Rock Through the Ages

--NEWS--

~~ Past and present may be meeting as it has been heard that Jack White of the White Stripes, and Keith Richards of legendary rock band The Rolling Stones may be working together and writing some music. It could be interesting to see what these two blues inspired musicians come up with. Also Richards is interested in getting the Stone back together to record a new album in which Jack White himself may produce. ~~

~~ After taking a year off progressive rock legends Rush may be getting back together. The band was said to be very worn out from their last tour which promoted their album "Snakes and Arrows" in which they played at least 120 shows. The band said they hope to have a new album next spring with a tour to follow in the summer. ~~

~~ In what could be some of the biggest concert news of all time, metal god Kerry King of Slayer has spoken of rumors that Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is posting a bill for a tour that would feature Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. Four of the most established and well known metal bands in the world. If Anthrax would not be available then Machine Head would be another sutiable option. If this tour does in fact go down, it could be huge. Stay posted for more as it develops. ~~

~~ Rocker Rob Zombie released his sequel to his 2007 vision of famed horror franchise "Halloween" last weekend. The film earned close to $17 Million in its opening weekend. Next up for Zombie is the release of his new album this fall with a tour to accompany. He will also next be directing his own version of "The Blob" and his animated horror comedy "The Haunted World of El Superbeasto" is set to hit Blu-ray on September 22nd ~~

~~ The Foo Fighters are releasing a greatest hits album on November 3rd. This will commemorate the band's 15 year anniversary. The album will feature two new songs by the group titled "Walk Forward" and "Wheels". The Foo Fighters are currently on a break after their last major tour. ~~

~~ Flyleaf have finally announced the follow up album to their 2005 debut album. The new album titled 'Memento Mori" will launch on October 27th, 2009. The album title is a latin phrase meaning "Be mindful of death". ~~

~~ Creed, the band fans love to hate, is currently on their reunion tour and are slated to release their new album "Full Circle" on October 20th. The album will be produced by Seether/Three Days Grace producer Howard Benson" ~~

~~  off the stage and broke his shoulder and he had to have stitches in his head. Aerosmith was headlining this tour with guest host ZZ-Top ~~

~~ Jimi Hendrix has been named greatest electric guitarist ever by fans of Time Magazine. Hendrix earns this legendary status by beating out the likes of Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton. ~~

~~ Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine is close to finishing a deal with Clear Channel radio broadcasters to have his own radio station. Mustiane will use the channel to play music he enjoys. He will also interview bands he enjoys and the bands he is on the road with. Wonder if he will have any of the Tallica boys on there, I think not.

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  Nightwish


Band Members
Anette Olzon (Vocals)
Toumas Holopainen (Keyboards & Piano)
Erno "Emppu" Vourinen (Guitars)
Marco Hietala (Bass Guitar & Vocals)
Jukka Nevalainen (Drums)

 Nightwish is the brain child of the band's keyboard player Toumas Holopainen who just wanted to"make some of his own music" and has written ninety percent of the music for the band and all lyrics.Nightwish is the leader of symphonic metal which combines the traditions of metal via heavy guitarsand pounding double bass drums with grand orchestras and choirs. They combine fantastical musical and lyrical ideas with more realistic and heartfelt ideas as well.

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Metallica

 Band Members
James Hetfield (Vocals & Rhythm Guitar)
Kirk Hammett (Lead Guitar)
Robert Trujilio (Bass Guitar)
Lars Ulrich (Drums)

Metallica is a heavy metal band that started in the early 1980's. Through their nearly three decade career they have adapted to many styles of music within the rock/metal genre. From trash to speed metal, frommainstream rock to blues. They have done it all, even recorded a performance with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Metallica is a band that tries to please everyone.

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Black Sabbath



Band Members
Ozzy Osbourne (Vocals)
Tony Iommi (Guitars)
Geezer Butler (Bass Guitars)
Bill Ward (Drums)

The band that started it all, Black Sabbath. They are the originators of the metal genre. With theirheavy guitars and horror/occult inspired lyrics they started a trend and style back in 1969 that stillinspires bands to this very day. The band has been through many members, twenty two in total, but theoriginal line-up that made such hits as "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" is the one that people remember most.

