Metal Mondays: All Hail Jim Marshall’s Black Wall

See also: The 10 Hottest Chicks in Heavy Metal So, the Revolver Golden Gods are this week. Screw you if you’re going. Yeah, I didn’t plan wisely. Too busy bumbling about how Dungeon and Dragon nerds are more metal than you (guaranteed a ton of those dudes planned ahead) and…

Metal Mondays: The 10 Hottest Chicks in Metal

See also: Those Dungeons and Dragons Nerds Are More Sane Than You While heavy metal is a lifestyle to some people, to many it’s just a fashion statement. Take Gossip Girl Taylor Momsen of the Pretty Reckless, for example. She dresses like a hooker, flips people off, and publicly talks…

Megadeth’s Dave Ellefson: “Why I’m Trying to Become a Pastor”

You gotta hand it to American thrash metalheads Megadeth. For as rocky as their successful road has been, the band has done great job at keeping things surprising. Just last week, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine made headlines by announcing his endorsement of far-right presidential candidate Rick “Please Don’t Google My Last…

Hip-Hop Hybridist Moe’Z Art Isn’t Short on Ambition.

Does any label evoke doubt more than “white rapper?” For every Eminem, there are a dozen Vanilla Ices. “I agree there are authenticity issues with white rappers, and I think just rappers in general have some authenticity issues,” says Phoenix’s Moe’Z Art. Good thing Morley Simon Gordon, a.k.a. Moe’Z Art,…

Children of Bodom @ Marquee Theatre

You know, if Bob Larson, the Scottsdale-based exorcist who tried to draw the devil out of Mayhem’s bassist last August, were into expelling demons from every metal band that visited Arizona, he’d have a mighty full plate. Arizona loves its metal as much as Larson loves Jesus. But if he’s…

Anthrax at Marquee Theatre, 1/24/12

Anthrax Marquee Theatre Tuesday, January 24 Everyone knows Anthrax played the Big Four in Indio, California, last year, of course. And as much as I hate to admit this out loud or on paper, I missed them, even though I was in Indio. See the full Anthrax slideshow here. They…

Anthrax Revels in What Was a Huge Year for the Thrash Titans

“2011 was the best year of my life,” says Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, mere weeks before the second leg of Anthrax’s latest tour kicks off. “It feels like 30 years of hard work has finally culminated.” The New York-born-and-bred metal masters were one of the first thrash-metal bands to sign…

Korn to Bring Heavy Dubstep-Inspired Rock to Comerica Theatre

Korn has been full of announcements during the past year. The veteran rockers added a fresh new chapter to their catalog with a 10th album, The Path of Totality, which found the band shifting its style onto a path a lot of people didn’t see coming. Another “single rockstar” bit…

Alice Cooper: No More Mr. Bad Guy

In the 1970s, Alice Cooper was the poster child of “the devil’s music,” a sexually ambiguous, mascara-smeared heavy metal demon with subversive lyrics and mock-drama stage theatrics. In 2011? Well, this year marks his 11th Christmas Pudding, an annual variety show-style bash featuring rock stars, magicians, and comedians that has…

Five Holiday Gifts for Your Metal-Loving Uncle

Alright, slacker. There’s no more denying it: the holidays are here, and you need to get on that shopping list. Luckily, Up on the Sun has caught gift guide-fever, and over the course of this week we’ll be offering you suggestions for the entire family. It’s hard to forget your…

As I Lay Dying’s Jordan Mancino on Slayer and Frank Sinatra

The members of Grammy-nominated metal group As I Lay Dying are further into their career than they thought they’d ever be. Not only does 2011 mark the band’s 10-year anniversary, but the band released a new album, Decas, and are burning through the country with Of Mice and Men, The…

Cake or Death? California Funkers Cake Hit Number One

Most people remember Cake for the band’s quirky, funky novelty hits: “Never There,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” “The Distance,” the profane take on Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (Gaynor hated it). Achieving radio success with such a singular blend of mariachi, funk, rock, and hip-hop is weird, but Cake is even…

Dream Theater at Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center , 12/4/11

Dream Theater Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center Sunday, December 4, 2011 Loyal fans talk about Dream Theater’s live show in hushed, reverential tones. I’d never experienced the band live before last night, but years of hearing fans rave about the prog-rock theatrics of the long-running group set my expectations…