Heavy Consequence
Metallica Tally More Than 1 Billion Spotify Streams in 2020
As they enter their 40th year of existence, Metallica remain a metal powerhouse: the band tallied more than 1 billion streams on Spotify in 2020 alone. Metallica shared a graphic on their Instagram feed, which lists their 2020 Spotify statistics as 1.1 billion streams, 99.3 million hours, 53.3 million unique listeners, and 92 different countries. ‘We thought last year’s numbers were insane,” wrote the band. “You guys have outdone yourselves! 99.3M hours?! That’s like if someone started listening on October 27, 9318 B.C. and never stopped. Can anyone guess what this year’s most-played song was, clocking in at 128.6M streams?? You remain the most dedicated fans in the world – thank you for spending so much of your year with us!” The two most-played songs were likely “Nothing Else Matter...
R.I.P. Alexi Laiho, Longtime Children of Bodom Frontman Dead at 41
Founding Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho has tragically died at the age of 41. The musician, considered one of metal’s best contemporary guitarists, passed away at his home in Helsinki, Finland, after suffering from “long-term health issues,” according to his label, Napalm Records. Laiho originally formed Children of Bodom as Inearth back in 1993 as a young teenager. He remained with the acclaimed Finnish melodic death metal act until the band decided to split up after playing a final show in December 2019. Laiho formed a new group, Bodom After Midnight, last year after giving up the rights to the Children of Bodom name to three of the band’s other longtime members. “We are crushed by the sudden passing of our dear friend and band member. Words cannot describe this shock and the pro...
Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, KISS, Judas Priest, and More Star in Rock Camp, The Movie: Watch Trailer
A new documentary feature film titled Rock Camp, The Movie features such music icons as Alice Cooper, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, KISS, Judas Priest, and more. The movie chronicles the journey of four everyday people as they attend Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp has been going on for 25 years, where aspiring musicians get to hang out and jam with legendary musicians. The movie takes viewers on a backstage pass of the camp, offering an inside look at what goes on during a typical experience. Among the rockers featured in the movie are Daltrey (who was a big part of getting Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp off the ground), Cooper, KISS’ Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and Richie Faulkner, Sammy Hagar, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, ...
Tommy Lee, Members of Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, and More Star in Horror Film The Retaliators: Watch Trailer
Tommy Lee (photo by Myriam Santos) / Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix (via Better Noise) An upcoming horror film, The Retaliators, is packed with scary scenes … and rock stars. The movie, due out in 2021, features Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, Papa Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix, members of Five Finger Death Punch, and more musicians in dramatic roles. Directed by Bridget Smith (Sno Babies, Finding Christmas), The Retaliators stars Michael Lombardi (Rescue Me, The Deuce), Marc Menchaca (Ozark, Black Mirror) and Joseph Gatt (Ray Donovan, Banshee). The horror thriller is being produced by Better Noise Films, the film production arm of record label Better Noise Music, thus the bevy of rock musicians who appear in the movie. In addition to Tommy Lee and Jacoby Shaddix, The Retali...
TikTok Star Shreds Metallica Songs on Guitar After She’s Called Out for Wearing Band’s T-Shirt: Watch
A TikTok star set out to seek and destroy after commenters called her out for wearing a Metallica shirt in her videos. Not only did aspiring R&B/hip-hop vocalist and dancer Zaria prove she was a fan of the iconic metal band, she proceeded to shred some of their classic songs on guitar. Celebrities and social media personalities wearing heavy metal T-shirts as a fashion statement is nothing new. We’ve often wondered, “Do the Kardashians really listen to Metallica and Slayer?” So, it’s not surprising that Zaria got some pushback in her comments section, with at least one person challenging her to “name three Metallica songs.” Well, Zaria took her response one step further. In a clap-back video, she exclaims, “My response to you guys is like, ‘Really, only three songs? How ’bout I play th...
Singer John Joseph Defends Accuracy of Cro-Mags Shirt in Wonder Woman 1984
Eagle-eyed hardcore fans had some beef with the historical accuracy of a Cro-Mags T-shirt in the new movie Wonder Woman 1984, but the band’s longtime singer quickly put those questions to rest. In fact, it was John Joseph who sent the shirt to director Patty Jenkins for use in the film. The scene in question shows a group of punk rockers walking through Washington, D.C.’s Metro station, sporting Mohawks and band t-shirts. One of the punks is donning a Bad Brains shirt, while another is wearing a tee featuring the artwork from the Cro-Mags album The Age of Quarrel. Problem is the film is set in 1984, but that Cro-Mags LP didn’t arrive until 1986. That led hordes of hardcore punk fans to hit social media to call out the movie for a fashion faux pas. However, Joseph was quick to point out tha...
