Rock Icons & Metal Gods is a collection of interviews conducted by Classic Rock Revisted website owner and creator Jeb Wright. Photos therein are supplied by none other than photographer extraordinaire Mark Weiss. As with Eddie Trunk's recent retelling of his memories of various famous rockers this is a bit of a nostalgia trip for the author. However, unlike Trunk's, Wright's musings are kept short and sweet as the intros to the various interviews to give them a bit of context.
While a few people you would expect to be in this kind of collection are there, such as the lovable Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio, and Steve Perry of Journey, there are a few pleasant surprises. Wright includes some rockers who don't get as much of the spotlight, like Lita Ford and Steve Miller. Some might wonder why Ian Gillan of Deep Purple is in the metal category rather than rockers but that is a minor quibble. Fortunately the author made sure to keep the interviews short and interesting. There are no rambling rants that you can find in some of these publications. And what is more interesting is that many of these interviews deal with some of the bitter disputes and break-ups that affect all good bands. None of these interviews could be described as fluff pieces. More importantly, even the most hardened knowledgeable rocker will find out something new.
Highlights include the bitter ravings of Paul di'Anno, who appeared on the first couple of Iron Maiden albums before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He really hasn't lost any of his bitterness for at least one of his colleagues in the band. Michael Anthony is more gracious in his description of how poorly he was treated by Van Halen when he was booted out, as is Bob Daisley. Bob was Ozzy's early bass player (many of whose lyrics you know and love).
Overall, Wright's work is an easy read by a guy who obviously loves his gig. If you want to know about the men and women or rock/metal included here then Classic Rock Revisited Presents Vol. 1: Rock Icons & Metal Gods
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