Michael Packer writes in the liner notes, "Honesty is the best word to describe blues guitarist Chaz DePaolo for both the man and his music. DePaolo has persevered through the disappointments and the rejections of life which is the blues and has risen above the petty jealousy of some who are envious of his work ethic and many successes. Chaz DePaolo has come into his own and he shines on this new recording, "Bluestopia". Together with bandmates and added blues lumineries such as world renowned pianist David Maxwell and blues harp extrordinaire Jason Ricci, Chaz DePaolo has created a must CD for blues fans all over the world."

"No Surrender + Live" is a re-recorded version of one of Lars Eric Mattsson’s earliest albums originally released in 1989 to celebrate 20 years since its original release. This new version sees all vocals and guitars being re-recorded with the addition of a few live tracks tagged on the end for good measure. "No Surrender + Live" is classic hard rock fused with neo-classical metal all with the unique Lars Eric Mattsson flavour. Whilst the song writing might not be as advanced as more recent efforts released under the Mattsson name such as "Dreamchild" and "War", this is a slice of history which shows an artist that has continued to grow over the 20 years since its initial release. To go with the 15 studio tracks there is the bonus of 5 live tracks discovered in the Mattsson archives which features tracks from the albums "Electric Voodoo" and "Eternity".

"Higher" is the outstanding debut studio disc by Drew Zaunbrecher, a remarkable, obscure bluesy heavy guitar stratmaster from Lousiana. Features 10 tracks of awesome, dynamic, deep, soul-powered bluesy heavy guitar power trio magic that stands tall in a class all its own. "Higher" is an impressive guitar statement that includes all the right moves - top-notch material, stand-out, intelligent, killer guitar playing complete with excellent, soulful vox, a superb rhythm section who nails the groove down, along with a first rate real production which brings the disc home where it belongs. Drew Zaunbrecher is an amazing, gifted new guitarist on the scene who speaks volumes on the instrument. Highly recommended to fans of Doyle Bramhall, Indigenous, Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes, Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Sky, Eric Clapton, Buddaheads and other amazing six string blues/rock guitar gods who reign supreme.

"Blacktop" is the awesome studio disc from this superb blues/rock axeslinger featuring 12 tracks of exceptional, dynamic, earthy, soul-powered, bluesy heavy guitar power trio grooves that rock hot, blue and righteous. Glenn Kaiser is an excellent, first rate, authentic, old school, retro-'70s axemaster who is heavily inspired and influenced by the remarkable Gov't Mule riffmaster, aka Warren Haynes. Kaiser does an awesome, legitimate job at speaking the same "musical language" as the Gov't Mule guitar legend. Strong stand-out songs, world-class musicianship, equally impressive soul-powered vox, vintage guitar tones, complete with an excellent production all make "Blacktop" one outstanding, solid. memorable blues/rock heavy guitar ride. Includes special guest guitarists Rick Derringer and Dave Beegle - an added heavy guitar bonus.

"The Blues According To Texas Son" is an excellent musical document from this outstanding "blues" guitarist based out of upstate New York. A classic, timeless, dynamic, collection of 21 tracks recorded through the years (1988 - 2005) by this talented bluesy Telecaster guitar-slinger. Highly recommended to fans of Roy Buchanan, Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, SRV, Trower, Albert Collins, Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl, Albert and Freddie King, and to fans of "serious" pure heavy blues guitar magic. Tune into the Man and his music on the appropriately titled, "The Blues According To Texas Son". Dave D'Angelico, aka Texas Son, is a righteous blues/rock guitarist who has been slingin' his trademark '68 Telecaster in various blues bars and juke joints in Upstate New York over the past several decades. Hands down, the best true blues guitar slinger from Upstate New York who sounds like he came straight out of the heart of Texas.

"Big Jim Slade" is the self-titled debut from this quartet - an awesome superb studio disc from this amazing soul-powered, blues-based guitar rock band from Nashville featuring 13 tracks (52 minutes) of outstanding, classic, dynamic, powerful, melodic bluesy heavy guitar rock that stands tall in a class all it's own. Highly recommended to fans of King's X, Soundgarden, Chris Cornell, Black Crowes and Gov't Mule. Features the guitar work of Chris Belt and Jonathan Sirls.

Phenomenal solo disc from this amazing, soul-powered bluesy heavy guitarist from Austin, Texas featuring 16 tracks (79 minutes) of world-class, dynamic, stellar, soulful, melodic blues-based heavy guitar power trio riffage - real songs complete with substance, scope and depth that cut hard and deep with endless style and class. Billy White (ex-Don Dokken Band) is truly an outstanding, gifted, soul-powered, guitarist/vocalist who really shines and produces throughout the brilliant and superb "Illusionation" disc.

