Entertainment

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS will release their new album, “Persona Non Grata”, on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. A new two-and-a-half-minute video in which guitarist Gary Holt talks about the recording process for the LP can be seen below. “Persona Non Grata” is the follow-up to 2014’s “Blood In Blood Out”, which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers’ first release since the departure of the group’s lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve “Zetro” Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004. “Persona Non Grata” was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced ...

Gene Simmons says that he is “really fine,” two days after it was announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The KISS bassist/vocalist credited his vaccination for keeping his infection “minimal” and encouraged others to consider getting the COVID-19 shot. “Thanks to the vaccine, I’m really fine,” Gene tweeted. He also responded to a person who seemingly mocked him for catching COVID even though he was inoculated. “Vaccine protects you about 95%. However, you can still get Delta Covid variant,” Simmons wrote. “I did…But the effects are minimal, if you’ve been vaccinated twice. Without vaccine = hospital, pain and maybe death. Do your research. You’ll come off much brighter.” KISS announced on Tuesday tha...

CYNIC has shared a touching tribute to late bassist Sean Malone, who died on December 7, 2020. To commemorate Malone‘s legacy, CYNIC has released a never-before-heard recorded performance of the song “Integral” in which Malone performs fretless bass. “Integral” was originally released as a solo guitar and vocal track on CYNIC‘s “Re-Traced” EP. In addition, CYNIC founding member and guitarist Paul Masvidal has shared the following statement: “Since my friend and CYNIC bandmate Sean Malone‘s passing in late 2020, many people have publicly speculated about, and privately reached out to me regarding, the circumstances of his death. I have kept my silence as I have worked through my grief and out of respect for Malone‘s privacy. ...

EXODUS and SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt has once again opened up about his decision to quit drinking alcohol. The 57-year-old musician, who resides in Northern California, discussed his newfound sobriety in a new interview with Revolver magazine. Holt said: “I feel fucking great. It’s actually been quite easy; I mean, I’m not saying that I’m anything special, but it hasn’t been hard for me. I’d been seeing signs for a while that it was time to do this — before the pandemic, usually if I would drink at home, it’d be like because we’re having a big barbecue, or I’m having like two or three beers while watching the fucking 49ers game. But now I’m living here in the hills, and it’s really beautiful and the weather’s really n...

Kanye West’s tenth album — DONDA — opens unlike much of his previous, delivering a trance-inducing chant that repeats his late mother’s name for 52 seconds without pause. “Donda, Donda, Donda, Donda…” Syleena Johnson repeats on project opener “Donda Chant,” doing so in a manner that nearly replicates the sound of a beating heart approaching its end. The stylistic choice to place the mantra as the first track alerts listeners of the project’s direction, and in many senses, displays the album’s themes front and center: family, loss, and spirituality. On the 27-track DONDA, Kanye contemplates his faith much like he did on 2004’s iconic “Jesus Walks,” interweaving his convictions and his doubts in equal manner, updating his pedigree of fusing the sacred and the profane. He takes the conceptual...

As the week in music comes to a close, HYPEBEAST has rounded up the 10 best projects for the latest installment of Best New Tracks. This week’s list is led by Drake‘s highly-anticipated studio effort Certified Lover Boy, Skepta‘s visual for “Eyes on Me” and Rosalía and Tokischa’s collaborative cut, “Linda.” Also joining this selection are new entries from Injury Reserve, sir Was, Ultra Q, Adekunle Gold and Davido, Fred again.., Jenevieve and Rich The Kid and Polo G. Drake – Certified Lover Boy [embedded content] After a few delays, Drake’s highly-anticipated studio album Certified Lover Boy is finally here. The 21-track record features an impressive list of guest appearances from the likes of JAY-Z, Travis Scott, 21 Savage and so much more, and hears Drizzy at his best yet....

Little Simz has dropped off her fourth studio effort, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Clocking in at an hour and five minutes, the 19-track record features only guest appearances from Cleo Sol on “Woman” and Obongjayar on “Point and Kill.” Little Simz also delivered an accompanying music video for the latter, directed by Ebeneza Blanche, which was filmed in Nigeria and includes a diverse cast of aunties, macho men, dancers and policemen and sees the two artists as Bonnie and Clyde. Little Simz is also set to hit the road for a series of U.K. and Europe tour dates this September, with stops in areas like Bristol, Glasgow, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Vienna, plus festival appearances in Love Saves The Day, TRNSMT, Parklife, Strawberries & Cream, Electric Picnic and more. Stream Sometime...

BROCKHAMPTON is postponing the release of their final album to 2022. Kevin Abstract and Henock “HK” Sileshi both took to Twitter to confirm the news shortly after the former announced that the group is looking for new members. “our next and final album as brockhampton has been pushed back and will not be released until next year,” Abstract wrote in a separate tweet, while HK gave a possible explanation to the delay: “pushing the album back to see how these new members we’re scouting make it thru tryouts.” Abstract revealed in April that BROCKHAMPTON is set to release two albums this year — the first being ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE — and that “these will be our last.” He added in May, “we all love each other and we wanna continue making the best music we can everybody just getting ...

For those have been following the development of Kanye West‘s DONDA album, it came as quite a surprise when Kid Cudi‘s signature crooning was removed from the final version of “Remote Control” that hit streaming platforms. The closing verse of track 12 on Kanye’s tenth studio album now features an interesting sample from the critically panned 2012 Christian allegorical animated film Strawinsky and the Mysterious House. Globglogabgalab, the character heard at the end of “Remote Control,” is an elf created by the Great Elohim who falls to the spell of evil after temptations from the Rat King. Transformed into an amorphous blob, the interesting character becomes fearful of the Scarlet Queen, who would punish him for his transgressions, leading him to hide away in a house full of books. Some p...