News Latest News from Ultimate-Guitar.Com. en-US Copyright 1998-2026 Ultimate-Guitar.Com. All rights reserved. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/news.xml.php Sun, 10 May 2026 14:51:21 -0400 Tue, 05 May 2026 01:02:01 -0400 60 Ultimate-Guitar.Com https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/static/_img/logo_trans.png https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/news.xml.php 144 44 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/guitar_of_the_week/deliberately-twisted-neck-that-matches-how-your-hands-actually-approach-the-fretboard-torzal-guitars-unorthodox-design https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/guitar_of_the_week/deliberately-twisted-neck-that-matches-how-your-hands-actually-approach-the-fretboard-torzal-guitars-unorthodox-design Guitar Of The Week: Your fretting hand and picking hand don't approach the guitar from the same angle, so why does the neck force both onto one flat plane? Torzal Guitars rotates the neck 15 degrees from nut to bridge, and the ergonomic logic is harder to dismiss than the look might suggest.]]> Sun, 10 May 2026 14:51:21 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/green-days-good-riddance-wasnt-written-for-graduations-it-was-a-breakup-song-armstrong-named-out-of-anger-186179 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/green-days-good-riddance-wasnt-written-for-graduations-it-was-a-breakup-song-armstrong-named-out-of-anger-186179 Features: Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song about an ex-girlfriend moving to Ecuador, naming it out of anger, not sentimentality. However, the mellow acoustic tone and the parenthetical "Time of Your Life" helped listeners hear warmth where Armstrong intended frustration.]]> Sun, 10 May 2026 09:15:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/why-ronnie-james-dio-believed-ritchie-blackmore-was-repeating-himself-he-stays-stuck-in-the-same-kind-of-music https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/why-ronnie-james-dio-believed-ritchie-blackmore-was-repeating-himself-he-stays-stuck-in-the-same-kind-of-music Retrospective: "Every song begins with Ritchie, plays a solo in the middle, and ends with Ritchie."]]> Sun, 10 May 2026 02:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve-vai-recalls-hearing-eddie-van-halens-amazing-unreleased-material-nobody-plays-like-they-do-when-theyre-sitting-in-their-room-alone https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve-vai-recalls-hearing-eddie-van-halens-amazing-unreleased-material-nobody-plays-like-they-do-when-theyre-sitting-in-their-room-alone Music News: "I said, 'Why don't you make a solo record?' But he always felt that Van Halen was his solo records."]]> Sun, 10 May 2026 00:01:16 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/nu-metal-raged-but-the-sword-returned-the-genre-to-its-sabbath-roots-age-of-winters-and-its-bold-retro-style-186440 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/nu-metal-raged-but-the-sword-returned-the-genre-to-its-sabbath-roots-age-of-winters-and-its-bold-retro-style-186440 Features: Two decades ago, four Texans plugged in, tuned down, and accidentally revived classic heavy metal for a new generation.]]> Sat, 09 May 2026 22:39:33 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/maybe-20-days-after-the-ashes-were-spread-i-was-playing-on-cliffs-amp-jason-newsted-on-replacing-cliff-burton-weeks-after-his-death https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/maybe-20-days-after-the-ashes-were-spread-i-was-playing-on-cliffs-amp-jason-newsted-on-replacing-cliff-burton-weeks-after-his-death Music News: "I joined this thing with three of the saddest, collectively depressed, filled with anger and anguish people."]]> Sat, 09 May 2026 21:14:43 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/schecter-told-mgk-his-razor-blade-guitar-would-start-some-s--t-he-made-it-anyway https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/schecter-told-mgk-his-razor-blade-guitar-would-start-some-s--t-he-made-it-anyway Music News: "I had got this obsession with shaving with a straight razor…" ]]> Sat, 09 May 2026 12:16:05 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/clown-on-seeing-joey-jordison-play-before-the-drummer-joined-slipknot-i-just-had-to-see-if-you-were-human https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/clown-on-seeing-joey-jordison-play-before-the-drummer-joined-slipknot-i-just-had-to-see-if-you-were-human Music News: "I was just like, 'I have no idea what's happening right now.'"]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 22:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/its-just-music-calm-down-kiss-your-mother-angine-de-poitrine-say-fans-take-them-too-seriously https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/its-just-music-calm-down-kiss-your-mother-angine-de-poitrine-say-fans-take-them-too-seriously Music News: "One comment on KEXP said: 'Now there's a reason to live.' I was like: calm down, man. Go kiss your mother or something."]