Chris Ford

Rock and roll and grand theatrics have been tied together for most of rock's history. When heavy metal came onto the scene, crazy stage shows were a perfect fit for the dark, thumping, high-energy music. While rock often involves vanity and narcissism, some metal mavens choose to wear a mask or don face paint instead of flaunting their looks.

For guitar players, finding the right sound is of the utmost importance. Often, perfecting one's tone can become an obsession. Many guitarists have spent unheard-of amounts of money seeking out the perfect sound. But most of us don't have that luxury.

Tool are one of those bands that gets people talking, and a lot of times that talk is about their striking music videos. Most of them are full of abstract imagery that seem to be culled from some strange dreamworld. Guitarist Adam Jones directs a majority of their clips and uses many different visual techniques to breathe life into creatures and worlds far removed from our own.

David Lee Roth high-kicked and squealed his way into the hearts and minds of millions when he served as the ostentatious singer of one of the biggest bands in the history of rock, Van Halen. The group was among the first acts who rose to prominence just as MTV took the world by storm and Diamond Dave was the perfect frontman for this new era of music videos.

Motley Crue took the world by storm just as MTV was cutting its teeth. By providing the band with a platform to reach out to metal fans across the country, MTV helped propel Motley Crue to superstardom.

As the Internet grows, more people are coming up with ingenious ways to create and cultivate online educational tools. This is true for music lessons as well. In the past, if someone wanted to learn how to play guitar, he or she were limited to personal lessons, videos and books. If beginning guitarists wanted to learn how to play a complex song, they had to listen to the song on CD or tape at normal speed, rewinding it over and over again to learn that blistering solo or extra-notey riff.

Periphery drummer Matt Halpern (far right in the photo above) recently announced that he's partnered with Mapex drums to put together a tour of drum clinics. These clinics will give fans a chance to learn some valuable tips and tricks from one of the most hard-hitting and talented drummers playing metal today.

Eloy Casagrande joined Sepultura two years ago, and only recently stepped into the studio with the band for the first time to record the new album, 'The Mediator Between the Head and the Hands Must Be the Heart.' Casagrande sat down recently with Paiste to discuss the drum setup he used in the studio.

Gus G, Firewind founder and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, just unveiled his signature overdrive pedal, the G Screamer. He worked with BBE Sound to create an overdrive pedal that would give his leads the extra push they need to go over the edge.

Escape the Fate are normally known for hardcore songs with thoughtful and insightful lyrics. 'One for the Money,' though, is a fist-pumping anthem about having a good time.