Zakk Wylde is best known for being Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, founder of Black Label Society and lead guitarist and vocalist with Pride & Glory. He’s won practically every guitar magazine award there is and has inspired guitarists of all styles. On stage with Ozzy, Zakk is regarded is one of the few guitarists still flying the flag for seriously shredded solos and high energy performances full of passion.

Randy Rhoads featured on Ozzy Osbourne’s first two solo albums which have sold over six million copies combined. Often cited as an influence by many contemporary heavy metal guitarists, Randy Rhoads was one of the few guitarists of his era to create his own signature style by being one of the first heavy metal guitarists to incorporate classical music into his playing. Although he only issued a pair of major-label albums during his lifetime, he immediately reached legendary status upon his tragic death in early 1982

Learn to Play Zakk Wylde, The Solos (RRP £23.99) is taught by professional guitar tutor Andy James, who was once lucky enough to jam with Zakk and Ozzy. The tuition DVD details five solos from classic tracks featured on the No Rest for the Wicked and No More Tears albums. This professionally produced, multi camera shot, guitar lesson breaks each solo down into clearly explained bite sized chunks, and is full of tips and techniques to help you get your playing up to speed. Watch and listen to demonstrations of pinched harmonics, alternate and hybrid picking and that heavy vibrato so indicative of a true Zakk Wylde style of playing. Solos taught on this DVD come from Miracle Man, Devils Daughter, Breaking all the Rules, No More Tears and Mama I’m Coming Home.

Learn to Play Randy Rhoads, The Solos (RRP £23.99) is presented by Danny Dill former pupil of Joe Satriani and writer of many of the songs featured in “The Osbourne’s” TV show. Danny invites you to pick a track and grab a guitar as he takes you through note for note demonstrations of five characteristic Randy Rhoads solos at three different tempos. The DVD format gives you plenty of time to understand what Danny is showing you, and the chapter keys allow you to repeat each section as many times as you need to nail that guitar riff or lick. Solos included come from the tracks Goodbye to Romance, Crazy Train, Over the Mountain, Flying Again and Mr. Crowley, all of which have become metal standards and showcase Randy Rhoads full talent as a guitarist.

The Learn to Play Solos format includes many more famous guitar legends, these and the Zakk Wylde and Randy Rhoads DVDs are available to purchase through www.licklibrary.com along with over 20,000 other guitar tuition products. For the ultimate range of tuition products, www.licklibrary.com has the comprehensive and definitive professional guides to learning to playing the guitar.

Reading’s Malefice kick off the night with some brutal, punchy sounds with just the right level of technicality, their performance displaying a tighter and more refined edge to previous outings which threatens to steal the whole show from under the feet of the headliners. The quality performances of new track The Midas Effect and classic-to-be As Skies Turn Black marks them out as a young band poised to make the step up to the next level. They’ve still got plenty to learn from the old guard but their hard-graft attitude to touring means they’ll surely one day take on the big guns.

Finishing off the UK presence on the bill are Trigger The Bloodshed, with a much more dirge-driven, guttural and sludgy sound. It’s relentlessly heavy, mixing moments of chaotic grind with occasional clear-cut beats, and is maybe easiest to describe at the soundtrack to an Ork attack. They’ve definitely got fans in the gathering audience and provide something for the undecided to bang their heads to, but perhaps lack the energy needed to ramp up the pack for the night to come.

Californians Suicide Silence can only be defined as a ‘love them or hate them’ experience. They produce a fairly effective, speedy deathcore sound but after the fourth or fifth song it becomes apparent that they’re a bit of a one trick pony – each song seems to be made up of segues into breakdowns rather than a fully formed tune, and vocalist Mitch veers from screeching highs or lung-coughing lows, but no variations in between. He also insists on constantly doing a bizarre-looking hand-swoop stomp that has to be dubbed ‘The Eagle’. Credit where credit’s due though, the pack of fiercely loyal fans present condense into a frantic, arm-pumping pit.

