The 6th Annual Metal Hall of Fame Awards Show was held at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA on January 26, 2023. It was a hardcore fun night celebrating all things metal and supporting the charity D.A.D. Program (Drums and Disabilities) which helps children fighting disabilities by using the healing art of drum therapy. The packed club was buzzing with anticipation while impatiently waiting to see Twisted Sister get inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame. The band hasn’t played together in six years, making it a memorable night in metal music history.
The event’s hosts for the night were rock radio hosts Cathy Rankin and Eddie Trunk. New York band Held Hostage kicked off the night’s performances. After their performance, Trunk brought out Pat Gesualdo, the founder of the Metal Hall of Fame, who spoke about his charity organization D.A.D. Program and the power of metal music. Guitarist Chris Impellitteri, the founder of the international band Impellitteri, performed and received his induction.
One of the highlights of the night was watching British metal band Raven perform. Formed in 1974 by the Gallagher brothers, John and Mark, the band made a significant impact in developing the thrash metal genre and influencing bands like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. In 1983, Raven headlined Metallica’s first national tour. Raven amped up the energy and volume with lightning-fast guitar shredding.
The next performance of the night was Adam and the MetalHawks who have made quite a name for themselves on TikTok with over three million followers and are from New York. One of the coolest parts of the show was watching Lou Gramm, lead singer of Foreigner, get inducted and hearing his stories of recording in a studio next to John Lennon.
As the anticipation in the crowd grew, Steve Vai and Mike Portnoy spoke on Twisted Sister’s impact on metal. After the induction, Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, and Mark Mendoza accepted their award, along with the daughters of AJ Pero, (the drummer who passed in 2015), and Eddie Ojeda. The guitarist was unable to attend the event due to having contracted Covid. He was replaced by Robert War from the AC/DC tribute band LV/DC.
Twisted Sister’s impact on metal is immense and Snider spoke on attending the 1985 PMRC hearing when Tipper Gore tried to get their music banned. The crowd went wild as the band performed their hits “You Can’t Stop Rock N’ Roll”, “Under The Blade” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. The band’s fast and furious performance was incredible with Snider telling the crowd he gets angry when he sings these songs because it takes him back to the reason, he wrote them.
The night concluded with the induction of guitarist, Doug Aldrich, who founded Burning Rain and played with Whitesnake, Dio, and Hurricane. The All-Star Jam with Aldrich, singer Keith St. John (Montrose), bassist Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne), guitarist Rick Steier (Warrant, Kingdome Come), bassist Sean McNabb (Quiet Riot, Dokken) and drummer Joe Travers (Billy Idol, Duran Duran).
The Metal Hall of Fame Awards was full-on volume on 11 ear thrashing night celebrating the impact of metal music. Like Eddie Trunk and Pat Gesauldo said, “Metal music needs its own museum.”
Review: I’m Music Magazine Write Meesha Walden
Photos: © Kevin Estrada / @KevinEstradaPhotography
