2015 Monsters Of Rock Cruise: Countdown Commencing! My Top 5 Must See Bands.......and Hacked By A Hoser!!!!

Summary: I begin this piece during a spat of winter weather here in the Bluegrass; snow on the ground, temps in the teens, 1 snow day on the books. As you might imagine I am already yearning for a warmer climate. Along with said yearning grows an anticipation of volcanic magnitude. For in 5 unbearable months I will embark on, for me, a maiden voyage of Rock n' Roll destiny: The 2015 Monsters Of Rock Cruise! 4 days, 30+ bands, a luxury vessel, The Caribbean, and a few thousand like-minded rock fans ready to raise a fist and drink in the air!!! It's like heaven on a ship. And I am a total rookie. A complete greenhorn. This will be my first cruise so the fact that its a Monsters Of Rock Cruise simply kicks major ass.  As you can see from the graphic above, 2015 has a stellar lineup in store. But I have to admit, at first I wasn't totally on board. (pun intended) Several of these bands have been off my radar for quite a while so I had to sort of circle back around and look at it from a different standpoint; a bucketlist standpoint. If you're like me you've seen the Tesla's and the Queensryche's and the Stryper's several times and do look forward to checking them out on the ship, but at the same time, there are several of these bands that I haven't seen. Queue the bucketlist. Here are the top 5 bands on the list. Lets start from the bottom of the list and work our way up. 1. Heaven's Edge -  This band from Philly hit the scene around 1990 with their radio single Find Another Way from their self titled debut album. The band also had a video for the song Skin To Skin in rotation on MTV. A follow up album was prepared but due to lack of record label interest the project was shelved and the group would disband. Fast forward to 1998 and Heavens Edge would reform, sign a deal, and their sophomore album Some Other Place - Some Other Time would be released abroad that same year and in the US in 1999. Their debut album was rereleased in 2012 with some added bonus tracks. The band seems to tour sporadically, popping up at festivals both in the US as well as overseas. I am a huge fan of their debut album which is a blend of bluesy, melodic hard rock. 2. Leatherwolf - Leatherwolf emerged from the Orange County scene in the very early 80's alongside Slayer and Metallica and were known for their Triple Axe Attack configuration of, as you might guess, 3 guitarists in the band. The band endured a number of lineup changes and style changes throughout the 80's releasing 1 EP and 2 full length albums before disappearing around 1991. They would, however, reemerge in 1999 with a successful reunion concert that would be released as a live album. Since then they have released 2 more studio albums in 2006 and 2007 as well as another live album in 2013. I must admit I am a bit new to the Leatherwolf party, but when I saw them scheduled to perform on the cruise I was thoroughly intrigued and have begun getting into their discography. They are, without a doubt, worth a listen! I enjoy their early work, which is kind of a sun-kissed nod to the NWOBHM, while their newer music is more straight ahead metal. 3. John Corabi - The "Mayor" of The Monsters Of Rock Cruise returns once again in 2015 and this time, according to recent posts, will be bringing his current Motley Crue '94 Album Show on board. This cruiser is keeping his fingers crossed that this will take place, as a John Corabi show of any kind has unfortunately eluded my concert experiences and the fact that he may be performing the MC94 album at length is an added bonus. In case you missed it, check out the recent 2 part Albums Unleashed episodes of The Decibel Geek Podcast featuring an in depth discussion with John Corabi on the Motley Crue '94 album and his time with the band. Listen to part one HERE and part two HERE!! 4. Krokus - 2015 will mark this band's 40th year but it seems like only yesterday I was in junior high school and playing air guitar in my parents' living room w