Hard Rock
Guns N’ Roses’ 10 Best Songs
Despite being overtly influenced — both musically and visually — by heavyweights like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Hanoi Rocks, and Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses have always had a sound all their own. As with many seminal genre acts, the key to their success is the distinctive dynamic between their vocalist (Axl Rose) and guitarist (Slash); that said, many other members — namely, drummers Steven Adler and Matt Sorum; bassist Duff McKagan, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed — played important parts, too. Together, they became arguably the biggest hard rock band of their generation. Guns N’ Roses debut album, Appetite for Destruction, launched their career in a colossal way in 1987. Thirty-five years later, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. The band would foll...
Halestorm Announce New Album Back From the Dead, Unleash “The Steeple”: Stream
Halestorm have announced their fifth studio album, Back From the Dead, which will arrive on May 6th. In advance of the release, the band has unveiled the new single “The Steeple.” The album news comes roughly a half year after frontwoman Lzzy Hale and company unleashed the fiery title track back in August. “The Steeple” picks right up where “Back From the Dead” left off, as Halestorm serve up another hard-rocking track. In addition to Lzzy’s mighty vocals, “The Steeple” features some nifty guitar work from Joe Hottinger and some muscular playing from drummer Arejay Hale and bassist Josh Smith. In the anthemic chorus, Lzzy belts out, “This is my kingdom/ This is my cathedral/ This is my castle/ These are my people/ This is my armor/ This is my anchor/ It’s been a long road/ Outta hell up to...
Korn Release New Album Requiem: Stream
Korn have released their new album Requiem. It’s the 14th studio effort from the pioneering nu-metal band, and the follow-up to 2019’s The Nothing. Recorded during the pandemic, Requiem contains some added emotional weight to the songs, as heard in heavy, melodic singles such as “Start the Healing” and “Forgotten.” The members of Korn have been personally affected by the sinister virus. In the case of singer Jonathan Davis, it was a harrowing battle with COVID that left him struggling to perform once he returned to the stage. Guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer and drummer Ray Luzier also tested positive for COVID-19 during the band’s 2021 tour. Advertisement Related Video Taking the past two years into account, Korn hosted a Requiem release show from a church last night (February 3rd) in Los ...
Marilyn Manson Confirms He’s Contributing to Kanye West’s Upcoming Album Donda 2
Marilyn Manson has confirmed that he is once again collaborating with Kanye West, this time on the rapper’s upcoming album, Donda 2, which is expected to be released later this month. The embattled shock rocker previously appeared on Ye’s 2021 album, Donda, guesting on the track “Jail pt 2.” Reports recently surfaced that Manson was back in the studio with West when producer Digital Nas told Rolling Stone, “Every day I go to the studio, Marilyn is in there working on Donda 2. [Kanye] doesn’t want Marilyn to play rap beats. He wants Marilyn to play what he makes, and then Ye will take parts of that and sample parts of that and use parts of that, like he did [when making the album] Yeezus.” Industrial musician and producer Tim Skold, who’s been a member of Manson’s eponymous band and KM...
Korn to Stream Intimate Requiem Album Release Show from a Church
Korn have announced they will livestream an intimate Requiem release show from the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. The band is calling the event “Requiem Mass.” Only 300 fans will be able to attend the “funeral” concert, which will see Korn “honoring the souls that have passed during these unprecedented times.” The performance will be directed by Richard Gibbs, who previously worked with Korn’s Jonathan Davis on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. The concert and livestream are set for Thursday (February 3rd) at 8 p.m. PT, right before the Friday release of the album. You can stream it via Korn’s YouTube channel (a rebroadcast goes live on Sunday, February 6th, at 10 a.m. PT for international markets). Advertisement Related Video For those lucky few who get to attend in-p...
Biopic About The Who’s Keith Moon Set to Shoot This Summer
A biopic about The Who drummer Keith Moon is set to shoot this summer. The long-gestating project is tentatively titled The Real Me, after the Quadrophenia song. The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are on board as executive producers for the film, which focuses on the turbulent life of the band’s late drummer. According to Variety, Paul Whittington (The Crown, White House Farm) is set to direct, with a script by British screenwriter Jeff Pope. Los Angeles-based White Horse Pictures is handling the production, having previously helmed music films such as George Harrison: Living in the Material World and Ron Howard’s Beatles documentary Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years. Related Video The casting process is currently underway, with shooting set to begin this summer. It’s still unde...
