Chris M. Junior

Four years after being named Sexiest Female at the Kerrang! Awards, singer Amy Lee of Evanescence has been honored by fellow heavy-music magazine Revolver as its Hottest Chick in Hard Rock for 2011. She graces the cover of the current issue, available now at newsstands.

Loud and heavy music defines Zakk Wylde. He works out to Ministry, loves Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and was Ozzy Osbourne‘s longtime guitarist. He also serves as the leader of Black Label Society. But during those long stretches of travel while on tour, Wylde likes to dial it down and listen to mellower tunes by some notable old-school artists.

Queen is looking to fill the void left by the late Freddie Mercury, and Lady Gaga is being considered for it. Guitarist Brian May previously reached out to Bad Company leader Paul Rodgers, but now it looks as though the pop diva is at the top of the list.

When CJ Ramone was approached a decade ago about possibly replacing Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, he declined the chance even though he took Dee Dee Ramone’s spot in the final years of the legendary punk band the Ramones. Ramone’s reason was simple: Touring with the metal band would not have been beneficial to his family, specifically his son Liam, who had been diagnosed with autism.

Ex-Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr attended the U.K. premiere of the documentary ‘George Harrison: Living in the Material World’ in London on October 2, as did the widows of their late band mates Harrison (Olivia Harrison) and John Lennon (Yoko Ono). Their presence sent a loud and clear message about their love and respect for the so-called quiet member of the Fab Four. Other music notables

Having fun both offstage and with his music still matters to Kid Rock. But as he gets older, Rock gives much more thought to when it’s best to act like his younger self. Thanks in part to his scaled-back partying, Rock says he’s been more consistent singing and playing on tour — and that should be a plus for fans who will be attending his fall club dates.

Back in the day, the release of a concert album used to be a sure sign that a band was not going to be putting out a new studio effort anytime soon. Chevelle fans can rest easy, however. Even though the Chicago-bred group released the live collection ‘Any Last Words’ in the spring, a new studio disc is on the way, just in time for the year-end holiday season.

Up to this point in the band’s career, Three Days Grace has released three albums, with a gap of three years from one to the next. This month marks two years since ‘Life Starts Now’ hit the streets, and frontman Adam Gontier has hinted that the next 3DG album might beat the full three-year mark by several months.

Former Guns N’ Roses/current Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash has been part of some iconic TV moments, such as the Michael Jackson 30th anniversary special in 2001, the 100th episode of ‘South Park’ in 2003 and the Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show in 2011 with the Black Eyed Peas. It’s not too soon to add this one to his impressive list: Playing guitar during actor Charlie Sheen’s Comedy Central roast,

As the release date gets closer for the 20th-anniversary editions of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind,’ some of the album’s key figures have been sharing their memories about the sessions and the band’s frontman, Kurt Cobain. Producer Butch Vig admits not knowing how to deal with Cobain’s mood swings when the band was recording demos of ‘Lithium’ and other eventual ‘Nevermind’ tracks at Vig’s Wisconsin studio

Linkin Park often encourages its audience to make charitable contributions, acknowledges singer Chester Bennington. So when they put out the call to raise money for tsunami relief in Japan, Bennington and his band mates decided to give their fans some extra incentive. And it’s a good one for both sides. Raise $500 by Aug. 24 for the band’s Music for Relief charity, and you and a guest can attend L

With new music to preview and two relatively new members in the band, the Smashing Pumpkins are scheduled to begin a 12-date U.S. tour in Los Angeles on Oct. 5. The dozen concert dates are being described as a warmup to a big year of touring in 2012, which is when the Pumpkins will release their in-progress studio album, ‘Oceania.’