Editors Choice: Trivium – The Crusade
|

Editors Choice: Trivium – The Crusade

Trivium’s latest triumph, The Crusade, drops October 10th through Roadrunner Records and is an album that blows away many new releases in metal’s current stable of bands. Crusade follows their radically successful release of Ascendancy and is an impressive follow-up for Trivium who we saw recently as one of the headliners at this year’s Download…

Editors Choice: 36 Crazyfists – Rest Inside the Flames
|

Editors Choice: 36 Crazyfists – Rest Inside the Flames

From the first screeching howl of “I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops” this new effort by Alaska natives 36 Crazyfists stands out above all the albums I have heard this year. With a raw melodic edge and a furious delivery, this band, newly signed to the DRT label, are poised to make genre-breaking history. Undeniably…

Free Beer, Hot Sun and Rock n’Roll SummerSlam 2006 in Vernonia, OR
| |

Free Beer, Hot Sun and Rock n’Roll SummerSlam 2006 in Vernonia, OR

For more than a decade Summer- Slam has been bringing fans to a little known area called Vernonia in the foothills of Oregon. To get to the venue we followed a long and windy tree lined road until we spotted one small cardboard sign on the side of the road announcing that we had arrived….

A Few Minutes with Ray Mazzola of Full Blown Chaos
| |

A Few Minutes with Ray Mazzola of Full Blown Chaos

“Music is recycled and unless you have your own niche then you won’t stick out. We just play what we love, if people like it, great, if not, we’re still gonna play it.” Full Blown Chaos is the definition of true New York hardcore. The band delivers some of the most intense and punishing music…

Unearth III: In the Eyes of Fire
|

Unearth III: In the Eyes of Fire

After the successful release of The Oncoming Storm in 2004, Unearth returns with a more aggressive and intense assault. With legendary producer Terry Date (Pantera, Deftones) at the helm, Unearth strive to push their sound toward an even heavier direction than their previous releases. “This Glorious Nightmare” opens things off with intense riffing and in…

|

Sound Advice – Legal Advice for Musicians

MUSIC BUSINESS SCAMS (and how to avoid them). As if it weren’t hard enough to try to make a buck from your music, there are many costly traps set for the unwary. Because the music business is so competitive, with thousands of bands desperately fighting for the same gigs, record contracts and other opportunities, many…

Downstairs at the Roseland with Dale Stewart and John Humphrey of Seether
|

Downstairs at the Roseland with Dale Stewart and John Humphrey of Seether

“It’s like a bar band vibe when we’re up there, you bring the drinks, and we’ll bring the music.” Seether, hailing from South Africa and originally called Saron Gas, signed to Wind-Up Records in 2002. They established a name for themselves in the States with the release of their major label debut Disclaimer which was…

Black Label Society – DVD The European Invasion: Doom Troopin’
|

Black Label Society – DVD The European Invasion: Doom Troopin’

“Pure Black Label Comedy,” a title that says it all about this 4+ hour DVD that highlights Black Label Society, live in Europe. Let’s just burn this one down from the get-go and get to what’s real about BLS on video. The footage for this production isn’t as typical as standard offerings in the past….

Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction by Author Brendan Mullen
|

Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction by Author Brendan Mullen

Founder of Jane’s Addiction, one of the most influential bands in rock n’ roll and later the alternative summer festival known as Lollapalooza, Perry Farrell has often been lauded as the modern day Jim Morrison. With his colorful lifestyle and on stage antics he has never fallen short of the comparison. West Coast punk historian…

Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N’ Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey Through Rock’s Most De-bauched Decade by Author Lonn Friend
|

Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N’ Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey Through Rock’s Most De-bauched Decade by Author Lonn Friend

This novel gives you a front row seat to some of rock’s greatest moments. Lonn Friend has worn many hats in the music industry with his most famed being the executive editor of the infamous RIP Magazine. Friend is also noted as hosting his own show “Friend At Large” on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball while later…

I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You’ve Ever Heard
|

I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You’ve Ever Heard

From love lost to love tossed out, car crashes and cheaters to weepers and wandering souls, this one covers it all. No broken heart scenario played out in song is spared in this hilarious release from author Tom Reynolds. With a brief overview of each song, Reynolds then dissects each verse with an often cynical…

South of the Pump House: Les Claypool Akashic Books
|

South of the Pump House: Les Claypool Akashic Books

Drug-fueled dysfunction is the order of the day in this first novel from Les Claypool. South of the Pump House follows two brothers and their childhood friend out onto the calm waters of the California bay for an afternoon of sturgeon fishing and reminiscing. Ed and Earl, brothers trying to reestablish a friendship after the…