“I became a rock star but I’m also a real musician who changed my focus in order to succeed.” Twisted Sister guitar player Jay Jay French had announced to his
TOOL has announced a huge U.S tour in winter 2022 as part of a mammoth 2022 international tour. The Los Angeles-based band will play all covers of the U.S. and
Judas Priest brought its ageless and potent metal extravaganza to Minneapolis’ Armory on 9/23/21. Photos by Billy Briggs.
Ghost and multi-platinum Danish band Volbeat has announced a 26 date co-headlining arena tour with special guests Twin Temple, coming to cities including Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix (full
The albums that make up this list reflect metal’s increasing ability to outgrow people’s conceptions of it, in the process making progress not just for itself, but all the other genres it’s come to challenge.
“He was a beautiful man.” That is how Ozzy Osbourne remembers the young guitar player who joined his first solo band following Ozzy’s departure from Black Sabbath. Ozzy wanted the best players that he could find to prove to not only his former band-mates but to the music world in general that he was not washed up. It took only seconds for him to fall in love with Randy Rhoads, who at the time was in the popular LA band Quiet Riot, thus securing Rhoads one of the hottest spots in the metal establishment.
While Duff McKagan has always appeared far more open to a reunion than the iconoclastic and downright ridiculous Axl Rose, he has soldiered on since their mid 90’s breakup. The modern world of metal has been more than welcoming with his platinum selling work in Velvet Revolver as well as his longtime band, Loaded. Having always played a supporting role in his two other bands, since 1999, Loaded has afforded McKagan the opportunity to step to the fore, showcasing his song writing, guitar playing and singing.
Featuring three of the biggest bands in the thrash/speed metal genre, the Jagermeister Music Tour has been rumbling across the states like a hell-bent tornado, sweeping up fans and tossing them into a whirlwind frenzy. Loud, fast, sweaty music never sounded so, well, entertaining.
Dir En Grey, commonly referred to as Diru, is a Japanese metal band formed in 1997 out of the ashes of La:Sadies. The band considers themselves to be prophets here to shed light upon “the feeling of hurt and sorrow caused by the weak, shallow egotism of humanity.” Guitarist Kaoru has stated that the band’s name was selected based upon comprisement of several languages, disallowing any specific meaning to be attached to it.
After waning over the last couple of albums during Bruce Dickinson’s first stint, two ill-conceived releases with Blaze Bayley and a lackluster return for Dickinson on Brave New World, Iron Maiden stormed back to life with their last two albums and an outstanding tour documentary. Perhaps no other band in their third decade could raise such high hopes for a release, particularly after a four year layoff from the studio.
