Our friends over at MusicRadar have a weekly feature called ‘Me And My Guitar‘ which they roll out every Friday. They caught up with Joe Duplantier from GOJIRA at the band’s recent London show to ask him about his his custom-made Jackson SLS-3 Soloist. Check out the clip below:

Point your mouse in this direction to find out more on MusicRadar’s website.

Pick up a copy of GOJIRA‘s new album ‘L’Enfant Sauvage‘ by clicking the below links:

Play.com: http://smarturl.it/GOJIRAplec
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/GOJIRAdigi

LAMB OF GOD has released a statement about Randy Blythe, which you can read below:

First of all, thanks to everyone who has reached out in support of Randy and each of us in this terrible situation. It’s noted and very much appreciated.

We have been keeping our heads down and not speaking out due to the fluid nature of the situation and the constantly changing information that even we receive daily. Within an hour things can do endless 180s. It’s maddening to try and make heads or tails. We’re taking the time to speak to you as it has been a significant period of time since this situation began and while nothing is immediately clear to any of us, we are not trying to keep anyone in the dark.

We have reached out and are making use of the resources we have acquired to help our brother, who is still detained in Czech jail. In the two years since, we were never notified of anything related to this incident.

Randy is our brother and we assure you we are all staying very positive for him, working endlessly behind the scenes to provide any and all assistance possible.

The best we can do is to stay positive and continue to support our friend that we know is innocent. We know that justice will prevail and we will continue to do our part to support our friend.

You can donate to the ‘Randy Legal Fund’ that the band have set up by clicking here.

This year’s epic Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards were the biggest, heaviest and most insane yet and in case you weren’t able to join in on the debauchery, the awards show will be shown TONIGHT at 10pm on Scuzz TV! Tune in to Sky channel 374/Freesat 503 and get involved for highlights of performances from Anthrax, Ghost, Watain, Sabaton and more, plus appearances and interviews with the likes of MACHINE HEAD, MASTODON, Bill Bailey and and more! BOOM!

Check out the trailer below:

Classic Rock Presents Prog announced their first annual awards ceremony the other day, with a ton of awesome Roadrunner artists being nominated. Check out some info below:

Welcome to the first annual Progressive Music Awards. After years of entertaining millions of fans the world over, Prog Magazine feels that acknowledging the great progressive artists of the past and present is long overdue. So here we do just that, doffing our caps to a splendid array of artists from over the past 40 years that have seen some of the most imaginative and thought provoking rock music ever created. It continues to enthral us here at Prog Magazine as much as it does you readers who buy the magazine. This is about us giving something back. So have your say, and vote in the first five reader driven categories – you could even win a bumper goody bag full of prog delights from all the nominees and a framed piece of prog artwork from The Flood Gallery. – Jerry Ewing, Editor

BEST LIVE EVENT AWARD

Arguably the most revered progressive rock band on the planet right now, Opeth have certainly challenged their more metal-orientated acolytes in recent times, but few fans would dispute the fact that Opeth continue to pull out all the stops in the live arena. This show was one of their very best.

Click here to vote for Opeth.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

The death metal vocals that dominated their early works may be gone forever, but Stockholm’s princes of progress have lost none of their edge or songwriting brilliance. With some of the most imaginative and beautiful songs of their career to date, Heritage sounds like the beginning of a thrilling new chapter for Opeth.

Click here to vote for Heritage.

While the mainstream world finally begins to succumb to the infinite glories of Rush, the rest of us always knew they were something special. However, few people expected that the Canadians’ 19th studio album would be as ridiculously good as Clockwork Angels. A timeless classic to rival the best of their catalogue.

Click here to vote for Clockwork Angels.

When two of prog’s most significant figures joined forces and made an album, most of us had a feeling that it would be a masterpiece. And yes, the debut collaboration between Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson is just that. It’s also deeply odd, distinctly unsettling and like nothing else on Earth.

Click here to vote for Storm Corrosion.

VIRTUOSO AWARD

Despite recent turbulence in the ranks, Dream Theater remain firmly on top of the prog metal heap. It certainly helps that their guitarist makes virtually everyone else look like a cack-handed goon. Petrucci can play it all and he plays it all brilliantly. The ultimate six-string wizard? Quite possibly.

Click here to vote for John.

GUIDING LIGHT AWARD

From his early days as a progressive death metal pioneer through to his current status as one of the most admired progressive rock artists on the planet, the Opeth frontman has never strayed from his mission to make interesting, beautiful and often complex music that challenges as much as it entertains.

Click here to vote for Mikael.

Modern progressive rock would be a much less interesting and absorbing genre were it not for the efforts of Hemel Hempstead’s prog lord in residence. With Porcupine Tree, his solo work, Storm Corrosion and myriad other projects, Wilson has earned the right to be regarded as a living legend.

Click here to vote for Steven.

Click here to find out more about the first annual Progressive Music Awards.

NME filmed a killer stage walk on with the mighty MACHINE HEAD at Download Festival 2012 and it has to be one of our favourite stage walk ons ever! Check it out below to see why we dig it so much:

Click here to keep up to date with all things MACHINE HEAD.

