Hard Rock
Tool and Nirvana Songs Performed with a Chinese Hammered Dulcimer Are Mesmerizing: Watch
A musician named Anthony “Bones” Reid has been covering songs by Tool, Nirvana, and other acts using a Chinese hammered dulcimer, and the performances are absolutely mesmerizing. On top of his skillful instrument playing, Reid is also a talented singer. Reid, who performs under the moniker Horns of Pan, has posted a number of videos on YouTube and Facebook over the past couple years. Surprisingly, his YouTube channel has a relatively low number of views considering his impressive musical gifts. The musician has mastered the Chinese hammered dulcimer known as the yangqin, an elaborate percussion-stringed instrument with an ethereal sound. Among his standout performances are covers of Tool’s “Lateralus” and “Descending”, along with Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” and The Cure’s “Close to Me”. E...
Giant Eddie Van Halen Mural Unveiled Outside Hollywood Guitar Center
A large mural depicting the iconic Eddie Van Halen was unveiled at the Hollywood Guitar Center on the Sunset Strip on Tuesday, in commemoration of what would’ve been the late guitarist’s 66th birthday (January 26th). The artwork was created by local muralist Robert Vargas. The Van Halen guitarist died on October 6th, with countless tributes coming from his musical peers in the ensuing weeks. The new mural now immortalizes the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer in painted form, with Vargas’ artwork taking up an entire outer wall at the back entrance of Guitar Center’s flagship Hollywood store. The piece, which stands at 17 feet tall by 105 feet wide, depicts Eddie playing his famous “Frankenstrat” guitar. “Eddie was one of my creative heroes. When I was young, the debut Van Halen record was the ...
30 Most Anticipated Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2021
The year 2020 was a devastating one for not only the music industry, but the entire world. While we’re very much still in the thick of a pandemic, 2021 brings with it new hope, thanks to a vaccine rollout and a new administration in the White House. The new year also promises a plethora of highly anticipated metal and hard rock albums. The albums expected to be released are a combination of works that would have surfaced in 2020 had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic and LPs that had been planned for this year, regardless. It’s fair to say that albums by Mastodon, Megadeth, Evanescence, Gojira, Ministry, The Pretty Reckless, and others would have all arrived in 2020 had those bands been able to tour in support of their latest efforts. Instead, those bands join such noteworthy artists as...
Deftones Announce Ohms Pale Ale Craft Beer
Chino Moreno of Deftones (photo by Debi Del Grande), Ohms Pale Ale (courtesy of Belching Beaver) Deftones and California brewery Belching Beaver have announced their latest craft beer collaboration, Ohms Pale Ale. The new beer continues the five-year partnership between the band and the Oceanside brewery. Deriving its name from Deftones’ excellent 2020 album, the dry-hopped ale comes in at a solid 5.5% ABV. “The first thing you’ll notice is the bright, citrusy aromas,” Belching Beaver states in a social media announcement. “There’s plenty of lemon peel, grapefruit, and pineapple aromas with a blend of some light pine to give a more nuanced and complex tableau that isn’t found in a lot of pale ales. The finish is nice, light, and very refreshing. Hands down, one of the best thirst-quenching...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Turn Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” into a Serpentine Workout: Watch
King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah Willcox are back with another Sunday treat — a musical workout routine to the Guns N’ Roses classic “Welcome to the Jungle”. The couple’s last two “Sunday Lunch” quarantine performances — Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” — are closing in on a combined 5 million views. Those clips are as popular for Toyah’s revealing outfits as much as the couple’s quirky takes on the rock classics, and the trend continues for the GN’R cover. Fitness seems to be a central theme to the playful pair’s recent performances. After rocking an exercise bike (“Enter Sandman”) and a cheerleader routine (“Rebel Yell”), Toyah turns the focus on biceps with dumbbell curls, all while paying homage to Axl Rose’s signature snake dance. Fu...
Trapt Drummer Quits Band Over Singer’s MAGA Rants
Trapt made headlines in 2020 for the first time since they hit it big with their 2002 song “Headstrong”, but it wasn’t for their music. The group’s singer, Chris Taylor Brown, turned the band’s social media channels into a MAGA mega horn, and now it has resulted in the departure of drummer Michael Smith. Much like Donald Trump, Trapt’s Facebook and Twitter accounts were both suspended recently. Brown and company were knocked off Facebook for a pro-Proud Boys post, while Twitter shut the band’s feed down for a post that seemed to condone statutory rape. Those posts came after Brown questioned whether systemic racism exists, exclaiming, “Civil rights act was passed over 50 years ago. Move the f**k on!” He also called for the firing of Dr. Anthony Fauci, claiming the infectious disease expert...
