Heavy Consequence
Touché Amoré’s “Reminders” Video Features Members of MCR, Rise Against, Slipknot, and More with Their Pets: Watch
The release of Touché Amoré’s forthcoming album, Lament, is right around the corner (October 9th), and the band has served up one final preview with “Reminders”. The track’s music video is especially adorable, featuring many special guests… and their pets. In addition to the members of Touché Amoré, the video includes appearances from Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World, Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra, Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, Jacob Bannon of Converge, Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance, Anthony Green of Circa Survive, Jay Weinberg of Slipknot, Skrillex, and more — along with their fuzzy companions. The video truly is a sweet piece of quarantined cuteness, compiled from clips that each artist filmed individually. “The music video for ‘Reminders’ conceptually was driven by bringing some jo...
Singer Alex Varkatzas Parts Ways with Atreyu
Alex Varkatzas, photo by Thaib A. Wahab Atreyu have announced that founding singer Alex Varkatzas has parted ways with the band. The metalcore act delivered the news via its social media pages on Wednesday (September 30th), promising that the group “will not disappear.” Varkatzas was Atreyu’s vocalist since the band formed in 1998 in Anaheim, California. His passionate screams were a staple of the band’s metalcore style. In fact, in 2018, Varkatzas claimed Atreyu had invented metalcore, comments that raised some eyebrows in the scene. The band issued a statement on social media announcing the split, which appears to be mutually amicable, though it doesn’t specify any definite reason for Varkatzas’ exit: “We have been a band for over 20 years now. Lived our dreams together as friends and as...
AC/DC Confirm Band Lineup and Unveil Apparent Album Title
AC/DC are definitely back. The legendary band has confirmed long-running rumors about its reunited classic lineup, while also revealing the apparent title to its upcoming album. On Wednesday (September 30th), AC/DC shared a new graphic, which seemingly unveils the title of their new album as PWR/UP. Moreover, the artwork, which could very well be the album cover, clearly shows and lists a band lineup of Angus Young (lead guitar), Brian Johnson (lead vocals), Cliff Williams (bass guitar), Phil Rudd (drums), and Stevie Young (rhythm guitar). The image, posted across the band’s social media pages, is captioned, “ARE YOU READY? #PWRUP.” The new post follows one from earlier in the week that showed a neon light in the shape of the lightning bolt from the band’s logo flickering on, as if to say ...
Trivium’s Matt Heafy Presents Guitar to Hero UPS Driver on Drew Barrymore Show: Watch
Just a couple weeks after its premiere, Drew Barrymore’s new talk show has already earned some major metal cred. Trivium frontman Matt Heafy recently made an appearance on the daytime television program to gift a Gibson guitar to a hero UPS driver. On a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress spotlighted a UPS driver named Hector as part of her “Drew Gooders” segment. Hector recently went viral for a super-cool gesture that made a young boy’s day. As the parents of four-year-old Langston explained, the youngster has been lonely and cooped up inside during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gets excited anytime a delivery person comes by. One day Langston asked Hector if he had a package for him, but Hector had to tell him he didn’t have anything. Cut to the next day, when Hector cam...
Nothing Unleash Bloody Music Video for New Song “Bernie Sanders”: Stream
Democratic nominee Joe Biden might be taking on Donald Trump in the presidential election, but Philadelphia shoegazers Nothing are still reminiscing about Senator Bernie Sanders. They’ve gone so far as to name a track after the progressive politician and release it as the new single from their upcoming album, The Great Dismal, out October 30th. Seeing Sanders’ name might bring a pang of melancholy to those who supported his presidential campaigns, which is probably what Nothing were going for. The song, like much of the band’s music, carries an unrequited sadness that’s become a staple of Nothing’s take on atmospheric heavy music. A driving drum beat and grungy chords push the track along as director Jordan Hemingway’s video provides some disturbing and gory visuals (discretion advised). “...
Testament’s Alex Skolnick Unveils New Rap Song “Trump Sucks”: Watch
Testament’s Alex Skolnick (photo by Antonio Marino Jr.), President Trump (via YouTube) Testament’s Alex Skolnick has long been regarded as one of thrash metal’s finest guitarists, but now he’s showing off his rap skills. The metal musician spits verses on his new original track “Trump Sucks”. The veteran rocker is not exactly Snoop Dogg when it comes to his flow, but he’s got some clever rhymes that spotlight his gripes with Donald Trump and the current administration in the White House. Skolnick was inspired to write and record the song by certain responses to his recent Instagram post condemning the president. “This song just poured out of me yesterday,” wrote Skolnick about the song. “It was completed in a matter of hours. To all the # Trump2020 and # Maga folks who’ve been floodi...
Frontman Burton C. Bell Quits Fear Factory
Veteran industrial metal act Fear Factory are without a singer after founding frontman Burton C. Bell quit the band on Monday (September 28th). In an open letter posted on his official website, Bell listed a number of grievances that led to his decision. Bell’s departure comes a couple weeks after Fear Factory launched a GoFundMe campaign to support work on their new album. The fund-raising effort seemed to be spearheaded by guitarist Dino Cazares, with Bell insisting, “Let me be clear: I am not part of, nor am I benefitting from, any GoFundMe campaign.” That dispute came after a long legal battle between Bell and former members Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera over the Fear Factory name. As Bell points out in his letter, the legal wrangling and recent developments within the ban...
Rock and Metal Tours Rescheduled for Early 2021 Are Already Being Canceled
Early on during the COVID-19 outbreak, bands who announced rescheduled dates for early 2021 probably thought they were playing it safe. Now, with no end to the pandemic in site, those rescheduled tours are starting to get canceled themselves. Predictions of the concert industry not returning in earnest until late 2021 or even 2022 seemed shocking when they first made headlines in the spring. But as we head into October, those prognostications are now turning into a reality. Veteran stoner rockers Monster Magnet were set to kick off a North American tour in celebration of their 1998 album Powertrip on March 20th of this year. When the pandemic hit, the band postponed the tour but eventually rescheduled the dates for January and February of 2021. Recently, Monster Magnet canceled those resch...
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...
