Hard Rock
Mötley Crüe Sell Entire Recording Catalog to BMG for a Reported $150 Million
This must feel good for Mötley Crüe: The band has sold its entire recording catalog to BMG for a reported $150 million. The deal includes all their studio albums from their 1981 debut, Too Fast for Love, through their most recent LP, 2008’s Saints of Los Angeles, plus their live releases and compilations. While Variety cites sources as valuing the deal at roughly $150 million, the publication also notes that other sources report that the dollar amount is “significantly lower.” Either way, it’s quite a windfall for the hard-rock veterans, who were able to secure the rights to their catalog from Elektra Records in the ’90s with help from manager Allen Kovac. Advertisement Overall, Mötley Crüe have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, with seven of their LPs going platinum or multipla...
Brian May Slams Elimination of Gendered Awards, Wonders If Queen Would Be Forced to Have Transgender Member
Queen guitarist Brian May slammed the BRIT Awards for their removal of gender-specific award categories. He also wondered whether Queen would be have been “forced” to have transgender and multi-racial band members if they existed in present day. In an interview with The Mirror, May compared the BRIT Awards’ shift away from male and female-specific categories to an infringement on personal freedom. He then used the topic to pontificate on a what he calls an “atmosphere of fear” that is plaguing society. “…because people are afraid to say how they really think,” May said with a fearful tone himself, then warning that “there will be some kind of explosion.” Advertisement Related Video Even less tactfully, May went on to say that Queen “would be forced to have people of different colors and di...
2021 Heavy Metal & Hard Rock Holiday Gift Guide
Another holiday season is upon us, and for metal and hard rock fans, that means merch. As fans of heavy music, we support our favorite artists by purchasing physical media, apparel, and memorabilia. It’s an integral part of the heavy metal way of life, and rare are the occasions when we can ask others to buy these precious artifacts for us. Likewise, if you have a fan of metal and hard rock in your life, then you are probably well aware of the genre’s collector culture and obsession with iconography. We would willingly give our hard-earned money for multiple vinyl variants of Slayer’s Hell Awaits. Even better if such a blasphemous record was sitting under the tree on X-mas morning: the ultimate soundtrack to the burning of the yule log. After a year of covering vinyl reissues, book announc...
Evanescence Offer First Look at Graphic Novel The Revolution of Cassandra: Exclusive
Evanescence are gearing up for the release of the second book in their ongoing graphic anthology series, Echoes From the Void, and Heavy Consequence has an exclusive first look at a multi-page excerpt. The new issue, titled The Revolution of Cassandra, was created by singer Amy Lee and film director Eric D. The book features Howell’s story based on Evanescence’s single “Use My Voice” from their 2021 studio album, The Bitter Truth. Howell also directed the music video for “Use My Voice.” Regarding the scene depicted in our exclusive preview, Howell tells Heavy Consequence, “This scene happens early in the story and sets up the central conflict between Cassandra and her sister Moira. Cassandra is all about peace, love, and anything astrological, while Moria is grounded, pragmatic, and c...
Grammys 2022: AC/DC, Deftones, Chris Cornell, Foo Fighters Lead Rock + Metal Nominees
The nominees for the 2022 Grammy Awards have been unveiled, with AC/DC, Deftones, Foo Fighters, and the late Chris Cornell leading the way in the rock and metal categories. Wolfgang Van Halen, Gojira, Mastodon, Dream Theater, and Rob Zombie also received nods in various categories, rounding out an impressive stable of heavy artists being represented at the 2022 ceremony. Nominees for Best Metal Performance — the Grammys’ only metal-centric category — included Deftones for their track “Genesis,” Dream Theater (“The Alien”), Gojira (“Amazonia”), Mastodon (“Pushing the Tides”), and Rob Zombie (“The Triumph of King Freak [A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition]”). Advertisement Related Video In Best Rock Performance, Deftones were nominated for “Ohms” alongside AC/DC (“Shot in the Dark”...
System of a Down’s 10 Best Songs
System of a Down are one of the most eclectic metal bands to achieve massive success. From 1998 through 2005, the Armenian-American group out of California put out a series of acclaimed albums, but then went silent as a recording act for 15 years. Despite the lack of new music (save for a couple of surprise new songs in 2020), System of a Down’s discography rivals that of any heavy group of the past quarter century. Singer Serj Tankian’s unmistakeable voice ranges from frenetic to operatic, while guitarist-singer Daron Malakian’s riffs are catchy and chaotic at the same time. Meanwhile, the rhythm section of bassist Shavo Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan is as mighty and technically skilled as just about any in heavy metal. Combine those musical sensibilities with lyrics that are both so...
