Megadeth

Five Punk Goes... Songs That Don't Suck

Last time in our "things that don't suck" series, we looked at some educational songs ( ) that our children could learn from without being bored to death. This week, we're looking at the Punk Goes... series, and some of the worthwhile tracks to grab from the series. Punk Goes... has long been the ... More >>

RIP Jeff Hanneman: Slayer at Verizon Theater In September 2010

Ed. Note: Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, a founding member of the band, passed away Thursday in Southern California due to liver failure, according to Rolling Stone. Hanneman, 49, had contracted the flesh-eating disease necrotizing fasciitis, which doctors believed was the result of a spider bite, ... More >>

Hell Freezes Over: The Ends of Five Great Musical Feuds

Last month marked the end of one of the great musical feuds of the 1990s. Any Britpop fan knows you can either be a fan of Oasis or of Blur, but not a fan of both. The two bands hated each other's guts and were in constant competition throughout the decade. So all of us in the press were shocked wh ... More >>

Last Night: Testament and Overkill at House of Blues

Testament, Overkill, Flotsam and Jetsam House of Blues February 6, 2013 When it comes to '80s thrash metal, there are the Big Four -- Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax -- and there's everybody else. For a good while there, it looked as if "everybody else" might not survive the grunge- and rap ... More >>

Testament's Dark Roots of Thrash Run Deep

If classic thrash metal's "Big Four" (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer) ever decided to expand to a "Big Five," then that slot would certainly be taken by California's Testament (sorry, Exodus fans...). And while seemingly every band of a certain longevity will proclaim their latest record "jus ... More >>

Def Leppard's Rick Allen and 10 More Miraculous Rock Recoveries

Twenty-eight years ago this week (New Year's Eve), Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen became famous. Well, he was already famous, we guess, for being the drummer for one of the finest pop-metal bands of all time. But on December 31, 1984, Allen became even more famous for being pretty much the only pop- ... More >>

Yes and Zeppelin? 5 True All-Star Near-Collaborations

Quick, what's your dream supergroup, living or dead? When I was a big prog nerd, mine was Peter Gabriel on vocals and lyrics, David Gilmour and Robert Fripp on guitar, Geddy Lee on bass, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Levin on Chapman stick, and Rick Wakeman on keys. Come to think of it, that still sou ... More >>

The Republican Candidate's Guide To Picking Campaign Music

This week Republicans from around the country gather in Florida to celebrate all things conservative and curse Issac for stealing the national spotlight. For me the 2012 Republican National Convention marks the true start of the presidential campaign season, the playoffs to the primaries' regular se ... More >>

Gonzo Artwork and Lone Star Labels on the Rise: The 10 Best Beer Labels in Texas

Last week, we took a look at some of the very worst labels you can find on a bottle of beer. To counterbalance all that artistic vomit, we gathered some of the most iconic and creative labels on shelves today -- labels that feature artwork as original and important as craft beer itself. 10. Boulev ... More >>

Kill 'Em All and the Origins of Thrash

Twenty-nine years ago today, Metallica released their debut album on Megaforce Records, Kill 'Em All. It wasn't a smash success initially--Mötley Crüe were the reigning kings of metal on the West Coast in 1983, and Kill 'Em All wouldn't go gold for another six years. By that time, of course, Metal ... More >>

Friday Night: Megadeth At Verizon Wireless Theater

Gigantour: Megadeth, Volbeat, Lacuna Coil Verizon Wireless Theater March 2, 2012 Check out our slideshow of the Gigatour. No, Motorhead didn't play in Houston Friday night at Verizon Wireless Theater, but the rest of the 2012 Gigantour bill of Megadeth, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil made it to the Bayou ... More >>

Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia Talks Gigantour, Dark Adrenaline

Conventional wisdom used to be that the hyper-masculine world of heavy metal would never fully embrace a female superstar, but that was before Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia hit the scene. Armed with a soaring contralto and a humble attitude that belies her striking beauty, Scabbia has converted mor ... More >>

The Value Of Being Important: How Much Would You Pay for VIP Tickets?

Photo By Daniel KramerHow much would you pay to be in front of all of those hands in the air?​Very. Important. Person. For music fans those three words conjure up images of skipping out on standing in line, being at the side of the stage while the show takes place, and partying with the band ... More >>

Gigantour Hitting Houston March 2 With Motorhead And Megadeth

And just like that, my normally non-soiled jeans were not. Yes, March 2 the traveling metal bonanza Gigantour is hitting Houston's Verizon Wireless Theater, with Megadeth, Motorhead, Lacuna Coil, and Volbeat in tow. Are we excited? A little. Kind of a fan of Motorhead fan and all. Megadeth last ca ... More >>

The 95th Anniversary of the Tank: Nine Iconic Moments

Ninety-five years ago today, the tank made its debut at World War I's Battle of the Somme. It played a role in bringing an end to that appallingly bloody and stupid battle, and tanks have since gone on to become vital symbols of military might. Here are nine iconic moments or personalities involvi ... More >>

Pop Rocks: New Clear Days

Explains a lot.​I was discussing career choices (don't ask) with an acquaintance of mine, and in the course of talking about how we got where we were, I mentioned that I'd never really planned for life beyond college when I was in my teens. The decision wasn't a "non-decision" or anything lik ... More >>

10 American Anthems That Tell It Like It Is

​Captain America, Marvel's newest superhero movie, comes out today. We'll pause until the excitement passes. ... Rocks Off likes Captain America. The three comic books we read with any regularity as a scupper were Cap, Batman (Detective Comics), and Spider-Man. But we love America. The land ... More >>

Faster Pussycat

Slayer Girlfriend Reigns In Love

Christopher Victorio​A few hours ago, while reviewing the OC Weekly's coverage of the Big 4 metal festival in Indio, Calif., we came across this picture of a female metal fan with a sweet-ass Slayer tattoo in the middle of her abdomen. Why does God creates such beautiful things, and then keeps ... More >>

Over One Million Served

Cedar Lounge a Northside institution.

