Latest articles by Amit Sharma
How a Mike Inez bassline kick-started Ozzy classic No More Tears – but he wasn't there to record it
Ozzy's top-tier guitarists get all the glory but on No More Tears you've got to give the bass player his dues. Make that bass players, plural
“We were doing that riff and cracking up laughing the whole time”: Zakk Wylde on how a “joke” riff won Ozzy Osbourne his first ever Grammy
The No More Tears sessions found the Ozzy camp in high spirits and ready to lay down a record that would take the Prince of Darkness' solo career to new heights
“He’d be like, ‘We’re gonna write a song on stage, everybody!’”: How Creed wrote their breakthrough hit during a gig
Higher cemented their stature as stadium-conquering heavyweights
“I was the first person to actually have a Super Fuzz Big Muff”: How Courtney Love created a grunge classic
Hole’s song Violet came out just a week after Kurt Cobain’s suicide
“He really didn’t like it the first time we played it”: The controversial Radiohead hit embraced by Prince
"It was written during “a pretty strange period in my life” said Thom Yorke
“She sang it once. From a vocal standpoint, no one has that much courage”: How Alanis Morissette made You Oughta Know
"I thought maybe ten people would hear this song,” she said
“It’s as comfortable as a guitar can”: Kramer Volante HSGT Triburst review
Meet the new line-up of fast and furious high-performance machines from Kramer
"I’m not a blues player - but this song called for a bluesy touch”: Steve Vai’s greatest song is 30 years old today
Tender Surrender is Vai at his most poetic
“I saw something coming at me, then it blew up!”: Steve Vai's on-stage calamities with David Lee Roth and Whitesnake
“You can call this The Tale Of Two Davids!” Vai says
“I played the same parts Edward played - but it never sounded like him”: Steve Vai reveals his favourite Van Halen song
And he ain't talkin' 'bout Jump!
“I said, ‘I’m going to make my guitar talk!’”: When Steve Vai was in direct competition with Eddie Van Halen
“Jesus, that was hard! But I got it”: Guitar hero Steve Vai reveals the difficulties of playing King Crimson music
“I’m a fan and want to play the exact notes,” Vai says
“Joe is on fire! What better inspiration can you get?”: Steve Vai's “crazy" new music with Joe Satriani
“I’ve never done anything like this,” Vai says
“Proof you can fit guitar solos into perfect two-minute pop songs”: Towa Bird stars in the top five guitar albums of 2025
If you’re looking for that last-minute Christmas gift for the guitar player in your life, help is at hand!
“Jimi was brave, beautiful and powerful!”: On Hendrix’s birthday, a tribute from Eric Gales
Gales says: “Until the end of time, we’re going to be wondering how Jimi came up with this stuff"
“I feel like I’m not even making a record - I’m just tuning guitars!”: Myles Kennedy and Devin Townsend talk gear
Devin’s advice: “Try the Evertune system”
“I was totally floored!”: Myles Kennedy hails the “genius” of his touring buddy Devin Townsend
And Devin says of Myles’ new album: “I’m in awe of it!”
“The true identities behind Sleep Token are immaterial”: How they became the biggest cult band in the world
The enigma of Download 2025’s headline act
“What you’re about to play should be influenced by what you just played”: Greg Koch's tips for better solos
He says: “The main things I work on are vibrato, bends and phrasing”
“He was hitting wrong notes with such authority, I just fell in love with it!”: Devin Townsend's unlikely hero
He also reckons that one famous guitarist was always out of tune
“I’m all about Dimebag and Zakk Wylde!”: Tetrarch guitarist Diamond Rowe salutes the giants of metal
Plus: the secret to her aggressive tones
“It’s like there’s another guitar player”: How one metal guitarist sounds like two
The DIY approach of Within The Ruins axeman Joe Cocchi
“13 minutes of pumpkin-flavoured power metal mayhem!”: The ultimate Halloween anthem
Make this fright night 666 times spookier with Helloween’s masterpiece
