Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Zakk Wylde ’s new signature edition guitar instruction collection titled ‘Guitar Apprentice’ is now available exclusively at Guitar Centers in the U.S. as of Oct. 1 and now the leader of the Black Label Society has released a humorous clip to promote his rock ‘n’ roll lessons. Recorded live at Wylde’s on Black Vatican studio in Los Angeles, Calif. ‘Guitar Apprentice’ takes a song and methodically breaks it down to fifteen different levels of playing so anyone can follow along. Starting with one chord, users work their way up to playing all the guitar parts including all headbanging solos, but at their own pace. The set offers detailed explanations of all the details from signature rhythm patterns to tones and even pedals and gear. In the clip below Wylde barks out ‘This ain’t no video game!’ to the camera, but it actually was a video game that inspired the project. Wylde told MusicRadar.com that when the developers of the project approached him they asked him what he thought about the ‘Guitar Hero’ video franchise. “I said it was awesome,” Wylde said. “Who knows – you could have the next Jimmy Page or Dimebag or Yngwie coming out of that thing. Some kid starts out on that, and eventually he says, ‘Man, I want to get a real guitar.’ That’s what you want to happen. To me, anything that promotes the guitar is good.” Wylde also noted that this isn’t easy, so be prepared. “We’re talking from a very beginner to being about to play the solo to f—ing ‘Crazy Horse’,” Wylde explained. “And you can do it, too, but you have to put in the hours. You’ve got to practice and get your technique together. But it’s all there, man.” Head over to www.guitarapprentice.com for more information on the Zakk Wylde Signature Edition Guitar Apprentice. Watch Zakk Wylde’s Video Teaser for ‘Guitar Apprentice’
Fin Costello/Redferns, Getty Images Picking the 10 best Metallica songs might just be the hardest thing we've ever tried to do. As one of the most successful and internationally recognized bands around, Metallica's discography includes nine studio albums and over 40 singles, all created and released over the course of more than three decades. This huge catalog is the foundation for Metallica's success that has now reached beyond the world of music, whether it be a critically acclaimed documentary or their own music festival or an in-the-works 3D movie that showcases their one-of-a-kind live concerts. As fans eagerly await the band's next studio album, we've racked our brains to a mushy pulp to come up with this list of the 10 Best Metallica Songs: ? 10 'Fuel' From: 'ReLoad' (1997) ? ? 'Fuel' is the most popular tune from 1997's 'ReLoad,' and it is hard to argue against it being one of Metallica's best songs. With the ferocious intro delivered a cappella by James Hetfield, the song never lets up for the four and a half minutes it runs. 'Fuel' definitely serves up the fastest-paced and most in-your-face song from 'ReLoad' – and arguably outshines any tune on the band's previous album, 'Load.' Listen to 'Fuel' ? ? 9 'Fade to Black' From: 'Ride the Lightning' (1984) ? ? Call it a ballad if you must, but 'Fade to Black' is one of Metallica's best songs if for no other reason than it shows just how talented the band really is. Being Metallica's first true slow song, it covers the theme of suicide and is the first track that guitarist Kirk Hammett received co-writing credit on. Despite being slow-paced, the tune still conveys brutality and intensity, whether it's through Hetfield's lyrics or Hammett's guitar solos. Listen to 'Fade to Black' ? ? 8 '…And Justice for All' From: '…And Justice for All' (1988) ? ? One of the most complex songs in Metallica's catalog, '…And Justice for All' stretches to nearly 10 minutes long. Due to its complexity and length, it has been a rarity for fans to enjoy the song live at Metallica concerts. However, the common absence of the song from setlists does not make it any less powerful. The band's fans had high expectations following 'Master of Puppets' and with the '…And Justice for All' title track, Metallica proved that they were still on top of the metal world. Listen to '…And Justice for All' ? ? 7 'Battery' From: 'Master of Puppets' (1986) ? ? Selecting the order of tracks for 'Master of Puppets' was no doubt a hard task, but picking 'Battery' to open the album was a stroke of genius. The song opens with an acoustic guitar riff – just like the opening track of 'Ride the Lightning' — that leads into the band joining in with full-on power and intensity. The song is one of current bassist Robert Trujillo's favorites as he requested to begin his audition with Metallica by jamming on the tune, further cementing late bassist Cliff Burton's legendary status. Listen to 'Battery' ? ? 