Welcome back to Ukulelia, the place to find fresh ukulele news, views and goodness every month, from across the world and the web. We've got a pretty rock'n'roll month for you this July, featuring some serious heavy metal shredding and a ukulele that shoots fire. Let's rock...

Rob Scallon Shreds Pantera on Ukulele

Habitual player of heavy metal on unorthodox instruments, Rob Scallon, has done it again. And this time he's done it on ukulele. A world away from folksy tunes and Hawaiian vibes, Rob's cover of Pantera's Cowboys from Hell is face-meltingly, eye-crossingly good, featuring blindingly fast riffs and a whole lot of attitude. We wish we knew how long it took Rob to transcribe this bad boy to work on ukulele, but we're damn pleased he did. Impressive.

Is the Ukulele “Back” or is it Simply “Here”?

Closely linked to so-called “hipster” culture, the ukulele has gone from a primary school starter instrument, to an underground sensation over the past decade. But with every ukulele news story that breaks “the return of the ukulele” is inevitably touted. This fascinating and funny article from Aaron Hutchins on the Maclean's website refutes this clichéd narrative, instead suggesting that the ukulele has been proudly here for years – with no sign of going anywhere. With many still assuming this little, four stringed instrument is no more than a passing fad, Aaron's blog is testament to the humble uke's longevity and popularity.

 How to Make a Flamethrower Ukulele

If you're any kind of musician and you've caught the latest Mad Max movie, you'll almost certainly have experienced urges. Flame-throwing urges which make you want to climb onto the roof of passing trucks, attach a bungee harness and shred some serious licks with an instrument that shoots flame. Unless that's just us... But Team Southern Ukulele are  not alone in their Fury Road impulses. Amazing DIYer Caleb Kraft from Make Zine has turned his ukulele into an actual fire-breathing piece of pure musical danger. We don't recommend you try this with your favourite Southern Ukulele, but if you have little respect for your own personal safety and have an old uke lying around – well, why not? Pure awesome. Does Caleb's tutorial get your fingers twitching? Do you think the ukulele resurgence is a hipster phase? Share your thoughts below or let us know via Twitter @SUS_UKES.