Metal guru Eddie Trunk, of VH-1's "That Metal Show," among other ventures. Publicity photo

Eddie Trunk eats, sleeps and breathes hard rock and heavy metal. He knows stuff about groups that even the members don’t know, or at best, have forgotten. Thankfully, Eddie uses his superpowers for good, not evil, as host of VH1’s “That Metal Show,” Sirius/XM’s “Eddie Trunk Live” and the syndicated “Eddie Trunk Rocks” on New York’s Q104.3 FM.

His new book is “Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal,” which, trust us, really is an essential volume you need to add to your music library. Here’s a look at the music that changed Eddie Trunk’s life.

1. Raspberries, “Go All The Way” — “Go All The Way” was the first time I ever heard distorted electric guitar and power chords. I was a kid in my parents’ back seat, and it came through the AM radio, and my hair stood up. Raspberries were the first real rock I ever heard, and I was consumed instantly.

2. KISS, “Destroyer” — The first real heavy rock I heard and the band that really started it all for me as a crazed fan. This was my first Kiss album. I remember dropping the needle, hearing “Detroit Rock City” and starring at the cover of the album. I was 12 and Kiss changed my life and set me on a path of rock obsession I’m still on!

3. UFO, “Strangers in The Night” — One of the greatest live album of all time and one of my favorite albums ever. Tragically underrated melodic hard rock by one of my all-time favorite bands. This is them at their peak.

4. Aerosmith, “Toys in the Attic” — I actually like “Rocks” better, but “Toys” was my first, and after KISS, Aerosmith became my next big obsession.

5. Billy Squier, “Don’t Say No” — The first album I ever cued up on a college station while still in high school. Billy is a tremendous talent, and this is one of his greatest albums.

6. Metallica, “Kill ’Em All” — The first real thrash I ever heard. I was in my first year of metal radio and Jonny Z drove to my studio and asked me to play this when nobody else would. I did, had no idea what I was hearing, but knew it was a game changer.

7. Judas Priest, “British Steel” — Classic British metal at its finest from one of the gods of the genre.

8. Ace Frehley, “Frehley’s Comet” — The first artist I ever had a hand in signing to a label and working in the studio with. Nine years after my first show ever (KISS @ MSG), I had signed the band’s lead guitarist to his first solo deal and was in the studio with him.

9. Black Sabbath, “Heaven & Hell” — The Dio Sabbath was my introduction to the band, then I went back and discovered the other stuff, but this album is amazing, and Dio was a god.

10. Van Halen, “Van Halen” — I remember getting this album from a record club. I knew I was hearing something that was going to change everything instantly.

The British heavy metal band Judas Priest announced some shocking news today: guitarist K.K. Downing has formally retired from the band and will not be joining them on their forthcoming “Epitaph” tour.

The band sent out the following press release:

IT IS WITH REGRET THAT JUDAS PRIEST ANNOUNCE THAT K.K. DOWNING HAS FORMALLY RETIRED FROM THE BAND AND WILL THEREFORE NOT BE JOINING THEM ON THEIR FORTHCOMING EPITAPH TOUR.

THE BAND RESPECT HIS DECISION AND NATURALLY ALL WISH HIM WELL.

HAVING THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT HOW TO PROCEED, ROB, GLENN, IAN AND SCOTT UNANIMOUSLY AGREED THAT THEY SHOULD GO AHEAD WITH THE TOUR AND NOT LET THE FANS DOWN ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

FATE ALSO STEPPED IN AND DELIVERED THE PERFECT REPLACEMENT – 31 YEAR OLD BRITISH GUITAR PLAYER RICHIE FAULKNER – HE HAS BLENDED INTO THE BAND PERFECTLY AND IS A GREAT TALENT WHO IS GOING TO HELP SET THE STAGE ON FIRE!

THE EPITAPH TOUR WILL INCLUDE SONGS FROM EVERY PRIEST STUDIO ALBUM AND ALSO TRACKS THEY HAVE NEVER BEFORE PERFORMED ON STAGE PLUS ALL THE OLD FAVOURITES!

WITH A NEW ALBUM DUE TO BE RELEASED NEXT YEAR THE METAL GODS ARE PREPARING TO TOUR THE PLANET ONCE MORE – HEAVY METAL AT ITS BEST COMPLETE WITH LASERS, LIGHTS, BIKES AND HELLFIRE!!  IT’S A SHOW NOT TO BE MISSED!!

The 59-year old guitarist was in the earliest incarnations of Judas Priest, and at one point during those years, K.K. Downing was the obvious leader of the band. It will be hard to see this great talent absent from the duel guitar attack this legendary band has become known for.

Goldmine wishes Downing all the best, with some hope that he will still record music in his retirement.

Go to www.kkdowning.net for more information in the coming days.

Halford
Halford IV — Made of Metal
Metal God Records (MGE8077192)
Grade: ★★★

By Michael Popke

Rob Halford recorded a holiday album in 2009, which must have freed the Judas Priest vocalist from the old-school metal chains that held him back for years. How else to explain the slide guitar on the Southern rocker “Till the Day I Die,” one of the standout songs on “Halford IV-Made of Metal”? Or the Auto-Tuned vocals on the NASCAR-themed title track? Or “Fire and Ice,” the closest the Metal God has come to a love song in who knows how long? He even acknowledges his own vulnerability in the slow-burn epic “Twenty-Five Years.”

Of course, there’s plenty of routine Halford material here, too – including “Undisputed,” “Speed of Sound” and “Hell Razor.” Backed by a crack band that includes the lethal guitar duo of Roy Z and Metal Mike Chlasciak, Halford proves why he’s still the godfather of metal anthems.

At age 59, he now sings in a more-natural voice (save for the “Painkiller”-era banshee unleashed on the album’s heaviest cut, “The Mower”), but who’s complaining?