6 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' From: 'Ride the Lightning' (1984) ? ? 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' is inspired from the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, and is one of the most-played songs at Metallica concerts. It has become a fan-favorite no doubt due to that unique opening that sounds like a guitar, but is actually the sound of Cliff Burton playing a bass fed through distortion. 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' was first released as a promotional single, which meant it never hit the charts. Listen to 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' ? ? 5 'Seek & Destroy' From: 'Kill 'Em All' (1983) ? ? 'Seek and Destroy' first made its debut on Metallica's demo tape, 'No Life 'til Leather.' Thirty years later, it still stands out as one of the band's premiere songs. Since around 2004, it has been the staple tune the band jams on to end their live shows. With obvious influences from bands like Diamond Head and Saxon, 'Seek and Destroy' has turned into an anthem for Metallica fans throughout the world. With the piercing opening guitar riff to the brutal lyrics of “ Running / On our way hiding / You will pay dying / One thousand deaths ,” everything builds up to the climactic and powerful chorus: “ Searching / Seek and destroy! “ Listen to 'Seek & Destroy' ? ? 4 'One' From: '…And Justice for All' (1988) ? ? The last single to be released from '…And Justice for All,' 'One' sets itself apart as one of the best songs recorded by Metallica because of its build-up from a slow, clean, haunting opening to a heavy, fast and absolutely shattering ending. That ending features an unforgettable solo from axeman Hammett as well as an earth-shattering display of Lars Ulrich's double-bass drum kit. To make the song even better, Metallica recorded their first music video around it, a dark video that splices together footage from the 1971 anti-war film, 'Johnny Got His Gun,' with shots of the band playing the song. Listen to 'One' ? ? 3 'Enter Sandman' From: 'Metallica' (1991) ? ? 'Enter Sandman' might have one of the most recognizable guitar riffs around, and as the first track, sets the stage for Metallica's self-titled 1991 disc (aka The Black Album). With a dark theme that follows a child and his nightmares, one of the most memorable moments in Metallica's career comes when producer Bob Rock's son recites the line 'Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep' alongside Hetfield. Nowadays, fans can hear the song in a number of places outside of the album, including football games, baseball games and a slew of other athletic events. Listen to 'Enter Sandman' ? ? 2 'Creeping Death' From: 'Ride the Lightning' (1984) ? ? Taking their cue from the Bible, specifically the book of Exodus, Metallica deliver an instant thrash classic from their second studio album. Packed with Metallica's signature sound, the highlight of the song has also turned into a staple at Metallica's live show. After a blistering guitar solo and about four minutes into the song, the chanting of 'Die! Die! Die!' makes 'Creeping Death' a song Metallica fans will always bang their heads to. Listen to 'Creeping Death' ? ? 1 'Master of Puppets' From: 'Master of Puppets' (1986) ? ? One of heavy metal's best songs ever, 'Master of Puppets' opens with a crushing guitar riff that carries the tune for over eight and a half minutes. The dynamic opus that covers the theme of drugs and addiction has become a mainstay in Metallica's live set. It's been covered an innumerable amount of times by bands of several different genres, and was reportedly Cliff Burton's favorite Metallica track. While fans will argue over this for years to come, 'Master of Puppets' tops our list of the 10 best Metallica songs of all time. Listen to 'Master of Puppets' ? ? What's on Your List of the Best Metallica Songs? Now that you've seen our list of Metallica's best songs, what do you think we missed? With nine studio albums, it was nearly impossible to cover every epic song released by the legendary band. Should there have been a tune from 'Death Magnetic?' More from the 'Black' album? What about a cover song from 'Garage Inc.?' Sound off and let the debate begin in the comments section below! [button href=”http://ultimatemetallica.com” title=”Next: Click Here for All Things Metallica” align=”center”] ?
