Producer Rick Rubin recognized something about Black Sabbath. It wasn’t just that none of their inheritors make records like the band’s earliest triumphs anymore. Even the co-founding members themselves hadn’t lately. You May Also Like: Why Black Sabbath Went Out on a High Note With ’13’ Black Sabbath’s Often-Dismissed ‘Sabotage’Read More

Black Water Rising’s self-titled debut album was one of my favorites of 2009, and one of the best pure hard rock records that I’d heard in a long time at that point. You May Also Like: How Black Sabbath’s Self-Titled Debut Invented a New Genre of Music Why Black SabbathRead More

Michael Wilton takes the high road when talking about the forthcoming Queensryche album, their first without the departed Geoff Tate. It’s easy to read between the lines, however, as he talks about working with new frontman Todd La Torre. You May Also Like: Queensryche – Condition Human (2015) Why Queensryche’sRead More

Joe Satriani’s new solo effort has become his highest-debuting album in two decades, thanks in no small way the Chickenfoot guitarist says to the smart contributions of sideman of Mike Keneally. You May Also Like: Mike Keneally, “Draconian Blump” from ‘Nonkertompf’ (1999): One Track Mind Mike Keneally – ‘The ThingRead More

Brad Wilk, who was plucked out of Rage Against the Machine by producer Rick Rubin, has come to think of his time playing drums on the forthcoming Black Sabbath reunion project in almost mythical terms. You May Also Like: Why Black Sabbath Went Out on a High Note With ’13’Read More

The final performance of Judas Priest’s “Epitaph World Tour” in May 2012 provided the perfect opportunity to offer a live video celebration of 40 years of metal. You May Also Like: Judas Priest, June 1, 2019: Shows I’ll Never Forget Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith: 30th Anniversary EditionRead More

Recorded for Rockpalast in 2008, ‘Rocks Europe’ finds Blue Cheer in full flight, just a year before Dickie Peterson passed.

Too often, Queen has become the sum of its over-stated parts — the operatic singer, the layered vocals, the anthematic balladry. What’s lost is the group’s ability to unleash round house after round house of knuckle-sandwich heavy rock. You May Also Like: Queen, “Spread Your Wings” from News of theRead More

Gene Simmons confirms that Eddie Van Halen, frustrated over his relationship with David Lee Roth, approached him about joining Kiss in the early 1980s. The timing was right, too, as Simmons and Co. were working without a guitarist on Creatures of the Night. You May Also Like: Why Complaints AboutRead More

With the sad anniversary of Ronnie James Dio’s death some three years ago comes an opportunity to return to a muscular concert offering that finds him near the peak of his solo powers. You May Also Like: Dio’s Often-Forgotten ‘Magica’ Recalled Early Ronnie James Dio Triumphs Heart – ‘Live atRead More