Six Million Dead: Arizona Death Metal to Rattle Your Brain

Heavy metal has a rich and diverse history in Arizona. Our state has had a horde of notable residents: hard rock pioneer Alice Cooper, hair metal singer Bret Michaels of Poison, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Kerry King of Slayer (both ex-residents now), Sacred Reich, Soulfly, Job for a Cowboy, and Flotsam and Jetsam before Metallica plucked away bass player Jason Newsted. These guys employ two singers (one screechy, one guttural), breakneck percussion, and a fury of relentless, high-tuned guitars to produce the sound of a horde of demons slashing their way through a tornado. And that's more complicated to do than it sounds.