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke all about his enthusiasm for the band’s upcoming tour with Dethklok, All That Remains and The Black Dahlia Murder, as well as the band’s very successful album ‘Unto the Locust’ and why Machine Head isn’t sticking to a specific timeline for the next album. If you missed Jackie’s show, read the full interview with Phil Demmel below: First and foremost, I saw Phil randomly in Las Vegas recently and as it turns out we should congratulate Phil who is now married. So, congratulations! Thank you very much, yeah we bumped into each other in the lobby and you were there for the convention and I was there I actually jammed out with Steel Panther that weekend. Yeah we got it done – kind of impromptu but yeah I married the love of my life. [Note: Demmel recently married Bleeding Through’s Marta Peterson.] That’s the way to do it too, there’s no planning and craziness. Anybody who I’ve known who’s gotten married and gone throw all that it seems like exhausting all the picking things and who to put at what table. You guys did it right, congratualtions. Yeah we had both been married previously and we just wanted it to be us, so we’re selfish and that’s what we did. [Laughs] Machine Head is part of the North American tour with Dethklok that was announced recently, also All That Remains and The Black Dahlia Murder. It’s starting at the end of October, what a great line-up. Are you excited about being on tour with Dethklok? Had you seen Dethklok before? You know I’ve seen bits and pieces of the cartoon and not really all too familiar with it but I know that it’s a whole different demographic that’s coming to a Machine Head show and touring with bands like All That Remains and Black Dahlia it’s such a diverse group and such a cool, eclectic bill. I’m looking forward to touring with all of the bands, I think it’ll be great. Phil, now that you’ve got the distance of a whole year since it was released what’s changed about what you like about your last record ‘Unto the Locust.’ The record is my favorite Machine Head record, I’ll revisit every once in a while and I’ll get stuck on a tune that really grabs me but the constant has been ‘Darkness Within’ we’re kind of working on doing a radio push for the song and we did a video for it – kind of a real f—ed up video, it’s only available on YouTube [ after debuting on Loudwire ]. Yeah, it’s been a year – kind of crazy but Machine Head records have that steady lock, we’re not in a rush, we milk them out as long as we can. You’ve played with Rob Flynn for something like 30 years, going back to Vio-Lence in the ’80s, what aspects of those earlier years together still come into play as the foundation of Machine Head in 2012 and beyond? I think in the previous band we played together, there was a different dynamic in the fact that, that was my band – I was the main song writer for that band and he kind of came in as this new part of that. So that dynamic has been 180 where that’s my role in Machine Head now but still kind of geeking out on guitarists and learning stuff and playing stuff together. We still have that real symmetry when we get together and our harmonies – we know when each other’s going to go somewhere and we just have that really weird connection so that’s been the constant through our playing together. We’re men now, we have children [Laughs] it’s been 25 years but that’s been the one constant. What are your preparations for such a rigorous tour schedule having been diagnosed with Cardiogenic Syncope. It’s been a while since my last episode on the road. I was dealing with the death of my father in 2007 and went on the Mayhem tour and then a tour with Hellyeah directly after that so hanging out with Vinnie Paul [Laughs] wasn’t the most sobering of tours for sure. It’s really easy to do being a touring musician, especially in a metal band, it’s around you every night, it’s easy to fall into that – just getting drunk every night and self medicating and just numbing down feelings that you should be processing at some point. We were on the Mayhem tour and I had an episode and I decided to stop drinking and that’s when all these feelings I had been numbing down, all these emotions came to me and it coincides with the condition that I have and it really affected me. I was having these pass outs sometimes half a dozen in a day, I wouldn’t tell the band about them, it happened on stage a couple times and we had to pull off the Slipknot European tour at the very end. It was just time for me to clear my had with a lot of these issues and going through depression, it was just a process I had to go through. It’s been gone through – I think in ’09 it was the last episode I had onstage. It helps being with the girl that I am who keeps me really grounded and helps me. [Laughs] The last time I saw Dethklok, you guys played that day too – Dethklok played that first Mayhem date in San Bernadino not this past Mayhem but the Mayhem before. I think it’s going to be an awesome crowd between fans of the two bands and even the openers as well. I think it’s going to be a diverse group of metal fans that are all going to be coming together. Are you looking forward to bringing in a different crowd? Absolutely, it’s the main reason Machine Head is doing this tour – all the different bands that are on here to reach the people that wouldn’t normally come to a Machine Head show. I didn’t get a chance to see them at that Mayhem date, I had