Alternative Music

In a new interview with Germany’s Rock Antenne, SABATON singer Joakim Brodén spoke about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to play their first pandemic-era shows. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “One thing we’ve learned here is all countries handle this differently — very differently. In America [where we toured with JUDAS PRIEST], it worked fine, both from the audience perspective, I would say, and the touring-side perspective. JUDAS PRIEST did usually two shows after each other and then we had a day off; that was the normal thing. And every first show after a day off, we’d get tested — everyone in the touring party — before entering the venue. The people who came to the shows had to be vaccinated or have a test that’s less than 24...

THE ROLLING STONES had the highest-grossing tour in the world this year, according to Pollstar, the trade publication dedicated to covering the worldwide concert industry. The “No Filter” trek generated a total of $115.5 million from just 12 concerts. Other artists whose tours landed in the top 100 include GUNS N’ ROSES, KISS, SLIPKNOT and MEGADETH / LAMB OF GOD. The touring industry was one of the first sectors hit by the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, and it may be one of the last to recover. One problem has been the inability to get foreign artists into the United States because of a long backlog of visa applications at American embassies and consulates. Returning to the road after the touring industry shut down due to COVID has proven to be particularly gratifyin...

During an appearance on “Talking Bollocks”, the monthly metal podcast hosted by ACID REIGN frontman-turned-stand-up-comedian Howard H. Smith, EXODUS‘s Gary Holt once again opened up about his decision to quit drinking alcohol. The 57-year-old musician, who resides in Northern California, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Like millions of people worldwide, I was a victim of the pandemic. On tour, I always maintained and never hit the hangover stage. Maybe once in a five-week tour I’d wake up with a little bit of a headache, and that’s one night when we decided to have a disco party and started cranking some funk music and drink a few extra beers. But then I’d come home and I’d only drink when I was watching some sports or having some...

TOOL drummer Danny Carey is slated to appear in court on January 12 in connection arrest for an alleged assault at the Kansas City airport. Law enforcement sources say Carey allegedly assaulted an employee working security at the airport on Sunday, December 12. A police report states that Carey allegedly “did intentionally cause and unlawful, offensive contact upon [the worker] by yelling at the complaintant ‘you’re a fucking f****t’ repeatedly and jabbed the complainant in the chest repeatedly.” Earlier in the week, TMZ posted video of Carey‘s arrest after police responded to a report of a “disturbance between two males at an airport terminal.” In the clip, which was filmed around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, Carey can be heard berating the officers...

RATING: 8.5/10 Starved of the spectacular, metal fans have had little choice but to embrace the era of live streamed events. Fortunately, our genre is far better suited to the idea than any other, and BEHEMOTH have proved themselves to be better equipped to raise the virtual roof than just about anyone else. Recorded in September 2020, in an abandoned church in rural Poland, “In Absentia Dei” is a remarkable document of what can be achieved in the most enervating of circumstances. In the midst of a global pandemic, Nergal and his unholy horde pulled off a huge visual and sonic extravaganza, ploughing through highlights of a now extraordinary catalogue of music, and threatening to reduce the church to a pile of flaming rubble in the process. If you want blasphemy, folks, youR...

KORN guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer has told Finland’s Chaoszine in a new interview that he “had a couple of hard moments” during the pandemic. “And then I’m thinking, like, ‘Okay, it’s not that bad,’ ’cause when this is all done, I’m gonna go back to making music and rocking out,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “But then I’m faced with the reality of the present moment. When is it gonna end? How are we gonna make our mortgage payments and support our families? ‘Cause we all have big families at this point. So there’s moments of high stress. What are we gonna do? We can’t have another online fucking concert. They’re done. People are over that.” Shaffer als...

Ted Nugent says that vegans are “responsible” for “the most death possible” because millions of animals are killed every year to prepare land for growing crops, like corn, soybean, wheat and barley, the staples of a vegan diet. The outpoken conservative rocker and avid hunter, who is the national spokesman for pro-hunting lobbying group Hunter Nation, addressed the topic while being interviewed by the 96.1 KLPX radio station. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “If you wanna be responsible for the most death possible, become a vegan. Because behind that tractor and that plough and that disc, unless you hide and deny it, are crows and seagulls following that tractor growing your tofu because the plough and the disc dismember and mutilate everything in...