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 20:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-label-wanted-rapping-but-pantera-made-the-great-southern-trendkill-despite-its-success-it-foreshadowed-their-end-186428 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-label-wanted-rapping-but-pantera-made-the-great-southern-trendkill-despite-its-success-it-foreshadowed-their-end-186428 Features: Anselmo recorded vocals at Trent Reznor's Nothing Studios in New Orleans while the rest of the band worked in Texas. The album went platinum and debuted at No. 4, but behind the scenes, the dysfunction was already deeper than any commercial success could fix.]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 18:04:10 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/elmore-jamess-dust-my-broom-isnt-about-the-notes-its-about-the-slide-attack-open-d-and-one-riff-that-started-careers https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/elmore-jamess-dust-my-broom-isnt-about-the-notes-its-about-the-slide-attack-open-d-and-one-riff-that-started-careers Tab Spotlight: Recorded at Trumpet Records in 1951, "Dust My Broom" reworked Robert Johnson's 1936 original into what the Library of Congress later called blues' most famous guitar riff. The song lives in open D tuning over a straight 12-bar progression, and the magic is in the triplet slide attack rather than the notes.]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 11:39:53 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/ozzy-osbourne-admitted-black-sabbath-was-unfair-to-tony-iommi-hed-be-the-only-guy-in-somewhat-of-a-condition-to-do-the-albums https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/ozzy-osbourne-admitted-black-sabbath-was-unfair-to-tony-iommi-hed-be-the-only-guy-in-somewhat-of-a-condition-to-do-the-albums Retrospective: "He would do the albums, and he would complain that we didn't like the way he did the album."]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 02:14:32 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/good-weve-done-our-job-brian-may-said-iron-maiden-frightened-the-life-out-of-queen-at-rock-in-rio-steve-harris-loved-it https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/good-weve-done-our-job-brian-may-said-iron-maiden-frightened-the-life-out-of-queen-at-rock-in-rio-steve-harris-loved-it Music News: "It's good to ruffle feathers."]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 01:10:30 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dimebag-darrells-estate-loses-majority-of-claims-against-dean-guitars-in-new-federal-court-ruling-the-razorback-and-stealth-stay-with-dean https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dimebag-darrells-estate-loses-majority-of-claims-against-dean-guitars-in-new-federal-court-ruling-the-razorback-and-stealth-stay-with-dean Music News: "The United States District Court's order is confirmation of what we have known all along," a statement from Dean Guitars owner Armadillo read.]]> Fri, 08 May 2026 00:07:38 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/gibson-tried-to-fix-lp-and-sg-headstock-fragility-with-volute-traditionalists-hated-it-so-it-was-dropped https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/gibson-tried-to-fix-lp-and-sg-headstock-fragility-with-volute-traditionalists-hated-it-so-it-was-dropped Gear: Introduced during the (in)famous Norlin era, the volute was supposed to address Gibson's headstock problems. However, traditionalists were alienated by it. ]]> Thu, 07 May 2026 16:25:37 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/kiss-producer-warned-them-against-copying-grunge-he-was-right-theyd-hit-it-and-quit-it-186407 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/kiss-producer-warned-them-against-copying-grunge-he-was-right-theyd-hit-it-and-quit-it-186407 Features: "I kind of remember warning Gene against that, because I thought it would be a one-record trend."]]> Thu, 07 May 2026 11:33:05 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/jason-newsted-says-echobrain-wasnt-why-he-left-metallica-id-rather-live-than-be-in-your-band https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/jason-newsted-says-echobrain-wasnt-why-he-left-metallica-id-rather-live-than-be-in-your-band Music News: "The Echobrain thing, that was another project I took to a certain level... But that's not the reason I left Metallica."]]> Thu, 07 May 2026 00:35:30 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/i-felt-betrayed-nicko-mcbrain-confronted-bruce-dickinson-upon-his-return-to-iron-maiden-dickinsons-reaction-put-it-to-bed https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/i-felt-betrayed-nicko-mcbrain-confronted-bruce-dickinson-upon-his-return-to-iron-maiden-dickinsons-reaction-put-it-to-bed Music News: "You know there were doubts as to his motives of coming back."]]> Wed, 06 May 2026 23:17:17 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/why-the-swords-freya-is-the-perfect-riff-to-study-for-doom-and-groove-metal https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/why-the-swords-freya-is-the-perfect-riff-to-study-for-doom-and-groove-metal Tab Spotlight: "Freya" is proof that you don't need a million notes to smash the listener like a raging bull, and there are multiple lessons embedded in its grasp.]]