Happy 20th Anniversary, "Nookie"

For Revolver, I looked back at nu-metal's biggest moment, Limp Bizkit's "Nookie," which hit radio about 20 years ago. Angry, ugly, cathartic, bratty, utterly undeniable, the song still resonates. Hope you enjoy.

My Interview With Robert Englund

The new issue of Revolver is devoted to dreams and nightmares. What a perfect time to speak to Mr. Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund. We talked about what keeps him up at night, among other things.

My Interview With John Carpenter

Yeah, that John Carpenter. We spoke on the phone on September 27 ... yup, the same day as the Christine Blasey Ford/Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Carpenter talked to me while watching the testimony, offering his own commentary along the way. It was a surreal experience. You can read the whole thing over at Revolver.

Happy 24th Anniversary, 'Crow' Soundtrack

This was fun: For my buddies over at Revolver, I went back and listened to the soundtrack for The Crow. We sorta forget about this now, but that was a huge album: It was No. 1 on the charts and went triple-platinum, featuring tracks from Stone Temple Pilots, the Cure, Nine Inch Nails and Helmet. How does the record hold up? Read on.

The History of 'Broken,' the Notorious Nine Inch Nails Promotional Film

I haven't written for Revolver in five years, so it was fun to be reunited with my old editor Brandon for this piece, which is tied to the 25th anniversary of the release of the Nine Inch Nails EP Broken. Trent Reznor wanted to do a promotional film in connection with the album, but the resulting video was so upsetting he decided to shelve it. That wasn't the end of the story, though. My appreciation of this horrifying artifact is available here.

stone sour's corey taylor speaks

Earlier this year, I interviewed Stone Sour's Corey Taylor while he was in Nashville working on Audio Secrecy. In retrospect, what's really interesting about this piece is that it occurred before two major events: the Nashville flood and the overdose death of Taylor's Slipknot bandmate Paul Gray. So keep that in mind when you read the article, which is now available on Revolver's website.

stone sour - 'audio secrecy' review

When I interviewed Corey Taylor back in March for Revolver to talk about Stone Sour's forthcoming album, here's one of the things he told me:

“I went through a pretty brutal divorce about three years ago,” he says. “There are feelings that you just can’t let go of. But at the same time, I have a wonderful new wife, who I married in November. I’ve been writing about what I’ve been thinking about for the last six months -- there are ghosts from my previous relationships, and there’s great manic energy in the relationship I’m in right now.”

He nailed the essence of the new record, Audio Secrecy, better than I ever could. Nonetheless, here's my attempt at a review of a very good album I'll be really curious to revisit later in the year. I suspect it's going to grow on me.

megadeth's 'endgame' and revolver's top 20 albums of 2009

Revolver polled its writers for their picks for the best hard rock/metal albums of 2009. My No. 1 also was the consensus pick: Alice in Chains' Black Gives Way to Blue. (My review is here.) In the issue, which is on newsstands now and looks like this, I say a few words about another album that made the Top 20, Megadeth's Endgame.

afi's davey havok speaks

AFI will be releasing their new album, Crash Love, on September 29. I spoke with frontman Davey Havok for Revolver about the making of the record, which is a return to focused guitar rock for the Northern California group. We discussed the cult of celebrity, sleazy riffs and why they decided to change producers during the recording. The article isn't available on the magazine's website, but here's a shot of the issue cover.

mastodon speaks

I interviewed Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor for Revolver. We discussed their upcoming record, whether it's a concept album, and how Bruce Springsteen's Magic inspired its making. The interview is not available on the magazine's website, but the issue should be on newsstands now.

buckcherry and norma jean speak to me, separately

I have two features in the new issue of Revolver. I interviewed Buckcherry about their forthcoming album, Black Butterfly, and I profiled the Christian metal band Norma Jean who will be putting out The Anti Mother imminently. The articles aren't available online, but the magazine should be on shelves as we speak.

UPDATE (Nov. 10, 2008): The Norma Jean interview is now available on Revolver's website.

underoath speaks

Christian metal band Underoath are currently recording their follow-up to 2006's Define the Great Line in Atlanta. I spoke to them for Revolver, and our chat appears in the new issue out now. It's not online yet, but here's what to look for on your neighborhood newsstand.