Hard Rock
Rock am Ring and Rock im Park 2023 Lineups: Pantera, Turnstile, Tenacious D, Evanescence, and More
The twin German music festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park have announced their 2023 lineups. The fests will take place June 2nd through June 4th in Nürburgring and in Nuremberg, respectively. Both festivals share the same lineup, with acts appearing at each fest on different days during the weekend. The 2023 lineup sports a particularly strong assemblage of heavy artists — among performers of other genres — with a reunited Pantera leading the way. Other top-billed acts include Turnstile, Tenacious D, Evanescence, and Machine Gun Kelly, with two of the headliners yet to be revealed. Related Video Other notable acts include Papa Roach, Arch Enemy, Carpenter Brut, Dead Sara, Hot Water Music, Jinjer, Meshuggah, Motionless in White, NOFX, Nova Twins, The Distillers, Three Days Grace, Touché...
Sammy Hagar Says He’s Been Completely Cut Off by Alex Van Halen
Rumors of an all-star Van Halen tribute tour or concert have circulated since the 2020 passing of Eddie Van Halen. But recent remarks by one-time frontman Sammy Hagar insinuate that any such reunion — at least involving himself — remains a pipe dream. Hagar weighed in on the possibility of an Eddie Van Halen tribute in a new interview with SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk. After ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed earlier this year that he was involved in initial talks regarding the possible tour, Hagar was asked if there had been any further developments in recent weeks, to which Hagar replied in the negative. “As far as I know, [there has been] nothing,” Hagar told Trunk [as transcribed via Blabbermouth]. “There was that talk everybody heard about Jason being the bass player and Joe S...
Ministry Announce First-Ever Livestream Show as Last Concert of 2022
Industrial pioneers Ministry are offering fans worldwide a chance to see the band in concert with their first-ever livestream show set for November 20th. Frontman Al Jourgensen and company recently opened for Nine Inch Nails at a special one-off concert in Cleveland, and also performed at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville. However, they were supposed to tour Europe this fall but had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. In order to reach fans around the globe, the band is staging a special livestream show to close out their 2022 performances. “We never intended for Cleveland with NIN to be our last show this year,” stated Jourgensen. “Due to circumstances beyond our control we had to cancel Europe but we didn’t want to end 2022 without one last show, and this will be one for...
Disturbed Unleash Title Track from Upcoming Album Divisive: Stream
Disturbed have unveiled the title track from their upcoming album, Divisive, which arrives on November 18th. The song is classic Disturbed, with crunchy riffs, David Draiman’s powerful vocals, and a soaring, melodic chorus. Speaking about the theme of the song in a press release, Draiman explained, “The title track and the title itself are indicative of the incredibly fucked up state of things we are living in. It’s about how hyper-polarity has influenced everything people do in life.” He continued, “People are addicted to outrage. They’re addicted to finding the next thing that will piss them off so they can rave about it on social media. Everything negative was given a shot of steroids.” Advertisement Related Video Guitarist Dan Donegan added, “David was in the room listening to me play ...
Mötley Crüe Officially Name John 5 as Mick Mars’ Replacement in Touring Lineup
Mötley Crüe have officially named Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 as a new member of their touring lineup. He replaces founding member Mick Mars, who retired from touring on Wednesday (October 26th) due to his ongoing battle with the degenerative disease Ankylosing Spondylitis. John 5 had been rumored to take Mars’ place, even before the latter officially announced his retirement. In recent days, John 5 posted pictures of himself hanging out with Mötley Crüe members Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, and Vince Neil during a celebration of Lee’s 60th birthday. In the statement that Mars’ representative issued on Wednesday night, it was made clear that Mars would still “continue as a member of the band,” but would no longer play shows with them. However, the Crüe’s statement on Thursday (October 27th) reads...
Matt Sorum Announces Kings of Chaos Album, Reunites Velvet Revolver Lineup for First Single “Judgement Day”: Stream
Veteran drummer Matt Sorum has announced the debut album from his all-star project Kings of Chaos, and reunited the Velvet Revolver lineup for the new single “Judgement Day.” Sorum performed and co-wrote “Judgement Day” alongside Slash, Duff McKagan, and Dave Kushner — all of whom played with Sorum in Velvet Revolver, the mid-2000s hard rock supergroup fronted by the late Scott Weiland. The song lives up to its all-star billing, with a high-speed pace and blazing leads from Slash and Kushner. Sorum handles lead vocals and sounds great on the mic, embracing the humor and punkish bite of the track. That humor transfers over to the music video, which features a cameo from ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, and sees Sorum driving like a madman in an homage to Vanishing Point, screaming the song lyrics al...