RUSH‘s Geddy Lee spoke exclusively to Metal Hammer recently and they asked him about the band’s first gig. Check out what Geddy had to say below…

You can find out more on Metal Hammer’s website by clicking here.

Click here to pre-order your copy of RUSH’s Clockwork Angels, released via Roadrunner on the 9th of July (NEXT MONDAY!!).

Mick Middles from The Quietus spoke to RUSH bassist and singer Geddy Lee about his favourite albums of all times…and we think you’ll be surprised by a few of his choices. Geddy picked everything from Genesis to Bjork and you can see some extracts from that article below:

The Who – Who’s Next?
Who’s Next was one of those albums that never left my turntable for years. For me it is the album that shows four great musicians touching their creative peak. It transcends any notion of genre. It just is what it is, which is the best thing you can say about and band, any album.

Pink Floyd – Meddle
That was probably the last Pink Floyd album before they went into their run of classics – before their really big records. But… again… again…it was their show in Toronto that captivated me and fired the imagination. They opened that show with the whole of Meddle and immediately I could sense the possibilities were immense for this band. It was really exciting because you could tell that something unique was happening.

Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced?
I remember when it was released. Yes, THAT far back. I had never heard anything like this before or, indeed, since. There have been many imitators but nothing gets close, does it? Again it was displaying the possibilities and power of a three-piece band, proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that a three-piece can be really powerful and expansive. In many ways, it’s more adaptable and focus than a larger rock band. What is this? Rock? Blues, Jazz. Absolutely moving all over the place and a lesson for any musician on the planet. You hear new things – even now. It still manages to surprise.

Bjork – Post
This is probably the most surprising album on this list and, I know, it is hard to see any connection between Rush and Bjork. Maybe there isn’t one. But I don’t think she gets the credit that she deserves. Journalists tend to focus on the things she says and does and, of course, what she is wearing. She is a very visual artist so perhaps that is understandable. But people tend to forget just what a fantastic and truly original artist she really is. She is not afraid to try new things, either. In fact she thrives on it…Just great music powered by an immense imagination.

Radiohead – OK Computer
To me, Radiohead carried on the tradition of bands like Yes. They are always adventurous and challenging and yet they have remained ahead of the game, really. I love the way they blend old and new…including contemporary beats and instrumentation. But again, and like Yes and Genesis, they still have great songs at the heart of it. Especially on OK Computer, which completely fired me up and gave me hope for the future. Great music in every sense of the word.

He picked a ton of great albums and speaks about each individually – it’s a great read, which you can check out by clicking here.

The Roadrunner Records version of RUSH’s new album ‘Clockwork Angels’ is out next Monday (9th July) and you can pre-order it by clicking here.

ARTISTdirect.com spoke to SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman COREY TAYLOR about three of his favourite ever concerts that he has been to – check out his selection below:

“If I had to ballpark it, my three favorite concerts I ever saw when I was a kid were…”

Metallica — “Damaged Justice Tour” 1989

“I saw Metallica and The Cult on the …And Justice for All tour, and it was one of the best concerts I’d ever seen. Metallica was so bulletproof at the time. They were so good, tight, and concise. You could see that the future was opening up for them. They were no longer going to be just a genre band. They were going to be Metallica as we know them. There was a lot of excitement there, and we were there for them. That concert was fantastic.”

Pantera & White Zombie — “War of the Gargantuas Tour” 1996

“I saw Pantera with White Zombie in 1996. That was just a ferocious concert, man. That was officially the last time I was in a moshpit too because I had a nipple ring get ripped out in the pit. I was like, ‘That’s all for me! Thank you very much! I don’t think I ever want to do this again’ [Laughs].”

Rage Against the Machine — “Download Festival” 2010

“I wasn’t a kid at the time, but watching Rage Against the Machine at Download 2010 was sick. It was so unreal. It was one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen by a band that brings such a minimalistic approach to the stage. It was literally just them and their instruments set up on the stage. You would’ve thought they had stacks of Marshalls and ten-foot risers. The energy alone was so thick. You could see it, feel it, and taste it.”

Click here to read more on ARTISTdirect.com.

Click here to pre-order SLIPKNOT’s upcoming album ‘Antennas To Hell’.

The Classic Rock Presents Lynyrd Skynyrd – Last Of A Dyin’ Breed Fanpack is out on the 20th of August and features the new album in full plus a 132-page magazine that forms the ultimate sleevenotes to the new album, with extensive and exclusive interviews with all seven members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, including guitarist and founder member Gary Rossington, singer Johnny Van Zant and guitarist Rickey Medlocke. The Roadrunner releases follows the fanpack one month later and will be released ont he 17th of September but if you just can’t wait to hear the new material, you can buy the title sigle, which is out on Sunday the 8th of July. Check out the tracklist below:

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Our friends over at Classic Rock Magazine are premiering an awesome live video of Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY, which was filmed at their show in Nottingham earlier this year. You can find out more on Classic Rock‘s website by clicking here and you can watch the video below: