Papa Roach are the true underdogs of the modern hard rock scene. Despite the fact that they initially made their fortunes with nü-metal, they have grown into a melodic rock beast that is way better than what they started out as and is better than what many critics or fickle,…

Considering that party hearty “cement pirates” Ratt were among the ruling class of the Sunset Strip back in the mid- to late 1980s, it seems unlikely that as they hit middle age that they could effectively recapture the spirit of that time, particularly given that it has been…

HIM frontman Ville Valo sounds a little overwhelmed when he gets on the phone from Finland. He has been juggling press, mixes for special releases and preparations for a world tour that will start in Australia in late February, head to the UK, then arrive in the U.S. in late…

Eight years ago, while interviewing Harry Shearer in character as Derek Smalls, the (un)esteemed bassist from legendary mock rockers Spinal Tap, I asked if he could address the rumors about them being a fictional band. He cleverly retorted, “Well, what’s a rumor except fiction? So it’s fiction about fiction, in’it?…