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Nirvana



Band Members
Kurt Cobain (Vocals & Guitars)
Dave Grohl (Drums)
Krist Novoselic (Bass Guitars)

Nirvana burst onto the scene in the early 1990's when the music scene was all about hair metal. Thatscene was more about the look then the music and it was getting out of control. Nirvana came in with one amazing song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and just blew everyone away. Overnight everything changed, the musicbecame more important again thanks to their re-born punk sound and Kurt Cobain's powerful lyrics that actually had meaning. Theyintroduced a new subgenre into the rock scene known as "grunge" which dominatedthe first half of the 90's. Just as the band was hitting it's peak tragedy struck. Their gifted, yet tortured, singer committed suicide. Nirvana was an amazing band that left their mark on society and will never be forgotten.

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Led Zeppelin

Band Members
Robert Plant (Vocals)
Jimmy Page (Guitars)
John Paul Jones (Bass Guitars & Keyboards)
John Bonham (Drums)

While Black Sabbath started the movement of metal in the world, Led Zeppelin built upon it, expanded it and prefected it. Using the blue print of heavy guitar riffs and strange lyrical content created by Sabbath they took itto another level. Creating even stranger, more mystical lyrics and adding the idea of sex into alot of its lyrical content they created someting smart and interesting. Not content with just the sound of metal, they added blues and folk music sounds into their style and created something truly dynamic. There will never be another band like Zeppelin, from Pages amazing riffs to Plants howling vocals and Jones grooving bass lines and Bonham backing it all up with great precussion. Zeppelin is often called the best band of all time and its easy to see why.

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Cream

Band Members
Jack Bruce (Lead Vocals & Bass Guitars)
Eric Clapton (Guitars & Vocals)
Ginger Baker (Drums)

A powerhouse of musicians that called themselves Cream, because at the time of formation of the band,each individual member was the "cream of the crop" in the world in the blues and jazz genres. They came together to create a holy trinity of musicianship and pushed blues, jazz, and hard rock together. Cream had a short musical career that only lasted about 3 or 4 years, but in that time they made such an impact and created such a legacy that they changed the landscape of music forever. Their music foreshadowed the way music would go with bands like Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Rush. After the demise of the band each member would go their own way, but nothing could beat the work they each did here.

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Alter Bridge

Band Members
Myles Kennedy (Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitars)
Mark Tremonti (Lead Guitar & Vocals)
Brian Marshall (Bass Guitars)
Scott Philips (Drums)

In 2004 the record selling group Creed fell apart, the band members had a difference of interest with their lead singer Scott Stapp, and decided to part ways. The remaining trio in the musical section of the band picked themselves up and found a new singer in Myles Kennedy. The band unleashed their sound upon the world, a sound of hard rock that called back to the days of Zeppelin and Cream. Creating songs with uplifting lyrical content with heavy rock and roll sound containing powerful double bass drums and blistering guitar solos that have made lead guitarist Mark Tremonti a modern guitar god who's name may someday stand with the likes of Jimmy Page and Peter Frampton. Alter Bridge is poised to bring the old sound of rock back from the 80's.

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Alice In Chains


 

Band Members
Layne Staley (Vocals)
Jerry Cantrell (Guitars)
Sean Kinney (Drums)
Mike Starr (Bass Guitars)

One of the bands that emerged in the time of the "grunge" era and got pegged with that title, Alice in Chains was so much more then that. The Seattle based band took the brooding atmosphere of Seattle and put it into a heavy metal format and created very dark and powerful music. The powerful guitar of Cantrell along with the harmonizing on vocals of Cantrell and Staley created a haunting sound that may never be duplicated again. The death of Staley's fiancee in 1996 put the band on hiatus. Staley never quite got it back together and after a decade of drug abuse, Staley passed away. The band have since reunited with a new singer, William DuVall, but who knows if the band will be the same without Staley, and his tortured voice, in the lead.

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Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble



Band Members
Stevie Ray Vaughan (Guitars & Vocals)
Tommy Shannon (Bass Guitars)
Chris Layton (Drums)

It was once said by the Vaughan family, that Stevie Ray would play his guitar so much that the skin on his finger-tips would fall off and he would glue them back on so he could keep playing! Now who knows if this is true or not, but with the way Stevie played it wouldn't be hard to believe. Stevie played his Fender Stratocaster to prefection in the realm of blues and rock, he played rhythm and lead parts and would sing as well. His back up in Shannon and Layton would keep his crazy playing in focus with their in the pocket rhythm. Stevie played throughout the 80's until his addictions took him out of action for awhile, he got clean and went back on the road and was in the middle of a big comeback, when tragically, in the early morning of August 27th 1990, he was killed in a tragic plane accident. Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of a kind and there will never be another who could play quite like him.

