Hard Rock
Rammstein Recorded a New Album They “Hadn’t Planned On” During Lockdown
Rammstein did indeed record a new album during lockdown, affirms keyboardist Christian “Flake” Lorenz in a new interview. The confirmation comes after the German industrial metal band had shared images from the studio last year. Originally, Rammstein had intended to spend much of 2020 on the road, including their first-ever full-scale stadium tour of North America. Due to the pandemic, touring was put on hold, and the band found itself with a lot of time on its hands. Instead of sitting around waiting for concerts to resume, Rammstein hit the studio and recorded a very quick (especially by their standards) follow-up to their 2019 untitled album. “The fact that we couldn’t perform live increased our creativity,” Flake told the German website Motor Music. “We had more time to think of new th...
Song of the Week: Jay Som and Palehound Choose the Bachelor’s Life and Debut “Anything at All”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, two longtime friends form a new band and find a new sound. The past year of our lives has taught us that loneliness comes in several shades of blue. It can feel like total isolation, separation from dear friends, or even the tedium of seeing the same faces every single day. Those among us who have fared best have either found ways to beat the loneliness (a little Zoom went a long way there for a while, didn’t it?) or embrace it as a chance to remain in the moment and accomplish something. Jay Som (Melina Duterte) and Palehound voc...
Actress Bianca Allaine Calls Marilyn Manson the “Most Terrifying Person I’ve Ever Met,” Sets Up Meeting with FBI
Bianca Allaine has joined the growing list of women who have accused Marilyn Manson of abuse. The actress claims that the shock rocker forcibly kissed her when she was 16 in 1995, and then engaged in a “terrifying” sexual relationship with her when she was 19. She plans to soon speak to the FBI about her experiences. Allaine, who has mostly acted in B-movies like Zombinatrix and Nightmare Next Door, told her story to The Sun, explicitly detailing a disturbing experience with the singer. “Marilyn Manson might be scary, but Brian Warner is the most terrifying person I’ve ever met in my life,” said Allaine, referencing the rocker’s real name. “He’s evil.” She added, “We were often never alone on the tour bus, and his fetish back then was to watch people have sex with me or do things to ...
Alice Cooper Releases New Album Detroit Stories: Stream
Legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper has released his latest studio album, Detroit Stories. The record’s 15 tracks act as a concept album about Cooper’s native city — a historic hotbed for rock and roll in the ’60s and ‘70s. Cooper was one of the most active members of the scene, fronting the band Alice Cooper before the group’s moniker took on a personality of its own, becoming the man Alice Cooper as he’s known today. “Detroit was Heavy Rock central then,” Cooper said in a press release. “You’d play the Eastown and it would be Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, the Stooges and the Who, for $4! The next weekend at the Grande it was MC5, Brownsville Station and Fleetwood Mac, or Savoy Brown or the Small Faces. You couldn’t be a soft-rock band or you’d get your ass kicked.” Detroit would become ...
Tom Morello: Slash and I Nearly Got Blown Up Onstage at an Ozzy Osbourne Show
Tom Morello (photo by Amy Harris), Ozzy Osbourne (David Brendan Hall), Slash (Antonio Marino Jr.) Tom Morello and Slash almost jointly experienced the most heavy metal death that one can possibly imagine: getting blown up onstage at an Ozzy Osbourne concert. The Rage Against the Machine guitarist told the story during an appearance Wednesday (February 24th) on The Howard Stern Show. Morello and Slash were performing with the Prince of Darkness as part of his “Ozzy and Friends” shows that took the place of Black Sabbath’s planned tour after Tony Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma. At one of the shows, a headlining Halloween performance at the 2015 Voodoo Experience festival in New Orleans, the two guitar gods almost met their maker. As Morello tells it, after he and Slash had taken turns pla...
Sammy Hagar on Covering David Bowie, The Who, and Van Halen
Kyle Meredith With… Sammy Hagar Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Sammy Hagar catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about his new album, Lockdown 2020. The album was recorded in quarantine with his bandmates in The Circle that includes Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham, and Vic Johnson as they run through covers of their heroes, peers, and his own Van Halen catalogue. The Red Rocker talks about tackling the scream on The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and regretting writing such a high vocal part for Van Halen’s “Dreams”. He also discusses the way Van Halen’s “Right Now” still speaks to today’s environment and tells us about sharing music with Eddie Van Halen during the guitarist’s fina...
