Heavy Consequence
Mining Metal: The Best Underground Albums We Missed in 2021
Mining Metal is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence writers Joseph Schafer and Langdon Hickman. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts. Inevitably, we come across albums that we’d like to cover but don’t. More than eight good underground metal albums come out during most months, even when the scope of “underground” is narrowed to labels without dedicated distribution. But not every month. January is typically a fallow season for metal records, as people recuperate from the holiday season and begin planning their upcoming year. Because we dedicated December to our annual best-of list, we decided to spend this column covering a few bits and bobs we mis...
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...
Howard Stern: “Meat Loaf Got Sucked into Some Weird F**king Cult … And Now He’s Dead”
Legendary rocker Meat Loaf passed away at age 74 last week, and while his official cause of death has not been confirmed, TMZ reported that the singer succumbed to COVID-19. Now, radio titan Howard Stern is blaming the music icon’s death on his apparent stance against masking and vaccines, asserting that “Meat Loaf got sucked into some weird f**king cult.” Upon reporting on Meat Loaf’s death, TMZ cited sources as revealing that he fell seriously ill with COVID, and that his condition became critical, eventually leading to his passing. During the pandemic, the singer had spoken out against social distancing and safety measures. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in August of 2021, Meat Loaf said, “[Face masks] don’t do anything. They don’t stop you from getting COVID. They’re ...
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...
Jack Black Pays Homage to Meat Loaf: “Thank You for Rocking So Hard”
Jack Black has paid his respects to the late Meat Loaf, thanking the legendary singer for “rocking so hard.” It’s not hard to see how Black was inspired by Meat Loaf, considering the comedic actor’s theatrical and bombastic approach to rock music as part of the duo Tenacious D. In his tribute, Black cited the impact Meat Loaf made on him at a young age, and expressed gratitude to the rock icon for appearing in the movie Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. “I think I was 9 years old when my big sister took me to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” wrote Black on Instagram. “Meat Loaf rocked the hell out of that movie. 25 years later I begged him to play my father in my band’s movie The Pick of Destiny and by god he rocked the hell out of that one too. Thank you Meat for rocking so hard!!! M...
Melvins Cover “Spoonman” with Soundgarden Drummer Matt Cameron: Stream
Melvins have shared a cover of Soundgarden’s “Spoonman” featuring Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron himself. The cover hails from the Melvins’ mysterious Lord of the Flies EP. It arrived on January 10th on CD format by the Amphetamine Reptile imprint, but wasn’t released digitally. This thunderous version of “Spoonman” couldn’t be contained on a limited CD release, however, and the band has now made it available via YouTube. The track touts double-drum duty from Cameron (who’s also a member of Pearl Jam) and full-time Melvins pounder Dale Crover, resulting in an even heavier take on an already-heavy song. Advertisement Related Video Frontman Buzz Osborne and bassist Steven McDonald round out the Melvins lineup for the track, which was recorded by producer Toshi Kasai. King Buzzo admirably h...
Anthrax’s Scott Ian Pays Tribute to Father-in-Law Meat Loaf: “There Are So Many Stories I Want to Tell”
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has posted a tribute to his father-in-law, Meat Loaf, who passed away at age 74 on Thursday (January 20th). The veteran metal musician is married to the late singer’s adopted stepdaughter, Pearl Aday. Ian posted two photos on Instagram, including one of Pearl and her sister Amanda making silly faces with Meat Loaf, and another of Meat Loaf having fun with his grandson Revel (Scott and Pearl’s child). “There are so many stories to tell, and I know they will all be told over time,” wrote Ian. “For now, what I know is that Meat’s legacy will live on through his family — Pearl, Amanda and Revel. Their forever love for their father/grandfather (Papa Meat) outweighs the heaviness of their hearts. Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of love, we feel it. I love you...
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...
Ozzy Osbourne’s CryptoBatz NFTs Hit by Scam That Bilked Users Out of Thousands of Dollars
A few weeks ago, Ozzy Osbourne announced his new CryptoBatz NFT collection, making 9,666 unique digital bat designs available to those willing to part with their cryptocurrency. Now it turns out that a large number of people were scammed out of thousands of dollars worth of crypto thanks to a bad link shared by the project’s official Twitter account and website. As tech site The Verge reports, Cryptobatz uses the site Discord for its transactions and initially used the shot URL “discord.gg/cryptobatznft” (do NOT click) in its Twitter posts. Somewhere along the line, the official short link was changed to discord.gg/cryptobatz, but hackers took advantage of the old URL to set up a fake Discord site. Unfortunately, Ozzy and his partner companies still left up the old Tweets with the old link...
Testament Part Ways with Drummer Gene Hoglan in Advance of “Bay Strikes Back” Tour
Testament have announced that they’ve parted ways with drummer Gene Hoglan as they prepare to headline the “Bay Strikes Back” tour this spring. The veteran thrash band cited scheduling conflicts involving Hoglan’s other projects as the primary reason for the split. Hoglan, one of heavy metal’s most skilled and respected drummers, has earned the nickname “The Atomic Clock” for his precision playing. He briefly played in Testament from 1996 to 1997, appearing on 1997’s Demonic. He then rejoined the band in 2011 and had been Testament’s drummer for the past 10-plus years, performing on their last three albums, including 2020’s Titans of Creation. A statement from Testament reads as follows: “First off, we are beyond grateful to have had Gene Hoglan behind our drum throne for ten years, severa...
Trivium’s Matt Heafy Debuts Black Metal Project Ibaraki with First Single “Tamashii No Houkai” Feat. Ihsahn: Stream
Trivium frontman Matthew Kiichi Heafy has unveiled his new black-metal solo project Ibaraki, sharing the video for debut single “Tamashii No Houkai” featuring Ihsahn. Ibaraki — the name for a Japanese demon taken from feudal legend — celebrates Heafy’s Japanese heritage and appreciation for the music of Ihsahn. It was the Emperor founder that inspired Heafy to embark on the path of black metal, acting as a friend and mentor. The mutual appreciation between the two artists led to collaboration, with Ihsahn producing the Ibaraki material. “Tamashii No Houkai” is only the first of numerous songs “assembled over months and years,” and Ihsahn himself appears on the song. Advertisement Related Video The track opens with a gust of Nordic black metal. Incorporating harsh and clean vocals, Heafy so...