Top 5 Mötley Crüe Guitarist Candidates Following Mick Mars’ Retirement from Touring
With Mick Mars stepping away from touring, one of the highest profile guitar gigs in rock music is now on the job market. Mötley Crüe’s founding axeman will still remain a member of the band, but will no longer play live shows due to his ongoing battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a crippling degenerative disease that affects the spine. In addition to his health issues, Mars is the elder statesman of the Crüe, roughly a decade older than everyone else in the band. In the infamous Crüe biography The Dirt, Mars described how he often caught flak for his age, as he was already established as a journeyman guitarist in the years prior to Mötley Crüe’s formation. Given Mars’ experience, it’s only fitting that Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil tap someone who not only fits the part but has al...
Mötley Crüe Guitarist Mick Mars Retires from Touring
Founding Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars has retired from touring, according to an official statement released on Wednesday evening (October 26th). The veteran musician will still remain an official member of the band, but will no longer hit the road with the legendary rock act due to his ongoing battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.). After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, Mötley Crüe finally embarked on their co-headlining “Stadium Tour” with Def Leppard this past summer. The outing was an enormous success, grossing $173.5 million in ticket sales. Now, it appears that the tour marked Mars’ last with the Crüe. The full statement, issued by Mars’ representative to Variety, reads as follows: “Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for the past 4...
AC/DC’s Brian Johnson Quashes Rumor That Bon Scott Wrote Lyrics for Back in Black
AC/DC singer Brian Johnson has closed the book on long-running rumors suggesting his late predecessor Bon Scott penned lyrics for Back in Black. For years, hardcore AC/DC fans have wondered whether Scott wrote lyrics for the seminal 1980 album, being that he passed away only months before the album was recorded and released. Songs like “Hells Bells,” “Have a Drink on Me,” and of course the legendary title track certainly share some of the imagery and themes of Scott’s lyrics. But Johnson insists that it was he himself who penned the words. Johnson laid the rumors to rest in Chapter 22 of his new memoir, The Lives of Brian: “It was me at the end of the pen, writing every night and every morning, with only the title to work with. That’s what happened. That’s the truth and I really hope that ...
Ozzy Osbourne to Perform Virtually as Part of “Ozzfest” at Metaverse Music Festival
Ozzy Osbourne is set to perform virtually for the “Ozzfest” portion of the second annual Metaverse Music Festival, which takes place online November 10th through the 13th. The Metaverse Music Festival (MVMF) will be hosted in Decentraland, the largest user-owned and operated virtual social world. Presented by digital asset platform Kraken, this year’s MVMF will feature 100-plus artists virtually performing across curated community genre stages that utilize new, Web3-enabled immersive virtual concert experiences. That said, the festival is free for all and can be attended even if you have don’t have a VR headset. As an example, the main attraction for this year’s MVMF is the “Tower of Babel” stage, which is set in a futuristic cyberpunk city. Here, attendees can watch headliners such as Uni...
Nita Strauss Unleashes New Song “The Wolf You Feed” Featuring Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz: Stream
Guitarist Nita Strauss has unveiled the new single “The Wolf You Feed” featuring Arch Enemy singer Alissa White-Gluz, along with an accompanying music video. Strauss and White-Gluz make for a mighty duo on the hard-hitting track. Strauss lays down dynamic riffs and the masterful shredding she became known for as the lead guitarist in Alice Cooper’s touring band. Meanwhile, White-Gluz wields her imitable harsh-clean vocal style, which will be immediately recognizable to fans of her work in Arch Enemy. The track follows Strauss’ 2021 rock hit “Dead Inside,” which featured Disturbed’s David Draiman. It would seem Strauss is set on tapping A-list vocalists for her as-yet-unannounced second solo album, with “The Wolf You Feed” fulfilling the guitarist’s longtime desire to collaborate with Aliss...
Serj Tankian on What’s Next for System of a Down, Mixing Humor with Facts, and Interactive Experiences
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Serj Tankian catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about Perplex Cities, his second EP in as many years, as well as what’s next for System of a Down. Advertisement Related Video The System of a Down singer tells us about using his car to mix his songs and the 95 tracks found in his vault, mixing humor with serious issues, and trying to change minds in order to save the world. In fact, it’s with that that Serj discusses the current atrocities in Armenia, how the song “I Spoke Up” touches on those topics, and musically mixing cultures. Tankian also talks about the interactive experiences he bring...
