Rich Howells

Metal legends The Rods release new album, ‘Brotherhood of Metal,’ with Carbondale drummer Carl Canedy on June 7

Metal legends The Rods release new album, ‘Brotherhood of Metal,’ with Carbondale drummer Carl Canedy on June 7
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Legendary heavy metal band The Rods, who have a local connection in drummer Carl Canedy, will release their first full-length album of new original material in eight years, “Brotherhood of Metal,” on Friday, June 7.

After making their mark with classic ’80s albums like “The Rods,” “Wild Dogs,” “In the Raw,” and “Let Them Eat Metal” and touring with the likes of Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, and Motorhead, the trio parted ways in 1986 and didn’t reunite until 2008.

Vocalist/guitarist David “Rock” Feinstein, bassist Garry Bordonaro, and drummer Carl Canedy released their comeback record, “Vengeance,” in 2011, which sounds like they never left. “Brotherhood of Metal” looks to do the same, preserving that 1980s hard rock sound on a new CD and double LP with a gatefold cover featuring the bonus track “Crank It Up (35 Years)” and badass artwork by Belgian artist Eric Philippe that hearkens back to “Wild Dogs” with a fiery metallic update.

Opening with the title track, these 11 songs recorded at Barncastle Studio and the Nire Studio and released through German label SPV/Steamhammer include the 2015 single “Smoke on the Horizon,” which features Veronica Freeman of heavy metal band Benedictum on guest vocals.

“David, Garry, and I are still close friends all these years later. We’re a band of brothers and proud that we’re heavier than ever and making great Rods music for the fans,” Canedy said in a press release.

“If you like the first song, then the odds are you’ll like the whole album. It’s balls-to-the-wall heavy metal, song after song. No ballads and nothing your mom will be humming.”

While the band was formed in Cortland, New York, Canedy has since moved to Carbondale and resided there for many years, working as a real estate agent while his daughter, Erin Canedy, followed in his footsteps as a singer and music teacher. The Rods have only played select shows in recent years, including a 2016 concert at Thirst T’s in Olyphant as part of the Electric City Music Conference, but Canedy is still an active drummer in the area for groups like the Jeffrey James Band. He also released his own solo album, 2014’s “Headbanger,” and is known for producing classic albums by Anthrax (“Armed and Dangerous” and “Spreading the Disease”), Overkill (“Feel the Fire”), Exciter (“Violence & Force”), and Possessed (“Beyond the Gates”).

Feinstein is the cousin of legendary singer/songwriter Ronnie James Dio and was the guitarist for their band Elf before founding The Rods years later. While he still lives in New York, the band members remain connected through the “Brotherhood of Metal,” a title that reflects “the musicians’ attitude to life” and “the general philosophy of this exceptional band,” according to Steamhammer.

See the full tracklist and stream “Smoke on the Horizon” below.

“Brotherhood of Metal” tracklist:

1. Brotherhood of Metal
2. Everybody’s Rockin’
3. Smoke on the Horizon
4. Louder Than Loud
5. Tyrant King
6. Party All Night
7. Tonight We Ride
8. 1982
9. Hell on Earth
10. The Devil Made Me Do It
11. Evil in Me