Closing in on Anberlin’s fifth release Dark is the Way, Light is a Place pegging Anberlin is a bit of a challenge. On the one hand they are the embodiment of what hard work and dedication can do for a band that humbly began their career on Tooth & Nail. After all, Tooth & Nail is just a small independent label known more for signing talented bands but not necessarily for fostering these bands to the next level. And while they garnered a fair amount of acclaim and fans through grass roots marketing, Anberlin’s popularity continues to grow. Now with Universal Republic, they face new challenges and higher expectations that naturally follow them after the big success of New Surrender that also included the number one single, “Feel Good Drag.”

I first encountered The Devil Wears Prada in concert at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Even though they were playing under the headliner Killswitch Engage, they were the surprise of the night outperforming everyone else on stage including Killswitch. (See our review of the show here.) Before that show, I didn’t even know who they were. By the end of the night, I was declaring them that night’s winner.

If you’re a fan of Ozzy Osbourne, the chances are pretty good that you’ve heard of Zakk Wylde. Zakk had the dubious distinction of taking the guitar helm after Jake E. Lee and expected to pick up where legend Randy Rhoads left off. Little did that twenty three year old kid know that he’d one day carve out such a deep niche that people would no longer be uttering Zakk’s name after Randy’s, but along side of his. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone who helped usher in Ozzy’s most successful period in music. As a guitar player, his reputation precedes him. As a student of music, he is intensely serious about embracing it in all of its forms.

There is a saying, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know. In the case of Slayer – what we know can be a little bit enigmatic and scary. Especially when you consider their reputation. But that’s just the devil you don’t know. If you take the time to figure them out, it’s clear that their journey has been purposeful and filled with the kind of exploration of aggression and topics that were never intended for the weak. After all, it has been a journey not without controversy. Even a simple phone call can become confrontational at times if you’re not careful.

Rob Halford is a metal icon with very few peers. If you’ve been in the music scene for even half of the time that he has been around, I think you not only earn the title Metal God, but you get to display that title without much argument from fan or foe. And although Rob Halford’s career has not been without its bumps in the roads – issues about his sexuality, the severity of his lyrical influence on impressionable youth or even his departure (and ultimately his return) from Judas Priest – it has been a storied career to say the least.

Korn is one of those bands that you either love or hate. But whether or you love or hate them one of things that cannot be argued is their longevity – Seventeen years later the boys from Bakersfield are still churning out the records and relentlessly fine tuning the music the makes them tick. If you’re a Korn fan it’s been a long journey not without its share of controversy.

Every lover of music has those moments when you check out a new band and realize that “these guys are going to be big.” Usually, nothing becomes of them and the world misses out on yet another great talent. With Mutiny Within however, it will happen – and you’ll be able to say that I told you about it.

When former Contemporary Christian Music artist, Jennifer Knapp, dropped the bomb that she was gay, it was like the shot heard around the world. Fresh off her tour with Derek Webb, I recently had the opportunity to interview Jennifer Knapp in between gigs. In her conversation with C6M, Jennifer spoke candidly about the controversy of coming out of the closet and being lambasted by the Christian media, what it was like to be the center of a controversy that grabbed national attention and finally what the future holds for her.

There are very few bands that take the music world by storm the way that Evanescence did back in 2003 when Fallen debuted, culminating with 5 Grammy nominations and 2 wins. But when Ben Moody suddenly left Evanescence mid tour, it was quickly apparent that all was not well in Oz. Not long after John LeCompt was fired and Rocky Gray left the band as well. After a few years of working with high profile artists such as Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson, Ben Moody resurfaced with We Are the Fallen, reuniting with John and Rocky and adding Marty O’Brien and American Idol finalist Carly Smithson. We recently had the opportunity to chat with Guitarist John LeCompt to talk about the split with Evanescence, American Idol and what all that has to do with We are the Fallen and what the future holds for them.

For many people, their first exposure to Extreme was somewhere around 1990, shortly after the release of Pornograffiti. It was one of those chart topping multi-platinum mega albums that introduced most of America to a band that penned hit songs such as “More Than Words” and “Hole Hearted” while at the same time placing them in the category of one of the most misunderstood bands of 90’s. They were going to be labeled, for better or for worse based upon the merits of those two songs, but that would always be a shame to me…