Eduardo Rivadavia (aka Ed Rivadavia) was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and by his late teens had already toured the world (and elsewhere), learning four languages on three continents. Having also accepted the holy gospel of rock & roll as his lord and savior, Eduardo became infatuated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and all things heavy, crude, and obnoxious while living in Milan, Italy, during the mid-1980s. At this time, he also made his journalistic debut as sole writer, editor, publisher, and, some would claim, reader of his high school's heavy metal fanzine, earning the scorn of jocks and nerds alike, but uniting the small hardcore music-loving contingent into a frenzied mob that spent countless hours exchanging tapes, talking shop, and getting beat up at concerts. Upon returning home to Brazil, Eduardo resumed a semi-normal existence, sporadically contributing music articles to local papers and magazines while earning his business degree. Finally, after years of obsessive musical fandom and at peace with his distinct lack of musical talent, Eduardo decided the time had come to infiltrate the music industry by the fire escape. He quit his boring corporate job, relocated to America, earned his master's degree while suffering the iniquities of interning for free (anything for rock & roll!), and eventually began working for various record labels, accumulating mountains of records and (seemingly) useless rock trivia in the process. This eventually led him back to writing, and he has regularly contributed articles to multiple websites since 1999, working with many different rock genres but specializing, as always, in his personal hobby: hard rock and heavy metal. To quote from the insightful 'This Is Spinal Tap': "People should be jealous of me...I'm jealous of me...." Eduardo currently resides in Austin, TX, with his wife, two daughters, and far more records, CDs and MP3s than he'll ever have time to listen to.
Eduardo Rivadavia
How Frank Zappa Remembered the Mothers With ‘Burnt Weeny Sandwich’
The album was named after one of his favorite snacks in times of hunger emergency.
How Iron Maiden Built an Underrated Fan Favorite With ‘Killers’
Now acknowledged as essential, this sophomore release wasn't met with unanimously positive critical reaction at first.
How Tony Iommi’s ‘Seventh Star’ Barely Kept Black Sabbath Alive
He'd meant for this to be his first solo album, but the record label had other ideas.
When David Lee Roth Went Solo With ‘Crazy From the Heat’
Crazy or not, Van Halen's co-founding frontman was bound for a solo career.
The Story of Ozzy Osbourne’s Retirement, and His Un-Retirement
As Ozzy Osbourne piled up career achievements and more shockingly controversial episodes throughout the '80s, the last thing anyone thought he'd do was quit.
40 Years Ago: Eddie Van Halen Joins Brian May for ‘Star Fleet Project’
EP was a rare musical field trip outside of Van Halen and a clash of guitar titans for the ages.
How AC/DC Elevated Their Career With the Live ‘If You Want Blood You’ve Got It’
By 1978, AC/DC had packed their relatively short, half-decade career with five albums and hundreds of concerts.
37 Years Ago: Judas Priest Release Their Fifth Album … With Two Different Names
In 1978, Judas Priest released their fifth album as 'Hell Bent for Leather' or 'Killing Machine,' depending on where you lived.
45 Years Ago: Black Sabbath Fades Out With ‘Never Say Die!’
Despite its defiant title, the album hammered a final nail in the original group's coffin.
When Metallica Finally Returned to Thrash on ‘Death Magnetic’
This doubled as musical homecoming and an open apology to their long-suffering fans.
When Black Sabbath Made Their Only Album With Ian Gillan
There was reason for excitement, given the band's resurrection behind Ozzy Osbourne's first replacement, Ronnie James Dio.
The Day Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Appetite for Destruction’ Finally Hit No. 1
Guns N' Roses' initial project didn't reach No. 1 in the U.S. until Aug. 6, 1988, more than a year after its release.