Metallica

The Six Sweetest Riffs of All Time

I, Ryan James Wasoba, hereby announce that, after over a year and a half of weekly contributions, the end of my Nitpick Six column is upon us. As such, it's bucket list time. This space is usually reserved for microscopic aspects of music, but now let's go big. These are the six sweetest riffs of ... More >>

The Illusion Of Volume: Understanding Compression

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. The CALM Act was enacted two months ago, causing television commercials to maintain the same or lower vol ... More >>

Metallica at Outside Lands: The Five Best Parts of the Band's Fiery San Francisco Show

METALLICA @ OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL | 8/11/12 The following is a dispatch from Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, from our sister paper, SF Weekly. Metallica, headlining Saturday night of the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, proved just about as huge and satisfying ... More >>

Fudging The Numbers With Last.Fm

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. I was thrilled five-ish years ago when I found out about Last.fm, the music recommendation service that d ... More >>

Nigel Godrich and Six Other Producers Who Stepped in Front of a Mic

If there was ever an example a good musical soldier, it would be Nigel Godrich. The British producer has been an essential behind-the-scenes figure with Radiohead for years and years and years, so much so that he's colliquolly referred to as a sixth member of the band. Radiohead's titanic sound sh ... More >>

Mastodon

7 p.m. Sunday, November 13. Pop's Nightclub, 401 Monsanto Avenue, Sauget, Illinois.

The Six Creepiest Children In Songs

Happy Halloween! Let's celebrate with a list of the six best cameos from creepy children in song. 6. Michael Jackson - "Little Susie" The inclusion of Michael Jackson on this list has nothing to do with any accusations of inappropriate behavior with children, of which I will always give the man th ... More >>

The Sword

8 p.m. Monday, December 13. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street.

Black Friday Record Store Sales Hit Vintage Vinyl, Euclid Records and Apop Records

recordstoreday.com​April's annual Record Store Day has been such a rousing success, a semi-sequel is happening on Black Friday. Indie record stores all around the country will have exclusives, special releases, deluxe editions and other rare, limited-run goodies for sale. Vintage Vinyl and Euc ... More >>

Big Three, Plus One

One Night Only! Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth Come to a Movie Theater Near You

Todd OwyoungJames Hetfield in St. Louis in 2008. More photos here.​Tickets are on sale now for what's being dubbed The Big Four Live -- a.k.a. the June 22 movie-theater simulcast of the Sonisphere Festival appearances of thrash legends Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. (Now I can't stop ... More >>

Rush Documentary Screening at Ronnies in June

If Rush's August show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater won't have enough air-drumming dudes and epic prog breakdowns for you, fear not: Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, a documentary on the band directed by the men behind Iron Maiden: Flight 666, is screening in St. Louis on June 10. Says a press ... More >>

Caption This: Rockabye Baby!, Lullaby Renditions of Journey

The Rockabye Baby!: Lullaby Renditions of... series is self-explanatory. Each release focuses on making tunes from one rock band palatable enough for the naptime set. Past volumes have featured Metallica, Tool, Beach Boys, Coldplay, the Pixies and the Beatles. However, the latest one to cross my des ... More >>

Revocation

7 p.m. Tuesday January 12. Fubar, 3108 Locust Street.

Our Lady Peace

8 p.m. Friday, October 30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Win! 25th Anniversary Twisted Sister Stuff!

Hard to believe it's been twenty-five years since Twisted Sister asserted is independence with the LP Stay Hungry and the tune "We're Not Gonna Take It." But yes, a quarter-century passed since mainstream America became aware of Dee Snider and the rest of his glam-metal compatriots. (Fun fact: Metal ... More >>

No Kidding: British Medical Journal Says Headbanging Is Dangerous

Andrew McIntosh and Declan Patton, a pair of academics at the University of New South Wales (they come from the land down under) are worried about the dizziness, disorientation and, well, that pain in the neck you felt walking out of the recent Metallica concert. And they've done what any good ... More >>

Top Ten Metal Albums of 2008

In a year worthy of your rage, metal delivered in spades. What with the economy circling the drain and Sarah Palin coming down from the tundra and then refusing to go back, 2008's been the kind of year that really makes you want to smash your head into walls or punch random strangers in the face. G ... More >>

Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For?: Best of Craigslist Missed Connections, November 17-23

(Welcome to Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For? Each Monday, we'll scour the local Missed Connections section of Craigslist, in search of the best posts. Here are some that caught our eye this week.) Pop's rocks. 'Cept in this case: "To the girl caning onstage at Pops (Pops)" The girl dancing ... More >>

Review Setlist Photos: Metallica at the Scottrade Center, 11/17/08

Well. That was fucking glorious. Not content with merely revitalizing their sound on record – Death Magnetic, go buy it already – Metallica decided to kick their stage show in the ass and get back to the business of being the best live band in the world. But of course, I'm biased -- I've bel ... More >>

Magnetic Morning: Kirk Hammett talks cartoon voiceovers, the art of guitar solos and Metallica's new album — and its alleged sound issues

Interview Preview: Metallica's Kirk Hammett on Death Magnetic's Sound

Run Run Run at Off Broadway, Monday, September 29

Dr. Anger: Talking with Phil Towle, Metallica's Performance Coach, About Death Magnetic

An Open Letter to Metallica Regarding Death Magnetic Friday

LEGO Video: Metallica, Devo, U2, Queen, Daft Punk, System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Metallica, Down and the Sword at the Scottrade Center, Monday, November 17

B-Sides gets personal with Alicia Keys, as she is, and examines the parallels between Metallica-worshippers Apocalyptica and Harptallica

National Record Store Day at Euclid Records, Vintage Vinyl on Saturday, April 19

Download This: A 1986 Metallica Show from Cape Girardeau

Beatallica

8 p.m. Friday, October 26. Pop's, 1403 Mississippi Avenue, Sauget, Illinois.

The Ween Abides

Ten reasons Ween's better than your favorite band.

Evil Is as Evile Does

Metallica Shreds -- Unskillfully

Go! 9/7-9/9

Harptallica

8 p.m. Sunday, September 9. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Avenue

Hewhocorrupts

Friday, November 25; Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center (3301 Lemp Avenue)

Paperback Master of Puppets

We talk mashups with Beatallica, skewer Ember Swift and find out what Robert Earl Keen is really saying

The Best Movies of the Year

We've picked our favorites -- let the debates begin

Metal Health

We tell Metallica how to get its act together, tour the state with LL Cool J and listen to Wilco

Bedrock, Cock Rock

We cave dive for beats and talk with Kip Winger and Sonia Dada

Devil in the Details

New books document heavy metal's ugly history

Suits & Thugs & Rock & Roll

Cockfighting, prescription-drug abuse and other pursuits that tiptoe over the line of legality; plus, we give a shout-out to Plaza Frontenac

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Gimme Some Youth

How do washed-up rock stars maintain lavish homes, fancy cars, stripper ex-wives, cocaine habits and scores of illegitimate children? Easy: They co-opt youth culture.

Grumpy Old Men

Metallica returns with the most anticipated metal album in ages

Direct to Video

When the concert season cools down, try warming up with the latest rock and metal DVDs

New Bands From Old

Or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Ignore Audioslave"

Battery and Flattery

Tribute band Battery gets the ultimate thumbs-up from its inspiration

Forever Young