AC/DC

The Grammys haven't always been kind to hard rock, with AC/DC not getting their first award until this year, Led Zeppelin famously never winning one (though they did get a Lifetime Achivement Grammy) and Black Sabbath winning their first in 2000 for 'Iron Man...

As they get older, they get better! Aussie legends AC/DC picked up the Grammy statue for 'War Machine' from 'Black Ice' for Best Hard Rock Performance, beating out the likes of Nickelback, Alice in Chains, Linkin Park and Metallica. No one from the band was there to pick up the Grammy award, but we're sure that Brian Johnson, Angus Young and company are celebrating in their knickers...

It's not every day you see K.K. Downing and Kerry King sitting in the same room as Alicia Keys and Lady Gaga. But Jan. 31, the 52nd annual Grammy Awards will bring out some of the biggest legends in hard rock and heavy metal, including nominees AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Slayer and Judas Priest...

If you're a fan of 'The Punisher,' the name Tim Bradstreet may be familiar to you. Or perhaps you've read about his redesign of Pantera's 'Vulgar Display of Power' cover for the oral history of that album on the current issue of Revolver. Bradstreet also designed the cover of Iron Maiden's 2007 release and 14th album overall, 'A Matter of Life and Death,' so the artist certainly has a well-earned

Despite coming smack dab in the middle of one of the worst recessions in history, 2009 was still a solid year for touring artists like Metallica, who spent the better part of the year on the road with the likes of the Sword, Lamb of God and others...

On Christmas Eve, with all the stores and restaurants closed (except Chinese restaurants, of course) and all the TV channels broadcasting lame holiday specials, what could be more heartwarming than metal? Gorgoroth and Cephalic Carnage are fine, but over the next two days we recommend you check out some holiday songs recorded especially for the season...

Jackie Kajzer, the host and developer of the nationally syndicated metal radio show 'Full Metal Jackie,' is a lyrics person. She likes to dive deep into songs and learn the meanings behind them. And she's apparently not the only one. When she pitched the idea behind her forthcoming book, 'Full Metal Jackie Certified: The 50 Most Influential Heavy Metal Songs of the '80s and the True Stories Behind

Black Robot bassist Jonathan 'J.B.' Brightman saw what he thought was the downfall of traditional rock 'n' roll. But his faith was restored when he witnessed kids playing 'Guitar Hero' in a California big box store. "I went to Best Buy a couple times and I saw these kids rocking out to Mountain and all these old classic songs," Brightman, the former bassist for Buckcherry, told Noisecre

"Metal is very, very vital," Pink Cream 69 drummer Kosta Zafiriou unequivocally states to Noiscreep. "The scene is all over the world. It's not the absolute mainstream scene besides Metallica and AC/DC, but it is still very vital." Zafiriou knows a thing or two about sustaining longevity and weathering the ups and downs of the music business...

Drumroll, please! The 52nd annual Grammy nominees have been announced, and the Best Metal Performance category contains absolutely no surprises -- except, perhaps, for the exclusions that we could argue until we're blue in the face about, so let's not even go there...