Issue 225 of Total Guitar magazine is now available in the UK (and digitally worldwide via Newsstand and Zinio), featuring KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERDí¢ä‰åŒÂ talking about inspirations, Strats and his new album, ‘How I Go’ – plus: features with MACHINE HEAD and KO퐌¿N. The mag is jam packed full of awesome stuff, including over 20 pages of gear news, reviews and advice.

Reviewed in this issue:
Gibson Les Paul Classic Plusí¢ä‰åŒÂ Takamine EF300SE-BWí¢ä‰åŒÂ2012

Gear Preview:
NAMM reportí¢ä‰åŒÂIbanez Premium RG870QMZí¢ä‰åŒÂ
Gretsch Electromatic CVT IIIí¢ä‰åŒÂ

Head To Head:
Wah-wah pedalsí¢ä‰åŒÂ
Fender Z.Vex Instant Lo-Fi Junkieí¢ä‰åŒÂ
Electro-Harmonix Analogizer

Plus! Accessories, First Look: Misa Kitara, Praise Of: Floyd Rose vibrato, Ed’s Shed: Tweaking your trussrod.

Point your mouse in this direction to buy a digital copy of Total Guitar magazine.

Click here to find out how to buy a copy of the magazine online.

HALESTORM recently toured the UK supporting label mates SHINEDOWN and the shows were killer! Some fan shot footage from the gigs has been popping up online and you can check out some of those videos below:

There are also some awesome reviews online, which you can see below:

A third of the way through the set the stage clears except for Lzzy Hale and after trying to calm the excited crowd to a silence she begins a vocal only rendition of ‘Crazy On You’ (originally by Heart), leading into ‘Familiar Taste of Poison’ for which the band re-joined her. The magnitude of this band is a true inspiration but nothing could prepare us for what happened next, Arejay Hale – drummer preformed an awe inspiring solo. At first with drumsticks then with whatever he had to hand and finally using only his hands. This was so powerful the entire audience was just stood silently watching in pure amazement and when he finished everybody broke into a roar that shook the ceiling, with everyone back on the stage they ended with their massive hit song ‘I Get Off’. Halestorm seemed to hit every note with military precision and we can’t wait to see them again!

HIT THE FLOOR – read more here…

The music is pure hard rock and the sight of a gorgeous front woman in hold ups strapped to a guitar that can play the damn thing is a sight to behold. ‘I Get Off’, ‘Freak Like Me’ and a cover of Skid Row’s ‘Slave To the Grind’ were all delivered with true conviction. Going down a storm (no pun intended), they certainly made many new fans and on this performance have a bright future.

THE MIDLANDS ROCKS – read more here…

Let’s be honest – Lzzy Hale would be worth watching even if she never uttered a word. Yet here is a frontwoman boasting substance as well as style and when she sang alone, mid set, it was simply mindblowing.

RUSH ON ROCK – read more here…

Point your mouse in this direction to pre-order ‘The Strange Case Of…’.

SOULFLY unleash new album, ‘Enslaved’ on March 12th and for those who simply can’t wait that long, Roadrunner have teamed up with rock clubs around the UK for exclusive album playbacks where fans can hear the album in its entirety – and they kick off this Friday!

Friday Feb 24th
Rockshack at Shades, Bridlington @ 11pm
Black Out at The Duchess, York @ 11pm
Toxic Metal night at Legends, Newcastle @ 10.30pm
Devil’s Playpen at Club Envy, Plymouth @ 10pm
Fallout Central Station Wrexham @ 10pm

Saturday Feb 25th
Eddies Rock Club, Birmingham @ 9pm
The Agincourt, Camberley @ 9.30pm
Bogiez, Cardif @ 9pm
Rage at The Krazyhouse, Liverpool @ 10pm

Friday March 2nd
Toxic Fridays at Cellar Door Exeter

Saturday March 3rd
Deviant at Belushi’s Bar Below, Brighton @ 9.30pm

Recorded in Phoenix, Arizona , ‘Enslaved’ is produced by Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris (Hatebreed / Suicide Silence) and legendary Soulfly guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera. It sees an appearance from Devil Driver’s Dez Fafara and for the very first time, a collaboration with Max and his sons, Zyon and Igor.

Pre-order a copy of SOULFLY’s upcoming album ‘Enslaved’ by clicking here.

