Alternative Music
SYMPHONY X’s MICHAEL ROMEO Has Been ‘Working Every Day’ On Material For Follow-Up To ‘Underworld’
SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo spoke to Heavy Debriefings about the band’s plans to work on the material for the follow-up to 2015’s “Underworld” album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I’ve got stuff and I’ve been working every day trying to come up with things. It’s just slower — it’s just kind of slower than normal, and I think it’s just because of all the shit going on. It’s hard to focus. It’ll be fine, though. There’ll be that day I come down here [to my home studio] and all of sudden, it’s, like, ‘Oh, shit. This is it. Here’s the riff. Here’s the whole idea.’ Then I can’t stop. Then it’s just, like, ‘Phewww…’ The train’s going. B...
Watch EDDIE VEDDER Pay Tribute To MARK LANEGAN During Seattle Concert: ‘He’s Gonna Be Deeply Missed’
PEARL JAM frontman Eddie Vedder paid tribute to Mark Lanegan during his concert in Seattle last night (Tuesday, February 22). Lanegan, the lead singer of the SCREAMING TREES and fellow icon of the 1990s Seattle music scene, died on Tuesday in Killarney, Ireland, at 57. No cause of death was specified in the statement posted to Lanegan‘s official Twitter account. Taking the stage at Benaroya Hall, Vedder addressed Lanegan‘s passing, telling the audience: “I got here about four o’clock and all of a sudden my body started shaking a little bit, and I started to feel really terrible. And I think it was because I was having an allergic reaction to sadness. Because we lost… there’s a guy called Mark Lanegan. “There are a lot of really great musicians — some peo...
Return To The Void – SHAPE OF DESPAIR
RATING: 9/10 All good things come to those who wait, death included. SHAPE OF DESPAIR have been plumbing the harrowing depths of mortal despair for a long time now, and while nothing can truly thwart the inevitable, the Finns’ music has long provided fans of slow, emotionally ruinous music with the perfect soundtrack for surrendering to oblivion. In fact, the band’s last album, “Monotony Fields” (2015), was so magnificently immersive and morose that it felt like a definitive and un(s)toppable declaration of funeral doom prowess. Unquestionably the subgenre’s most potent exponents, SHAPE OF DESPAIR are enigmas with pedigree. Never a band to rush things, the Finns have been silent for nearly seven years, and so “Return To The Void” feels momentous: t...
FOO FIGHTERS, SLIPKNOT, KISS, ROB ZOMBIE, JUDAS PRIEST, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE Among AFTERSHOCK 2022 Headliners
Aftershock festival will return to Discovery Park in Sacramento, California on October 6-9, 2022 bigger than ever, expanding to four full days (after a half fourth day in 2021), adding a fourth music stage and featuring over 90 bands. The latest edition aims to top 2021’s record-setting, sold-out attendance, which marked five consecutive sold-out events for Aftershock. The weekend’s stellar lineup of rock and metal heavyweights features headliners SLIPKNOT and ROB ZOMBIE (Thursday), KISS and JUDAS PRIEST (Friday), MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE and PAPA ROACH (Saturday) and FOO FIGHTERS and SHINEDOWN (Sunday), along with a range of additional top music artists including BRING ME THE HORIZON, EVANESCENCE, LAMB OF GOD, A DAY TO REMEMBER, ARCHITECTS, HALESTORM, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, CHEVELLE,...
Megan Thee Stallion Sues Label (Again) Over Definition of “Album”
Megan Thee Stallion (born Megan Pete) has sued her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, for the third time. In this go-around, the rapper is alleging that the label refuses to allow her to fulfill the terms of her contract by declaring that her last full-length, Something for Thee Hotties, doesn’t qualify as an album. In the lawsuit filed on Friday (February 18th), Megan claims 1501 informed her two months after the release of Something for Thee Hotties that it didn’t meet the definition of an “Album” (per her recording agreement) and thus didn’t satisfy the contract’s “Minimum Recording Commitment.” “1501’s new position, taken months after the album’s release, is clearly a ruse in an effort to try to take further advantage of Pete, at great expense and not in good faith,” Megan’s attorney...
Netflix Unveils Release Date for Ozark Season 4, Part 2 and Shares Teaser: Watch
The end is arriving: Today, Netflix has unveiled a teaser for Season 4, Part 2 of Ozark and revealed that the final seven episodes of the hit crime drama will premiere on April 29th, 2022. The short teaser focuses on local criminal Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), opening with a scene of her driving. “I’m a cursed Langmore,” she narrates via voiceover. “Long inured to violence and death, and in the case of a Langmore, perhaps not soon enough.” As she reaches for a gun in the passenger’s seat of her car, it seems violence and death are imminent. Season 4, Part 1 of Ozark premiered January 21st. Part 2 will include series regulars Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz, Skylar Gaertner, Jessica Frances Dukes, Charlie Tahan, Lisa Emery, Felix Solis, Damian Young, and more. Wat...
