Metal playlists from the underground
Seattle rock pioneers Alice in Chains are back with their first studio album in 14 years and since the death of frontman Layne Staley in 2002. The band enlisted seasoned professional and Staley sound-alike William DuVall in 2007 to steer the ship. Black Gives Way To Blue features the band’s signature alternative sludge grooves, unusual […]
There is no doubt that Rick Rubin is one of the greatest music producers of all-time in genres ranging from thrash metal to rap, which is why news of the release of Rick Rubin: In The Studio by Jake Brown won my immediate attention. However, upon opening my paperback copy, the enthusiasm dwindled to immediate […]
The best rock band from the early 90’s Seattle movement is back with another exquisite listening experience on their ninth studio release Backspacer. Once again Pearl Jam takes the unpolished rock and roll approach, a page directly from the holy book of The Ramones. For most of the record, Eddie Vedder shows he has no […]
Move over Guitar Hero: Metallica, the best rhythm game to feature a single artist has just invaded the gaming market. The Beatles: Rock Band offers the most pleasurable rock and roll gaming experience that you will come across this holiday season. Featuring 45 original and remastered studio tracks from each era of the band’s career, […]
The original Spaceman lead guitarist of the legendary Kiss lineup serves up a platter of 12 new tracks on his first solo effort since 1989’s Trouble Walkin’. On Anomaly, Ace Frehley refreshingly sticks to his classic 70’s roots keeping all of the fundamentals of hard rock prominent. Frehley’s guitars come out in a chugging blaze […]
VOIVOD INFINI Finishing up where Katorz left off, the final round of posthumous musical output from deceased guitarist Denis “Piggy” D’Amour has arrived in the form of Infini, a 13-track collection dutifully piecing together the remainder of the compositional odds and sods D’Amour left behind on his laptop before succumbing to cancer in 2005. The […]
It has been almost two and a half years since the release of United Abominations, a brutal allegory of destructive world events equipped with plenty of finger pointing to rattle your mama’s nerves. Needless to say, Dave Mustaine and company are back with an even thrashier and, once again, unapologetic lyrical effort on Endgame. The […]
When one thinks of the acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, the mind often conjures images of Guitar World ads and YouTube performances of Metallica covers. On the latest disc 11:11 the classically trained shred masters bust through any preconceived mold as they pay tribute to some of their all-time favorite guitarists. Each of the 11 […]
Chevelle is one of the few modern hard rock bands that have never annoyed me. They are not whiny poser wannabes nor the greatest hard rock act either, they comfortably fall somewhere in the middle which forces me to submit my undying respect. Sci-Fi Crimes is the band’s latest disc since 2007’s Vena Sera. You […]
Neversoft’s Guitar Hero 5, the fourth and latest Guitar Hero game for the Nintendo Wii in the last year, contains several improvements over prior releases which unfortunately cancel out when compared to its glitches and frustrations imposed on the player. What are the strengths of Guitar Hero 5? First of all, this installment loads up […]