We are still waiting for the full list of winners for the THEORY OF A DEADMAN competition to support the band on their UK tour this week but until we have the full list of band names, hows about we reveal tomorrow’s winners? ‘My Lost Youth‘ have been selected to support THEORY OF A DEADMAN at Northumbria University tomorrow, the 22nd of Feb – congratulations guys! Click here to find out more about the band.

Click here to find dates and tickets for the UK tour, which starts this week!

Kentucky rockers, BLACK STONE CHERRY, have filmed a new video for the track ‘In My Blood‘ and our friends over at Classic Rock are premiering the video. Click here to hear on over to Classic Rock’s website and to check out the video.

BLACK STONE CHERRY will be hitting UK shores next month and the tour is close to being sold out! Click here to find tickets and to make sure you get your hands on tickets.

As we posted yesterday, KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES have filmed a new video for the track ‘Diamond Days‘, taken from their latest album ‘In Gold Blood‘. Well ladies and gents, the video is now available for you to watch and can be viewed below or exclusively over on MUZU TV, by clicking this link. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Kids In Glass Houses – Diamond Days on MUZU

The ‘Diamond Days’ EP featuring 3 live tracks is out on the 18th of March – click here to pre-order your copy.

So if your guitar teacher said that he knew one of the members of an awesome band and said they may be able to get said musician to pop into the school, that’d be pretty cool right? Well, for some lucky students at Booker T. Washington High School this very opportunity arose when their guitar teacher invited MACHINE HEAD‘s Adam Duce to stop by…not only that, Adam brought along his pal, Robb Flynn. BOOM! Check out some footage that a student filmed from the day and what he had to say about the guys coming in to visit them:

“They

SLASH was joined by a stellar line-up for Muhammad Ali‘s birthday celebrations in Las Vegas this weekend. SLASH shared the stage with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Chris Cornell, LENNY KRAVITZ, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, former US President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Sir Anthony Hopkins among others, who all came together to salute the boxing legend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night. Ali turned 70 last month and SLASH admitted that it’s an honour to get an invite to the party:

“Muhammad Ali is and always has been a role model and a hero to me. It’s a huge privilege to be able to perform in his honour. He is one of the great icons of American culture and history.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky and you can see a fan filmed video of SLASH on stage with label mate LENNY KRAVITZ performing ‘Always On The Run’ below:

Keep up to date with LENNY KRAVITZ by clicking here.

Point your mouse in this direction to keep up to date with all things SLASH and his upcoming album.

Shooting rockets. Blood spitting. Face Paint. Shiny Boots and utterly jaw dropping triumphant live shows: KISS has been confirmed as Friday’s headliner for Sonisphere Festival UK. With a reputation for being perhaps the most flamboyant and entertaining band on the planet, the American Kings will bring their stage extravaganza to SONISPHERE as their only European performance of 2012.

Grammy Awards Nominations, Top 20 albums, live appearances on Jools Holland. These things are not encountered in the day to day dealings of your average heavy metal band, but then MASTODON are far from average. Undoubtedly the most critically acclaimed metal band in recent years, MASTODON’s progressive take on the genre has seen them become the one heavy band that everyone can agree on. Hot off the back of a sold-out UK tour in support of latest album “The Hunter” MASTODON will perform their latest opus in its entirety exclusively at SONISPHERE. Says drummer Brann Dailor:

“Me and the guys couldn’t be more thrilled to play Sonisphere. It’s always a blast, the crowds are always incredible. We look forward to seeing you in person.”

Sometimes you can’t get enough of a good thing, which is why SONISPHERE is welcoming back the mighty metal powerhouse GOJIRA. Opening the APOLLO stage, the fierce French foursome will ensure a punishingly heavy start to the Saturday of SONISPHERE and give UK fans the first chance to hear new material from their fifth album – and the band’s first release on Roadrunner.

And if that wasn’t enough, WITHIN TEMPTATION will play their only UK show of 2012 on the Friday at SONISPHERE’s APOLLO stage. BOOM!

Click here to find out more on the Sonisphere UK website and watch this space for more updates…

THEORY OF A DEADMAN are hitting UK shores this week and in anticipation of the dates, they have revealed a tour trailer. The trailer was shot by the same company that filmed the recent ALTER BRIDGE DVD and was filmed during last years Carnival of Madness tour that the band went on with both ALTER BRIDGE and BLACK STONE CHERRY. You can see the trailer over on Classic Rock’s website by clicking here.

Find dates and tickets for the UK shows this week by clicking here.