There are some albums in the history of music that are just a cut above the rest. Whether it’s due to the album being launched at the band’s peak, the timing of a release, or a shift in the genre of music. Every band’s goal in this business is to progressively build and hone their sound … Read more Pantera’s ‘Far Beyond Driven’ Turns 21
I love After The Burial. Last year when Devildriver did our co-headline tour of North America and we chose opening acts, John Boecklin and I picked these guys. I first discovered them by seeing their hilarious Guitar World lesson videos online. Upon further listening, I just absolutely fell in love with these guys. Lead by … Read more Justin Lowe And Trent Hafdahl Are Leading the Next Generation of Guitarists
In Flames are one of the biggest bands to ever come out of Sweden, cultivators of the Gothenburg sound that has been emulated by countless bands, sick musicians, and all around nice guys. I have been lucky to tour with these fine gentlemen on many occasions. Their personalities only reinforce their talent and musicianship; they … Read more 2112: The Place Where Meat and Metal Join Forces!
Adversity is a term that means many different things to different people. For some, adversity is something easily dealt with, a common every day term. Other people on the opposite end use the term as something that brings their lives to a standstill. While certain people are able to easily deal with the hardships in their … Read more How Adversity Defines Our Character
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Iron Maiden. In fact, they are probably one of my favorite bands, next to Metallica. Since I have been a teenager I have had an absolute affinity for these guys and just really cannot get enough of their music. Beyond being a fan, their music has … Read more My Top Ten Iron Maiden Tracks
Pickups in your guitar can dramatically change many things. There are certain characteristics that every guitar possesses and the first way to check to see how a guitar sounds is literally sit down with an electric and – with new strings on – strum some notes on it and see how it sounds. Obviously, there … Read more My Top 5 Guitar Pickups
What do you think of when you hear the name “Dimebag Darrell?” Most people would say that it would be his true talents and mark that he left on music. Yes, this is in fact what I think of as well. However, there is much more to it. Amidst the greats, there are other flaws and … Read more Why Dimebag Darrell’s Talent and Spirit Make Him The Greatest “Metal” Guitarist Of All Time
I hope that everyone had a great Halloween filled with fun, candy and whatever else makes you happy. For me, it is definitely one of the best times of year. Even though people consider it a “holiday”, it really isn’t. If anything, it is more synonymous with the end of summer and the beginning of … Read more Jeff Kendrick’s Top 5 Musical Scores From John Carpenter’s Films
I am an avid guitar pedal collector and right now possess almost 50 pedals from BOSS to Electro Harmonix. There is something so simple about having a small box that has just a few controls on it, with its sole job being to create a chorus, delay or phaser effect. In fact, for many years, I … Read more My Top 10 Favorite Effects Pedals
I find that people who don’t necessarily like metal music or whoa re teetering on the fence at least can say “I could listen to this in the gym.” There seems to be some general acceptance that in the gym, hard metal is a great fuel while you are doing squats or pummeling your last … Read more Jeff Kendrick’s Top 10 Workout Tunes