Dorothy Announces New Album and Tour, Unveils “Rest in Peace”: Stream
Dorothy has returned with a dramatic new single, “Rest in Peace,” as well as details on a new album, Gifts From the Holy Ghost, and a 2022 US tour. While Gifts From the Holy Ghost has no release date yet, a press release reveals that the album will arrive this spring. The headlining tour, meanwhile, kicks off March 21st in San Diego and runs through a May 19th gig in Anaheim, California. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster. The music video for “Rest in Peace” certainly fits the song, with Dorothy appearing in an elegant, mysterious black veil in one scene, performing with her band in another, and appearing in a room with chains hanging from the ceiling in yet another visual. Watch the Nick Peterson-directed and Linda Strawberry-edited music video below. Advertisement Related Video Dorot...
Corey Taylor to Machine Gun Kelly: Don’t “Talk Shit” About “Bands That Have Been Doing This for 20 F**king Years”
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has shared a further explanation about his beef with Machine Gun Kelly, telling a crowd on the recent ShipRocked cruise that the rapper turned pop-punk singer doesn’t get to “f**king run [his] mouth about bands that have been doing this for 20 f**king years.” As we previously detailed in a comprehensive timeline of the feud between Taylor and Machine Gun Kelly, the bad blood seemed to start when Taylor apparently referenced MGK during an early 2021 interview, saying, “I [hate] the artists who failed in one genre and decided to go rock — and I think he knows who he is.” Machine Gun Kelly then called out Taylor and Slipknot when both acts were playing Chicago’s Riot Fest at the same time on different stages. “You all want to know what I’m happy that I’m not doi...
Disturbed’s David Draiman Applauds Spotify for “Making the Right Call” in Neil Young vs. Joe Rogan Decision
After receiving an ultimatum from rock legend Neil Young to choose between his music and Joe Rogan’s podcast, Spotify decided to keep streaming The Joe Rogan Experience and remove the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s music. Now, Disturbed singer David Draiman has weighed in on the decision, applauding Spotify for “making the right call.” As previously reported, Young issued an open letter deriding Rogan for spreading false COVID information, asking Spotify to remove his music because he didn’t want to be associated with the same streaming service that profits from Rogan’s podcast. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” wrote Young. “Please act on this immedi...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Lena Scissorhands of Infected Rain
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself and will release a new single, “Scars,” on February 4th with Upon Wings. This month’s piece features an interview with Lena Scissorhands of Infected Rain. Moldovan metal band Infected Rain released their fifth studio album, Ecdysis, on January 7th. Created during lockdown, the new record covers the gamut of themes, from the strength and power of the female experience (“Fighter”) to tumultuous world events that took place during pandemic (“The Realm of Chaos”). Infected Rain also just announced that they’re returning to North A...
35 Most Anticipated Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2022
The pop culture forecast for 2022 is looking mighty fine, and we’re previewing everything we’re excited about this year with a series of lists. Just so you have it all in one place, we’ve also published our Most Anticipated (Non-Heavy) Albums, Most Anticipated Films, Most Anticipated TV Shows and Rising Artists to Watch roundups. Every corner of the music industry has been affected by the pandemic, and the realms of heavy metal and hard rock were put in a precarious limbo following the lockdowns of 2020. For visceral genres so reliant on the energy of live performance, the lack of shows cast a malaise over the scene, resulting in an album drought. For many acts, it simply didn’t make sense to release an album they couldn’t support with a tour. Many, like Avenged Sevenfo...
Evan Rachel Wood Says Marilyn Manson “Essentially Raped” Her on Camera During Music Video Shoot
Editor’s Note: The following article contains a description of an alleged sexual assault that may be triggering or sensitive to some readers. Roughly a year ago, Evan Rachel Wood named Marilyn Manson as her abuser, opening the door for many other women to allege abuse at the hands of the rock singer. In a new documentary, Phoenix Rising, the actress reveals more details about her relationship with Manson, at one point alleging that he “essentially raped” her on the set of the “Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)” music video. In the film, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, Wood discusses her experience on the set of the music video as follows (via Pitchfork): “We had discussed a simulated sex scene, but once the cameras were rolling, he started penetratin...
