Access Backstage Pass
Latest Features
How Neige’s ascent from the creative abyss led to Alcest’s most ethereal and life-affirming album
The French black metal institution has always let the light in, embracing shoegaze and post-rock experimentalism. Les Chants de l’Aurore is the sound of Neige on the other side of writer’s block, answering “the magic” and finding solace in sound
With Bob Rock and Rick Rubin at the helm, he recorded some of rock’s most iconic riffs, and launched side-projects with Jerry Cantrell, John Corabi and The Alarm’s Mike Peters – how Billy Duffy’s guitar playing built a Cult following
Duffy’s unique playing style has made the Cult one of rock’s most enigmatic artists, and this video lesson goes deep inside the Sonic Temple to spill the secrets to his rhythm and lead approaches
Yvette Young almost quit making music before taking a radical solo turn – but she’s not done with Covet
Getting over her thoughts of quitting, Young has developed a glitchy sound “like a dying battery,” and moved away from technique-focused shredding to dream pop. However, don’t write off her math rock days just yet...
Larry Graham explains how his unorthodox six-string style invented slap bass
How the father of slap bass drove the world’s grooviest band
“This can’t be about brute physicality”: Karl Sanders on technical epiphanies – and why Nile needs three guitarists
Sanders might be one of death metal's most ferocious and technical players but he tells us you're never too good to stop improving, and a lesson from one of his students transformed his technique, making it more vicious and controlled than ever
Richie Kotzen explains why he ditched a regular pedalboard for an all-in-one pedal from the creator of the SansAmp
Once upon a time, Kotzen went into Home Depot and made this bespoke ’board for his effects, but with a little help from Andrew Barta, it is now a very pro all-enclosed unit, and it's pretty much everything he needs
Diamond Rowe is bringing lead guitar to nu-metal – complete with a history-making signature Jackson
The Tetrarch shredder discusses the challenge she set Jackson in designing her own Pro Series model, securing nu-metal tones and blasting out uncomfortable-sounding solos
Why the ’70s was a time of innovation and folly for guitar gear
The ’70s gets a bad rep from some guitarists but it's too easy to say this was a bad time for Gibson and Fender and that's the story. There were some real treasures and technological breakthroughs
King’s X are one of rock’s most singular bands, and Ty Tabor is a master guitarist who fuses the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix in his supernova style
Ty Tabor combines drop-tuned riffs with Beatles-esque harmonies and groove, and this video masterclass unpacks the King’s X guitarist’s influential rhythm and lead style
