The Axe Attack
Encyclopedia
The Axe Attack is a show on a rock music
radio station
in New Zealand
called The Rock
.
The show is hosted by Paul 'The Axeman' Martin
, on Sunday nights from 8pm. Paul is one of The Rock's longest serving DJs. He prides himself on including no less than 25% New Zealand music on his show.
station Contact 89FM hosted by Paul Martin and Johnny Brookes. In August 1987 Johnny left and from then till this day, Paul has been hosting the Axe Attack solo. For three years running the Axe Attack was voted most popular show on the station.
, Rock 93FM. Programme Director Grant Hislop was more than enthusiastic to have the Axe Attack on air. The Tuesday night two hour spot was agreed upon as being crucial the shows success and Paul Martin and the Axe Attack became a professional entity on Rock 93FM Tuesday July 14, 1992. In September 1996 the Rock started networking the show to Tauranga
on Rock 94.2 and by Feb 1997 coverage reached Taranaki via Rock 95.6FM, Hawkes Bay Sept 97 and Rotorua
and Taupo
by November. Mid 1998 saw the show networked to Palmerston North
and Masterton
and by Feb 1999 NZ's biggest metropolitan areas Auckland
and Wellington
. By October 1999 The RockFM was established all over the South Island
, the Axe Attack is now a national entity.
, Iron Maiden
, Suicidal Tendencies
, Van Halen
, Filter
, Anthrax
, Fear Factory
, Judas Priest
, XYZ
, Sepultura
, Kittie
, Pantera
, The Tea Party
, Yngwie Malmsteen, KoЯn
, Deftones
, Clutch
, Slayer
, Slipknot
, Steve Vai
, Lita Ford
and Rob Halford
.
cater to a large body of the market that are currently not catered for.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
called The Rock
The Rock (New Zealand)
The Rock is a New Zealand rock music radio station. It currently holds the #1 ratings spot out of the music stations nationwide. The station is known to broadcast material of a controversial nature, and The Rock has in the past had some issues with the Broadcasting Standards Authority with a number...
.
The show is hosted by Paul 'The Axeman' Martin
Paul Martin (Radio DJ)
Paul 'The Axeman' Martin is a DJ on the New Zealand rock music radio station called The Rock. It began in Hamilton and later moved to Auckland. Over the years the station has been networked around New Zealand...
, on Sunday nights from 8pm. Paul is one of The Rock's longest serving DJs. He prides himself on including no less than 25% New Zealand music on his show.
Conception
The Axe Attack was first conceived in July 1986 by Max Christoffersen. By Feb 1987 it was on air Tuesday evenings on HamiltonHamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
station Contact 89FM hosted by Paul Martin and Johnny Brookes. In August 1987 Johnny left and from then till this day, Paul has been hosting the Axe Attack solo. For three years running the Axe Attack was voted most popular show on the station.
Present status
In early July 1992, Paul approached the new radio station in HamiltonHamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, Rock 93FM. Programme Director Grant Hislop was more than enthusiastic to have the Axe Attack on air. The Tuesday night two hour spot was agreed upon as being crucial the shows success and Paul Martin and the Axe Attack became a professional entity on Rock 93FM Tuesday July 14, 1992. In September 1996 the Rock started networking the show to Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
on Rock 94.2 and by Feb 1997 coverage reached Taranaki via Rock 95.6FM, Hawkes Bay Sept 97 and Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
and Taupo
Taupo
Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....
by November. Mid 1998 saw the show networked to Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
and Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
and by Feb 1999 NZ's biggest metropolitan areas Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. By October 1999 The RockFM was established all over the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, the Axe Attack is now a national entity.
Description
The show is primarily hard rock and heavy metal, although does touch on grunge, thrash, soft metal, speed metal, progressive metal, industrial, classic and contemporary hard rock/metal. Emphasis is given to NZ acts (no less than 25%), new releases, rare and collectable music, listeners requests and current touring acts. Paul has interviewed members of MetallicaMetallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
, Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, Filter
Filter (band)
Filter is a rock group formed in 1993 in Cleveland by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist/programmer Brian Liesegang. Filter has released five studio albums, the most recent being The Trouble with Angels, which was released on August 17, 2010....
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, XYZ
XYZ (band)
XYZ were a short-lived rock supergroup. The name XYZ is taken from eX-Yes-&-Zeppelin as the group consisted of ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, along with ex-Yes members Chris Squire and Alan White . Squire was the main writer for the group...
, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
, Kittie
Kittie
Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in London, Ontario in 1996. A quartet of women, the group rose to success in 1999 when the track "Brackish" from their debut album Spit became a hit single...
, Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, The Tea Party
The Tea Party
The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records...
, Yngwie Malmsteen, KoЯn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
, Deftones
Deftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
, Clutch
Clutch (band)
Clutch is an American rock band from Germantown, Maryland, formed in 1990. The band's first release was an EP entitled Pitchfork, which debuted in October 1990. Their first studio album, Transnational Speedway League, was released three years later in 1993. To date, Clutch has released nine studio...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, Lita Ford
Lita Ford
Lita Ford is a British-born, American rock musician and singer who was the lead guitarist for The Runaways and achieved popularity for her solo career between the 1980s and late 2000s.-Early life:...
and Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
.
Policy
The policy of the Axe Attack is to promote interest in the hard rock/heavy metal music genre. It aims to: feature new and exciting local and overseas releases; keep people informed and up to date with news, releases and goings on in the rock world; give NZ artists equal status to international acts, and foster a genuine interest and faith in local music; promote interest and stimulation for the live rock scene; culture a healthier profile and a better understanding of an immensely popular genre of music that is largely being ignored by the New Zealand music industry as a whole and especially the New Zealand Radio industry; andcater to a large body of the market that are currently not catered for.