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CARL CANEDY
Tales of A Wild Dog: Memoirs of A Rock Warrior Book
New Haven Publishing

Carl Canedy needs no introduction, but just in case you don't know who he is, here's a quick resume: Carl is the drummer and songwriter behind the legendary New York-based power trio THE RODS, a band that has now existed for over 45 years. Carl's work with THE RODS alone should solidify his iconic status, but Carl was not satisfied with just playing the drums. He also produced seminal albums by numerous metal bands, including EXCITER's Violence & Force, ANTHRAX's Fistful of Metal and Spreading The Disease and OVERKILL's Feel The Fire among many others. He also put together the THRASHER album, which is a legendary heavy metal compilation. This is the crux of what this book is about, all the memories of making these important, pivotal heavy metal albums. To be sure, many of the albums by THE RODS themselves are just as important as any of the albums listed above. Wild Dogs, In The Raw and Let Them Eat Metal are bona fide classics! My first introduction to THE RODS was their album Heavier Than Thou (1986). A friend in high school had this album on cassette, and I was drawn to the powerful songs and cryptic cover artwork. This was not a typical album by THE RODS, as I learned later. That album was an anomaly in their catalog, but amazing nonetheless! THE RODS insistence to control their own destiny and not sell out has kept them as a more underground act throughout the years, but sometimes sticking to your guns pays off.

There is a plethora of insight into what Carl did over the years in hard rock and heavy metal. He really has been at the forefront of the East coast thrash scene, but also the blue collar, somewhat underground metal scene. It's intriguing reading about Carl's exploits working with HELSTAR (he produced their debut album Burning Star), and former RIOT singer Rhett Forrester, (both during his solo albums, as well as with guitarist JACK STARR). There's also tales of working with TT QUICK, MANOWAR, BLUE CHEER, ATTILA, POSSESSED, (I really dug that ROXX GANG chapter), as well as notes about underground acts like E-X-E, ST. JAMES, APOLLO RA, YOUNG TURK, CANEDY, and Carl's pre-RODS band KELAKOS. Members of most of these bands make a contribution to this book, and they are quoted directly.

There are contributions from producers, record executives, and many other insiders from the golden age of heavy metal. And I must give props to Carl, who does not hold back on what he thinks about numerous people. He names names, and not everybody does that! There's a final chapter about when Carl found out who his real dad was -- now that must have been an incredible revelation to discover. And lastly, there are 10 pages of full color photos taken right from Carl's archives.

I've been a fan of Carl and THE RODS for over 30 years, and I can honestly say I was entertained reading this book-- it truly is a page thrasher! Tales of A Wild Dog: Memoirs of A Rock Warrior is available on Amazon now, so check it out!

5.0 Out Of 5.0