Interviews

Devin Townsend Interview by Evan Berry

Following Devin Townsend’s career has been a diverse musical journey through the many facets of his compelling personality. First introduced to the world as Steve Vai’s lead vocalist on 1993′s Sex & Religion, Townsend quickly flexed his talents as a guitarist, songwriter, and producer with Strapping Young Lad where his darker emotions could run amok. Not content to hide his lighter side he released a slew of solo albums on his own HevyDevy records. While still toeing the blacker waters of metal, Townsend’s solo career found him submerged in more progressive tides as his complex and honest personality shined through. After disbanding Strapping Young Lad in 2007, he began work on a four-album series called... Read More →

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Reviews

Gary Moore – Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 2010

Though his passing earlier this year registered as little more than a blip in Rolling Stone, the loss of Gary Moore proved all too heavy to the rock world. Moore wielded his guitar mastery for more than four decades, lending searing solos and riffs to a dizzying line-up of projects. While he never enjoyed a tenure for more than a few albums with any one outfit, he’s rubbed shoulders with Thin Lizzy, the Traveling Wilburys, Albert King, and even Andrew Lloyd Webber. Rest assured you’ve heard his playing, if not from his own hands, then through the many guitar heroes he’s inspired: Kirk Hammet, Vivan Campbell, Joe Bonamassa and litany of other esteemed six-stringers cite Moore as a capital influence. With his life cut tragically... Read More →

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Lessons

Stepping Out: A Guide To Playing Outside (Part 1) by Thomas Williams

INTRODUCTION Playing ‘outside’ is a term synonymous with jazz rock/fusion guitar players. Within traditional forms of jazz this term is replaced by ‘using chromaticism.’ In blues, country, and folk forms it’s called ‘blue notes.’ In everything else it’s considered ‘the wrong notes.’ In all forms, however, the common goal is to play a note that clashes against the background harmony in order to create tension and thus reinforce resolution when it arrives. By definition, this could mean anything that is not heard in the chord – even notes that we consider as extensions, derived from chord scales. We must therefore… (Continue)

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Artist Masterclasses

Tony MacAlpine Masterclass

[Tony's 7-string Ibanez guitar is tuned to Standard Tuning for all examples in this Masterclass: B E A D G B E]. Tony likes to incorporate arpeggios into his playing in sequential patterns, whereby a given arpeggio shape can be repeated in different octaves across the fretboard. In this example, he uses hammer-ons, pull-offs, and tapping to outline a Dmaj7 arpeggio shape.

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Artist Licks

Artist Riff: Alex Bois of Periphery Plays ‘Frak The Gods’

Periphery’s Alex Bois demonstrates some of his favorite riffs from the devastating Battlestar Galactica-inspired ‘Frak The Gods’ off the band’s Icarus EP.

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News

PAUL WARDINGHAM Announces Forthcoming Release THE HUMAN AFFLICTION

Click To Enlarge Picture Australian guitar shredder and producer, Paul Wardingham, has announced The Human Affliction as the title of his new instrumental cyber metal album. Wardingham, who released his acclaimed debut... Read More →

MESHUGGAH Announce New Album Title

Sweden’s extreme, technical metal band MESHUGGAH have chosen KOLOSS as the title to their eighth studio album, set for North American release on March 27th and European release on March 23rd. Drummer Tomas Haake has... Read More →

T.R.A.M. To Release Debut Album on February 28th (Mars Volta, Animals As Leaders, Suicidal Tendencies)

It’s extremely rare to come across a new band that just flips the script of conventionality throwing caution to the wind, but the debut effort from T.R.A.M. does just that while blazing a trail of creativity that will... Read More →

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