I am absolutely thrilled to bring you a new interview with Jon Oliva, who just released his first solo album, Raise the Curtain, via AFM Records. He and I have had many great conversations over the years, and this one may be the best yet. Fans of Savatage, Jon Oliva's Pain, and TSO will not want to miss all the great memories shared here, not to mention details on future projects. Click below for the audio of the full interview or to read excerpts.

Tune in to the Metal Meltdown in Cleveland on WRUW-FM 91.1 or stream it live on wruw.org.

Coming up on today's show from 5-7pm Eastern (23:00-01:00 CET), it is my honor to bring you brand new interviews with two of the greats in the metal world: Roy Z, whose most recent project is the soundtrack to the game Zombie Squash, and Jon Oliva, who has just released his first solo album, Raise the Curtain.

If you have any special song requests related to the careers of either of these artists, please share them now on our Facebook page.

Right before today's show, I had a chance to interview Roy Z, whose most recent work is the soundtrack to Zombie Squash, a new game available for iOS and Android devices. Having been a fan of Roy's work for almost 20 years (going back to Bruce Dickinson's Balls to Picasso), this was truly an honor. I played two short clips from our interview on today's show, but I'll play extensive portions of it next Friday night along with music from his impressive discography. We covered a lot of ground, and I think you'll enjoy the conversation.

If you missed today's show, you also missed a lot of great new music: Oliva, Orphaned Land, Amon Amarth, Masterplan, Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Dark Tranquillity, and more. Check out the playlist and download the show below:

Playlist for June 21, 2013
MP3 Audio for June 21, 2013

On today's Metal Meltdown (5-7pm Eastern at wruw.org and WRUW-FM 91.1 Cleveland), we'll be talking to Steve Williams of POWER QUEST. As you know, Steve recently announced that PQ will soon be no more. In what I imagine will be one of his last radio interviews, Steve tells us about this difficult decision, what it's like preparing for the final live shows, and what the future may hold for him and for PQ. He always gives a great interview, and this is no exception.

In between interview segments, I'll play some of my favorite Power Quest tunes from over the years, and if you have a special song request, please drop me a line below or on Facebook.

Thanks to Steve for doing this extensive interview, and I know I speak for all of us when I say that we wish him the best of luck on all his future endeavors (hoping that one of them is the return of PQ, of course!).

.Join me from 5-7pm Eastern (23:00-1:00 CET) at 91.1 WRUW Cleveland (wruw.org).  Big show for you today featuring interviews with MEGADETH and TOURNIQUET! First we'll have David Ellefson, who will be talking about the Megadeth's new album, Super Collider. Putting it nicely, the single has been met with mixed reviews, and that was the first question I asked.

After that, we'll hear from Ted Kirkpatrick, drummer and creative force behind Tourniquet. They returned in a big way last year with Antiseptic Bloodbath, and Ted tells us about the album, the new 'voiceless' version, and his ongoing involvement in animal welfare.

Two interviews and lots of new music coming your way on today's Metal Meltdown with Dr. Metal. The first is with Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth, which comes just as their 2-disc live album, Live in Ancient Kourion, hits the streets. Jon had a lot of interesting stories to share about the live recording.

We'll also have an interview with Fabio Calluori of the Italian power metal band Heimdall. It's been a long time since we've heard from them, but they returned to the scene in a big way this spring with the release of Aeneid, a concept album based on Vergil's epic poem from the 1st century BCE.

Join me from 5-7pm Eastern (23:00-01:00 CET) at WRUW-FM 91.1 Cleveland and wruw.org on the web.

In the second half of my extensive interview with André Matos , we cover some very interesting ground. André describes in detail what it was like to record Angels Cry almost 20 years ago. From recording in a WWII-era bunker to being forced by Charlie Bauerfeind to fire their original drummer, there is some great stuff here about what I consider one of the most important power metal albums of all time. From there, we move on to discuss the recording of André's third and latest solo album, The Turn of the Lights. Finally, he describes in detail what happened with the short-lived Symfonia, his involvement with Avantasia, and the current state of his relationship with Angra. I've included highlights below, but I would encourage you to listen to the full audio, as there is a lot there. Thanks again to André for doing this interview, which I feel provided great insight into his life and career.

This is the first half of my extensive interview with Andre Matos, who has recently released his third solo album, The Turn of the Lights. He earned his place in the pantheon of metal singers long ago, recording his first album with Viper at the age of 15 before going on to found the legendary band Angra a few years later. In 16 years of doing my radio show, I have been fortunate to conduct many interviews with many musicians, but this is one that immediately stands out in my mind. Clocking in at over two hours, Andre gives us an in-depth look at much of his career, especially the early years. 

Enjoy the full audio and text highlights from the first half of our conversation below, and then come back on Friday for the second half in which Andre tells us all about the recording of Angels Cry before moving on to his more recent experiences in Symphonia and as a solo artist.

Back home from touring the States with Uli Jon Roth, I caught up with Henning Basse for an in-depth discussion about his experiences on the road and his musical career as a whole. With Metalium defunct, he is keeping himself quite busy singing with Uli, Sons of Seasons, and MaYaN. Among many interesting stories in this chat, you'll hear about him filling in for Kai Hansen at a moment's notice years ago in the middle of a tour. I also had no idea that Henning had auditioned for both Gamma Ray and Savatage years ago, and he describes those experiences in great detail for us. To top it all off, he also reveals some news about Bruce Dickinson's future solo plans.

It's always a pleasure to talk to someone with an extensive background who is willing to share both his successes and disappointments, and this is exactly what you'll hear in this interview. Thanks so much to Henning for his time and for giving us such good insight into his work. Below you will find the full audio and contents. I've typed several highlights as well.