Iron Maiden

The ten most disappointing metal albums

In the darkest recesses of the metal world, truly shitty albums lurk. Now, these albums aren't necessarily 100 percent shitty (there may still be some redeeming music to be found), but they are certainly incredibly disappointing, particularly given the otherwise worthiness of their creators. Plug yo ... More >>

The ten geekiest metal bands

Geeks love metal more than the computers on which they listen to it. They yearn for heavy metal that was forged by Orcs in the mountains of Mordor, smuggled halfway across the universe on Serenity and then discovered by Silver Surfer while scouting for delicious planets. These bands aren't necessari ... More >>

Win tickets to Dillinger Escape Plan at the Fox

The Dillinger Escape Plan is playing at the Fox Theatre this Tuesday, May 14. We've got a couple pairs of tickets if you and a guest would like to be our guests. FYI: These are hard tickets, so you'll need to stop by our offices on Tuesday afternoon to pick them up. Continue on for details on how to ... More >>

Tom Hunting of Exodus on how building a song is like building the best sandwich possible

Exodus was founded in 1980 by a group of high school friends that included a pre-Metallica Kirk Hammett and Tom Hunting, the sole remaining original member of the act. The classic line-up also featured Paul Baloff on vocals and Gary Holt, who moved over to guitar when Kirk joined Metallica, just pri ... More >>

Hell's Belles, with Dirty Femmes and MF Ruckus, at Oriental Theater, 11/2/12

THE DIRTY FEMMES AND HELL'S BELLES @ ORIENTAL THEATER | 11.02.12 Last night the Oriental was invaded by a sentimental army of superfans, with performer and audience meeting on an equal plain of adoration for music that was at least two decades old. Jen Korte's Violent Femmes tribute band, the Dirty ... More >>

The 25 creepiest metal album covers

Halloween is the time where it's acceptable to wallow in the creepy, the crawly, the dark, and the macabre. Sounds like the themes of heavy metal, year-round! Here then, are those most spine-tingliest metal album covers, for your All Hallow's Eve viewing pleasure. Step inside... See also: - The 25 ... More >>

Photos: Denver's twenty best rock fists

It is a truth universally acknowledged that there's no better way to measure stokedness than the rock fist. Three upturned fingers and an angry grin are all you need to indicate your appreciation for a rowdy show -- and Denver has a lot of those. Looking back through our slide shows of Denver's best ... More >>

The 25 most badass local metal album covers

The most lamentable byproduct of the digital era isn't the decline of record sales -- although that sucks, too -- but the fact that we're missing out on so much sweet cover art. It was bad enough when albums gave way to cassettes back in the '70s and the canvas shrunk to a fraction of its previous s ... More >>

The five most listened-to songs and albums of the week, August 20 through August 27

Well, lookie here. What you do know? It's the return of Heavy Rotation. Longtime readers of Backbeat will remember this feature as one in which we shared our weekly listening habits in hopes of giving you some insight into our individual sensibilities. It's been dormant for a while, but starting tod ... More >>

Iron Maiden at Comfort Dental, 8/13/12

IRON MAIDEN @ COMFORT DENTAL AMPHITHEATRE | 8/13/12 See also: - The 25 Coolest Iron Maiden T-shirts we saw last night at Comfort Dental - The six best quotes from Iron Maiden's show last night at Comfort Dental - Slide show: Iron Maiden at Comfort Dental The word "epic" gets bandied about too oft ... More >>

The 25 coolest Iron Maiden T-shirts we saw last night at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre

See also: - Review: Iron Maiden at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre, 8/13/12

The six best quotes from Iron Maiden's show last night at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre

See also: - The 25 coolest Iron Maiden T-Shirts and fans we saw last night at Comfort Dental - Review: Iron Maiden at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre, 8/13/12 - Slideshow: Iron Maiden at Comfort Dental Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is generally pretty talkative on stage, and last night was no ex ... More >>

Ministry guitarist Mike Scaccia on Rigor Mortis, Psalm 69 and his friendship with Al Jourgensen

See Also: Ministry's Al Jourgensen on his ties to Colorado: living in Breckenridge, attending Greeley High School and his ill-fated attempt at a rodeo career Ministry (due Sunday, June 17, at the Ogden Theatre) got its start when Al Jourgensen moved from Colorado to Chicago, where the Wax Trax labe ... More >>

Photos: These Capitol Hill characters go bump in the night

When the sun goes down, nocturnal Denverites emerge and turn up their style swagger. Take a look at this week's trendsetters and rule-breakers -- caught in their natural environs of East 13th Avenue.

