Jason Roche

Marty Friedman recording his new solo album at Dave Grohl's Studio 606; Credit: Courtesy Marty Friedman

How Ex-Megadeth Guitarist Marty Friedman Became a Superstar in Japan

As I take refuge from the hot August sun and enter Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Northridge, heavy metal guitarist Marty Friedman is taking a break from recording his new solo record. Friedman is conversing with a fellow band member and analyzing playback of tracks recorded that day. The conversation......
Watain; Credit: Linda Akerberg

The 10 Scariest Metal Bands

When you are deep inside the heavy metal bubble, you can sometimes forget how some of the more extreme imagery, lyrical content and even band names sound to those on the outside. Casually dropping in conversation that you are going to the Eyehategod show or that you just picked up......
Black Sabbath - performing Saturday; Credit: Ross Halfin

Knotfest for Sabbath Fans and Ozzfest for Slipknot Fans: The Lineups, Decoded

Four decades’ worth of heavy metal fandom will converge upon the San Manuel Amphitheater this weekend for Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. Two well-established heavy metal festival brands are merging together for the largest American heavy metal event of 2016, with Saturday’s Ozzfest lineup headlined by one of Black Sabbath’s final performances,......
Behemoth

The 10 Best Live Bands in Metal Right Now

Last year, Spotify named fans of heavy metal the most loyal music fans in the world. While metal fans keep coming back over and over again to their favorite albums, lifetime band allegiances are mostly won in the live arena. In a genre where album sales are rarely enough to......
Dragged Into Sunlight; Credit: Brian Sayle Photography

The Top 5 L.A. Metal Concerts to See in July

5. Dragged Into Sunlight Saturday, July 16 Complex This U.K. act is one of the more unpleasant-sounding bands in heavy music. Of course, in the world of extreme metal, that’s a good thing. Dragged Into Sunlight cake their sludgy riffs in suffocating layers of caustic grime, most evident on their......