From The Desk Of Our Founder

Hello and welcome to KICK ASS FOREVER!!!! Our mission is to try and cover as much of the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal World as we can. You can find album & concert reviews here, and hopefully one day interviews too. Here’s what ya need to know! —

Way back in 1981 I (John Erigo)co-founded and co-created one of the first independent Heavy Metal Fanzines called KICK ASS MONTHLY. Myself and friend BOB MULDOWNEY(RIP) were trying to spread the word about our favorite bands, and hopefully find new ones to write about along the way. In 1981 there were no cell phones, no internet, hell there wasn’t even Cable TV yet where we lived! So to do what we did took a lot of ground work, writing and mailing letters, and phone calls. It was a fun time because metal was still new to us and we were hoping there was a way to make this music more popular and known.

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So now it’s 2018 and I still have a very strong passion for Heavy Metal. Doing a web site always seemed like a no win situation because there are already so many of them. But I was asked multiple times over the years, by different people, if I would ever start writing reviews again. Well it would be absurd to try and cover it all by myself, there are just SO many bands now! So I decided to ask some friends for their help. Each has a particular expertise that would make KICK ASS FOREVER able to cover a wide range of bands. So, for example, you wouldn’t have someone who’s into “Hair Metal” review a new album by MEGADETH. Also, you might see multiple reviews of some albums, so you will get different perspectives on albums that kind of cover a few genres like for example JUDAS PRIEST. Another feature here is we will be reviewing older albums too, no album is off limits to be reviewed! So we are hoping to bring a wide variety of reading material for you all. We are also hoping to have guest writers along the way – just keep checking the page, sign up for email updates, follow us on social media, and please help us make this site truly KICK ASS FOREVER!!!!!

Meet Our Team

John Erigo

I got my intro, like most people my age, to hard rock/heavy metal, by the band KISS. They were the first band to grab my FULL attention and I became fanatical. There weren’t many other bands that gave me the excitement and rush that KISS did. But soon I was able to find other bands that rocked hard enough, like – Ted Nugent, AC/DC, Van Halen, Judas Priest, UFO and Thin Lizzy. That was basically the core of my hard rock beginnings, it all went crazy after that. Discovering bands like Raven, Anvil, Saxon, RIOT, Loudness, Accept, Angel Witch, The Tygers of Pan Tang, Metallica, and the list goes on and on. My tastes may vary, but the root of it all is hard rock! As you may have read in the “our story” section, in 1981 I co-founded a heavy metal fanzine called KICK ASS MONTHLY with my friend(the legend!!!) Bob Muldowney(RIP). We started KAM with the intention to bring the bands and the music we loved so much into the spotlight and do all we could to help the Metal cause. All these years later the fire still burns bright as I now listen to bands like Danko Jones, Turbonegro, Liv Sin, Huntress, Dynamite, Airbourne, Black Stone Cherry, Buckcherry, again, the list goes on and on………….so, now I am again trying to do what KAM did and help the bands and the music I love, but also help you the consumer, the FAN!!!! You will get nothing but an honest opinion here at KAF, hope you enjoy the ride!!!!!!!!

Ed H

I am the old man of the Kick Ass Forever crew which means my metal roots go back a long ways. Seeing Twisted Sister playing the clubs, the classic Motörhead line up, Ozzy with Randy, etc… These days I tend to be more into sludge/stoner and Black Metal but still like the classic metal bands I grew up with. I also happen to be brutally honest, so if an album, vinyl of course, or live show doesn’t live up to my expectations I will let you know. If you have any issues with that I am sure you will let me know. I can’t wait to get started, so let the fun begin.

Eric V

Growing up with two older brothers who were into different genre’s of music, I was exposed to everything out there from Top 40 to Heavy Metal and everything in between. I was huge into video games and spent my money on that as a kid growing up. The very few bands I did buy albums from were the Beastie Boys (who I never stopped listening to or collecting their music. “Licensed To Ill” was an amazing album), Run DMC, The Fat Boys and a few select others. In hindsight, that stuff really didn’t resonate with me. The stuff that really caught my attention was Kiss, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Warrant & Motley Crue. My first live concert was The Rolling Stones w/Living Colour at Shea Stadium on Thursday, October 26, 1989. I have never felt the upper level to Shea Stadium shake so much. As you looked out across the stadium, you could see the upper deck bouncing up and down as the Stones ripped through “Satisfaction”. It felt like it was going to collapse at any moment. Hard Rock and Heavy Metal was my calling! I gave those Rap albums to one of my brothers who liked that music and just completely dived into the world of Hard Rock & Heavy Metal without looking back. The Video Games went away and the OCD collecting frenzy kicked in. It is really hard to pick a favorite band, but I would probably have to say it is Kiss. Other top favorites are The Tribe Of Gypsies, Anthrax, Tyketto, Mr. Big, H.e.a.t, Avantasia, Twisted Sister, The Black Crowes, Queensryche & Firehouse, just to name a few. Over the years, I have been exposed to many different bands from friends as well as on my own. I enjoy finding new bands to listen to. I’m a hardcore music junkie! Music is my drug and passion. The amount of CD’s & LP’s I have in my collection is well over 50,000, and it increases daily (I lost count years ago). If a band I am a fan of releases an album, I will buy it. I have to have the actual physical product, none of that digital Bullshit!

Dalila Kriheli - Contributing/Staff Photographer

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Dalila Kriheli – Staff/Contributing Photographer

Born in the mid 70’s and raised in Queens, NY – rock n’ roll was a part of my life from as early as I can remember. The striking images of the iconic legends were always what I surrounded myself with – on my walls and in my binder for school.�I started collecting all the rock music publications and was always in awe – and said at a very young age to myself – ONE DAY, my images will be within those pages, or gracing the covers.�Photography has always been a passion – and I gravitated towards concert photography in particular as those were my 2 worlds coming together to make me whole. The photo pit is my 2nd home – and the extension of my soul is aways in hand ready to shoot and capture magic.�My mission, My goal, and what I strive to do with every shot – is to capture a perspective and story that hasn’t been told, combined with a familiarity to ones close to the artist where they can recognize their friend / loved one at their best – and in the moment when they are truly entranced by their music and performance. In the quarter century that I have been shooting rock stars, I have had the honor to shoot legends such as Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, KISS, Twisted Sister, Anvil, Marco Mendoza, Thin Lizzy, Accept, Y&T – amongst many other rock n’ roll’s finest artists. My work has been featured in albums, and in worldwide published magazines. #rockstarpix … Shooting you is a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. YOU ROCK ME, i iMMORTALiZE YOU ! Rockstarpix Website