Opinions on Z-Rock bands that we never talk about

Yeah,the local rock channel here use to do Mandatory Metallica and Get the Led Out as well.

I loved Z-Rock when it was here, 99.1 FM. When they announced they were shutting down in 1996, I was pissed as this was not long after they ditched the original Headbangers Ball. The music I fell in love with in the early 90s was finally being given the boot (I knew it's popularity had fizzled, but I held out hope that there would always be a small amount available). Before I was able to buy plenty of music, I would record Z-Rock music onto blank tapes. I especially enjoyed their annual year end countdown that would last for several days. I remember every Sunday night at midnight they would dedicate several hours to the underground. They would play a lot of death metal as well as some traditional metal, thrash, and others. It was because of that that I discovered many bands, particularly two that would become some of my all time favorites, Helloween and Testament.

I remember staying up all night listening to their last hours. I still remember the last three songs (I've forgotten a lot of stuff over the years but that is one memory that has stuck):

Iron Maiden-Run To The Hills
Fates Warning-Oustide Looking In
Metallica-Fade To Black

The last song was very appropriate as when it was over, the station did fade to black. I turned off the radio and went to sleep (it was a school night after all). The next morning I turned on the radio just to see if it was all a bad dream but no Z-Rock. Instead my ears were assaulted with Tejano music. That further pissed me off because I live in TEXAS! Tejano music is everywhere. Why the hell did they get rid of the only good hard rock station in the area to replace it with Tejano music?! After nearly 20 years I've gotten over it but at the time I was really pissed.

DallasBlack wrote:

I knew it's popularity had fizzled, but I held out hope that there would always be a small amount available

This sentence, for whatever reason, reminded me of how when I was 10 years old and listening to GNR, Crue, etc, but not able to go see them live, I always planned that when I was a teenager, I'd see so many of those bands in concert.

In 1988, I guess I didn't plan that when I turned 16 in 1994, that would not really be much of an option any more. Ha.

A-Rock
B-Rock
C-Rock
...
...
Z-Rock ...

 

I don't know what Z-Rock was all about as I never heard it. As for the bands listed, I only know Zodiac Mindwarp and then only Prime Mover that I love and Tigertailz that I don't.

Saw Fastway live - they were quite good - and made their mark on the scene for sure -
Fast Eddie - after Motorhead - not bad at all - though nowhere as popular -
" Waiting For The Roar " cd has some real car blasters on it -
this one tune is my favorite by them, almost has a vampire quality to it - blues / metal riff

KNAC in California was a similar station, and like Z-Rock, the last song they played was "Fade to Black" in 1995 and they were taken over by a Spanish station.

Vexer6 wrote:

KNAC in California was a similar station, and like Z-Rock, the last song they played was "Fade to Black" in 1995 and they were taken over by a Spanish station.

Like I'm sure California needed another Tejano station as well.
  

DallasBlack wrote:

I loved Z-Rock when it was here, 99.1 FM. When they announced they were shutting down in 1996, I was pissed as this was not long after they ditched the original Headbangers Ball. The music I fell in love with in the early 90s was finally being given the boot (I knew it's popularity had fizzled, but I held out hope that there would always be a small amount available). Before I was able to buy plenty of music, I would record Z-Rock music onto blank tapes. I especially enjoyed their annual year end countdown that would last for several days. I remember every Sunday night at midnight they would dedicate several hours to the underground. They would play a lot of death metal as well as some traditional metal, thrash, and others. It was because of that that I discovered many bands, particularly two that would become some of my all time favorites, Helloween and Testament.

I remember staying up all night listening to their last hours. I still remember the last three songs (I've forgotten a lot of stuff over the years but that is one memory that has stuck):

Iron Maiden-Run To The Hills
Fates Warning-Oustide Looking In
Metallica-Fade To Black

The last song was very appropriate as when it was over, the station did fade to black. I turned off the radio and went to sleep (it was a school night after all). The next morning I turned on the radio just to see if it was all a bad dream but no Z-Rock. Instead my ears were assaulted with Tejano music. That further pissed me off because I live in TEXAS! Tejano music is everywhere. Why the hell did they get rid of the only good hard rock station in the area to replace it with Tejano music?! After nearly 20 years I've gotten over it but at the time I was really pissed.

I never thought what it would be like to hear the last of a dying radio station. I never got to hear KRZR when the had their final moments before switching to a station with a dance/dubstep format. I wonder which songs they played. How sad.

EDIT: just discovered the last song was Rage Against the Machine's Freedom. Okay then. They really were struggling.

thejokeriv wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

Headbanger Man wrote:

WTF is Z-Rock ?

Z-Rock was an American radio network that broadcasted hard rock and metal 24-7 during the late 80s/early 90s.

As for the list of bands Unc posted: I heard most of those bands in my travels, but the only one I ever owned anything by was Fastway (the Trick or Treat soundtrack album).

Z-Rock was awesome....sadly only lasted 9 months where I lived at the time..... then the station switched to salsa music......

Up here in the PNW, back in the day, Z-Rock was an AM radio station, 1590 I believe...

I saw Zodiac Mindwarp in San Francisco on their first tour....


Z-Rock never made to the Bay Area.... myself and several friends waited and waited but all the stations out here could do was play the Doobie Brothers with an occasional Boz Scaggs song.... Not quite that bad but we never heard the stuff listed earlier in this thread on the radio here.... pathetic....