Chris M. Junior

There’s no mistaking Metallica‘s thick guitar attack and Lou Reed‘s spoken, attitude-driven vocals in ‘The View,’ a 38-second sample of which can be heard now online in advance of their joint album, ‘Lulu.’

It’s not too late to rename it Nirvanathon. Over the course of 12 hours, local performers from Canada will take a crack at playing the Nirvana anthem ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ 144 consecutive times as part of the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche art festival in Toronto on Oct. 1.

The drummer slot in Black Label Society has seen a lot of turnover in recent years. Former drummer Will Hunt left in early 2011 to resume his role in Evanescence. This fall, the band is touring with Judas Priest. The man in charge of, as Black Label frontman Zakk Wylde puts it, “holding down the foundation of the black cathedral” will be former Breaking Benjamin drummer Chad Szeliga.

A friendly rivalry, trying to be better than the next guy — members of Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer all have a slightly different way to describe their relationship with one another back in the day. They’re on good terms lately, proven by the fact they’ve shared the same concert stage this year in California and New York, collectively billed as the Big 4. And while the metal bands are s

Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine obviously lives by the motto “the show must go on.” After reportedly spending Tuesday in a hospital bed due to a neck-related injury, Mustaine and his band rocked Yankee Stadium in New York on Wednesday night along with fellow Big 4 bands Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer. But prior to the concert, Mustaine dropped some heavy news: he needs surgery to fix the damage. Read

Former Guns N’ Roses/current Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash has been part of some iconic TV moments, such as the Michael Jackson 30th anniversary special in 2001, the 100th episode of ‘South Park’ in 2003 and the Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show in 2011 with the Black Eyed Peas. It’s not too soon to add this one to his impressive list: Playing guitar during actor Charlie Sheen’s Comedy Central roast,

With his third solo album, 2009′s ‘Scream,’ Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell surprised and frustrated longtime fans by abandoning heavy guitars and exploring more pop- and hip-hop-flavored textures. So what should the Soundgarden faithful expect from the recently reunited band, which is working on its first studio album since 1996? According to Cornell, something unlike its back catalog, but not n

Parting ways with a major record label can devastate or invigorate a band. For the Used, it seems to be the latter. Singer Bert McCracken says his Utah-bred group will release its near-finished fifth studio album, ‘Vulnerable,’ in early 2012 on its own Dental Records.

Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor and Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield are among the classic and contemporary hard rockers who have selected the 17 songs for the new Judas Priest compilation, ‘The Chosen Few,’ due Oct. 11.

Last year, Courtney Love was a no-show in London at an impromptu gig by her revived band, Hole. Last week, Love served as a pinch hitter of sorts when another notable and controversial rocker, Motley Crue singer Vince Neil, backed out of his scheduled pre-Fashion Week performance in New York.

Finishing fourth on ‘American Idol’ isn’t necessarily detrimental to a music career, especially for singers whose registers are best suited for rock. Things have turned out just fine for Chris Daughtry, season five’s fourth-place finalist. And so far, the likelihood for sustained success is looking good for the season 10 equivalent, James Durbin, who recently signed a contract with Wind-up Records

Certain guitarists are known for playing certain makes and models. Jimi Hendrix was quite loyal to the Fender Stratocaster. Former KISS member Ace Frehley has made a good living with the Gibson Les Paul. And AC/DC‘s Angus Young has a thing for the Gibson SG. For Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, the electric guitar he’s probably most identified with is the Fender Jaguar. By mid-to-late September, musici