Poland’s hottest export Behemoth bring another layer to a varied night. It seems to be par for the course that every black/death metal band from anywhere east of Belgium has a back catalogue as long as your arm and a range of t-shirts all bearing ornate designs, and with the obligatory corpse-painted faces on stage it seems the mood is set for forty minutes of morose, clanging chords. It’s a surprise then that they come out with a performance full of entertaining showmanship, theatrics and just the right edge of humour (black comedy, of course). Musically it’s reminiscent of a more doom-laden Gojira, moving through atmospheric ambient sounds at times with little of the shoe-gazing tendencies of other similar acts. Finally, a black metal band I actually like.

By the time the lights drop for Devildriver the room is packed to the rafters, the Garage’s raised bar area giving an amphitheatre-like feel. From the off it’s an unforgiving barrage covering all four albums, early favourite Nothing’s Wrong whipping the gathered masses into a heaving, sweaty pile of crowd-surfers while the newer Back With A Vengeance shows a more mosh-friendly, groove-laden sound. It’s hard to know where to stop the praise but there’s really no other way to say this – Devildriver can literally do no wrong. Ignoring the tedious world of sub-genre names for straight up heavy metal they supply a crowd with the full range from filthy breakdowns, singalong lines, crushing riffs, quality solos and more, all perfectly balanced across the length of the concise set. They also display what seems like a genuine humility in the face of an audience baying for more, no rockstar arrogance marring the performance. If they aren’t high up the festival bills next summer heads will roll.

The striking thing when you first arrive is the variety of people in the crowd. It speaks volumes about the draw of tattoo art in modern culture that one look down the toilet and bar queues (a sight to behold in their own right) takes in every type from glamour girls in tiny skirts, nappied men with fully inked body suits, polo-shirted fashionable lads or run of the mill New Rock-stomping goths. The brilliant thing is… everyone’s there for the same reason. Whether as a casual fan with a few small pieces or a more avid collector filling that last gap, they’ve all dragged themselves down to the Docklands on a sunny Sunday afternoon to see the work on show.

Roaming the aisles the range of nationalities that are present makes for a huge visual impact. This isn’t limited to the styles of artwork, which run the whole spectrum from fifties Sailor Jerry styles to cutting edge visuals from the Japanese techno-organic crowd, but also in the tattooing methods and styles of presentation. Watching Norse and Polynesian wooden tools at work is an eye-watering spectator sport in itself and these sit alongside professional, business-like booths displaying delicately sculpted tattoo guns and the latest tshirt designs on laptop slideshows. Most of the artists have taken the chance to show off their work outside of tattooing as well, with some breathtakingly high quality hand-drawn prints and sketch books on show, all available for a price.

It’d be impossible to name too many specific, stand-out artists but a handful of names worth keeping an eye out for:

Human Fly – eye-popping technicolors from Madrid

Amanda Toy – classic US stylings erring on the side of cute

FZ Tattoo – imposing fantasy craftsmanship from Beijing

Mo’o Tatau – traditional, bold Pacific patterns

Blood and Milk, Rudy De Amicis – uniquely dark and surreal concepts

The venue has to take a huge part of the credit for creating such an enjoyable, relaxed atmosphere. The old location at the Truman Brewery was functional at best, whereas the Tobacco Docks are a genuine pleasure to walk around, with outside spaces ideal for a few drinks and high, vaulted ceilings over wide indoor spaces that make the whole experience feel more like a day at the mall than a hectic convention. The building is filled with a quiet buzzing, both of tattoo guns and background conversation, but with hardly any of the mosh-like crowds you could previously get sucked into.

Aside from ink being put into skin, of which there is plenty in all shapes and sizes, there’s plenty to see and do with a selection of clothes shops, two stages showcasing new talent, established bands and burlesque performances, celebrity signings (well, if you count the Suicide Girls and Vikki Blows as celebrities) and a choice of places to eat and drink. The convention organisers have tried to construct a genuine, dare I say, family day out for the alternative scene, and going by this year’s attempt they’re on the right track. Same time next year? I’ll pack a picnic.

The Greening’s mission statement is to push pop music to new frontiers through their blend of accessible experimentation.  Combining memorable hooks, strong melodies and cascading vocal harmonies, the band craft instantly memorable songs.  However, the radio friendly nature of the songwriting disguises its underlying complexity.  Surprise bridges and unexpected arrangements/time signatures unite to enhance the compositions in an integrated fashion.