“Fake Ass”: Tom Holland Says One Spider-Man Had Costume Implants in His Spi-Derrière
Three Spider-Men got a bite from a spider, but only one got a butt from the costume department. As Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland revealed in his recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, one of the Spider-suits came with a “fake ass.” “I’ll give you a spoiler,” he said to the late-night host. “I’m not gonna tell you who, but one of us has a fake ass in their suit.” He also talked about the moment he noticed it, thinking, “‘Wo-o-w! Oh, hang on a minute. That’s not real!’” When it comes to who padded their Spi-derrière, there’s no way to know for certain. But that won’t stop us from spinning a web of speculation! At a fit 46 years old, Tobey Maguire is fairly well developed in that department, and may even be at the point in his life where he’s more focused ...
Tool Stop Show to Help Fan in Distress: Watch
Don’t let Kanye hear this one. Maynard James Keenan stopped a Tool performance in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night (February 22nd) to ensure medics could attend to a fan in distress. According to Rock Feed, fans alerted the singer to a member of the front row who appeared to be having a medical emergency, prompting Keenan to stop performing and ask the audience to make way for medics to reach the fan. During the intermission, the singer bantered with the crowd (“Woke up this morning with a sore throat and a little bit of a cough… Anything going around I should know about?”) and thanked Tool’s fans for attending the show. Watch the moment take place below. Many artists have made a point to assure audiences they care about fan safety in light of the Astroworld tragedy, in which ten people d...
ROB HALFORD Says Next JUDAS PRIEST Album Will ‘Probably’ Have More ‘Progressive Elements’ Than ‘Firepower’ Did
In a new interview with Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked if he agrees with guitarist Richie Faulkner‘s recent comment that the band’s upcoming album will be more musically “progressive” than 2018’s “Firepower”. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yeah, the metal is there. But here’s the thing: we’ve tried our best not to replicate anything that we’ve done. From ‘Rocka Rolla’ all the way through to ‘Firepower’, each record has had a distinctive character. And it’s tough because fans go, ‘We want another ‘Painkiller’,’ ‘We want another ‘British Steel’.’ And [it’s, like], ‘Dude, we&...
What Makes SYSTEM OF A DOWN So Musically Different From Its Peers? SHAVO ODADJIAN Weighs In
SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian was asked in a new interview with KROQ‘s Kevan Kenney what, in his opinion, made his band so musically different from some of its peers. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “There was a lot of things. The music, first of all, we just kind of did our own thing. It wasn’t that the other stuff wasn’t good. “We’ve been inspired by a lot,” he continued. “We listen to a lot of music. Daron [Malakian, guitar] listens to a lot of music, [as do] Serj [Tankian, vocals] [and] John [Dolmayan, drums]. And I think it’s the way it’s also arranged. Daron has a really great ear and style and songwriting ability. So even if I brought riffs in, he just arranges ’em in a different way. And ...
A New Heartbeat – TYGERS OF PAN TANG
RATING: 7/10 TYGERS OF PAN TANG will forever be revered for being a part of the NWOBHM movement. In spite of a few periods of hiatus, including one that lasted 12 years, the English act has been carrying the torch since they formed in 1978. Tenacity is a core facet that binds and propels any band that stands the test of time, and it served the Whitley Bay band well during the pandemic and related lockdown. The collective made the most of its downtime by recruiting new guitarist Francesco Marras and bassist Huw Holding. They also wrote and demoed their next album, in addition to creating this new, four-track EP, “A New Heartbeat”. Perhaps not essential for longtime devotees, it’s certainly one that’s enjoyable for fans of the style and who value the old ways while ap...
SLASH Never Intended To Make His Top Hat Part Of His Signature Look
During an appearance on talk show host Conan O’Brien‘s podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” this past Monday (February 21), Slash opened up about his trademark black top hat, explaining that it dates back to 1985 when he first started playing shows with GUNS N’ ROSES. “I stole it from a place called Retail Slut on Melrose [in Los Angeles],” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I remember this because there was two stores — there was Leathers And Treasures and Retail Slut next door. And Taime Downe, the singer from a band called FASTER PUSSYCAT, used to work at Retail Slut, so that’s how I remember the name of it. And I went in there. I didn’t have any money. I always used to wear some sort of a hat. It completed ...
