A fan of REVOKER has posted some awesome mosh pit footage from a gig that the band played recently and you can see that clip below:

Catch REVOKER in a town near you throughout February, March and April – click here to find tickets and dates on our Tour Page.

MEGADETH performed a rare acoustic set for WRIF Radio in Michigan last week, which was also broadcast live on the internet. The full performance included the single ‘Public Enemy No. 1′ from the latest album TH1RT3EN, an awesome version of ‘A Tout le Monde‘ featuring Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil amongst other great MEGADETH tracks. Check it out below:

Pick up a copy of MEGADETH’s latest album TH1RT3EN by clicking here.

SLIPKNOT‘s Joey Jordison spoke to Hardrock Haven recently and they discussed SLIPKNOT, drumming and much more. Check out an extract from the interview below:

Hardrock Haven: We can’t wait either Joey; these will be very special shows! Last year you released the 10th anniversary edition of Iowa, when you look back over those recording sessions now what comes to mind?

Joey Jordison: It’s weird because I don’t listen to my own music all that much. You go on tour for eighteen months on each record and you get sick of it, the bittersweet thing though is when you have time away from it and the same thing was with the 10th anniversary release of the first record, I listen back to it and I go “oh my god”, I remember everything about how it came up, the result, the energy. Remembering those times, I think to myself “my god how the fuck did we create this”? It blows me away and it’s the same with ‘Iowa’. When we went to do the interviews and explain how the record was made, you remember everything but you want to get into the vibe of it, so you listen to the record and you’re like… man we were in a dark ass fucking place when we made that record! There’s no acting whatsoever on any Slipknot record. Every time I listen to our records I can’t just listen to a song, if I listen to one Slipknot song, I’m in for the long haul, I have to listen to it all the way through. Every time I listen to one of the Slipknot records I’m honestly blown away and very proud of what we’ve done.

Hardrock Haven: And so you should be mate! As we know drums are usually tracked first in the studio, when you enter a studio to begin a recording process you have the foundations of a song mapped out already from pre-production, but do you walk in knowing exactly what you want to capture or is it more spontaneous?

Joey Jordison: Well that’s the thing, by the time I get into the studio I have the main structure down of what I am doing in a song and I’ll do three or four of those takes, usually the first and second takes are the best; then I’ll do three or four where I’ll alternate and change every fill. I don’t even think about the song when I do those takes, I just go and have fun with the song then I’ll listen back to them and actually say that works better and incorporate that in. Sometimes on the fly you’ll come up with something that you didn’t think of.

Hardrock Haven: I’ve spoken with some drummers that say they play for at least 4 -5 hours a day, others who only jump on and warm up minutes before hitting the stage, how often and for how long do you practice?

Joey Jordison: Actually, since I’ve been writing and in the studio… I’m just talking about recently, probably about six or seven hours. By the end of the night your arms and legs are jello! That’s pretty much how long I’ve been practicing recently, when I’m on tour I don’t over practice because I like the show to be exciting it’s almost like if you track a certain song so many times you start to lose interest, it’s always when you play it the first time that it’s exciting. I make sure on the road that my arms are loose and my bloods pumping, my legs are stretched properly otherwise on the road I really don’t practice all that much, but at home I practice all the time!

Click here to read the full interview over on Hardrock Haven.

Pick up a copy of SLIPKNOT’s Special 10th Anniversary Edition of Iowa by clicking here.

SLASH has revealed a third webisode from the studio and although these updates are awesome, it’s making us want the album NOW! The recent studio clip looks beyond the band – behind every great album is a brilliant producer: enter Eric Valentine. Check it out below:

OPETH‘s Mikael Akerfeldt is gracing the cover of Classic Rock Presents Prog this month and you can see the cover below. In this issue Classic Rock Presents Prog have announced their 2011 Reader’s poll and OPETH have come up trumps and toppped the poll! There are a few other familiar face with DREAM THEATER, PORCUPINE TREE and RUSH in the list too.

And if that wasn’t enough, there is an awesome six-page feature on Mikael’s side project with Steven WIlson, STORM CORROSION. The feature includes some awesome quotes from Mikael including ‘I think our music allows us the freedom to do a punk record next of we want to’, as well as some stunning shots of the pair. Find out more and pick up a copy by clicking this link.

Brice Ezell of Pop Matters has selected his 10 Best Progressive Rock Albums of the 2000s and the list includes some familiar faces. See below for an extract about how Brice compiled the list as well as the Roadrunner artists who made the cut:

The following list is, I think, a fair snapshot of the decade’s quality prog releases. (One area I’m aware my list is lacking in is female prog musicians, which is an area I’m trying to expand my knowledge). Some will likely say that my appreciation of Steven Wilson-involved projects is much like the obsession with Radiohead that many critical magazines hold, and to some extent that is a fair comparison. He does appear on four out of the following ten albums, a considerable feat for any prog musician. I think, however, this is reflective of his skill as a multi-talented performer and producer, as well as his importance to progressive rock as a whole. In a sense, this list is not only a reflection of the many great efforts of progressive artists, but also a tribute to the the style’s most important musician of the last decade.