AC/DC’s Angus Young Conceived “Highway to Hell” While on the Toilet
A nasty bout with food poisoning can lead a poor soul on a highway to hell right to the toilet, but for Angus Young, a visit to the toilet led to one of AC/DC’s signature songs. That’s right, the legendary guitarist conceived “Highway to Hell” while sitting on the porcelain throne. The revelation came in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, who had Angus and singer Brian Johnson share the stories behind a few of AC/DC’s best-known tunes. “We had started with the Highway to Hell album … we’d been in Miami, and we’d been in a rehearsal room and that’s what we were doing,” began Angus about the 1979 hit. “We were putting together new tracks. And we’d been there a couple of weeks and we were going a bit slow. And then I had come in one day with [my brother Malcolm] and just before we ...
Lzzy Hale’s Powerhouse Vocals Highlight Halestorm’s Cover of The Who’s “Long Live Rock”: Stream
Halestorm have covered The Who’s “Long Live Rock” in conjunction with the recently announced documentary of the same name. The rousing rendition is fueled by frontwoman Lzzy Hale’s powerful vocals. The new documentary Long Live Rock … Celebrate the Chaos focuses on the culture surrounding hard rock, with appearances by members of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, Halestorm, and many others. It was filmed at a number of U.S. rock festivals in recent years, and also spotlights fans of the music, as they “commune with their ‘rock families’.” In promotion of the movie, Halestorm have tackled “Long Live Rock”, which was released on The Who’s 1974 rarities collection, Odds & Sods, and also featured during the credits of the legendary UK band’s 1979 documentar...
Dee Snider: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Committee Is Made Up of “Arrogant Elitist Assholes”
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has slammed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee as “arrogant elitist assholes,” citing a lack of respect for hard rock and heavy metal acts. Snider went on a rant against the Rock Hall during a Q&A session with fans on Twitter over the weekend. The subject popped up when a fan asked about Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson’s declaration in 2018 that he would refuse induction if the legendary metal act was ever voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It just so happens that Iron Maiden are among the acts recently nominated for the 2021 class. Faced with the question, “Why would [Dickinson} or anyone for that matter refuse [induction]?”, Snider responded, “The RnR Hall committee members are arrogant elitist assholes who look down on metal &a...
Eddie Van Halen Photo Book by Noted Rock Photographer Ross Halfin Due in June
A new Eddie Van Halen coffee-table photo book by renowned rock photographer Ross Halfin is arriving in June via Rufus Publications. The 356-page book, titled Edward Van Halen, will retrace the career of the late guitar legend through the lens of one of rock’s most storied photogs. Halfin’s photo credit can be spotted next to some of the most iconic images in the genre’s history, having also worked with Black Sabbath, Metallica, and more over the years. Like with many of the great band’s of their era, Van Halen were often the subject of Halfin’s visual documentation. His shots of the group are the definitive images of their career, and the pictures of Eddie perfectly captured the virtuoso’s kinetic guitar skills on film. According to the publisher, the book includes classic and unseen photo...
Chevelle Unveil Anthemic New Single “Remember When”: Stream
Chevelle have unleashed the latest single from their upcoming album NIRATIAS, and it comes in the form of the anthemic track “Remember When”. NIRATIAS (an acronym for “Nothing Is Real and This Is a Simulation”) arrives on March 5th. “Remember When” marks the third tune released from the album, following the songs “Self destructor” and “Peach”. The new single is a grand musical statement from Chevelle. Recording as a duo of brothers Pete and Sam Loeffler for first time — following the departure of bassist Dean Bernardino — the Chicago rockers prove they can still pack a sonic wallop. “Remember When” delivers on the otherworldly themes of the album, with Pete’s soaring vocals and a driving guitar riff throughout. Editors’ Picks NIRATIAS marks Chevelle’s first album in five years, follo...
Rare Footage of Deftones Performing on Public-Access TV in 1992 Surfaces Online: Watch
Rare footage of Deftones performing the song “Answers” on TV in 1992 has surfaced on YouTube via a fan channel dedicated to live clips of the band. Sourced from a professionally filmed broadcast on the Sacto Active Rock community-access TV show, the clip captures Deftones during their formative years. The band even had a different lineup, with drummer John Taylor behind the drum kit in place of Abe Cunningham, who left the group in 1990 prior to rejoining in 1993. For Deftones fans, it’s an invaluable glimpse into the pre-Adrenaline era. Chino Moreno had yet to grow his goatee; the late Chi Cheng didn’t have his signature dreadlocks; and guitarist Stephen Carpenter went wild on the soloing — not a style he’s known for. The song performed on the broadcast, “Answers”, has a more dub/reggae s...