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Rage Against the Machine

Band Members
Zack de la Rocha (Vocals)
Tom Morello (Guitars)
Tim Commerford (Bass Guitars)
Brad Wilk (Drums)

Rage Against the Machine's name tells what this band is all about, raging against the machine. The machine being the goverment or any sort of political power and their conspiracies and evil doings. The band is famous for combining the sounds of metal and rap with their politically charged lyrics. Zack de la Rocha tears through these lyrics with an anger so powerful it is hard not to take notice. While guitar-hero Tom Morello plays his guitar to not even sound like a guitar, he makes it sound like a turn-table or other weird not common sounds thanks to his use of effects and pedals and even, at one point, an allen wrench. Tim C plays more of the rhythm with his bass then Morello does, playing a more funk sound with his bass and it all comes together to make a very unique sound. The band doesn't just sing about it, they back their message up, attacking the "machine". Playing outside of goverment conventions and even getting arrested for their video for "Sleep Now in the Fire" when they appeared outside Wall-Street and tried to get into the "belly of the beast" as they said, and all the footage in that video is what really happened. The band broke up in the early 21st century for reasons truly unknown. But many wonder what they would do with the modern state of the world.

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Aerosmith

Band Members
Steven Tyler (Vocals)
Joe Perry (Guitars)
Tom Hamilton (Bass Guitars)
Joey Kramer (Drums)
Ray Tabano (Guitars)

Once when asked what his band was all about singer Steven Tyler said simply "It's all about sex" and he was right. Aerosmith, known as "America's greatest rock and roll band" has taken the power of sex and combined it with the blues to create a sound that has carried them through almost four decades. From "Love in a Elevator" to "Train Kept a Rollin" Aerosmith knows sex sells and that the whole world is buying, and has made a career out of it. The band has just about done it all in their career, even being the first band to get their own Guitar Hero game.

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Within Temptation



 Band Members
Sharon Den Adel (Vocals)
Robert Westerholt (Guitars)
Martijn Spierenburg (Keyboards)
Ruud Adrianus Jolie (Guitars)
Jeroen van Veen (Bass Guitars)
Stephen van Haestregt (Drums)

Another child in the symphonic metal world, the Dutch based band Within Temptation leans more towards the symphonic side of it, creating mind-blowing melodies with orchestras and choirs. It's not to say there aren't heavy guitars and pounding precussion, because there are, they use the orchestra side to create more larger then life sounds more often then not. The glue holding both sides together is their goddess singer Sharon Den Adel, who is neither opera sounding nor metal sounding, she lies dead in the middle of both terrains and can be more low key and angry one song and then high pitched and powerful the next. They create lyrical content that is uplifting and can be dramatic at times, ranging from the way we treat mother Earth to standing up for what you believe in.

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The White Stripes

 

Band Members
Jack White (Guitars & Vocals)
Meg White (Drums & Vocals)

In the mid 1990's blues had mostly been forgotten about. Nobody was really playing the blues anymore, until a guitar player by the name of Jack White came along and revived the simple, yet elegant, ways of the genre. He formed a band with his then wife Meg White (they are now divorced) and with just his blues sound, mixed with some punk elements for good measure, and her simple drumming rhythms they struck gold. Overtime he became a hero of guitar players everywhere by taking something old and putting a new spin on it and creating catchy songs in the process. Through their career Jack and Meg have taken the genre by storm and combined so many different genres with their blue/punk sound and have become the world's most popular not so famous band.

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Pink Floyd



Band Members
David Gilmour (Vocals & Guitars)
Roger Waters (Bass Guitars)
Rick Wright (Keyboards)
Nick Mason (Drums)

Pink Floyd is the premier space rock band. They have created a sound all their own which was psychedelic, progressive, and electronic. They are the inventors of larger then life music, with their epic songwriting and philosophical lyrics that all came together to create a labyrinth of not just audio, but visual as well. You don't just hear a Pink Floyd song, you experience it. You visualize these amazing stories and experiences they create. Their stage shows were giant productions as well to accomodate the feel of the music. This band was the precursor of psychedelic and smart music that inspired later bands like White Zombie and Tool and maybe even the whole symphonic metal genre, where it just wasn't about music, it was about creating an experience.