4. DREAM THEATER – Octavarium (2005)

Dream Theater has seen better days. The band released two of the ‘90s’ best prog albums, Images and Words(1992) and Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999). With this last decade, the group released some great material early on, only to move into generic prog territory as the new millennium went on. But with this 2005 release, Dream Theater took a bold move in crafting an album that demonstrated not just ts prog skills but also its ability to play on other genres. The prog stuff is stronger than the other styles the group take on, but the latter experiments for the most part work. Sure, the U2-aping ballad “I Walk Beside You” is a little corny, but it’s catchy, and the beautiful piano work on “The Answer Lies Within” manages to overpower the song’s cheesy inspirational lyrics. All of that aside, only one cut is necessary to mention to establish this album’s greatness: the all-encompassing title track, a 24-minute tribute to all that progressive rock was and still is. Beginning with a Continuum solo by the always-excellent Jordan Rudess and ending with an orchestra backing what might be John Petrucci’s greatest guitar solo, the song is breathtaking. Never once in during its runtime does it ever lag or get boring; it’s captivating through and through. “Octavarium” is a titanic achievement not just for Dream Theater, but for progressive rock as a whole. If the song’s finale doesn’t send chills down your spine, listen again. They’ll be there.

Pick up a copy of the album from iTunes.

2. OPETH – Blackwater Park (2001)

Since the release of Blackwater Park,Opeth has put out five stellar recordings, each memorable in their own right. The band’s consistency is impressive: after ten studio albums, most artists will likely have taken a misstep somewhere. As a result of the group’s ongoing innovation and quality, it’s somewhat easy to forget the brilliance of its older recordings. This is but one reason why Blackwater Park remains the pinnacle of Opeth’s achievement; over ten years after its release, it still feels vital and unique. Most importantly, it’s the best the band has done in balancing the death metal so prevalent in its early work and the progressive rock that would flourish in their later LPs. Each track on the record is a great one, but one speaks to Blackwater Park’s excellence more than the others: the title track, a 12-minute masterpiece that weaves folk, powerful metal riffing, and some gorgeous jazz guitar together into an instant prog classic. The album concludes with the best lyric couplet of any prog album ever written: “Sick liaisons raised this monumental mark / The sun sets forever over Blackwater Park.” As the harshly growled lyric gives way to a gorgeous acoustic coda, it becomes clear why Opeth remain one of progressive metal’s greatest treasures.

1. PORCUPINE TREE – Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)

While it is Porcupine Tree’s best album of the Aughts, the Public Enemy-referencing Fear of a Blank Planet is not its most important. That title belongs to 2002’s breakout album In Absentia, which changed the sonic direction of the group for the rest of the decade. The straightforward prog rock of Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun was now being joined by prog metal stylistics (no doubt influenced by Steven Wilson’s involvement with the recording of Blackwater Park) and electronic elements. But while In Absentia may have been the game changer for the band, Fear of a Blank Planet reveals how Porcupine Tree perfected its game. Like many prog rock LPs it’s a concept record, but it’s never clich

After 20 years at the forefront of heavy metal, Adam Duce is on top of the world. In the latest issue of Bass Guitar Magazine, the MACHINE HEAD rhythm man talks to Joel McIver about his career, as well as touching upon some of the sweet gear that Adam owns! Click here to find out more and to pick up a copy of the magazine, out today! Check out the awesome cover below, taken by the talented Tina Korhonen:

Pick up a copy of MACHINE HEAD‘s latest album ‘Unto The Locust’ by pointing your mouse in this direction.

The very meaning of the word fan covers how dedicated you lot are to the bands that you love but sometimes we meet one or two of you who take that meaning to another level. One such fan is Russ Collins. He emailed us last year asking for hi res versions of the artwork for ‘The Hunter’ as he wanted to continue his collection of MASTODON album tattoos. Russ sent us some pictures from the session and of the final tattoo – it’s a hella big and totally kick ass! You can check out some of the pictures in the slideshow below:

Not bad, huh?

Keep up to date with all things MASTODON by clicking this link.

HALESTORM are set to unleash their eagerly anticipated album, ‘The Strange Case of…’ on the 9th of April and in anticipation of the release, the band have revealed a video for the track ‘Love Bites (So Do I)‘…just in time for Valentines Day!

Pick up 4 tracks from the upcoming album on the ‘Hello, It’s Mz Hyde’ EP that was released earlier this month by clicking here.

You can also pre-order HALESTORM‘s new album ‘The Strange Case Of…’ along with label mates SHINEDOWN‘s new upcoming album ‘Amaryllis‘ together from Play.com and get

How to buy your first proper electric guitar? For most fledgling guitarists, price is the bottom line. Or maybe you are a gigging musician looking for the best bang for your buck? Back in July 2009 MusicRadar solicited your opinions in a quest to find the ultimate entry-level electric and the resulting bloody battle saw Epiphone’s ES-335 Dot come out on top of 20 other instruments to be crowned the best guitar under