my son and my now wife with me and had to drive them back home after we played. I’m looking forward to seeing those guys who are crazy good musicians and the All That Remains guys are awesome guitar players and Black Dahlia too. The musicianship on this tour is going to be crazy good. Phil, the last three albums from Machine Head have been separated by four years time, does that mean that there won’t be a new Machine Head album until 2015 or are new ideas already being developed? I think that Robb is putting some stuff together, I have a couple ideas and maybe [drummer Dave] McClain has been working on some stuff too. The reason for the last one taking so long was that we got offered all these crazy tours. We thought we were about to wind it down and then Slipknot said, “Hey come on, let’s tour the world” and then Metallica comes around and says “Hey let’s go tour all over the place” you can’t say no to the biggest metal bands in the world. We don’t know what’s going to happen, we didn’t plan it that way, we’re not planning to have that big of a space between these but if the big bands come around again and want us to go we’re definitely going to go. We have an idea to kind of fill the gap but I don’t think I can really talk about how that’s going to be but we’ve got something in the works that might fill the gap. I’m going to be as vague and vanilla as I can. There will be something coming up pretty soon that’s going to make that happen. We want to keep it fresh, we want to keep the ball rolling and all the momentum that we have with ‘Locust’ going. I don’t think it’s going to be that long in between. You guys take your time, I think that sometimes bands make a mistake of sticking to some sort of timeline and some promise of dates or whatever and I guess you can’t really control creativity or when it’s going to come or how long it’s going to take. Props to your guys for doing it on your own terms, for when you felt ready. Yeah that’s exactly how we operate too, it amazes me how these bands go “Oh yeah we’ve got like 25, 30 songs that we’ve written in six months” and it’s like oh geez – granted a Machine Head tune is sometimes between 8 to 10 minutes long but that’s just how we operate. We’re comfortable in just letting the song simmer and letting the album just kind of cook and when it’s ready then it’s time to go. It’s nice having that opportunity and luxury to do. If we didn’t have that we might be putting out less quality records in a shorter amount of time. Full Metal Jackie will welcome David Vincent of Morbid Angel on her next show. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com In this week’s edition of Loudwire’s Top 20 Countdown, Three Days Grace remain steady at the top spot with their single ‘Chalk Outline’ off of their new album ‘Transit of Venus.’ Halestorm come in at No. 2 for the third week in a row with their single ‘I Miss the Misery’ off of their latest album ‘The Strange Case Of…’ Papa Roach hold still at third place with their single ‘Still Swingin,’ while Linkin Park move up a couple of spots to No. 4. Seether move down a spot to round out the top five with their track ‘Here and Now.’ Shinedown ‘s ‘Enemies’ has jumped seven spots this week to come in at No. 10. Other tunes on the list include Slash ’s new single ‘Standing in the Sun’ featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators, as well as Stone Sour ’s fresh track ‘Absolute Zero.’ Soundgarden coming in at No. 7 with their brand-new single ‘Been Away Too Long’ off of their forthcoming disc ‘King Animal.’ All that Remains also appear on the list for this week to round out the Top 20 with their new tune ‘Stand Up (Stand Up)’ of off their new record ‘A War You Cannot Win.’ Check out the Top 20 songs below and be sure to tune in to Loudwire Radio this weekend to blast these tracks at full volume. Loudwire Radio Top 20 Songs of the Week: 20. All That Remains, ‘Stand Up (Stand Up)’ 19. Volbeat, ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ 18. Pop Evil, ‘Purple’ 17. Aranda, ‘Satisfied’ 16. Gaslight Anthem, ‘45’ 15. The Black Keys, ‘Little Black Submarines’ 14. Five Finger Death Punch, ‘Coming Down’ 13. 10 Years, ‘Backlash’ 12. Adelitas Way, ‘Criticize’ 11. In This Moment, ‘Blood’ 10. Shinedown, ‘Enemies’ 09. P.O.D, ‘Lost in Forever’ 08. Stone Sour, ‘Absolute Zero’ 07. Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ 06. Slash, ‘Standing In The Sun’ 05. Seether, ‘Here and Now’ 04. Linkin Park, ‘Lost In The Echo’ 03. Papa Roach, ‘Still Swingin’ 02. Halestorm, ‘I Miss the Misery’ 01. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Solid State Records After 15 years, seven albums, Grammy and Dove award nominations and 1.3 million albums sold, the metalcore band Underoath has announced they are calling it a day. The band will release a retrospective album ‘Anthology 1999-2013′ on Nov. 6 via Solid State Records. “It’s sad to say that we feel like it’s time to close this chapter, but we have never seen things more clearly,” says vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. “These have been the best years of my entire life, and I owe that to every single person who ever supported this band along the way. This wasn’t a quick decision by any means. It’s just time for us to move on.” The compilation will include songs from all of Underoath’s albums, from 1999′s ‘Act of Depression’ through 2010’s ‘Ø (Disambiguation)’. In addition to previously released material, the collection also includes