Heavy Consequence
Zeal & Ardor Announce New EP, Unveil Singles “I Can’t Breathe” and “Vigil”: Stream
Zeal & Ardor have announced a new six-song EP titled Wake of a Nation. In advance of the EP’s October 23rd release date, the avant-metal act has unveiled two tracks, “I Can’t Breathe” and “Vigil”. As implied by those titles and the EP’s artwork — featuring two police batons — it’s a politically charged record from Zeal & Ardor, composed during months of unrest in the United States following the death of George Floyd in police custody and other similar incidents. The group had originally planned to release an album next year, but these songs couldn’t linger and were unleashed without hesitation. As frontman Manuel Gagneux wrote on the band’s Facebook page: “Wake of a Nation‘s intent and context should be obvious. I like to revel in ambiguity and in room for interpretation. This is n...
Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” Will Play Key Part in Upcoming Disney Film Jungle Cruise
Metallica’s classic ballad “Nothing Else Matters” is being transformed into an orchestral piece for a key scene in the upcoming Disney film Jungle Cruise. The blockbuster adventure stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, and is set for a July 30th, 2021 release after being delayed due to the pandemic. Lars Ulrich told Collider that the idea for the collaboration originated with Disney production president Sean Bailey, whom the drummer described as a “lifelong rock fan” who’s “always been a Metallica fan.” Bailey eventually connected the band and Oscar-nominated composer James Newton Howard. The song is apparently being rearranged for the movie score format, with a sweeping orchestral treatment worthy of Howard’s canon. “Nothing Else Matters” plays during a significant part of the movie, but ...
Spirit Adrift Share New Song “Astral Levitation”, Cover Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut”: Stream
Spirit Adrift have shared the second single, “Astral Levitation”, from their upcoming album, Enlightened in Eternity. Additionally, the band has released a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut” from an upcoming tribute to the latter’s seminal album Vol. 4. “Astral Levitation” is another taut, literary heavy metal song following lead single “Harmony of the Spheres”. One of the band’s penchants is its ability incorporate various tempos in the same song, using mid-tempo sections to create an immensely listenable arrangement. “‘Astral Levitation’ is about searching within for untapped power during times of darkness and despair,” singer-guitarist Nathan Garrett said of the song. “It’s an empowering soundtrack to the challenging times we all currently face.” Likewise, the band pay tribute to thei...
Gone Is Gone (Mastodon, QOTSA, At the Drive-In) Unveil New Song “Sometimes I Feel”: Stream
Gone Is Gone — featuring members of Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age, and At the Drive-In — have released another new stand-alone single, “Sometimes I Feel”. The track marks the third new song the supergroup has unveiled in the past year. “Sometimes I Feel” follows “No One Ever Walked on Water”, which arrived in December 2019 as the group’s first new music in three years, and “Everything Is Wonderfall”, which came out this past July. The band features Mastodon singer-bassist Troy Sanders, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, At the Drive-In drummer Tony Hajjar, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin. “Sometimes I Feel” has a trippy psychedelic vibe and is not as heavy as the band’s previous singles. Sanders’ lead vocals are more ethereal than metal, as the song takes some twi...
10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Continues Drum-Off with Dave Grohl by Rocking Them Crooked Vultures Song: Watch
In an otherwise tough year for the entertainment industry (and the world), this could very well be the feel-good music story of 2020. After Dave Grohl accepted 10-year-old Nandi Bushell’s challenge for a drum-off, the young YouTube sensation has continued the battle by matching the rock star’s performance of Them Crooked Vultures’ “Dead End Friends”. To quickly recap, it all started when Nandi rocked Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” a couple weeks ago, and issued a challenge to Grohl for a drum battle. This past weekend, Grohl responded by using his daughter Harper’s drum kit to rock a bit of “Everlong” and a full performance of “Dead End Friends” by Them Crooked Vultures, his supergroup featuring Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. In his video, Grohl told Nan...
Six Members of Nine Inch Nails Added to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction
When Nine Inch Nails were revealed as one of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2020 inductees, only Trent Reznor was to receive the honor. Now, a couple months prior to the ceremony, six additional members of NIN have been added to the list of inductees. While Reznor has been the band’s mastermind and lone constant member of the groundbreaking industrial group since its inception, there have been valuable players throughout the years. Perhaps with a nudge from Reznor himself, Atticus Ross, Robin Finck, Chris Vrenna, Danny Lohner, Ilan Rubin, and Alessandro Cortini have joined the list of NIN inductees. As Cleveland.com reports, an annual inductee exhibit that recently opened at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum revealed the new names under Nine Inch Nails’ bio. Those inductees have ...