A Fistful of Soul

One righteous vintage vinyl party.

Last Night: Slayer, Megadeth And Anthrax At Verizon

Photos by GroovehouseSouth of Heaven: Slayer's Tom Araya​Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax Verizon Wireless Theater September 26, 2010 With the end of this concert, Aftermath was sort of sad. Not only did it mark the end of a marathon music week in Houston and for Rocks Off, it also signaled that we ... More >>

Anthrax's Charlie Benante Shouts Out King's X And The Refused

​Of the three bands on the bill at Sunday's Jagermeister Tour Houston stop, Anthrax is perhaps the one with the most varied reach. Sure, everyone loves Slayer, and Megadeth has a dedicated following of Mustaine-iacs, but it was Anthrax who touched the most upon hip-hop and hardcore punk. The ... More >>

Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax

This Week In Set Lists: Pixies, Kings Of Leon, Tom Petty, Rush, Etc.

GroovehouseKings of Leon, Toyota Center, October 2009​Rocks Off has been both eagerly anticipating and dreading this week for months now. Anticipating because several of our all-time favorite bands are playing within the span of a few days, as are a couple of our favorite newer bands (though n ... More >>

Seven Modern Bands We'd Like To See At The Symphony

​This evening at Jones Hall, the Houston Symphony will be playing the music of Queen. Pretty fitting, considering the grand, orchestra-friendly nature of many Queen songs. However, there are a slew of other bands whose oeuvres Rocks Off would like to see interpreted by a symphony, and they're ... More >>

Metallica Likes Death... A LOT

​This video (watch it after the jump) claims to collect every single time that Metallica has mentioned death or dying in the band's music, which tallies up to 81 instances. Somehow that seems awfully low to us, being almost life-long Metallica rats, and fans of, well, death. According to the v ... More >>

Answers To Our "Metal Or Hymn?" Quiz

au_tiger01 via flickr.com​ A little harder than you thought, wasn't it? If Sunday-morning hymns belong to the King of Kings, and heavy metal is the Prince of Darkness' domain, they sure seem to copy each other's notes a lot. If you haven't seen our little sacred-vs.-profane brain-teaser yet, go ah ... More >>

Aftermath: Megadeth And Testament Power-Metal Through Irritating Fans

Photos by Groovehouse / Click here for a slideshow​Why would you want to piss off Dave Mustaine? The Megadeth front man doesn't seem like the proverbial shrinking violet. He's a pissed-off and generally irritable redhead who sings about crushing people's heads and not taking prisoners. So wh ... More >>

Megadeth

Dave Mustaine, Johnny Ramone, ZZ Top And A Few Other Right-Wing Rockers

​ Most people wouldn't associate right-wing conservative politics with dirty rock and rollers, but you would be surprised. Not all rock cats are card-carrying communists and lily-livered liberals trying to save the sacred animal of the week and converting their buses to biodiesel. In fact, many ol ... More >>

Monoliths & Dimensions: The Best Metal Records of 2009, Part 1

​This year was such a good one for heavy music, I wound up having to cheat when putting this list together. I just couldn't settle on ten albums that kicked my ass the hardest in 2009; there were dozens of candidates. The best I could do was fourteen, so each of my top four slots are ties. 10. Meg ... More >>

For Black Friday, The Top 5 Videos Set In Shopping Malls

"Are you off your fucking meds or something?"​We at Rocks Off are a bit puzzled by the continued practice of cramming ourselves into local malls on "Black Friday," or whatever we're calling the day after Thanksgiving this year (we perfer to remember it as a Megadeth song). Wasn't online shoppi ... More >>

For Rosh Hashanah: Musical Mystery Jews

There are sure to be many Rosh Hashanah celebrations this weekend, but here at Rocks Off, we'd like to suggest you "think outside the box," as the kids say, and shake up your holiday musical selection by considering a few acts that you might not have realized were composed (in some part, anywway) of ... More >>

Metallica for Soccer Moms

No one else in thrash metal's so-called Original Top 4 (Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Metallica) will ever be as a pleasing to the average pop fan’s palate as James Hetfield and pals. Slayer, is well, Slayer. Need we say more? Songs about blood and the Holocaust don’t really move units. The other ... More >>

Heaven and Hell

The Heaven and Hell tour stops Wednesday, May 2, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Robbins Dr., 281-363-3300.

Bobaflex

Friday, August 18, at the Engine Room, 1515 Pease, 713-654-7846

Up from the Underworld

This year, blood-soaked extreme metal took its rightful place in the world of heavy music

Up from the Underworld

This year, blood-soaked extreme metal took its rightful place in the world of heavy music

Head Trip

Between hard rock and a safe place, Metallica finds itself

O'Doyle Rules

No Place Else to Go (Self-released)

Rusty

Remember when Megadeth used to be the fastest, most talented metal band around?

Hard to Kill

Static

Letters

MegaStoopid