Jackson Kelly KEXTMG

This is the Jackson KEXTMG.  The bottom line is that it is amazing in every way.  Let's look at features.  Neck-thru body, flame maple top with Tobacco Sunburst finish, compound radius fingerboard, shark fin inlays, and EMG pickups.  Looking at these individually, the neck-thru body gives incredible tone and sustain.  The maple top and finish don't do a whole lot except for look cool.  But I suppose that's an important feature of any guitar.  The compound radius fingerboard is one of my favorite features.  Easy chording down low, easy soloing up top.  Simple as that, but a huge advantage for anyone looking to get the most out of the entire fingerboard.  The EMG pickups are fantastic.  An 81 at the bridge and an 85 at the neck give you versatility and great tone.  String definition and timbre along with great clarity are the key features of these active pickups.  Being active pickups, they are powered by a 9-volt battery.  The battery compartment is conveniently placed on the back of the guitar where it is out of the way, yet easily accessible when needed.  As long as you don't leave it plugged in for days at a time, the battery will last a very long time.  Setup and fit and finish were perfect right out of the box.  This is a very good thing considering that this guitar is part of the new Jackson X series which is made in China.  Quality is extremely good, and price is even better, with a street price of about $700.  Speaking of quality, the Jackson tuning machines are surprisingly good, even with a plastic nut.  The guitar is easy to tune, and it stays in tune even with lots of string bending and heavy play.  I find the Kelly body shape to be quite comfortable standing or sitting.  This is obviously good because it is easy to play when you are comfortable.  Overall, this guitar gets an excellent rating because it has all the features I would want in a custom guitar and it only costs $700 (as opposed to the $4100 it would cost me to order one from the Jackson USA custom shop).  I feel that the new X series is great and I hope to pick up more of them in the future (probably another Rhoads).

BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone

The BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone pedal is an incredibly versatile and powerful stompbox.  It features a 3 band equalizer, dual gain circuits, and buffered bypass.  It isn't true bypass like DeltaLab effects, but buffered bypass has its advantages.  Namely, it allows for long cables to be used without signal loss.  The equalizer is very powerful.  It allows one to adjust the highs, lows, mids, and the mid range.  Having control over the mid range is a huge feature because it allows for unique tone shaping and control for alternate tunings.  BOSS advertises that the dual gain circuits "create a wall of distortion and sustain like a stack of overdriven amps".  I find that the dual gain circuits allow for me to use the pedal for a wide variety of musical styles, although it isn't quite as versatile as some of the other distortion pedals I own.  I can create tones ranging from classic rock (like Boston) to modern metal (like Megadeth).  Really, the only tone I have trouble creating with this pedal is a bluesy, slightly broken up tone.  The advertised sustain is definitely present, as is the ability to create scorching distortion.  As I play mostly metal, this is definitely a great pedal for my collection.  In addition, I find that pinch harmonics are easy to hit and sustain for a long time.  I've read other reviews that say that this pedal makes all guitars sound cheap, but my take on it is just the opposite.  I tried it with cheap guitars with cheap pickups and got good tone.  I tried it again with expensive guitars with nice pickups and got incredible tone.  This pedal is highly recommended for fans of metal, huge sustain, and tonal versatility.

DeltaLab SC1 Stereo Chorus

The DeltaLab SC1 Stereo Chorus is a solidly built, true-bypass stereo chorus pedal.  It has three simple controls: Rate, Depth, and Level.  They are all pretty self explanatory.  Rate controls the speed of the chorus  sweep, Depth controls how wide the sweeps are, and Level controls how much chorus you will hear in your signal.  The only other control is the on/off switch, which is very solid and has very positive operation.  The LED flashes in time with the Rate control, which is a nice bonus feature so one has a visual reference on how fast the chorus sweep is.  One quirk that this pedal has is that the second (stereo) output is only active when the effect is active, going dead when in bypass mode.  It isn't a defect, but it is different from other chorus pedals that I have used.  I put it in my effects chain just after my DeltaLab MD1 Metal Distortion.  If set subtly, the SC1 provides a thickening of the distortion and allows for epic harmonics and sustain sounds.  Played clean, the SC1 can provide anything from a deep, light sweep to a speedy warble that really has mostly novelty use.  It falls in the middle as far as how powerful the effect is when compared to others that I have used.  Not too much and not too little.  And the price is right.  I paid only $44 for mine.  Highly recommended for jazz, thickening distortion, and shimmering clean sounds.

Ukon Wacka - Korpiklaani

Korpiklaani is a Finnish folk metal band that I just love.  Their music is high energy, fun, and always technically proficient.  Their 2011 offering Ukon Wacka is entirely in Finnish, unlike many of their other albums that include English songs as well.  It is a spectacular album from beginning to end.  Korpiklaani (which means "forest clan" in Finnish) have several videos on YouTube that are all excellent.  Most come from different albums.  Recommended are "Tequila" from Ukon Wacka, "Vodka" from Karkelo, and "Keep on Galloping" from Korven Kuningas.  Korpiklaani is highly recommended for fans of folk metal, upbeat hard rock, and party music.

Arch Enemy - Anthems of Rebellion

Anthems of Rebellion is the fifth album by Arch Enemy, a Swedish melodic death metal band.  I am a huge fan of melodic death metal as it includes fantastic guitar work, the music is heavy but flowing, and the vocals are very high energy.  My wife, on the other hand, thinks that women shouldn't be able to sing like Angela Gossow (the lead vocalist for Arch Enemy).  This album contains some of my favorite songs to play, including the single, "We Will Rise".  The video is recommended for those who want to check out the band and get a feel for the album.  Highly recommended for fans of melodic death metal, European metal, and awesome female vocalists.

Slipknot - Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)

This album is a bit of a throwback for me since I haven't listened to Slipknot much recently.  Not a whole lot of fancy guitar work, but a very solid sound and theme for the whole album.  Slipknot was the first band to give Roadrunner Records a platinum album, and although this album was not the first, one can see how well the band is able to coordinate with so many members.  Highly recommended are the videos for "Duality", "Before I Forget", and "Vermillion".  All are available on YouTube.  This album is recommended for fans of Slipknot, melodic vocals, and hard rock.

Eluveitie - Slania

Up next is a folk metal album entitled "Slania" by Eluveitie.  There isn't as much intricate guitar work on this album as there is in many others that I enjoy, but the overall tone and feel of the album is quite to my liking.  The music incorporates many folk instruments and creates a sense of full richness.  Recommended is the video for "Inis Mona".  Like the "From Afar" video from the last review, it gives you a pretty good idea what the album is all about musically.  It is available on YouTube.  Highly recommended for fans of folk metal, unique instruments, and European metal.