Entertainment

METALLICA and San Francisco Symphony‘s September 6 & 8, 2019 “S&M²” concerts were historic on multiple levels: They served as the grand opening of San Francisco’s Chase Center, reunited the band and Symphony for the first time since the 1999 performances captured on the Grammy-winning “S&M” album, and featured the first-ever symphonic renditions of songs written and released since those original “S&M” shows. The sold-out concerts were rapturously received by the 40,000 fans who traveled from nearly 70 countries, as well as the media: Rolling Stone raved “the group proved that anything was possible,” Variety noted an atmosphere “buzzing with excitement,” while the Mercury News witnessed “a concert ...

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess has paid tribute to Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone, saying he “left us with some of the must beautiful music this planet has ever heard.” Morricone passed on July 6 at the age of 91. According to Morricone‘s longtime lawyer, the composer died in a Rome hospital of complications following a fall, in which he broke a leg. Rudess has uploaded a video of him performing some of the Morricone’s compositions, and he included the following message: “Here is my tribute to Ennio Morricone– who left us with some of the must beautiful music this planet has ever heard. May his melodies bring him directly to a special place in heaven.” Morricone composed “The Ecstasy Of Gold”, the song from the classic ...

German thrashers DESTRUCTION played their first two concerts after the coronavirus pandemic closures on July 3 and July 4 in Pratteln, Switzerland. In response to COVID-19 restrictions, only 300 tickets were made available for each show at the 1,600-capacity Z7 club. According to DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier, 250 people attended the July 4 gig, and 300 fans were present at the July 3 show. DESTRUCTION has now released a seven-minute “aftermovie” capturing the highlights of the band’s return to the live stage. Check it out below. Schmier states: “I am very glad that our film team could capture those moments. The first shows after the loosening of the rules in Switzerland for concerts were for sure a special moment for all of us. The fans did a very good job, and the ...

During a recent Twitch livestream, DRAGONFORCE guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman had some fun by attempting to write a SABATON-style song in 10 minutes. “We’ve known SABATON for so long,” Li said. Totman added: “I read this interview with them, and apparently, we were like their first-ever tour. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but that was like their first tour they ever did.” Herman said to his bandmate: “I think we should force you to write a SABATON song right now. Then we can finish a SABATON album within, what? An hour?” Video of the resulting session has since been uploaded to DRAGONFORCE‘s official YouTube channel and can be seen below. Two years ago, SABATON bassist Pär Sundström told Finland’s Soundi magazine that...