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Guns N' Roses



Band Members
Axel Rose (Vocals)
Slash (Lead Guitar)
Izzy Stradlin (Rhythm Guitar)
Duff McKagan (Bass Guitar)
Steven Adler (Drums)

Guns N' Roses could have been the biggest rock band in the world, but imploded all too soon. The band formed in the late 80's and brought a edge back to the hard rock scene that handn't been around since the days of the Rolling Stones. The band exploded with their album "Appetite for Destruction" with the lead single 'Welcome to the Jungle" and took off like a bat out of hell becoming one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Fronted by one of the most controversial frontman ever, Axel Rose, whom you would never know what he would do on stage or say in the public, the band became even more famous from his antics. Every album became bigger and crazier as Axel and his strange ideas took center stage. This would cause the band to eventaully implode as the band didn't feel like a band anymore with Axel taking control. The other members left the band in the mid 90's and would, almost a decade later form Velvet Revolver while Axel would find a whole new group of musicians and reform the band in the new millenium and release 2008's album "Chinese Democracy". The band will mostly be remembered  for this line-up and their hit songs like "Sweet Chid O' Mine", "Paradise City", and "November Rain".

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Foo Fighters



Band Members
Dave Grohl (Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar)
Greg Shiflett (Lead Guitars)
Taylor Hawkins (Drums & Vocals)
Nate Mendel (Bass Guitar)

After the death of Nirvana lead man Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl decided to move on and form a new band. He switched from being the drummer to playing guitar and singing the vocals of the songs. The Foo Fighters were born in 1995 with just Grohl doing all the instrument work on the first album. He then created a whole band to go along and tour with him. He created fun, yet rocking songs, and brought a kind of old fun rock mentallity back to the genre  in what Ghrol once called "sloppy rock".  As the band grew, it lost a few members until it made this line up in 1999 and has been this line up ever since. From their humble beginnings of their first hit "Learn to Fly" up to their epic rock songs like 'The Pretender" The Foo Fighters have grown into hard rock veteran and Grohl is a sure fire Rock and Roll hall of famer.

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Muse



Band Members
Matthew Bellamy (Vocals, Guitars, Piano)
Christopher Wolstenholme (Bass Guitar)
Dominic Howard (Drums)

Formed in the UK in the mid 90's for fun under the name "Rocket Baby Dolls" for a battle of the bands competition. The band would proceed to win and then decided to take themselves seriously, they changed to Muse, and things would never be the same. The british band would use a fusion of music genres to make their sound; progressive rock, classical, and electronica among these. The band would bring a whole new meaning to "alternative". With Matthews amazing tenor voice the band would add the final touch to make themselves completely different. Each album becomes bigger and more grand and epic causing a return for larger then life arena rock.

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Queen



Band Members
Freddie Mercury (Vocals)
Brian Mays (Electric Guitars)
Roger Taylor (Drums)
John Deacon (Bass Guitars)

British rock band Queen is a band very well know for their simple recognizable hits. From the pounding beat of 'We Will Rock You" to the super catchy bass line of "Another One Bites the Dust" the band knew how to make simple and effective hits. They also created larger then life arena rock songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody". Queen was a band of many colors able to combine rock, pop, alternative and even a slight hint of classical elements to their songs. Flamboyant front man Freddie Mercury also stood out as being different and an enigma to some. His powerful voice gave the band its larger then life sound. As the band hit its peak of popularity they were hit with a tragedy when singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS on November 24th, 1991. Gone but never forgotten, Queen still "rocks you" to this very day.

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Killswitch Engage



Band Members
Howard Jones (Vocals)
Joel Storetzel (Guitars)
Adam Dutkiewicz (Guitars)
Mike D'Antonio (Bass Guitars)
Justin Foley (Drums)

The front band and most well known band of the current era of "Metalcore" music, Killswitch Engage started right before the new millenium and were around for many years. It wasn't until singer Jesse Leach quit the band due to his bouts with depression that the band found Howard Jones and they proceeded to take off. Metalcore is known for its angry powerful verses and melodic choruses and Killswitch supplies that, but its the amazing rhythmic shifts and Howards voice that make them stand out more and make them, to many, the most heavy and melodic band that stands right now.

