Hollywood Monsters

RE-RUN: Steph Honde – An Artist You Should Know!

No show tonight, as Harrison and I are busy working on 50 Years of Iron Maiden!  So, instead, we bring this 2020 interview with former Paul Di’Anno guitarist Steph Honde. It originally aired on my old show the LeBrain Train.  This newly edited interview with the friendly French fireball will run tonight at 7:00 PM EST at the usual places.  My writeup is below.

Steph Honde is a talented singer/guitarist from France who has performed with Paul Di’Anno, Sun Road, Chris Holmes, Hollywood Monsters, Jim Crean, Now or Never, and as a solo artist. In this wide-spanning interview, we discuss his favourite Canadian artists such as Max Webster, Wireless, VoiVod, Rock Candy, and Roch Voisine. We even touch on Celine Dion. We talk about his friendship with Paul Di’Anno, playing live with no rehearsal, and speeding up the songs. Steph talks about the rock scene in France, and going it alone without a label. Steph is a fan as much as musician too, so he gushes over Marillion, touring with DeepPurple, his signed Deep Purple 7″, and a private performance by a favourite musician. We talk about John Sykes, and other influences. Of course, we also had to talk about his epic cover of “Supper’s Ready” on his Ashes of Empire album. Steph’s defiance is refreshing. If he’s going to play without a label, then he’s going to play “Supper’s Ready”, because he wants to. Steph also did an acoustic cover of Deep Purple’s “Sail Away”, which he did to be different. Finally, we ask him what it’s like to open for AC/DC in front of 80,000 people.

This interview was conducted early in the pandemic, so of course that dominates part of the conversation. It’s weird to look back on with 2025 eyes.

Many of those old LeBrain Train shows were too long and could use some refreshing.  This one never got enough views back in 2020.  Let’s expose Steph Honde to a new audience!  You won’t regret giving him a listen.

Streaming Live at 7:00 PM EST on Friday March 28, on Youtube and Facebook.

REVIEW: Hollywood Monsters – Thriving On Chaos (2020 Japanese/bonus track)

HOLLYWOOD MONSTERS – Thriving On Chaos (2020 Voice Music, Japanese import)

Supergroup?  Or just a good time?  Singer/guitarist Steph Honde, drummer Vinny Appice, and bassist Ronnie Robson gathered a load of friends and recorded a fun heavy metal album of originals and covers.  There is also a healthy helping of Canadian content (such as Robson in the core trio)!

Opener “A Scream Looking For a Mouth” is a raging heavy metal track along the lines of vintage high-voltage Motorhead.  Hell of an opener.  Add Deep Purple’s Don Airey on guest Hammond organ solo, which just hits the right spot amidst all that raging.  “Speak of the Devil” continues the heavy, though not the speed, thankfully, or you’d be seeing a chiropractor from all the headbangin’.  A catchy chorus and solid riffing make it another instant winner.  Solid metal.  A chunky riff kicks off “Something Wicked”, a really fun uptempo rocker.

Things get slower and darker on the monumental “Running Up Hill”, which is instant hit material.  Ted McKenna on drums.  Instant classic, with a chorus that kills.  Regardless of the daily struggles we face, Honde reminds us, “Never surrender!”  It’s a message of positivity, and the best track on the album.

“Numb” is another good one, grinding out a riff slow an’ easy.  The added keyboards provide texture.  Even better is the beautiful acoustic ballad “In This House”.  Honde has an excellent acoustic album called Empire of Ashes, and this track easily could have fit on it.  Though he’s a rocker, he is exceptional at tender acoustic ballads.

The first cover is “I Don’t Need No Doctor” featuring Jim Crean on backing vocals.  It kicks all the expected asses, and Honde’s guitar soloing is tasty as hell.  Next up:  Canadian content with the Goddo cover “Drop Dead”, featuring Greg Godovitz on co-lead vocals and Tommy Denander on lead guitar.  It smokes, and that lead solo?  Set phasers to stun!

“Thriving On Chaos” is another impressive original.  It has a slow, dramatic riff that is somehow familiar.  Excellent songwriting, and hard to pigeonhole.  It’s followed by a very Maiden-esque song called “Fortune Teller”, which has a vibe very similar to some of the tracks on Fear of the Dark.  Fred Mika plays drums on this tempered-steel monster.

The final cover (and Canadian guest) is the Thin Lizzy cover “Cold Sweat”, as sung by Danko Jones.  Danko is the perfect guy for it!  He nails the Phil vibe, yet with his own snarl.  And the Steph Honde guitar solo?  Call the fire department!  This alchemy of Jones/Honde/Appice/Robson is pure combustion.  You can seldom go wrong with a Thin Lizzy cover, but here everything goes so, so right.

Always a surprise when the Japanese bonus track is one of the highlights.  The heavy, thumping “I Am the Best You Can Get” slays!  “Heavy” is an understatement!  Vocalist Steph Honde goes from scream on the verses, to growl on the chorus.  The droning chorus is the best part!  This one features (Canadian) Glen Drover on lead guitar and Alexis Von Kraven on the relentless drums.  The Japanese CD even comes with a printed interview with Steph Honde – though I cannot read Japanese!

Pick it up – shell out for the Japanese if it’s within your means.

4/5 stars

Steph Honde Saturday! NoN / Hollywood Monsters star joins the LeBrain Train

Episode 33

Steph Honde is a multi-talented singer and guitarist from France, and this week Deke and I are privileged to welcome him on board the LeBrain Train:  2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano!

Steph has played with artists such as Paul Di’Anno, Vinny Appice, Danko Jones, Greg Godovitz, Jim Crean, Don Airey and many more.  With his bands Hollywood Monsters and NoN (Now or Never), plus his many collaborations with Crean, Steph Honde boasts a pretty damn cool discography.  He has an album under his own name with the covers CD Covering the Monsters, and just released an acoustic album called Empire of Ashes!  Perhaps just as cool, Honde is an avid music collector with a CD library to die for!  (Legend has it that his Zappa collection alone can move mountains.)  We have a lot to geek out about!

Because Steph is based in France, there won’t be the usual Friday night show.  Instead you can catch us bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Saturday morning.  Please join Deke, Steph and myself on Saturday October 24 at 8:00 AM E.S.T. / 2:00 PM France time.

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