He is held in the highest regard by Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, was close friends with Jimi Hendrix, and his mid-Sixties recordings with the Yardbirds invented the sound for heavy metal guitar. But what Guitar World readers really want to know is ...

Holy Grail was born in Pasadena, California, in 2008 and hasn't slowed down for a second. They released their debut EP, Improper Burial, in 2009, followed by their 2010 critically acclaimed commercial smash Crisis In Utopia, which Metal Assault called "a mind-blowing effort that exudes unbounded freshness and musicianship."

Seattle-based musician Thom Beckman has released his instrumental solo heavy metal project, Shroud Of Spiders. Beckman plays all the lead parts on an electric mandolin — as well as the bass and drums. Beckman recently released a self-titled EP to launch this project, which you can hear in its entirety right here.

Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy, led by vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and producer Peter Tägtgren, have been going strong for more than two decades. Even among the plethora of extreme metal bands coming out of Europe, specially Sweden, Hypocrisy continue to maintain a steady fan base. They are now set to release their 12th album, End Of Disclosure, and will follow it up with a North American headline tour.