The Rods are an American
heavy metal band formed in 1980 by David "Rock" Feinstein (guitar, vocals)
orn in 1947 Steven Starmer (bass, vocals), and Carl Canedy (drums, vocals). After the first album Starmer was replaced by Garry Bordonaro.
Feinstein had first come to mainstream attention after playing in
Elf
An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
with his cousin
Ronnie James Dio. The Rods' sound differed considerably from Elf, adopting a more traditional heavy metal sound compared with the blues-rock sound that Elf preferred.
Their first album was originally released independently as ''Rock Hard'' in 1980 and the following year the band was signed by
Arista Records, who reordered the album tracks and released it simply titled ''The Rods''.
Their second album ''Wild Dogs'' followed in 1982 and was re-released in 2004.
The Rods' third album, released 1983, was entitled ''In the Raw''. In 1984 Canedy and Bordonaro played on
Jack Starr's album ''
Out of the Darkness'' with
Rhett Forrester
Rhett Forrester (September 22, 1956 – January 22, 1994) was an American musician best known as the lead singer for New York-based band Riot from 1981 until 1984.
Biography
Forrester was born on September 22, 1956, in Tucker, Georgia. His m ...
of
Riot and
Gary Driscoll of
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
. Then in 1984 the Rods released their fourth studio album ''Let Them Eat Metal'' and recorded the album ''The Rods Live''. Their album ''Heavier Than Thou'' was originally released in 1986.
An album was also released the same year, entitled ''Hollywood'' under the name Canedy, Feinstein, Bordonaro & Caudle (all of the band members). Rick Caudle handled lead vocals on that album, with Feinstein only playing guitar.
Following poor sales of their final two albums the group split up.
Canedy is also a producer of heavy metal bands, and his credits include
Anthrax's ''
Armed and Dangerous'' and ''
Spreading the Disease
''Spreading the Disease'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Anthrax, released on October 30, 1985 by Megaforce Records and Island Records. It was the band's first album to feature vocalist Joey Belladonna and bassist ...
'',
Exciter's ''
Violence & Force'',
Overkill's ''
Feel the Fire'',
Possessed's ''
Beyond the Gates'' and Roxx Gang's ''Love 'Em and Leave 'Em''.
In 2008 the Rods announced that they were reuniting with the line-up of Feinstein, Bordonaro and Canedy, and in August 2008 they played at the Metal Rock Fest in
Lillehammer, Norway.
The album ''Vengeance'' was released in 2011 to positive reviews, and ''The Brotherhood of Metal'' was released in 2019.
Discography
*''Rock Hard'' (1980), reissued as ''The Rods'' (1981)
*''Full Throttle'' (EP) (1981)
*''Wild Dogs'' (1982)
*''In the Raw'' (1983)
*''The Rods (Live)'' (1983)
*''Let Them Eat Metal'' (1984)
*''Hollywood'' (1986, reissued in 2015) – released under the name Canedy, Feinstein, Bordonaro & Caudle
*''Heavier Than Thou'' (1986)
*''Vengeance'' (2011)
*''Brotherhood of Metal'' (2019)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rods, The
Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state)