All posts in Featured

Frontiers Music Srl will release the latest album from ENUFF Z’NUFF, “Finer Than Sin”, on November 11.
Now fronted by singer and bassist Chip Z’nuff for their last three studio albums, including THE BEATLES covers album “Enuff Z’Nuff’s Hardrock Nite”, the band is still delivering its patented infect…

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor says that “the world is less cool without” Joey Jordison in it.
The founding SLIPKNOT drummer died “peacefully in his sleep” in July 2021 of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.
Taylor addressed Jordison’s death in a new interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music 1….

Pioneering thrasher brings hell to the stage with signature ESPs, Silver Jubilees, and a few key tone titillators.If you’re a devoted follower of the Rig Rundown series, you’ve probably noticed our recent rash of thrash. We’ve featured nearly every corner of the genre—heavyweights Megadeth, torchbearers Anthrax, revivalists Municipal Waste, and, now, pioneers Exodus get their (re)visit. Their four-decade reign and 11 gnashing albums are brimming with sinister, trouncing, wood-splitting riffs and vividly vicious narratives. And the blade of this chainsaw collective is its longest-tenured member, fretboard flyer Gary Holt, whose last Rig Rundown appearance was in 2015.During the afternoon of Exodus’ middle slot for the ongoing The Bay Strikes Back tour—featuring neighbors Testament and Death Angel—at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, Holt’s tech Steve Brogden invited PG’s Perry Bean onstage to catalog the thrasher’s setup. In this RR, Brogdon details the murderous axes, custom cabs, and more that Holt is packing into the trailer and onto the stage.Brought to you by D’Addario Nexxus 360 Tuner.GoldilocksThis custom-shop goldtop edition of Gary Holt’s ESP GH-600 signature might look familiar because it spent a lot of time out with him when he filled in for Jeff Hannemann during Slayer’s last tours. His signature model is based on the company’s Eclipse single-cut body shape. In typical fashion for Holt, it’s loaded with EMG 81R/89R active pickups and a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo. The axe has been upgraded with FU-Tone performance hardware components. Holt calls this one “Goldy.”The model comes stock with a mahogany body, 3-piece mahogany neck, and a Macassar ebony fretboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets. Holt alternates between two sets of signature strings from Von Frankenstein Monster Gear—Toxic Rocks (.009–.052w) and Collateral Damage (.009–.060w)—that are a collaboration with Rig Rundown alumnus Doyle of the Misfits.Purple ReignHere’s another custom-shop ESP GH-600 signature that has the same specs as Goldy, but is a remarkable single-cut salute to Prince.Officer Holt, Reporting to RockThis custom-shop creation from ESP gives Gary Holt the authority to shred your face off. Same specs as before, but this one features a real badge from the police force of Holtville, California. Shotgun shell casings make up the volume and tone knobs.Bullets on the BoardAn impressive build already, the craftsmanship was elevated when the Japanese custom-shop luthiers took the ends of spent shell casings from Gary’s collection and put them into the fretboard, starting at .50 caliber and ranging down .22. Gary mentioned off camera that it was a struggle to get the bullets into Japan—which has strict gun control laws—for the ESP crew to build into his custom order.Camaraderie with KirkTo honor his longtime friendship with former Exodus bandmate and fellow ESP endorsee Kirk Hammett, Holt purchased this ESP LTD Kirk Hammett EKH-3 Spider 30th Anniversary single-cut.Awesome ArrowThis ESP custom-shop endeavor centers around their Arrow model and has all the same specs as the previous guitars. It also has the FU-Tone hardware upgrades, like the others, but features the first FU-Tone add-ons finished in white.Auctioning an EclipseAt every show, Gary rips on one of his ESP LTD Gary Holt GH-600 for a few songs and sells it to a lucky fan who gets an all-access reception, including a backstage hang, a peek at soundcheck, and plenty of photo ops with the thrash legend. If you were at the Nashville show and bought a GH-600 from Gary, this is probably your guitar.Jubilee JamboreeBack in 2015, Holt was using a Kemper Profiler that revolved around a replication of his beloved 1980s JCM800 that featured a Langer mod. He’s back plugging into tubes and has landed on the famed Marshall 2555X Silver Jubilee. One is his main and the other a backup.Creepy Crawly CabsGary’s duo of Silver Jubilee 2555X heads hit a fearsome foursome of signature light-up 4x12s specially built by Arachnid Cabinets out of Sacramento, California. These cabs all rock Celestion Vintage 30s, are constructed with dovetail joints, and use marine-grade Baltic birch. They are illuminated with LEDs and each has a Holt-designed sigil on its center. The cabs are color coordinated with the axes Gary plays on each song.Racked For RockHolt trusts most of his switching to his tech, Steve Brogdon, who triggers everything with a rack-mounted Voodoo Lab GCX Guitar Audio Switcher that coordinates with a Voodoo Lab Ground Control MIDI Switcher. The pedals in the travel case include a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive, Pro Tone Pedals Gary Holt Mid Boost, Maxon OD-9, MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, Maxon FL-9 Flanger, TC Electronic Corona Chorus, Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, and a Darta Effects Bonded by Delay. A BBE Supa-Charger Power Supply gives juice to the stomps.Gary’s GoodiesWhile Brogdon makes the changes for Holts’ rack-living pedals, Holt still stomps these boxes himself. His proper pedalboard is home to a Does It Doom Doomsaw, Mooer Tender Octaver, Mooer Green Mile, and a Dunlop JC95SE Jerry Cantrell Special Edition Crybaby Wah. A Shure GLXD16 Digital Wireless Guitar Pedal System lets him rock untethered.

Sammy Hagar has once again weighed in on the proposed all-star VAN HALEN tribute concert, saying “would love to play music” with Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony again.
No progress has been reported on a possible VAN HALEN tribute show since April when former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted reveal…

Following their headlining set at the Bloodstock Open Air festival in August, Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD have now shared a live video for “Omens”, the title track of their upcoming album. With their set both crushing and scorching in equal measure, the video footage was captured during…

Danish/American rockers VOLBEAT have shared the live video “Shotgun Blue – Official Bootleg Live from San Diego” which was captured at the San Diego show on their recent 26-date “Wait A Minute… Let’s Tour”. The clip serves as a preview for “Volbeat – Wait A Minute… Let’s Tour: Live From San Diego”,…

MÖTLEY CRÜE’s Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee played two of the band’s classic songs at last night’s (Tuesday, September 27) Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
Sixx and Lee were introduced to the stage by Hawkins’s FOO FIGHTERS bandmate Dave Grohl, who told the crowd: “Taylor a…

Miley Cyrus joined members of DEF LEPPARD on stage at last night’s (Tuesday, September 27) Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California to perform the band’s 1983 hit “Photograph”. Sharing the stage with Cyrus, Joe Elliott, Rick Savage and Phil Collen for the “Photograp…

SKID ROW has released the official music video for its latest single, “Time Bomb”, taken from the band’s upcoming album “The Gang’s All Here”. The clip was helmed by director Dale “Rage” Resteghini (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GUNS N’ ROSES) whom SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan sought out to realize his…