantoms;” how Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante got involved; and why growing up in the grunge era made him feel 100,000 years apart from his peers. Created and Produced by Jared Tuten

Back in Black When AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson was sidelined due to hearing loss in 2016, Michael Mroz’s “stupid tribute band” got the phone call of a lifetime. Mroz – who plays the role of Angus Young in the long-running, Dallas-based tribute band, Back in Black – joins us to share what it was like meeting Angus Young while his singer auditioned for AC/DC. He also tells us what it takes to susta...

DJ Will His passion for music was born in the artwork of his mother’s record collection and eventually drove him to jobs at Metal Blade Records, Capitol Records, KNAC.com, That Metal Show, Total Rock and points in between. William Howell, better-known as DJ Will, joins us to share insightful stories about his career-building involvement with the Goo Goo Dolls and Butthole Surfers, missed opportuni...

Billy White As a member of Watchtower (along with our own Jason McMaster), guitarist Billy White helped pave the way for progressive, thrash-metal music. After making his mark on the now-classic 1985 “Energetic Disassembly” album, he left Watchtower and resurfaced as a member of Don Dokken’s solo supergroup in time to record and release the 1990 album, “Up From the Ashes.” He later formed the blue...

Tracii Guns On a hot streak since rebooting in 2017, L.A. Guns is set to release its latest album, “Black Diamonds” on April 14. Guitarist Tracii Guns joins us to discuss his prolific partnership with vocalist Phil Lewis, how Slash turned him onto Randy Rhoads, his appearance in Michael Jackson’s iconic “Beat It” video and memories of Axl Rose singing WASP songs from the shower. Created and Produc...

Mike Tramp He shot to fame in the late-1980s as the voice (and impossibly good-looking face) of White Lion’s hit songs, “Wait,” “Tell Me,” “Little Fighter” and “When the Children Cry.” Today, he’s reimagined and rerecorded the band’s best-known songs for an upcoming (April 14) new album titled “Songs of White Lion.” He joins us to revisit the classic songs, discuss his love of Thin Lizzy, and reca...

Sami Yaffa He called it the “worst-sounding album” of Hanoi Rocks’ career, but after four decades, bassist Sami Yaffa and his legendary band have proudly righted the wrongs. He joins us to discuss the remixing and rerelease of 1982’s “Oriental Beat,” his solo album and autobiography, plus his time in Jetboy and whether or not any Hanoi gigs could be up around the bend. Created and Produced by Jare...

Junkyard Dusted off and back in action since 2017’s well-received “High Water” album, Junkyard is refueled and ready to rumble. Drummer Patrick Muzingo and guitarist Tim Mosher join us to discuss some very special tour dates (featuring original guitarist Chris Gates), the status of new music, the story behind the “Hollywood” video and that time Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington stole their...

Trauma Formed in San Francisco in 1981, Trauma owns a sacred place in the hallowed history of whiplash thrash. Currently promoting new album “Awakening,” drummer Kris Gustofson joins us to discuss the band’s long and winding history, touring with Queensryche, the addition of new singer Brian Allen and what it’s like to carry the legacy of original bassist, Cliff Burton. Created and Produced by Jar...

Todd La Torre Best-known as the powerhouse vocalist for Queensryche, multi-instrumentalist Todd La Torre is a musical force in his own right. He joins us to discuss a special edition of his 2021 solo album, “Rejoice in the Suffering,” his songwriting process inside and outside of Queensryche, and his not-so-secret wish to record a black-metal album. Created and Produced by Jared Tuten Queensryche

John Moyer As the bassist for Disturbed, John Moyer plays in one of the world’s biggest metal bands. He’s also been a member of Geoff Tate’s Queensryche, the Union Underground, SOAK and star-studded supergroups that – for better or worse -- included Scott Weiland, Scott Stapp, Mike Portnoy, A.J. Pero and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal. He joins us to discuss nu-metal, his Disturbed audition, touring with M...

Ace Von Johnson Fresh off the set of an L.A. Guns video shoot, guitarist Ace Von Johnson brings us up to speed on the band’s forthcoming new album, “Black Diamonds.” We also discuss his time in Faster Pussycat and U.S. Bombs (among others), his lifelong obsessions with punk-rock and horror movies, and how his quick reflexes behind the steering wheel earned him the name “Ace.” Created and Produced...

Robin McAuley On the eve of his latest album, “Alive,” vocalist Robin McAuley joins us to discuss his songwriting process, working with Michael Schenker, his Black Swan supergroup, singing “Eye of the Tiger” with Survivor and his little-known connection to Motorhead’s “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Created and Produced by Jared Tuten

Alan Tecchio He succeeded our own Jason McMaster as the vocalist for Watchtower and also fronted the metal bands Hades, Non-Fiction, Seven Witches and others. More recently, he and co-author Frank White published the coffee table book “Jersey Metal Vol. 1” documenting the New Jersey heavy metal scene circa 1969-1986. Alan Tecchio joins us to discuss all of the above and more. Created and Produced...

Rudy Sarzo From his groundbreaking tenure with Quiet Riot through his arena-conquering stints with Ozzy and Whitesnake, bassist Rudy Sarzo has spent a lifetime bringing metal to the masses. We caught up with the iconic rocker to discuss Quiet Riot’s legacy, the heartfelt new song, “I Can’t Hold On,” his theory about the Randy Rhoads plane crash and why licking his bass was the least of his worries...

Katon W. De Pena Hirax singer Katon W. De Pena was front-and-center for the birth and rise of California’s legendary mid-‘80s thrash-metal scene. Today, at age 59, he’s as metal as ever and joins us to discuss Hirax, his former band Phantasm (featuring original Metallica bassist Ron McGovney), his connection to Celtic Frost frontman Tom G. Warrior, and the times a young Hirax fan named Mike Patton...