Ghost’s Tobias Forge Covers Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” with the Hellacopters on Swedish TV: Watch
Ghost frontman Tobias Forge joined The Hellacopters for a cover of The Rolling Stones classic “Sympathy for the Devil” Friday evening (January 22nd) on Swedish television. The performance aired as a segment on the På Spåret quiz show on Sweden’s national TV network SVT. Forge, who has taken on a handful of identities as Ghost’s frontman over the years, retired his Cardinal Copia persona during the band’s only show of 2020, a March 3rd gig in Mexico City. That concert ended the tour cycle for their most recent album, Prequelle, and introduced Forge’s new guise, Papa Emeritus IV. Performing as Papa Emeritus IV, Forge was backed by fellow Swedes The Hellacopters for the televised rendition of “Sympathy for the Devil”, a song with a title that fittingly sums up a central theme of Ghost’s ...
Box Set of Bon Scott’s Pre-AC/DC Band Fraternity Released with Previously Unheard Tracks
Fraternity featuring Bon Scott (center, with vest), courtesy of Cherry Red Records A box set of late singer Bon Scott’s pre-AC/DC prog-rock band Fraternity has been released via Cherry Red Records. The 3-CD collection, titled Seasons of Change, encompasses Fraternity’s complete recorded output from 1970 to 1974. Along with Fraternity’s two full-length albums, 1971’s Livestock and 1972’s Flaming Galah, the box set includes non-album singles, B-sides, EP tracks, live tracks, and the band’s “lost” third album, Second Chance. “Scott’s tenure with Fraternity has been poorly documented on the reissue market,” reads Cherry Red’s description of the set. “Of the two albums the band had issued at the time, Livestock and Flaming Galah, neither album has been released officially. And their story has n...
Heart’s Nancy Wilson and Epiphone Announce New “Fanatic” Electric Guitar
Heart co-founder Nancy Wilson has teamed up with Epiphone for the new “Fanatic” electric guitar. The announcement of the new instrument comes ahead of Wilson’s forthcoming solo album, due out in April. The Fanatic is Wilson’s first guitar designed for Epiphone and her second collaboration with Gibson Brands. The guitar… Please click the link below to read the full article. Heart’s Nancy Wilson and Epiphone Announce New “Fanatic” Electric Guitar Jon Hadusek You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair...
King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Unveil Cheerleader Rendition of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”: Watch
A week after going viral with an eye-catching cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah are back with an equally fun rendition of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”. The couple have been putting an eccentric spin on rock classics as part of their “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series for a few months now, but last weekend’s cover of the iconic Metallica tune completely blew up, garnering nearly 3 million views to date. Judging by the pun-filled comments on YouTube and social media, it was Toyah’s revealing choice of attire that made the clip a whopping sensation, even more so than the quirkiness of her singing the iconic metal song while riding an exercise bike. Now, the playful pair take on Billy Idol’s sing-along anthem “Rebel Yell”, with Toyah d...
Baby Dancing to Tool’s “Invincible” Will Lift Your Spirits During These Dark Times: Watch
Dancing Tool Baby (via YouTube), Tool’s Maynard James Keenan (photo by Kevin RC Wilson) With a pandemic still plaguing the world and insurrectionists storming the U.S. Capitol, we need a bit of levity in these dark times. That’s where a new video of a baby dancing to Tool’s “Invincible” comes in, brightening our spirits with every one of his little stomps. We stumbled on this video in its infancy, and we’re not just talking about the baby’s age. Criminally, it only had 20 views since being uploaded just before Christmas by YouTube user Mom of Five. With the Fear Inoculum track “Invincible” playing on the family’s television, complete with a graphic of the album cover, the little Batman-pajama-wearing toddler seems to be drawn to the music. As he makes his way to the TV with his sippy...
AFI Return with New Songs “Twisted Tongues” and “Escape From Los Angeles”: Stream
AFI have unleashed two new songs — “Twisted Tongues” and “Escape From Los Angeles” — ahead of a new album planned for 2021. Both tracks can be heard in the visualizers below. The two new songs mark the veteran California rock act’s first new music since they dropped the five song EP The Missing Man in December 2018. When a new LP arrives, it will be the band’s first since 2017’s AFI (The Blood Album). “Twisted Tongues” explores AFI’s goth-rock side, while “Escape From Los Angeles” gives off more of a punk vibe — both highlighted by singer Davey Havok’s signature haunting vocals. “As I recall, ‘Twisted Tongues’ came of the Blood era and was the first piece of music we explored on the new album,” Havok explained of “Twisted Tongues” in a press release. “The dreaminess of the music lyrically ...
