The words “concept album” conjure images of long-haired, cape-wearing prog musicians from the ’70s. On their ninth studio album, The Desaturating Seven, Primus satisfies part of that equation, but with a twist. It turns a storyline based on Ul De Rico children’s book The Rainbow Goblins into tunes like “The Seven” and “The Scheme” while…

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After bursting onto the scene in 1995 with the screwball shred classic The Adventures of Bumblefoot, Ron Thal (a.k.a. Bumblefoot) has shape-shifted his playing, adapting to the hard rock of Guns N’ Roses for Chinese Democracy, the alt rock of Art of Anarchy, and he recently joined Jeff Scott Soto, Billy Sheehan, Derek Sherinian, and…

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Ronnie James Dio had a knack for collaborating with talented guitarists – Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow, Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell, and several in his solo band, Dio. While shredders such as Vivian Campbell and Craig Goldy are the best-known, Tracy Grijalva played on two (Strange Highways and Angry Machines) that today are…

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In the early ’90s, a handful of bands were trailblazers in the realm of “stoner rock”; Kyuss, Sleep, Fu Manchu, Clutch, and especially Monster Magnet. Led by singer/guitarist Dave Wyndorf, its two 1991 albums, Tab and Spine of God, are now considered classics of the genre. Both were recently reissued by Napalm Records, so we…

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Between playing on Cacophony’s landmark 1987 shred album, Speed Metal Symphony, and Megadeth’s 1990 classic, Rust in Peace, Marty Friedman introduced the world to his solo work with the 1988 disc Dragon’s Kiss. In the nearly three decades since, he has rarely taken a break, and never rested on his laurels. Since exiting Megadeth in…

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After having his life saved by a liver transplant and releasing Battle Scars, an album that chronicled his health struggles, Walter Trout is back. To celebrate, he gathered friends including Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd to record We’re All in This Together. How did the guest list develop for the album? Battle…

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Best known as Zakk Wylde’s right-hand man in Black Label Society, Dario Lorina is an accomplished shredder in his own right, as evidenced by his second solo/instrumental album, Death Grip Tribulation. Who are some of your influences? When I was younger, Eddie Van Halen was my number one guy. Riding in the car with my…

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The hair/glam metal movement of the ’80s spawned its share of guitar shredders. One often overlooked is Tracii Guns, whose fleet-fingered work was a highlight of the first three albums by the band he founded, L.A. Guns. He recently added to his resumé with the release of The Missing Peace, the first L.A. Guns album…

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Since bursting on the scene in the ’90s while still a teenager, Jonny Lang has stayed true to his vision, merging blues and rock, often leaning to the bluesy part of the equation. The title track of Lang’s 1997 album, Lie to Me, is one of his most renowned songs and led to his being…

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Anyone who digs fuzzed-out hard rock with amps pushed to their limit should add Boris to their play list. Hailing from Tokyo, the group has been fed and guided by meaty riffs and searing solos from guitarist Wata since its 1992 inception, with recordings such as Akuma no Uta (The Devil’s Song), Pink, and Altar,…

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