Heavy Consequence
Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen Form New Outfit, Unveil “Taking My Chances”: Stream
Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith and veteran rocker Richie Kotzen have joined forces for the new blues-rock project Smith/Kotzen. In announcing the new outfit, the pair have unveiled their debut single, “Taking My Chances”. Longtime friends and colleagues, Smith and Kotzen are a formidable guitar pairing and prove as much on the new song. This ain’t Maiden, but rather a love letter to the electric blues. Smith and Kotzen share a mutual love of the genre that can be traced back through the years, like the time Smith played and sang a cover of Cream’s iconic “Crossroads” at one of Kotzen’s birthday parties. A natural chemistry can be heard on “Taking My Chances”. “I think Richie and I complement each other really well,” Smith said in a press release. “He’s a virtuoso guitarist, but he...
Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou Announce New EP, Cover the Cranberries’ “Hollywood”: Stream
Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou have announced a new surprise collaborative EP titled The Helm of Sorrow, which arrives January 15th via Sacred Bones. They’ve also shared new cover of The Cranberries‘ “Hollywood” and a separate short, “Elysian Fields”, created by Thou’s Mitch Wells. The four-song EP includes B-sides from the excellent 2020 album from Rundle and Thou, May Our Chambers Be Full. In fact, the tracks were included on Sacred Bones’ “diehard” edition of the Chambers, but will receive a widespread release as The Helm of Sorrow, a suitably metal title. The cover of “Hollywood” is as captivating as anything we’ve heard from the pairing. Perhaps the artists or label realized these songs were too good to languish on a limited, exclusive release. No complaints here. A far cry from the origin...
Amigo the Devil Premieres Video for New Song “Another Man’s Grave”: Watch
Amigo the Devil recently announced his sophomore full length album, Born Against. Now, the folk-rock troubadour is teaming up with Consequence of Sound to premiere the video for the LP’s first single, “Another Man’s Grave”. With “Another Man’s Grave”, Amigo continues his foray into dark Americana. Despite his music’s acoustic foundation, the songs have also resonated with metal and hard rock audiences, as he’s shared the stages with several heavy acts over the past few years. “This is very much a coming to terms song,” Amigo says of the new single. “It’s the realization that the habits and routine we’ve been living, the behaviors, and outlook displayed aren’t true to the person that we know exists somewhere within. It’s about the purgatory-like time between accepting this and the moment we...
R.I.P. Jason Slater, Original Third Eye Blind Bassist and Queensrÿche Producer Dies at 49
Jason Slater, who was the original bassist in the band Third Eye Blind and a longtime producer for Queensrÿche, has died at the age of 49. His daughter Alyssa reported that Slater died from liver failure at a hospital in Maui, according to TMZ. While Slater was Third Eye Blind’s original bassist and backup vocalist, he did not appear on any of the pop-rock act’s albums. He was a member from 1993 to 1994, recording their first demo. He left the group before they scored huge success with their six-times platinum 1997 self-titled debut, which yielded the hits “Semi-Charmed Life”, “Jumper”, and “How’s It Gonna Be”. A rep for Third Eye Blind revealed to TMZ that the band hadn’t spoken with Slater since 1996, but added, “When a spirited member of the music scene is taken too soon, it is always a...
Slash: New Guns N’ Roses Pinball Machines Are “Way Beyond My Expectations”
A couple of months ago, Guns N’ Roses announced a series of “Not in This Lifetime” pinball machines, modeled after the band’s mega-successful reunion tour of the same name. The arcade games were co-designed by Slash, who caught up with us to discuss all things pinball and his involvement in the creation of the machines. The “Not in This Lifetime” machines are manufactured by Jersey Jack Pinball, and are available in three editions — Standard, Limited, and Collectors — each with a different design on its body. The machines feature a 21-song soundtrack that closely mirrors the setlists that Guns N’ Roses played on their “Not in This Lifetime” tour, which saw the return of classic members Slash and Duff McKagan. As we learned from Slash while speaking with him about the machines, his love of ...
Trapt’s Twitter Suspended After Rant Seemingly Defending Statutory Rape
MAGA proud boys Trapt are at it again. If the racist and xenophobic ravings of frontman Chris Taylor Brown weren’t bad enough, the band’s toxic Twitter feed has finally been suspended after a rant seemingly defending underage student-teacher relationships and statutory rape. This after Trapt’s Facebook was suspended for “violating community standards” following a pro-Proud Boys post. The latest debacle appears to have started when someone trudged up a screenshot of one of the band’s old Twitter replies, no doubt scavenged from a pile of similarly tasteless remarks made throughout the years. This one defended underage student-teacher relationships, and the screenshot reignited the argument between Trapt (likely Brown) and an angry mob of angry commenters. Trapt doubled down on their old rep...