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AC/DC



Band Members
Brian Johnson (Vocals) [Bon Scott vocalist from 1974 to 1980]
Angus Young (Lead Guitar)
Malcolm Young (Rhythm Guitar)
Cliff Williams (Bass Guitar)
Phil Rudd (Drums)

Born from the same great country that gave us Arnold Schwarzenegger, Australia gave birth to AC/DC in the early 70's which was a boom time for metal and hard rock. The band found success with their simple chord progression and crazy vocal styling of Bon Scott. Tragedy struck in the band on February 19th,1980 when Scott was found dead from acute alcohol poisoning. The band thought of calling it quits until they found Brian Johnson and wrote one of the genres most well known albums "Back In Black". Throughout the years the band has received criticism for their simple style and lack of change, but they found their niche and stuck with it and people love them for it. The band still rocks out to this very day and has just relesed a new album and shows no signs of slowing down. AC/DC is one of the true legends of hard rock.

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Green Day



Band Members
Billie Joe Armstrong (Vocals & Electric Guitar)
Mike Dirnt (Bass Guitar)
Tre Cool (Drums)

Much can be said about Green Day, a band that took their name in what was to be believed for their fondness of marijuana. The band throughout their years has taken the pop and punk genre by storm. The band started out, and got famous, for their silly subject matter like bordem and masturbation, but over the years have grown up and changed their style and experimented. Going back to punk roots and becoming slightly more political with their lyrical content they created the 2004 album "American Idiot" and took off into the stratusphere. They became a more outspoken and smarter band. Green Day is never one to repeat themselves and experiment and in 2009 released the album "21st Century Breakdown" which was a rock opera concept album. The band has twisted the punk genre all over the place in their two decade career and has gone from being a fun band to a smarter one.

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A Perfect Circle



Band Members
Billy Howerdell (Lead Guitars)
Maynard James Keenan (Vocals)
Jeordie White (Bass Guitars)
Josh Freese (Drums)
Danny Lohner (Rhythm Guitars)

Conceived by Billy Howerdell who is the guitar tech for many bands including Tool, whos frontman is singer Maynard James Keenan. The two would form a bond over their years in Tool and Howerdell would play Keenan some demos of songs he had ideas for and Keenan wound up liking them and the rest is history. What was to become was a melodic alternative band, who could create beautiful imagery through their music but could still have a heavy streak as needed. The band is currently on hiatus but has promised more amazing music down the road.

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Lacuna Coil



Band Members
Christina Scabbia (Vocals)
Andrea Ferro (Vocals)
Christiano Migliore (Guitars)
Marco Baizzi (Guitars)
Marco Coti Zelati (Bass Guitars & Keyboard)
Christiano Mozzati (Drums)

Cut from the cloth of the goth/symphonic metal world started by bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil has made a name for themselves by focusing more on the metal side with their downtuned guitars and heavy riffs. Also their use of two lead vocalist mixes things up. With Andrea Ferro bringing more of a heavier and quicker pace while metal goddess Christina Scabbia blows everyone away with her powerful voice that is neither too soft nor too heavy. With every album the band takes their signiture sounds and molds it and makes it a bit different. From the darker side of "Comalies" to the heavier "Karmacode" and finally the slightly more pop sound of "Shallow Life" the band knows how to stay original and rock out while never losing their core sound.

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Alice Cooper



Vincent Damon Furnier whom is better known to us by his stage name Alice Cooper. Cooper is known for being the original "shock rocker" which consisted of his angry and sometimes horror themed lyrics and his outrageous dark appearance. Cooper's music is like a chameleon in its ever changing shape, in his well over 30 years in the business he has dabbled in punk rock, hard rock, art rock, pop rock, new wave, and industrial rock. He was the first to create larger then life live shows, with fake blood, boa constrictors, electric chairs, guillotines, and so much more on stage. He became  the voice of a youth forever with songs like "I'm eighteen" and "School's Out" but his horror themed songs like 'Raise Your Fist and Yell" and "Feed My Frankenstein" brought him in the horror crowd as well. His music and stage show would inspire many shock rockers over the years, the likes of Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and to some degree Ozzy Osbourne in his solo days would all be inspired by Cooper.
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