Bad Ass Axe -- Zakk Wylde Epiphone Rocks!

Greetings MetalMortals,
This is the first musical instrument review on Tommy Knocker's Heavy Metal Cavern because I haven't seen anything to get excited about since I started this blog. But, now we have a worthy instrument...the Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom guitar!

I purchased my mine (Buzzsaw design) in August 2005 from zzounds.com and I have been abusing it since. It sounds awesome and (like any Les Paul) just feels great holding it in my hands. It's a bit heavier than most guitars, which is a feeling that you really start to like after awhile.

Bottom line, the Epiphone version of this guitar cost me $850 (with SKG case) and is worth every penny. Why would you buy the Gibson version of this guitar which costs $3,850 when you can get the Epiphone for $850? Almost all the components are the same on both guitars (main difference being that the Epiphone is made in Korea and the Gibson is made in the USA). The Gibson also has nicer pickups, but are they worth the $3,000 price difference? If you must, buy the nicer pickups (EMG-81 and EMG-85) and put them on the Epiphone and spend the rest of the $3,000 on something worthwhile (like beer for next year or two!).

Final thoughts...
1. Don't bother trying to save $ by buying this on Ebay. I tried. In almost every auction I watched, the guitar ended up selling for at least $600 or so. I don't know about you, but I ain't dropping 6 bills on a used/potentially damaged guitar when I can get it brand spanking new for $250 more (with warranty!)
2. I bought mine online at Zzounds.com. Their customer service was excellent. I actually had to ship the guitar back because it was damaged during shipping and they sent me a new one right away (and every time I called, I actually spoke to a real live human being which was a nice touch!)
3. Get ready to rock!
4. If you work at Dean Guitars and want Tommy Knocker to review the FBD Dimebag Tribute ML....send me a free one and I'll check it out! (stop laughing and send it!)
Later,
Tommy Knocker

Slipknot 9.0: Live -- 5 Stars Maggots

Greetings MetalMortal Maggots!
As promised, I am going to give you the low down on Slipknot's latest release Slipknot 9.0: Live (released 11/1/05). iTunesIt's a 2CD, 24 track marathon of mayhem and intensity. All the tracks are live performances from around the world.

This album actually gives you the feel of being there live, right down to the album cover with the hands reaching toward the stage. For those of you that have been to a Slipknot concert, you know what I'm talking about. It's insanity. It's rage. It's an explosion of sound. It takes you to the edge.

A lot of live albums out there generally sound like shit, but not this one. Everything sounds really good on this album and the songs give you that little extra from the live performance (extra guitar fills, drum solos, Corey interacting with the crowd, crowd going nuts, public address announcers introducing the band, etc.) The absolute best song on this album is (Sic), the crowd goes off taking you there and then the band hits you with everything they've got for almost 4 minutes of chaos. 5 stars, period.
Later,
Tommy Knocker