BABYMETAL Announce Legend Metal Galaxy Live Albums
BABYMETAL are celebrating their landmark January 2020 shows at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, Japan, with a pair of live albums chronicling the two concerts. Across the two nights, the pop-metal sensations performed in front of 50,000 people. The shows, dubbed “Legend – Metal Galaxy [Day 1]” and “Legend – Metal Galaxy [Day 2]” saw BABYMETAL play two completely different sets, with one show dedicated to their “Light Force” and the other to their “Dark Force”. The albums will be available via digital music services beginning September 9th. Blu-ray/DVD versions are being sold in Japan, while CDs are available as imports at Amazon here (Day 1) and here (Day 2). The pair of concerts were billed as “extra shows” on the band’s tour in support of their 2019 album Metal Ga...
Touché Amoré Share New Song “I’ll Be Your Host” Ahead of Upcoming Album: Stream
Touché Amoré have shared the latest single, “I’ll Be Your Host”, from their upcoming new album Lament (out October 9th). “I’ll Be Your Host” is another emotional tour de force from the screamo veterans. It follows the pattern of excellence laid out by previous singles, “Deflector” and “Limelight” — tracks that placed Lament firmly among our most anticipated fall metal albums. The track is multidimensionally meta, concerning singer Jeremy Bolm’s meditations on how his lyrics and songs affect listeners. The title, “I’ll Be Your Host”, becomes quite literal, with Bolm grasping how fans might “find catharsis in their own loss while he is still processing and dealing with his grief,” according to the press release. Likewise, he explores how that dynamic affects himself in turn. “‘I’ll Be Y...
Bring Me the Horizon Unveil New Song “Obey” Featuring Yungblud: Stream
Bring Me the Horizon have unleashed a new song, “Obey”, featuring frontman Oli Sykes trading verses with UK singer Yungblud. The track is the latest single from BMTH’s forthcoming series of Posthuman EPs. The new song once again demonstrates Bring Me the Horizon’s recent propensity for melding various genres, although there is a return to the heaviness of the band’s earlier work. Sykes offers up some metal screams over thick riffs, with electronic and industrial elements throughout. A music video for the track depicts Sykes facing off with Yungblood as they each control a throwback giant robot in their own likenesses. The clip ends with an unexpected twist that we won’t give away. According to a press release, “‘Obey’ is a soaring ode about how, as a society, oppression has been so normali...
Behemoth’s Nergal to Musicians During Pandemic: “You Can Cry Like a Baby or … Do Something with the Situation”
It’s no secret that musicians have been hit hard during the pandemic, but Behemoth frontman Nergal insists that it’s all about what artists make of the circumstances. As he puts it, “You can … whine or cry like a baby, or you can do something with the situation.” With the concert industry shut down, it’s been a scary time for bands, as live shows have become a main source of revenue amidst diminished album sales in recent years. With no end to the pandemic in sight, many artists are wondering whether they can financially survive this tumultuous time. Behemoth, like other bands, are looking at creative ways to engage their fans and support their craft at the same time. The Polish metallers recently announced an immersive livestream concert event, dubbed “In Absentia Dei”, during which the b...
Lamb of God Announce Two Livestream Concerts, Featuring Full Album Performances
Lamb of God have announced two livestream concerts, taking place September 18th and 25th. The band will play its 2020 self-titled album and 2004’s Ashes of the Wake in their entirety during the respective shows, plus other favorites during the encores. The September 18th event will mark the “live” debut of Lamb of God’s acclaimed self-titled album, which came out amidst the pandemic on June 19th. The band would have embarked on a massive co-headlining tour with Megadeth in support of the album, but have postponed those dates until 2021. Instead, Lamb of God have turned to paid livestreams as physical concerts remain mostly on pause. The streams will begin at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on their respective days, with on-demand viewing available through those weekends. Tickets are $15 per show or ...
Trivium Honor Riley Gale with Cover of Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax” During Livestream: Watch
Power Trip’s Riley Gale, photo by Jon Hadusek / Trivium’s Matt Heafy, via Roadrunner Records Trivium paid their respects to late Power Trip singer Riley Gale, covering the latter’s “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” on a livestream over the weekend. Trivium played the cover on their “Deepest Cuts” livestream in honor of Gale, who tragically died last week at 34 from unspecified causes. Of all of Power Trip’s riff-laden thrash metal songs, “Executioner’s Tax” is arguably their signature anthem due to Gale’s chorus refrain — “Swing of the axe!” — which instantly went down in heavy metal lore when it was released on 2017’s Nightmare Logic. “Talking about love and talking about good times, we had the pleasure of touring with Power Trip on one of our greatest UK/European to...
