"Good journalism is about asking good questions, going in depth, and treating the artist with class and respect"

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That Metal Show has been one of the most popular shows on VH1 Classic since its inception and now, in its 12th season, the show is poised to wow audiences with tonight’s 100th Episode (June 15th). Hosts Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson have enjoyed bringing metal to the masses and are excited to carrytotheir ever growing audience old and new metal favorites.

"The 100th episode is going to have some great guests like Rex Brown (PANTERA/KILL DEVIL HILL) and Sebastian Bach, both of whom are still enjoying musical success after many years," Trunk said on Thursday during a pre-show interview. "We also plan to have several first time guests and we have done a complete overhaul to the show. We totally changed up the set! We gutted the old set and created a brand new look for the show and we added several new features." While fans will still get their favorite elemental themes like "Stump the Trunk", there will be some new features like "Metal Modem", a Skype session, and tonight’s modem guest is Danko Jones. Future guests in various elements of the show will include Rob Zombie, Dave Mustaine, QUEENSRYCHE’s Todd LaTorre and Scott Rockenfield, DEF LEPPARD’s Rick Allen and many more.

"I think it will really add something exciting to the show. We are also working in something we’re calling the TMS Book Club, where we have discussion about rock autobiographies since there seem to be so many of those coming out right now. Viewers can expect to see about six to eight new features this season," Trunk said.

A seasoned metal journalism veteran, Trunk began his career in radio, spent time working for Megaforce records in the late 80’s and has recently celebrated 30 years with Q104 in New York City. He is also an established metal historian and author and has completed his new book, a sequel to his first bestseller, Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.

"It’s a continuation of the first book and it has all new bands and histories, discographies and photos and it’s simply titled Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Volume II. I started as a writer and even while going into radio and television, I have continued to write. I actually just got to see it before going to press and I know we will have a book tour planned as well."

All of Trunk’s passion for metal is what lead him to That Metal Show. The show has been integral in helping keep metal in the United States alive. Trunk thinks that it is important to be as diverse as possible in the field which is why he has stayed with radio in addition to the show and has worked so hard to make TMS a success.

"Right now, the scene and rock in general is fairly healthy, but it is not as healthy as people may think and there is so much more to be done to get the word out. There are still a ton of bands that really struggle and just because you had a hit record in the 80’s doesn’t mean you are set for life like so many people would think. The touring market is very competitive and we are in an age where people are not paying for music so while there are some encouraging signs, we still have a long way to go," he said.

With that said, it stands that TMS has been a big factor in helping fans keep up with artists that may not be as visible as they once were. For example, the last season featured guitarist John Sykes, a revered player that not many people have been able to keep up with. This new season will also feature some familiar faces that fans have been wondering about like Tom Keifer, Jake E. Lee, and members of KIX, who recently released a live album through Frontier’s Records.

"I hope that I can help create awareness of these artists and put them and their careers in a respectful light. Good journalism is about asking good questions, going in depth, and treating the artist with class and respect. I am lucky that people care about what music I play and what guests we have on the show and I think we should try to shine light where we can," Trunk said.

So, be sure to tune in to tonight’s 100th Episode of That Metal Show and keep the Horns Up!