Every Time I Die Share New Songs “A Colossal Wreck” and “Desperate Pleasures”: Stream
Every Time I Die have returned with the double single, “A Colossal Wreck” and “Desperate Pleasures”. They’ve also announced a livestream event for December 19th. The songs mark the first new music from the Buffalo, New York hardcore act since 2016. In the interim, the band’s lost none of their mathematic prowess and virtuosic precision. If the rest of Every Time I Die’s forthcoming ninth studio album lives up to these tracks, fans are in for another excellent slice of passionate metal. As the titles “A Colossal Wreck” and “Desperate Pleasures” imply, there’s more than a little of 2020 that’s seeped into the new material. Vocalist Keith Buckley stated in a press release that the songs are “two sides of the same reactionary coin.” “While ‘A Colossal Wreck’ looks around at the current state o...
Suspect208 (Sons of Weiland, Slash, Trujillo) Unveil Video for Second Single “All Black”: Watch
Suspect208, the new band featuring the sons of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, and late Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, have just unveiled their second single. The track, “All Black”, is accompanied by a music video that offers the first look at the young musicians performing onstage. The band — consisting of 20-year-old singer Noah Weiland, 16-year-old bassist Tye Trujillo, 18-year-old drummer London Hudson (Slash’s son), and 18-year-old guitarist Niko Tsangaris — went viral with their debut single, “Long Awaited”, which arrived last month. That track is already approaching a million hits on YouTube. While “Long Awaited” drew comparisons to Velvet Revolver, a band that featured both Slash and Scott Weiland, “All Black” has more of a rock-pop vib...
Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020
Our Annual Report looks back upon the strange year that was 2020 and the music, film, and television that came with it. Here, we present our Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020. In a year we’d mostly like to forget, the world of heavy music brought us many memorable releases. While we wait for concerts to return, we have a treasure trove of new metal and hard rock albums that amplify the anticipation of seeing our favorite bands return to stages. 2020 has been dominated by a worldwide pandemic, and if anything can provide us with a daily distraction from the suffering and uncertainty, it’s good music. Thankfully, dozens of bands decided to release new albums this year, despite not being able to tour in support of their latest studio efforts. As a reminder that life is filled with comeb...
North Kingsley (Shavo Odadjian) Unleash “False Idols” Featuring Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA: Stream
North Kingsley, the side-project of System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, have released a new three-song EP, Vol. 2, their second of 2020. The group has also shared a music video for politically charged lead single “False Idols”, which features RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. The track epitomizes North Kingsley’s groove-laden take on alternative hip-hop and the strong political views that seem to accompany Odadjian’s projects. North Kingsley vocalist/lyricist Ray Hawthorne takes centerstage on the song, with the video featuring the band’s members wearing masks of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton. “We, as individuals, empower and idolize people who care for their own interests above ours,” vocalist/lyricist Hawthorne said in the press release. “We need to recognize that. We need to ...
Anthrax’s Scott Ian Unveils New SGT D Guitar Pedal
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has teamed up with KHDK Electronics for a limited-edition signature SGT D guitar pedal. Stylized with the infamous Sargent D mascot from Ian’s crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.), the two-in-one pedal functions as a boost/pre-distortion EQ control and has another section for amp modeling that emulates the guitarist’s S.O.D.-era tones. To top it off, as you play, the tip of Sgt. D’s cigar lights up red. “Get this if you want to stop shitting in people’s ears with your ass tone,” states the Sgt. D (aka Ian) in the product description. “Scott knew what he wanted — a ruthlessly vicious pedal that captures his S.O.D. amp tone,” David Karon of KHDK wrote. “Of course, the absolute maniac that he is, he also wanted it to work as a magical booster and m...
Eyehategod Detail New Album A History of Nomadic Behavior, Share “High Risk Trigger”: Stream
New Orleans sludge metal vets Eyehategod have detailed their previously announced new album, A History of Nomadic Behavior. The 12-song effort arrives March 12th and marks the band’s first new LP in seven years. Eyehategod have also shared the album’s lead single, the politically charged “High Risk Trigger”. While singer Mike IX Williams says the band rarely touches on politics, the song tackles the subject of police brutality. The rest of the album also has overtones of the socio-political disruption prevalent in modern America. “We’re not a political band, but it was hard not to be affected by the news from the past year,” Williams said in a press release. “During this recording, I thought a lot about how stupid humanity has become and how America is now completely divided with these peo...
