Heavy Consequence
R.I.P. Mark Stone, Original Van Halen Bassist Dies
Mark Stone (far left) with Alex and Eddie Van Halen, via Van Halen: The Early Years documentary Mark Stone, the original bassist for Van Halen, has died after a battle with cancer. His death was confirmed by his brother Brad, who posted the sad news via Instagram, and by Van Halen News Desk, which reported that Stone had recently been in hospice care. While Stone was a founding member of Van Halen, his tenure in the band was short-lived. He was a member of the band from their formation in 1972, alongside brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and eventually David Lee Roth. Initially, the group called itself Genesis, but changed that to Mammoth upon learning that there was another band named Genesis. In 1974, the band changed its name to Van Halen, but also parted ways with Stone that same year...
R.I.P. Brent Young, Former Trivium Bassist Dies
Brent Young, an early member of the metal band Trivium, has passed away. His death was confirmed by Trivium frontman Matt Heafy, who mourned the loss of his former bandmate via social media. Young joined Trivium as their guitarist in 2000, but switched over to bass in 2001. He appeared on their early Blue demo and their 2003 debut album, Ember to Inferno. He was replaced in 2004 by Paolo Gregoletto, who remains Trivium’s bassist to this day. “We have just been given word on the passing of one of the early members of Trivium, Brent Young,” posted Heafy on Twitter. “Having had a couple wonderful years with Brent in the Florida local band scene, doing the Blue demo and ETI together, the very first European mini-tour and first USA tour together — I have nothing but amazing memories of a wonder...
Spirit Adrift Show the Joy of Classic Metal on “Screaming From Beyond”: Video Premiere + Interview
“I don’t remember pain,” Nate Garrett sings over the stomping guitar riff that opens “Screaming from Beyond,” the newest song from the upcoming Spirit Adrift upcoming album, Enlightened in Eternity. It’s a somewhat ironic lyric, considering that the band’s new LP often reflects on the pain of mortal existence. The song and its accompanying video are premiering right here at Heavy Consequence. “Screaming from Beyond” features an anthemic chorus and pristine melodic vocals, evoking the supernatural and stadium-ready sounds of perennial metal gods like Mercyful Fate, Dio, and Ozzy Osbourne. Close your eyes and it almost sounds like a band that could have opened one of the “Clash of the Titans” tours. But its contemplative and esoteric lyrical approach is modern, and 100-percent indicative of ...
Deftones Embrace Their Heavy Roots on the Commanding Ohms: Review
The Lowdown: Sacramento alt-metallers Deftones tend to transform at the turns of decades. In 2000, they released their conceptual high-water mark White Pony, while 2010’s Diamond Eyes is a stellar collection of catchy-but-clever skate rock tracks. On the other hand, 2020’s Ohms isn’t a radical reinvention, but it’s a solid addition to their legacy — a surprisingly heavy one, at that. The Good: Deftones’ albums exist along a delicate axis: At the one end, singer Chino Moreno’s romantic and crooning atmospheres, and on the other, guitarist Stephen Carpenter’s sludgy, metallic slug-fests. The band is at its best when these elements are in balance, and the tension between these poles is the core of their identity. 2016’s Gore seemed like a Moreno-heavy album, focused on dreamy landscapes. In c...
Dream Theater Announce Live Release Distant Memories, Share “Pale Blue Dot”: Stream
Dream Theater have announced Distant Memories, a new live album and concert film recorded in London back in February 2020. It’s due for release on November 27th, and the progressive-metal legends have shared a clip of “Pale Blue Dot” from the video. The album captures the band on tour in support of 2019’s Distance Over Time and the 20th anniversary of Metropolis Part 2 – Scenes From a Memory. The title Distant Memories can refer both to the album’s content and the fact that it seems so very long ago, despite the performances at the Apollo in London taking place right before the pandemic hit. “Whether you had a chance to see this tour in person and want to relive what was hopefully an awesome concert experience or enjoying the performance on video for the first time, Distant Memories –...
Mining Metal: Exist, Katavasia, Messiah, Night, Obsidian Kingdom, Plague Organ, Proscription, and Sumac
“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. Like many, I’ve spent much of the last month practically hermetically sealed-in to my domicile, just to avoid too much Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke from clogging my already-punished lungs. Extended isolation leads to eccentricity, and this month’s metal selections skew toward the insular. Expect progressive and cavernous odes to hyper-niche sounds, perfect for deep headphone listening. Of course, there’s a little old-time rock ‘n’ roll to buoy spirits in darkening times and earlier sunsets, but as autumn rolls ...