KISS Urge Everyone to “Do the Rest of Us a Favor” and “Mask Up”
The members of KISS traded their signature face makeup for protective face masks while traveling to their New Year’s Eve show in Dubai. As singer-bassist Gene Simmons put it, “Do the rest of us a favor — mask up!” Simmons shared a photo of himself, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, drummer Eric Singer, and guitarist Tommy Thayer, as they all sported face masks at an airport. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band will be performing the worldwide “KISS 2020 Goodbye” livestream concert from the Atlantis in Dubai, promising “the biggest & baddest concert event and pyrotechnics show of the year.” Along with the photo, Simmons wrote, “Wear your masks. Even if it’s only as a courtesy. If you yawn, or sneeze, you don’t think twice about covering your mouth. Do the rest of us a favor! Mask Up! … B...
David Hasselhoff Offers Update on Kung Fury 2, Promises “I Am Going to Be Funny in It”
Five years ago, movie audiences were mesmerized by the DIY action film Kung Fury, which became an instant cult classic. David Hasselhoff, who sang the movie’s memorable song “True Survivor” and voiced the Hoff 9000 car in the original, tells us he’s back for the sequel and is “going to be funny in it.” Kung Fury was made by Swedish director, writer, and star David Sandberg on a shoestring budget. After self-producing a $5,000 trailer for the yet-to-be-filmed kung fu movie, he launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of reaching $200,000. By the time the campaign ended, Sandberg raised more than $600,000, and locked in Hasselhoff for the theme song and Hoff 9000 role. The outlandish homage to ’80s B-movies features Kung Fury (played by Sandberg) partnering with Triceracop, meeting the No...
10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Declares She’s a “Total Metalhead”, Rocks Slipknot’s “Unsainted”: Watch
Nandi Bushell was already our favorite kid musician of 2020, but she just gave us one more “wow” moment before the year ends. The 10-year-old prodigy rocked an impressive drum cover of Slipknot’s “Unsainted”, declaring herself a “total metal head.” It’s been an amazing year for Nandi, who found herself in the midst of a viral multi-round drum battle with the one and only Dave Grohl for several weeks. The drum-off culminated in each musician writing a theme song for one another, as well as a face-to-face video chat. Grohl eventually conceded defeat, but they even made plans to write a song together. While Nandi has proven herself to be a strong guitarist and bassist in recent months, her cover of Slipknot’s “Unsainted” shows off her mastery of the drums, the instrument that first made her a...
Chino Moreno’s ✞✞✞ (Crosses) Cover “The Beginning of the End”, First New Track in Six Years: Stream
Deftones singer Chino Moreno has resurrected ✞✞✞ (Crosses) and released the first new track from the project in six years. It comes in the form of a cover of Cause & Effect’s “The Beginning of the End”. Crosses unleashed their self-titled debut album in 2014, but hasn’t released any new music or performed any shows since that year. The band’s lineup is comprised of Moreno, guitarist Shaun Lopez, and bassist Chuck Doom, although a press release for the new single only mentions Moreno and Lopez. For Crosses’ return, Moreno turned to a song by fellow Sacramento act Cause & Effect, an electropop band who released their self-titled debut album in 1990. “The Beginning of the End” is a track from that first LP, and it gives off some very strong Depeche Mode vibes. Crosses’ version do...
Slash Eyes 2021 Release for New Guns N’ Roses Music
Slash, photo by Antonio Marino Jr. Slash is expecting that 2021 will be a fruitful year for Guns N’ Roses and his band with Myles Kennedy, with hopes to release new music from both acts. In a new interview, the guitarist said he’s recently been working with bassist Duff McKagan on the highly anticipated new GN’R album. He’s also got 20 songs ready to go for an upcoming LP from Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. “We did a week of initial pre-production [on the new Conspirators album] and there’s 20 songs and we’re gonna start back up next year,” Slash told Cleveland.com. “I spent a lot of time writing and demoing that stuff. And prior to that, Duff [McKagan] and I did some jamming and we also worked on the Guns record, and I’ve had a couple of ancillary recordings and jams ...
10 Times Lemmy Was the Coolest Man on Earth
While the rock world will never forget the legendary Lemmy Kilmister, late December is an especially poignant time to commemorate his legacy. This year, December 24th marks what would have been the late Motörhead frontman’s 75th birthday, while December 28th marks five years since the passing of one of rock’s all-time great icons. Few rockers were as instantly memorable and recognizable as Lemmy. Whether it be his lifestyle (pushing life to the max via his party-hearty ways), his looks (long hair, facial hair, and signature facial moles), or his music (penning dozens of headbanging classics that have influenced countless other artists, and have only improved with age), there will never be another gentleman like Ian Fraser Kilmister. So, what better way to celebrate the life of the late, gr...