Steel Blades of Vengeance cut loose at 3 Kings on April 12

Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth: "The chemistry in the band is better than it's ever been"

Iced Earth (due tonight at Summit Music Hall) came out of the rich heavy metal scene in Tampa Bay, Florida in the late '80s. At a time when melodic heavy metal, especially the glam variety, was on the wane, Iced Earth came in with the wave of metal that produced a melodic speed metal as well as the ... More >>

3 Inches of Blood

Friday, February 11, Marquis Theater, 866-468-7621.

3 Inches of Blood

The 20 bands that inspire tattoos like no other

An average Misfits fan.​Personally, it's been the "One Bad Album" rule. That's all it takes for a band's musical reputation to be asterisked forever, which makes getting a tattoo of that band, well, risky. You have to wonder how often thirty-somethings across the land hear "Nice Chi' Pep's tat ... More >>

What the riders were jammin' at the Backyard Bang

Britt ChesterBackyard Bangers​This past Saturday, we stopped by the Backyard Bang, which stretched between Lincoln and Sherman on 12th. We noticed the riders all had headphones in, so being all about the music, we asked them what they were listening to during their respective drops, rail slide ... More >>

Iron Maiden, Arcade Fire top sellers at local stores

​ Final Frontier, Iron Maiden's fifteenth studio effort and first album in four years, debuted at second spot at Albums on the Hill and came in third at Independent Records. Arcade Fire's latest effort, The Suburbs, is still performing well and took the top slot at Albums on the Hill for the w ... More >>

Iron Maiden

Monday, June 14, Comfort Dental Amphitheatre, 303-830-8497.

B.o.B., Bop Skizzum, Tommy Metz and The Pirate Signal top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

This Just In: Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, Iron Maiden shows announced

​What a difference a year makes. The last time Lady Gaga was in town she played the Gothic. When she comes back to town on Friday, July 28, she'll be headlining the Pepsi Center. No word yet on when tickets when go on sale, but when they do, they'll run $49.50-$175. Kings of Leon kicks off i ... More >>

And the winners of the Tauntaun tickets are...

​All right, the Tauntaun contest is over. Today's Friday, and we've picked the winners as promised. Thanks to everyone who entered. It was genuinely surprising to see how much everyone knows about Tauntaun, about the members past history, ie., what bands they've all played in (Sleeper Horse, Grace ... More >>

Ronnie James Dio made a fine replacement for Ozzy in Sabbath. Who are some other notable surrogates?

The band retains the name

​In the world of heavy metal, lead singers are as indispensible as riffs and distortion--that is, except for when they get used up and thrown away like yesterday's drumsticks. While frontmen are the face and voice of many bands, they seem particularly prone to quitting, dying or getting fired, lea ... More >>

To Shred or Not to Shred

Headbangers meet Shakespeare in a culture clash for the ages.

Westword Music Showcase reviewed: Broadways

Aaron ThackerayHavok led things off at Broadways. See more photos from Broadways at westword.com/slideshow. Havok, 12 p.m. This four-piece band sounded like classic Bay Area thrash, stuff reminiscent of Testament and Exodus with a splash of Anthrax. The guitar work owed a clear debt to a death met ... More >>

Live Review: The Palsies with Aesthetic Anasthetic, The Copyrights and Cicadia

Mini Reviews

Sworn Enemy

Thursday, March 6, Marquis Theater, 1-866-468-7621.

Bullet for My Valentine Takes Aim

Are these guys the new face of British metal?

Q&A With Matt Tuck of Bullet For My Valentine

45 Second Reviews

This Weekend: Side-Fi Noise, Dartanian, A Shoreline Dream and Peña @ Larimer Lounge

Bullet for My Valentine

Saturday, October 21, Marquis Theater, 303-292-0805,

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Heady Metal

In 2005, longhairs got more progressive than ever.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Iron Maiden

Tuesday, August 9, Coors Amphitheatre, 303-830-8497.

The Fucking Champs

Thursday, June 2, Starlight, Fort Collins, 1-970-484-4974, and Friday, June 3, Larimer Lounge, 303-291-1007.

Roses Are Red

Tuesday, December 14, Rock Island, 303-572-7625.

Himsa

Monday, November 22, Ogden Theatre, 303-830-2525.

Critic's Choice

Dartanian

Best Jukebox

Lion's Lair

Best Gifts for Geeks

Mile High Comics Megastore

"R" Is for Rock

Rock ’n Roll Bingo strikes a chord at the Lion’s Lair.

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