Rammstein Announce 25th Anniversary Remastered Edition of Debut Album Herzeleid
Rammstein released their iconic debut album, Herzeleid, 25 years ago today. To commemorate the occasion, the band has announced a remastered anniversary edition, coming to digital platforms, CD, and vinyl on December 4th. The album, released September 25th, 1995, was previously remastered in 2015 and finally issued as a standalone vinyl LP in 2017. The new 180-gram double LP pressing features the 2020 remastered audio, which will be available in hi-fi 24-bit formats for the first time. A single CD version, housed in a lavish cross-shaped digipak with slipcase, will also be available. Original artwork creator Dirk Rudolph handled the anniversary edition, thankfully preserving the provocative band portrait shot by Praler. The new version has a more minimalist design, with the large flower re...
Deftones Unleash New Album Ohms: Stream
Deftones have unleashed their new album Ohms. Stream it below using Apple Music or Spotify. This is the hard rock band’s ninth full-length effort, and their first since 2016’s Gore. The executive producer is Terry Date, who worked with Deftones on their first four albums and the aborted Eros sessions of 2008. Ohms is ten tracks long by design. As vocalist Chino Moreno told Vulture, “We don’t… write 30 songs, then whittle it down into ten songs. We literally write ten songs.” Moreno explained that the recording process for Ohms was significantly different than Gore, in part intentionally, and in part because the pandemic allowed everyone extra time. He said, “We recorded [Gore] in Los Angeles… at the end of the day, it was like, I’m away from home. I’m not...
Metallica Perform National Anthem Remotely at San Francisco Giants Game: Watch
The San Francisco Giants have hosted an annual “Metallica Night” the past several seasons, but with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping MLB stadiums vacant, the event didn’t happen this year. Instead, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield played “The Star-Spangled Banner” remotely prior to the Giants game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday (September 23rd). As they’ve done in the past, the duo donned Giants jerseys for the performance, but this time they rocked the anthem from their own headquarters. It’s not exactly Jimi Hendrix, but Hammett and Hetfield gave it a faithful go, synchronizing for a loose and joyous take, delivering a shred-tastic rendition. Heavy Consequence documented last year’s “Metallica Night”, a fond memory of what seems like a bygone age for the MLB. Hetfield ...
Marilyn Manson Recruits Norman Reedus for “DON’T CHASE THE DEAD” Video: Watch
Marilyn Manson has unveiled a new music video for “DON’T CHASE THE DEAD” starring The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus. “DON’T CHASE THE DEAD” was recently released as the second single from Manson’s latest album, WE ARE CHAOS, which arrived earlier this month. The LP debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking Manson’s eighth consecutive album to land in the Top 10. Reedus, who has played Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead since the beginning of the popular AMC series, co-stars alongside Manson in the cinematic video for “DON’T CHASE THE DEAD”. The clip depicts a heist gone violently wrong, along with scenes of Manson singing the song. Manson discussed “DON’T CHASE THE DEAD” in our recent interview with the singer. He told us that the track is “a very driving song, but whe...
Filter’s Richard Patrick on Quitting Nine Inch Nails: Trent Reznor Told Me to Deliver Pizza
In a new interview, Richard Patrick pointed to a couple of conversations with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor that both motivated and angered him into forming his own band, Filter. One of those exchanges included Reznor suggesting that Patrick deliver pizza to earn some extra cash. Patrick was a member of Nine Inch Nails from 1989 to 1993, mostly as part of the band’s touring lineup, as his only recorded contribution to NIN was a drone guitar on Pretty Hate Machine’s “Sanctified”. He reminisced about his decision to part ways with NIN during a recent appearance on the Stop! Drop & Talk podcast, co-hosted by Halestorm’s Arejay Hale. “I started in Nine Inch Nails, but then I quit when I was, like, 26,” recalled Patrick. “Nine Inch Nails was the only time I actually had a boss. … [Trent and...
Dark Tranquillity Announce New Album and 2021 Tour Dates, Share “Phantom Days”: Stream
Melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity are returning with their first new album in four years, Moment, on November 20th. In anticipation, the Swedish band has shared the lead single, “Phantom Days”, and also announced a North American fall 2021 headlining tour with support from the decidedly obscure pairing of Obscura and Nailed to Obscurity. Dark Tranquillity have been proliferating melodic death metal since 1991 and are masters of the style at this point. “Phantom Days” continues the momentum gathered with 2016’s Atoma, which was heralded as a return to form for the band. Fans of melo-death will soak this one up. New guitarists Christopher Amott (ex-Arch Enemy) and Johan Reinholdz (Nonexist) join the fold, and their contributions are immediately evident, with a strong solo anchor...