Mike Onesko and the Blindside Blues Band's excellent "Tribute to the Blues" featuring 10 ass-kickin' tracks (65 minutes) of smokin', killer, down-home, raw, bluesy heavy guitar jams done up BBB-style that will rock your damn blues away. Smokehouse Sessions is a solid mix of way-kool covers and originals that hit hard and deliver the blues message. Most of the tracks/jams are recorded live in the studio to keep it real. Highly recommended to fans of bad-ass, killer hard rockin' blues guitar riffage. Wave your blues guitar freak flag high with BBB on the low-down and dirty Smokehouse Sessions disc.

Awesome, beyond belief, tribute to Cream featuring Mike Onesko (Blindside Blues Band) on guitar and vocals with bass guitar legend Tim Bogert (Cactus/BBA) on low-end bottom kool and Emery Ceo (Blindside Blues Band) on drums. This amazing set was captured live without a net and features 10 outstanding, killer "Big Electric Cream Jams" (68 minutes) that will trip your brain and rock your retro-'70s bluesy heavy guitar power trio jam:house down to the ground! All three bad-ass players lock in and nail down the classic Cream riffage with style, precision and class that give the term "power trio" new meaning.

"Rollin' And Tumblin'", the superb sixth solo disc by this awesome, outstanding, world-class, blues/rock axeslinger from Arkansas, features awesome, top-shelf, soul-powered, "old-school" blues-based heavy guitar power trio grooves that will melt your blues away. Tony Spinner digs deep on "Rollin' And Tumblin'" and produces an amazing, timeless, authentic disc that definitely stands tall in the world of classic blues/rock guitar magic. An incredible, dynamic mix of blues meets rock from a true blues/rock axeslinger whose guitar playing skills are right up there with the best of them. Rollin' & Tumblin' also features the excellent rhythm section of Michel Mulder on bass and Han Neijenhuis on drums, both great players who lay down serious, soul-powered grooves throughout this awesome disc.

"Play That Damn Guitar", the appropriately titled, mega-awesome, third solo studio disc from this amazing, gifted blues/rock axeripper mind-blowing, over-the-top, bad-ass, killer, bluesy, Hendrix-inspired, heavy guitar power trio riffage from a true axemaster that will rock your world into the next musical dimension. Jay Jesse Johnson (Triple J) reigns supreme on the guitar and proves that he is the REAL deal as he takes his "Damn Guitar" to new levels of insanity and beyond on this tremendous Grooveyard Records disc. The Man gives the term "Guitar Hero" new meaning with his latest monumental heavy guitar journey/statement. Johnson deserves all the credit he can get for the vast musical accomplishments he effortlessly displays and documents on the brilliant "Play That Damn Guitar" disc.

Lick Library wants to help you improve your guitar playing in 2009! Their instructional DVDs and other products feature outstanding teachers such as Danny Gill, Stuart Bull, Andy James, Jamie Humphries, Steve Trovato and Richard Smith, just to name a few. To make it even easier to experience the Lick Library learning system in 2009, if you order any three (3) or more of their products (you can mix and match), Guitar Nine Records will give you a ten percent (10%) discount! Check out the list of products here

Influenced by thunder, lightning, head-on collisions and hurricane force winds - such is the music of the hard rock band Phantanima on their debut CD, "Bombast". Featured are guitarist John Pollard, synthesist Kevin Nixon and percussionist Eric McShane. "...and we three, summoned by The Personage Itself, move quickly to The Core...under a watchful eye..." - Phantanima. "...we scanned the Mirror of Gog for wisdom, but still they came...closer and closer with every pass..." - Phantanima.

Guitar Nine Records now accepts the Discover Card. Payment options now include PayPal, VISA, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. We will also be integrating PayPal's Express Checkout on our Shopping Cart page in the coming weeks. Check out the ordering page for other ordering information.

Nico's Alchemy recently has achieved outstanding press and radio play in the UK and Europe. Bruce Dickinson, BBC Radio 6, selected the song "It's Enough" as the Metal Song of the Week on his Friday Rock Show on February 20th. Guitar Techniques magazine also named "Fundamental Darkness" Album of the Month in December of 2008, giving it a 5 Star review.

This imported album from England also has an amazing new price of only $12.00, which includes shipping to US destinations (outside the US, add normal shipping charges).