The ideology behind their sound evolves from an appreciation of the psychedelic movement, forgotten ‘70s art rock, classic ‘60s pop, and the ultimate desire to combine elements of all of these with a psychotic injection of punk energy.
On (SHE’S SO) ELECTRIC, The Greening–—singer/guitarist Will Loving, keyboardist/vocalist Karl Meischen, drummer Nick Tatro–accomplish their mission again, delivering songs whose pop sensibilities are matched by their underlying attention to detail.  With stronger vocals and a more solid sound, songs like “(She’s So) Electric” and “Sunday Afternoon” detail the bands’ continual evolution.  While swathes of delayed resonance float between snare cracks and vocal lines, the compositions never fall apart, rather, coalescing into original numbers as unique as their San Francisco home base.  With their eccentric synergy coming to the forefront once again, listeners are left with a feeling reciprocal to the band’s – a feeling of curiosity.

www.myspace.com/thegreening

A quick bit of pre-gig research reveals that Break The Sky are apparently reforming just for one special appearance, which if it’s true would beg the question… why? The place of an opening act is to get some stage experience, develop as a band and show a few moments of promise, which these guys occasionally do in a set laden with screamo mediocrity. The question is, who decided that this apparently defunct band were that vital to this lineup that they should reform for one night over a more active one?

Bringing arguably one of the most confusing live performances this stage has ever witnessed are New Jersey locals The Number 12 Looks Like You. From an uninspiring opener the set spirals into a world of the bizarre. Vocalist Jase is a complete anomaly, elements of Davey Havok/Brian Molko effeminate whininess twinned with cat-like screams and guttural roars. Musically it veers between Dillinger Escape Plan and jazz fusion – a comparison with early Incubus would be lazy, but Between The Buried And Me clearly had an influence. The Acapulco-style interludes are well performed and entertaining, but the joke possibly wears thin on a crowd pumped on beer for a heavier sound. One thing that can’t be denied – they do draw all eyes to the stage.

The arrival of English boys Your Demise finally provokes the previously stoic audience into action, and violent action at that. Their influences are clear to see from the off and I mean no insult in saying that they’re never going to be break any ground musically: their sound is lifted straight from the NY hardcore scene with a touch of Hatebreed and, briefly, Pantera into the mix. But they’re a blunt instrument and provide exactly the level of brute force that the night needs – the combination of heaving riffs and punkish rabble-rousing incites a riot that engulfs most of the floor. The crowd breaks over the low Underworld stage like a crashing wave, stage divers and mic-grabbers at all angles. A promising display for a young UK band.

After what seems like an age of sound-checking, Misery Signals take to the stage. What’s immediately apparent is how technically proficient they are – the real pull of their most recent album Controller, and what marks them out as a real talent to watch over some similar bands, is their depth of sound from hoarse brutality to surprisingly tender, melodic undercurrent all within the same moment. Live on stage they bring the full range, songs such as Coma and A Certain Death pitch perfect. At his heaviest vocalist Karl’s aural onslaught and stage presence is one to match the best hardcore sounds out there. Where the crowd had previously been a crashing wave the stage now becomes a churning whirlpool, the line between crowd and band impossible to spot in a sea of flailing legs and arms. The band seem genuinely surprised at the immediate and unanimous requests for an encore but they shouldn’t – if their sound carries on growing in this direction there’s going to be a lot more to come, and on bigger stages than this.

Present
Motley Crue “Dr. Feel Good 20th Anniversary”
Job For A Cowboy “Ruination”
Otep “Smash The Control Machine”
A Day To Remember “Homesick”
As I Lay Dying “An Ocean Between Us”
Behemoth “Evangelion”
Black Dahlia Murder “Deflorate”

Past
AC/DC “For Those About To Rock”
Judas Priest “Screaming For Vengeance”
Korn “Follow The Leader”
Alice In Chains “Facelift”
Slayer “South Of Heaven”
Ozzy Osbourne “Blizzard Of Ozz”
Rage Against The Machine “Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium”