Heavy Consequence
Serj Tankian Tests Positive for COVID-19, System of a Down Postpone Concerts
System of a Down have been forced to postpone their October 22nd and 23rd concerts in Los Angeles after frontman Serj Tankian tested positive for COVID-19. The band was set to perform alongside Korn, Helmet, and Russian Circles. In a social media statement, SOAD wrote that, “Despite multiple precautionary measures, Serj has unfortunately tested positive for COVID. We’re sorry to disappoint our amazing fans with this last minute news.” Check out the band’s full remarks below. The two shows have been rescheduled for February 4th and 5th, and Korn, Helmet, and Russian Circles will join them for the makeup dates. The delay will be especially bitter for Korn fans, who have seen three members of the group come down with the novel coronavirus. Advertisement Related Video Tickets for the post...
HEALTH and Poppy Team Up for New Song “Dead Flowers”: Stream
HEALTH and Poppy have joined forces for a new song titled “Dead Flowers.” They also unveiled a music video for the heavy shoegaze track, which will be included on HEALTH’s upcoming collab compilation, DISCO4 :: PART II. Known for their industrial and electronic leanings, HEALTH and Poppy take a mellower turn on “Dead Flowers.” It’s a massive slab of melodic dream-pop in the vein of Slowdive and Cocteau Twins. HEALTH lay down a bed of swirling guitars and deliberate, echoing drums. The sonics balance perfectly with Poppy’s voice, which is altered with just the right amount of reverb and registers above the oceanic feedback. Advertisement Related Video The video for the single offers appropriately hazy images, as if the band’s distortion pedals could somehow emit a smokey visual of their own...
Mastodon Unveil Doomy New Song “Sickle and Peace”: Stream
Mastodon are coming up on the release of a new album, Hushed and Grim, which marks their first-ever double album. In advance of the record’s release, the Atlanta metal giants have premiered the new song “Sickle and Peace.” “Sickle and Peace” is the third track Mastodon have unveiled off Hushed and Grim, the first two being “Pushing the Tides” and “Teardrinker.” The new song features groovy, pulsating bass and drums, in typical Mastodon fashion, coupled with doomy guitars and powerful vocals. Heavy Consequence recently caught up with Mastodon singer-bassist Troy Sanders via Zoom video to talk about the inspiration behind Hushed and Grim. Advertisement “The album is about losing our manager, Nick John, just over three years ago to a battle with pancreatic cancer,” Sanders said. “He was monum...
David Ellefson on Megadeth Ousting: I’m “Disappointed” but “Not Bitter”
David Ellefson has directly addressed his firing from Megadeth in a new interview, stating that he is “disappointed” but “not bitter.” Earlier this week, we reported on the bassist giving his first post-Megadeth interview, though he was not directly asked about his firing from Megadeth in that conversation. Now, in a separate interview, Ellefson has discussed his exit from Megadeth. Speaking with SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk, Ellefson opened up about the sexually compromising incident with a young woman that led to his ousting, as well as his relationship with Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. Advertisement Related Video For context, Ellefson was initially accused of grooming an underage fan for an online sexual encounter. Videos of the encounter were leaked online by a separate party, leading to...
Corpsegrinder’s Name Removed as World of Warcraft Character Due to Past Homophobic Remarks
Game-maker Blizzard has removed George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher’s name from his World of Warcraft non-playable character (NPC) due to past homophobic remarks made by the Cannibal Corpse frontman in 2007. “Gorge the Corpsegrinder” was an NPC and quest-giver that paid homage to the death metal vocalist, an outspoken WoW fan and a prominent player for the multiplayer online game’s Horde faction. However, calls to remove Corpsegrinder from WoW began in September when gamers shed light on homophobic remarks Fisher made in a 2007 interview. The interview in question originated from 2007, and aired at the 2011 BlizzCon event. Fisher spoke about his love for World of Warcraft and playing for the Horde, but he called the rival faction, the Alliance, the “homo-alliance” and referred to those players a...
Myrkur Shares Spellbinding Demo for New Song “Rivers Blessed”: Stream
Myrkur has shared the demo for her new song “Rivers Blessed,” a song written about her “journey into motherhood.” Following a similarly stripped down traditional folk template as 2020’s Folkesange, “Rivers Blessed” features only harp and the voice of Myrkur, aka Amalie Bruun. “‘Rivers Blessed’ is written about my journey into motherhood, a path that by no means was easy but it changed my life and how I view the world forever,” she said via a press release. “I wanted the song to have a strong feeling of winter, and therefor the harp is the only instrument, because its sound reminds me of falling snowflakes.” Advertisement Related Video The combination of Bruun’s voice and the harp is captivating, as the singer further explores her Scandinavian musical roots. The chorus, for example, was cul...
Judas Priest’s Rob Halford on 50 Years of Metal, Handcuffing Andy Warhol, and Touring with Ozzy Osbourne
Fifty years of doing anything in the arts is impressive — even more so in popular music, and especially in heavy metal. It’s a rigorous and demanding genre, and certainly of a niche for faithful. But it’s proved resilient, welcoming to new directions and trends while continuing to revere its traditions and its long-haulers. Judas Priest have become the latest to join the golden anniversary club, and in its case a band that’s spent the past half-century rocking uninterrupted, weathering lineup changes and changing audience tastes. But anyone who’s seen the quintet as recently as this year’s “50 Heavy Metal Years Tour” — which came to an abrupt and unexpected stop on September 26th after guitarist Richie Faulkner suffered a ruptured aorta onstage and more than 10 hours of open heart surgery ...
Vended (Sons of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Clown) Announce Debut EP, Unleash “Burn My Misery”: Stream
Vended, the band featuring the sons of Slipknot members Corey Taylor and Shawn “Clown” Crahan, have announced their debut EP, titled What Is It/Kill It. The band also shared the new song “Burn My Misery” ahead of the EP’s November 12th release. It’s the second single we’ve heard from the Iowa metal act. Touting a serious pedigree with Corey Taylor’s son Griffin on vocals and Clown’s son Simon on drums, it’s no surprise that Vended bring a crushing extreme-metal sound, as heard on “Burn My Misery.” Like previous single “Asylum,” the band incorporate elements of prog and melodic metal into the five-minute track. There’s certainly some Slipknot influence, but Vended’s punk tendencies are more pronounced, with spitfire vocals from Griffin and lightning fast tempos. Advertisement Related V...
Metal Musician Andrea Meyer Among Five People Killed by Bow-and-Arrow Attack in Norway
Andrea Meyer — a German metal musician, actress, and screenwriter — was one of five people killed in a bow-and-arrow attack in Norway on October 13th. According to the Associated Press, the horrific incident happened at a supermarket in Kongsberg, Norway. Police apprehended the suspect, 37-year-old Espen Andersen Braathen, and authorities believe the attack to be “an act of terrorism.” Meyer recorded pagan music under the names Nebelhexë, Hagalaz’ Runedance, and Andrea Nebel. She also contributed guest vocals to Cradle of Filth’s 1994 debut, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, and a spoken-word part to Satyricon’s 1996 album, Nemesis Divina. Advertisement Related Video The 52-year-old multimedia artist leaves behind a daughter, Alva, whom she shared with ex-husband Tomas “Samoth” Haugen, lon...
Corey Taylor, Billy Idol, Perry Farrell and More to Perform Classic Sex Pistols and Lou Reed Albums for Charity
Guitarists Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) and Billy Morrison (Billy Idol’s band) have announced their latest “Above Ground” charity event. The star-studded benefit show will take place December 20th at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, and feature full performances of Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols and Lou Reed’s Transformer. Joining Navarro and Morrison on the bill are Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction) and his wife Etty Lau Farrell, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol band), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), and Franky Perez (Deadland Ritual, Apocalyptica), with more artists to be announced shortly. The concert will benefit MusiCares, with a focus on raising awareness on mental health. “We are so grateful...
David Ellefson Gives First Post-Megadeth Interview: “I’m Perfectly Content”
David Ellefson has given his first interview since being ousted from Megadeth earlier this year. Ellefson was fired from the thrash band after an embarrassing sexually compromising online encounter with a young woman went public, but seemed unfazed in the new interview. The bassist is currently promoting his new band, The Lucid, and opened up about his career after Megadeth. “It’s fun to create for creation’s sake and not because it has to be motivated from anything else,” Ellefson told Aftershocks TV (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “So I guess I’m kind of glad to just be right where I’m at. To be honest, I’m perfectly content and happy where I am right now. I’m not gonna lie — it’s perfectly fine. So I’m all good.” Advertisement Related Video Ellefson doesn’t get into specifics regardin...
System of a Down Return to Stage, Perform Two Comeback Singles Live for First Time: Watch
System of a Down just played their first concert since the pandemic started, rocking a 30-song set at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday (October 15th). The show featured the live debuts of last year’s surprise singles “Genocidal Humanoidz” and “Protect the Land.” The concert, the band’s first since May 2019, saw SOAD perform 11 songs off their landmark 2001 album Toxicity, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary — including such favorites as “Chop Suey,” “Psycho,” “Aerials,” and more. They performed “Genocidal Humanoidz” for the first time live in the first half of the set, while “Protect the Land” was debuted toward the end of the show. The two songs were simultaneously released in November 2020, in support of Armenia and its neighboring state Artsakh, which had come under ...