According to our schedule, we are planning to move to a new server on Sunday, March 8th, 2009. The down time should be minimal, but could be several hours or more. The new server is five times faster, has much more memory, more disk space, greater bandwith, and it will help us be to deliver a better user experience to the Guitar Nine Records community. You'll probably see a message to that effect if you happen to visit during the move. Thank you for your patience and support. Please let us know on Monday if your favorite page is not there, or some function appears 'off' or if anything else appears out of kilter.

VII Gates are a classic metal outfit hailing from Sweden who add a new dimension to the genre with the infusion of modern day power metal elements creating a nice blend between the two eras of metal. Their debut album "Fire, Walk With Me", received strong critical acclaim with writers praising the bands mix of classic metal values with modern day inflections. Their new album and debut release on Lion Music, "In Hoc Signo Vinces" (in This You Will Conquer) sees the band pushing this element further yet all the while keeping a consistent flow to the music and bands trademark sound. The guitar work of JJ Rockford and Robert Makek leaves a rich musical backdrop for the crisp vocals of Criss Blackburn to deliver many moods. Underpinned by the dynamic rhythm section of drummer Mick Van Slowfoot and new bassist Nicola Posa; VII Gates deliver metal that will appeal to fans of classic metal and the modern day power metal movement.

Hailing from Italy, Farther Paint are at the forefront of a new movement of progressive metal hailing from the country and were discovered on myspace. Farther Paint plays highly technical progressive metal but always with a keen eye on the song being the overall important element. Farther Paint carry the distinction of being fronted by the soulful female vocals of Monia Rossi, a voice that is able to convey pure emotion and adds an exciting element to the bands sound. Musically the band are fronted by the guitars of Francesco Federici, the keyboards of Gabriele Manocchi all underpinned by the bass work of Thomas Bianchi and drum monster Luca Prima whose work here deserves to propel him to the forefront of modern day drum masters. "Lose Control" is an experimental album where the instrumental parts don't prevail over the voice, but support it. It features 8 tracks with two purely instrumental bookends. The title track opens the album while "anger" sum up the whole concept album bringing it to a turning point. Farther Paint are about conveying an original sound, which is given prominence by vocals parts and by lyrics. The aim of the lyrics is to convey the same feelings expressed by the instrumentation.

"Longing For Winter" features 4 new 2008 tracks plus 14 of the best from Winterlong's glorious past remastered on a strictly limited edition 79 minute CD. A must have for all metal fans! Winterlong is the brainchild of Thorbjörn Englund. Proving to be purveyors of some of the finest neo-classical Nordic power metal to have come out of Scandinavia in the 21st century, the band went through a series of line-up changes, yet retained their own identifiable sound for their first 3 albums before changing track to a heavier style of metal for their fourth (and to date last) album "Metal/Technology". "Longing For Winter" is an ideal starting point for anyone that has yet to sample the Winterlong sound.

One of the front runners of the Italian progressive metal scene, Astra mark their first release for Lion Music with the dazzling "From Within". Best described as a mixture of Symphony X, Vanden Plas, early Dream Theater and Queen crossed with some AOR touches; the new album sees Astra delivering an album of high quality from start to finish with a strong accessible punch to the music on offer. Having made a good impression with press worldwide with their debut album “About Me: Through Life And Beyond” (Burning Star Records) the band have honed their style for "From Within" and look set to reach out to a wider audience of prog metal fans worldwide. Possessing a more straightforward progressive metal sound, Ten tracks of musically rich and melodically full metal, "From Within" is ultra powerful in song structure and musicianship all enhanced by an excellent production. To sum up, "From Within" is accessible, catchy and impressive as hell.

Theodore Hydreos was born in Skiathos, a beautiful Greek island. At the age of 16, Theodore started playing the guitar and when he reached age 20 he decided to move to Athens in order to meet other musicians with the same musical influences and interests as him. He recorded his first solo album, "Subway Feeling", in which he collaborated with famous musicians such as Giotis Kiourtsoglou (bass), Marc Halbheer (drums), Nikos Terzis (Keyboards) and Peter Fountoukidis (vocals). In this album Theodore's songs are influenced by his boyhood listenings. At present Theodore is recording his second solo album, which is going to be a collection of compositions that portray his broad musical background and listenings, ranging from classical and rock to today's popular music styles. Theodore keeps himself busy by dividing his time between composing, recording sessions, playing and trying to grow as a performer and composer every single day.