two newly recorded songs: ‘Sunburnt’ and ‘Unsound,’ the final material recorded by the band. Fans will get a chance to see Underoath one last time, as they are planning a farewell tour. “Over the past decade or so of our lives, we have been able to live a dream traveling the world, playing music that excites us, and meeting more amazing people than we could have ever fathomed,” says keyboardist Chris Dudley. “This couldn’t be a more bittersweet moment for us. We have accomplished more, met more friends, seen more places and have just done more than we could have ever imagined, and we really wanted to just go out on the highest note possible.” “That’s why we have put together a group of great friends and musicians for what will be our final tour ever,” Dudley continues. “We are taking every moment of this tour as an opportunity to say goodbye to you all, as well as celebrate what has taken place over all these years. The love we have and the debt of gratitude that we owe to all of you is not able to be measured in any way.” More information about the farewell tour, which will embark in 2013, will be announced soon. “We don’t take this very lightly and it’s heartbreaking for all of us,” Chamberlain says of the band’s announcement, “but all good things must come to an end. We love all of you and hope to see you again soon.” Underoath – ‘Anthology 1999-2013′ Track List 1. ‘Sunburnt’ 2. ‘Unsound’ 3. ‘In Division’ 4. ‘Catch Myself Catching Myself’ 5. ‘Paper Lung’ 6. ‘Desperate Times, Desperate Measures’ 7. ‘Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear’ 8. ‘In Regards To Myself’ 9. ‘You’re Ever So Inviting’ 10. ‘Writing On The Walls’ 11. ‘A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White’ 12. ‘Reinventing Your Exit’ 13. ‘It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door’ 14. ‘I’ve Got Ten Friends And A Crowbar That Says You Ain’t Gonna Do Jack’ 15. ‘When The Sun Sleeps’ 16. ‘Cries Of The Past’ 17. ‘Heart Of Stone’
Kevin Winter, Getty Images The year of 2012 was supposed to find a reunited Black Sabbath playing festivals all over the world. But due to guitarist Tony Iommi’s battle with cancer and drummer Bill Ward ‘s absence because of a contract dispute, they only played three shows, all minus the band’s original stickman. Ward was recently interviewed by Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes as part of the six-part Vice series ‘Black Sabbath and the Birth of Heavy Metal’ (watch below), and spoke about his current situation with Sabbath. In regard to his relationship with Sabbath members and what might happen in the future, Ward said, “There have been some very uncomfortable situations in the last six months. We’ll see how that works out. But I stand for myself today. As much as I love them… I’ll always play; that’s my life.” Ward adds,”If there’s some longevity with Black Sabbath, then I’d like to be a part of it. I wanna play hard rock. I wanna play loud drums. I love playing with Terry (Geezer Butler], I love playing with Ozz (Ozzy Osbourne) and I love playing with Tony (Iommi). When Tony opens up with huge chords, I still get the same shiver up my back that I got when we were 18-year-old kids. It ain’t gone away. It’s still there.” In a recent interview , Osbourne and Iommi did not close the door to a Ward return. “There was no row. There was no argument,” Osbourne said. “The door ain’t closed. Whether we work something out up the road, I don’t know.” Tony Iommi echoed those sentiments, adding, “It’s not a personal thing. If he phoned us up tomorrow, which he hasn’t, but if he did…” Sabbath are also working on a new album, and if Ward is to rejoin his former bandmates in time to play on it, the clock is ticking. [button href=”http://www.vice.com/on-the-road/on-the-road-black-sabbath-and-the-birth-of-heavy-metal” title=”Watch ‘Black Sabbath and the Birth of Heavy Metal’ Video” align=”center”]
Roadrunner / Nuclear Blast The battle between Gojira and As I Lay Dying became pretty fierce in its closing hours, with the Death Match songs being separated by less than a one-percent difference. As the match came to an end, Gojira received a huge push from their fans, clinching the competition in its final moments. With two wins under their belt, Gojira and ‘The Axe’ will now face one of black metal’s most legendary acts. Enslaved enter this week’s Death Match with their new track ‘Veilburner’ from the band’s upcoming 12th album, ‘RIITIIR.’ The veteran Norwegian black metallers have been going strong since 1991 and have been releasing a steady stream of albums since their 1994 debut, ‘Vikingligr Veldi.’ Can Gojira make their next step on their way to Death Match Hall of Fame immortality? Or will the black metal legends freeze the French metal outfit in their tracks? The choice belongs to you. Vote for your favorite track now! (This Death Match ends on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 10AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Gojira, ‘The Axe’ Enslaved, ‘Veilburner’ ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Death Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the weekly winner of the Death Match, as well as our top stories of each day. Email Rules of Death Match Two bands fight to the death each week. Fans can vote once per hour. The triumphant band goes on to compete in the next Death Match. If a band wins four straight Death Matches, its song will be honored as immortal in the Loudwire Death Match Hall of Fame.