Puddle of Mudd Singer Wes Scantlin Slurs Words, Covers Face, Walks Offstage in Latest Onstage Meltdown: Watch
It’s been more than a decade since Puddle of Mudd were putting out hit after hit on mainstream rock radio, but somehow we can always count on singer Wes Scantlin for a good headline every six months or so. In his latest onstage meltdown, the frontman seemed to barely get the words out to the band’s hits, complained that the lighting is blinding him, and abruptly ended the show after just four songs. Scantlin has been a fixture on TMZ for the past several years due in large part to a number of run-ins with the law. Highlights include such classics as forcing a bomb squad to come out when he seemingly rigged up his car with detonators, and the time he took a ride on the luggage conveyor belt at the Denver Airport. During Puddle of Mudd’s show at the EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin,...
Rage Against the Machine: Kyle Rittenhouse “Killed People Who Were Fighting for Racial Justice”
Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges on Friday (November 19th) after he fired an AR-15-style assault rifle that killed two protesters and seriously injured another at a 2020 rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Among those expressing outrage at the verdict are Rage Against the Machine, who issued a powerful statement via their social media channels. The protest rally came after a black man named Jacob Blake was paralyzed after being shot by Kenosha police. A then 17-year-old Rittenhouse, seemingly there to protect a used-car lot, fired shots that killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and severely damaged Gaige Grosskreutz’s right arm. Among the five felony charges that Rittenhouse faced was one of intentional murder that could have resulted in life in prison had he been found guilty....
R.I.P. Hank Von Helvete, Former Turbonegro Singer Dies at 49
Hank Von Helvete, the best-known singer of long-running Norwegian death-punk act Turbonegro, has died at age 49. His passing was confirmed by his family via the Norwegian newspaper Tvedestrandsposten and through Turbonegro’s social media pages, but no cause of death was revealed. Von Helvete (real name Hans-Erik Dyvik Husby) joined Turbonegro as the band’s third lead singer in 1993, taking over for Harald Fossberg. He fronted Turbonegro until his departure in 2009, save for a hiatus that lasted from 1999 to 2002. That break was due in part to Von Helvete’s drug addiction at the time, as he was undergoing treatment for heroin dependency. During his time with Turbonegro, Von Helvete recorded several albums with the group, beginning with 1994’s Never Is Forever and ending with 2007’s Ret...
New Video of Kids Covering Slipknot Has Higher Production Value Than Most Metal Videos: Watch
When you see the YouTube title “9 yr old sings Slipknot & Unleashes Chaos,” you expect a fun iPhone video of some youngster rocking out to his favorite metal band. But in the case of the O’Keefe Music Foundation’s latest upload, you get a slick music video that rivals or even exceeds the production value of most metal videos. The nonprofit O’Keefe Music Foundation has been producing videos for young rockers over the past several years, often showcasing teens and pre-teens with impressive musical skills. A video of youngsters performing Tool’s “Forty Six & 2” has racked up 25 million views for the channel, while other covers of songs by Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Pantera, and more have also garnered millions of views. In the O’Keefe Music Foundation’s latest clip, a young girl name...
Aerosmith Unearth 1971 Seven-Song Rehearsal Tape, Share Unreleased Version of “Movin’ Out”: Stream
Aerosmith have dug up a rare 1971 recording, which the legendary band is releasing on Record Store Day Black Friday on November 26th. The previously unreleased seven-song rehearsal tape, will be issued on vinyl and cassette under the title Aerosmith – 1971: The Road Starts Hear, with the collection’s “Movin’ Out” available to stream below right now. The recording offers an extraordinary glimpse into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s early years, having been recorded just a year after they formed, and two years before the release of their 1973 self-titled debut album. According to a press release, “The landmark early recording was made with Joe Perry’s Wollensak reel-to-reel tape machine in 1971 by Mark Lehman, who owned the infamous van and became Aerosm...
Metallica Launching Massive, Career-Spanning ‘Black Box’ Portal
Metallica are giving fans a deep, deep dive on their history with a new career-spanning portal, The Metallica Black Box, that the band said will feature “memorabilia, photographs, sketches, clothing and footage straight from our personal collections, hoarded over the last 40 years.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news In a statement on the Black Box site, the band added, “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to travel to all corners of the planet, meet so many amazing people, and do things we once only dreamed of. And when you’ve been around for 40 years, you manage to collect a few things! Along the way, the four of us have hung on to many keepsakes, photographs, articles of clothing, sketches, and so much more, stashing these items away in attics, garages, and storage spaces. But no mo...