"Why Not?" is the full length version of the original five-song demo fom the Spanish metal trio Whistlino, led by Oliver Martin on guitar and vocals. The title of this record, "Why Not?", also states clear;y the band's principles - they are and have no problem with what people think about their music. Whistlino like to mix it up musically; on the metal side you get "On The Screen", "Artist Of The Week" and "Wacky Supermarket". Now if your are looking for something that is more funky and freaky, check out "Miss Potato Head", and the first single from the album, "Loop Da Loop". Martin gets more personal vocally on tracks such as "Twisting My Head" and "Creepy Human", while showing his clear dominance of the English language on "Cuckolded".

Billy Sheehan reveals details about his latest solo album "Holy Cow!", "My new CD which will be my third solo record is called "Holy Cow!" It has some amazing guests on it. Ray Luzier plays spectacular drums; he’s playing with Korn now and just did a Stone Temple Pilots tour. He’s a great, great drummer and played on "Cosmic Troubadour" as well. Tony MacAlpine did a classical piano piece over a Bach bass thing that I did. Dug Pinnick came in and sang a track amazingly, he just killed it. Paul Gilbert from Mr. Big did an amazing solo on one track, and last but not least Billy Gibbons laid some guitar down on another song I wrote with him in mind. He’s a genius and a living legend. It’s one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had in my life to have him play on my record. He just kicked ass, it was awesome."

World-renowned guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert has just released a new studio album for 2008 in collaboration with Freddie Nelson. The CD, entitled "United States", contains ten tracks of high-energy hard rock, described as a cross between Queen and Mr. Big. You can definitely hear the Freddie Mercury influence in the vocal work of Mr. Nelson, and Paul is just Paul, rippin' and squealin' and shredding his way up and down the neck as always.

Neo-classical guitar godfather Yngwie J. Malmsteen returns to fine form with 2008's "Perpetual Flame". Joining the ranks of the Rising Force for this outing are vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (of Judas Priest/Iced Earth fame) and ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian. With Malmsteen aptly handling both guitar and bass duties, Perpetual Flame finds the famous Swede and current Florida resident burning up the fretboards with his screaming vibrato, seemingly impossible unison runs, and trademark harmonies. Features two instrumental tracks, "Caprici Di Diablo" and "Lament".

Marty Friedman is back in 2008 with "Future Addict". Get ready for the best of the best from Marty Friedman, as he travells back through time to his band years (with Deuce and Megadeth) and through his solo career for a brand new release of newly re-recorded versions of his own songs! Features support from Billy Sheehan and Masaki on bass, Jeremy Colson on drums and vocals (drummer for B'z latest single, making his worldwide vocal debut on Future Addict). Also includes the music video for Marty Friedman's latest single, "Simple Mystery", as Enhanced-CD content.

We've started the registration for our $5 a day cash giveaway, to begin on February 2, with one recipient selected each day after that. All you need is a PayPal account and a good story to tell. More information at:

www.guitar9.com/get-a-five-spot

"Barefoot" is the first collection of acoustic recordings by Bumblefoot, re-interpreting his own songs in a stripped-down, bare form. The opening track, "She Knows", was chosen by fans in an online poll, as part of picking which songs to record for the album. A five-song EP CD, followed by seven extra tracks - instrumental mixes of the five songs, the song "Abnormal" with non-explicit lyrics, and an unplugged version of "Delilah", recorded in 2003. Ron Thal (Bumblefoot) is a solo recording artist and producer, and is currently a member of Guns N' Roses.

Masquerade Of Shadows is in the mixing process for their second album "Wolfman" , due out at the end of 2009, or early 2010.

Masquerade Of Shadows is a new metal band out of Alaska, produced by guitarist Norman K. Anderson, and they feature two guitarists on their 2008 concept album, "The Haunted Manor". Cyrus Saint Leviticus, who handles both lead vocals and lead and rhythm guitar, was born in Scotland and draws influences from his favorite bands (Symphony X, Kamelot, Vanden Plas, Angra, and Rhapsody of Fire) as well as his favorite guitarists (Norman K Anderson, Vinnie Moore, Jason Becker, David Valdes, and Paul Gilbert). The other lead shredder is Nik Sharshak, a Russian who could see Alaska from his native land and decided to relocate. He uses a white Les Paul Custom and lists influences such as Michael Romeo, John Petrucci, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde, Cyrus Saint Leviticus, Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Russell Allan, Paganini, J. S. Bach, Lucca Turilli, Alex Argento, Vitalij Kuprij, and Steve Vai.