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Ozzy Osbourne has hit another career high with his first-ever career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his hugely successful and critically acclaimed “Patient Number 9” album (Epic). Today (December 12) the album’s “One Of Those Days” (featuring Eric Clapton) reached No. 1 on the rock radio…

In a new interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program “Wired In The Empire”, vocalist Johan Hegg of Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH was asked to name the METALLICA song he would like to cover with his bandmates. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Oh,…

In a new interview with QFM96’s “Torg & Elliott” radio show, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson was asked if he has ever met somebody famous that he was “in awe” of. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yes, that has happened, and it was [THE BEATLES legend] Paul McCartney. I didn’t know…

If you need to jack into the essence of a classic amp, but don’t have a room full of vintage treasures, there are a lot of authentic digital roads to those destinations. But few are as fun, fast, or convenient as UAFX’s new amp emulation pedals. When I checked out the AC30-inspired Ruby not too long ago, I was surprised by how visceral, organic, and exciting the Ruby felt. The same can be said for the Woodrow ’55, UAFX’s 5E3 tweed Deluxe emulation reviewed here.For unadulterated excitement, it’s hard to beat a real 5E3 Deluxe. The combination of lively cleans (at least at lower volume), saturation, squish, and a hot, sometimes downright explosive side makes the 1955 to 1960 Deluxe one of the sweetest and nastiest 15 watts in amplifier history. The fact that the Woodrow wrings so much of the 5E3’s tactile sensations and sensitivity from digital origins is impressive. That it captures so many of the unexpected treats that come from the 5E3’s famously, sometimes mysteriously, interactive tone and volume controls is a bonus, too.Primal Pine SensationsRelative to some of its UAFX amp emulation siblings, the Woodrow, like it’s 5E3 inspiration, can seem austere. Where the Ruby and the black-panel-Deluxe-inspired Dream feature rich reverb and tremolo emulations, the Woodrow, true to spec, is without either. Instead, you get a boost control with options for Echoplex EP-3 or Korg SDD-3000 preamp simulations or a more transparent boost. Like the other pedals in this series, the Woodrow also has switchable speaker emulations. Here, they include Celestion Greenback- and Celestion Blue-style speakers, which add a touch more headroom and midrange throatiness, and the raspier, more vintage-correct, and arguably more thrilling Jensen P12R simulation. These speaker settings are critical to setting the scene and extracting the most authentic tweed-like sounds—especially if you pair the Woodrow with a tube amp at lower volume. Using the UAFX Control App, you can switch these emulations out for three cabinet simulations, including a Bassman 4×10, a Marshall 4×12, and a Fender 1×12 with a JBL. The latter two, in particular, are a gas.Like the Ruby and Dream, the Woodrow has a master output that’s useful for sourcing properly aggressive Deluxe textures at lower volume. But it’s interesting to experiment with how you can combine the Deluxe tones with a little extra push from the output to fashion extra-complex drive sounds. Because a 5E3 has a single tone control—and because the tone control’s functionality is integral to shaping 5E3-style tones in an authentic way—the Woodrow, too, utilizes a single tone knob, where the Ruby and Dream have treble and bass controls. That leaves room for UA to include a room ambience control borrowed from the company’s OX cabinet emulator. And the extra atmosphere is often a great fit and subtle softening agent for the most compressed and spiky output from the pedal.Deeper ConnectionsA lot of players will be perfectly content to use the Woodrow in front of an amp and leave it at that, but the Woodrow’s connectivity options open up scads of opportunities. For starters, you can bypass your amp’s preamp section via an effects loop (if your amp has one). You can route direct to a PA or cabinet. And, of course, Woodrow can be plugged directly into your DAW. These tones, too, are pretty impressive—particularly if you download one of the more adventurous cabinet emulations. In a mix, I doubt you’d hear too much lacking in the Woodrow’s approximations of 5E3 magic. And, at times, I’m sure I would relish the extra flexibility the Woodrow imparts to tracking via that process. Even so, it’s hard to get past how alive the Woodrow sounded in a room through any of a number of tube amps. Given my druthers, I’d take the Woodrow this way. But the option to go direct with such compelling results is worth a great deal. The VerdictThe Woodrow ’55 feels more like an amp than a drive pedal, which is how most lesser, analog amp-in-a-box pedals feel at the end of the day. It’s not inexpensive. This is a high-quality pedal with a lot of research and development behind it. But if you thirst for the sonic sensations, thrills, and expressiveness of a tweed Deluxe and are reticent to pay the price in dollars or space, the Woodrow’s ability to span the expanse between a pedal solution that comes up short and the real deal makes the price look, in practical terms, like a real bargain.Universal Audio Woodrow ’55

Jupiter Island residents Jason Newsted and Nicole Newsted return to Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta, Florida with “Like Mind”, an exhibition showing their individual large and small-scale work. Curated by Janeen Mason and sponsored by First Republic Bank, iHeartRadio and Jupiter Magazine, the exhib…

PRONG has recruited Jason Bittner (OVERKILL, SHADOWS FALL) to play drums for the band on its upcoming European tour as the support act for LIFE OF AGONY.
The first leg of LIFE OF AGONY’s “30 Years Of River Runs Red” tour will kick off in Europe on January 13 in Bochum, Germany and end in Milton Keyn…

In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, MUSE frontman Matt Bellamy revealed an appreciation for Yngwie Malmsteen after Classic Rock’s Amit Sharma pointed out that a lick in the MUSE song “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween” sounds like something the legendary Swedish guitarist might play.
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PANTERA will be one of headliners of the 2023 edition of Rock Fest, set to take place July 13-15 in Cadott, Wisconsin.
“Securing this act was a really big deal for us,” festival promoter Wade Asher said. “We really wanted this for our fans. I mean, their first U.S. tour in over two decades. Christma…

New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL will embark on the 2023 leg of their “Killfest” European tour in April.
The dates are as follows:
April 13 – Bochum, Germany – Zeche
April 14 – Zwolle, Netherlands – Hedon
April 15 – Osnabrück, Germany – Hyde Park
April 16 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys
April 1…