> Wed, 06 May 2026 21:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/a-decent-350-super-strat-that-could-use-a-pickup-swap-winzz-wgs150-works-better-as-a-mod-platform https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/a-decent-350-super-strat-that-could-use-a-pickup-swap-winzz-wgs150-works-better-as-a-mod-platform Gear: ]]> Wed, 06 May 2026 20:25:50 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dave-grohl-on-recording-songs-for-the-deaf-without-click-tracks-there-was-this-energy-and-spontaneity-that-anything-could-happen https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dave-grohl-on-recording-songs-for-the-deaf-without-click-tracks-there-was-this-energy-and-spontaneity-that-anything-could-happen Music News: "There was this energy and this spontaneity that anything could happen."]]> Wed, 06 May 2026 19:38:56 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/a-cd-of-old-tapes-reached-j-mascis-and-a-cult-unplanned-folk-album-was-born-sibylle-baiers-colour-green-186167 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/a-cd-of-old-tapes-reached-j-mascis-and-a-cult-unplanned-folk-album-was-born-sibylle-baiers-colour-green-186167 Features: The songs were recorded at home in Germany between 1970 and 1973 on reel-to-reel tape. They stayed in a drawer for decades until her son compiled them as a birthday gift. A copy found its way to the wrong hands, or the right ones.]]> Wed, 06 May 2026 10:21:10 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/yngwie-was-becoming-difficult-how-alcatrazz-secretly-auditioned-steve-vai-and-chris-impellitteri-to-replace-malmsteen https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/yngwie-was-becoming-difficult-how-alcatrazz-secretly-auditioned-steve-vai-and-chris-impellitteri-to-replace-malmsteen Music News: "Steve was a joy to work with musically and brought a whole new bag of tricks from the Zappa camp."]]> Wed, 06 May 2026 03:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/ozzy-osbourne-said-zakk-wyldes-successor-reminded-him-of-randy-rhoads-he-had-no-idea-joe-holmes-was-randys-student https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/ozzy-osbourne-said-zakk-wyldes-successor-reminded-him-of-randy-rhoads-he-had-no-idea-joe-holmes-was-randys-student Music News: "He stood right in front of me while I played and afterward told me that my approach and style reminded him of Randy."]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 23:51:40 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/jimmy-pages-mic-placement-accidents-created-the-led-zeppelin-sound-and-modern-recording-kills-that-by-design-186395 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/jimmy-pages-mic-placement-accidents-created-the-led-zeppelin-sound-and-modern-recording-kills-that-by-design-186395 Features: Back in the day, people created unique sounds purely by accident or thanks to faulty equipment, and modern bands would have a tough time recreating them.]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 22:20:08 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/designed-for-students-in-the-50s-gibson-les-paul-jr-became-a-pro-guitar-a-p90-a-slab-body-no-frills https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/designed-for-students-in-the-50s-gibson-les-paul-jr-became-a-pro-guitar-a-p90-a-slab-body-no-frills Gear: Although meant as a budget option, the Junior turned into a historically important guitar. No carved maple top, no binding, no extra pickups, no elaborate hardware, a slab mahogany body, and a wraparound bridge turned to be more than enough.]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 20:22:56 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/venoms-rage-on-nwobhms-northern-boom-why-cant-we-start-a-band-were-from-newcastle https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/venoms-rage-on-nwobhms-northern-boom-why-cant-we-start-a-band-were-from-newcastle Music News: "And then all of a sudden, you had Venom, Raven, Tygers of Pan Tang, Def Leppard from Sheffield, all these like northern towns were starting to produce music."]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 14:43:30 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/what-would-metallica-be-if-cliff-burton-lived-lars-ulrich-might-not-have-been-there-the-next-tour-186377 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/what-would-metallica-be-if-cliff-burton-lived-lars-ulrich-might-not-have-been-there-the-next-tour-186377 Features: "After that, we'll go home for the holidays probably, and then start to go to the next album."]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 11:22:57 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/why-david-crosby-warned-against-genre-lables-when-the-byrds-draw-inspiration-from-john-coltrane-it-was-no-longer-rock-n-roll https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/why-david-crosby-warned-against-genre-lables-when-the-byrds-draw-inspiration-from-john-coltrane-it-was-no-longer-rock-n-roll Retrospective: "I usually try to respond the way I am right now, and say, 'Don't be deceived by them, because they are really misleading.'"]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 03:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/billy-sheehan-on-why-cliff-williams-is-rocks-most-underrated-bassist-and-why-back-in-black-is-the-greatest-rock-album-ever https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/billy-sheehan-on-why-cliff-williams-is-rocks-most-underrated-bassist-and-why-back-in-black-is-the-greatest-rock-album-ever Music News: The veteran bassist also reflected on 6,000 live shows and what touring teaches that home practice never can.]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 01:02:01 -0400