Tribute albums are a dime a dozen these days. Whether it’s a string quartet homage to a metal band or a half-assed holiday collection, conjuring up an original concept is a challenge. Producer A.J. Confessore created an unusual one near and dear to his heart, Whole Lotta Love: An All-Star…

For over 25 years, Grammy-nominated shock rockers GWAR have assaulted our senses with punk and metal aggression, outrageous monster costumes, bloody stage shows and disgusterific anthems. Their twelfth and latest album, the metallic Bloody Pit Of Horror, continues that sonic and visual manifesto with testosterone-laden tunes like “You Are My…

Six-string master Joe Satriani resides in an unusual place in the music industry these days. At a time when the divide between gold and platinum selling artists and cult musicians is widening, the middle tier has been eroding, but the Long Island native has managed to maintain his position…

It’s already time again for the annual video gift guide round-up—by the way, where the hell did 2010 go?!?—and this holiday season promises a plethora of cool releases. A lot of the hot ticket items are on Blu-ray, but there are also a fair number of DVD goodies to…

When singer Stephen Christian calls The Aquarian from the road, he’s in both an upbeat and contemplative mood, which is appropriate given the thematic landscape that his group Anberlin have carved out on their fifth album, the superlative Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place. It is a record…

Reunions can be a dicey proposition depending upon how they come about. While money is always a factor, artistic integrity is also important. In the case of the excellent new Accept album Blood Of The Nations, the famed German rockers took an unusual turn. While they had done reunion shows…

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?…