Heavy Consequence
Over 700 Independent Musicians Sign Open Letter Asking Congress for COVID-19 Relief
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, over 700 musicians have signed an open letter asking the US Congress to increase relief measures for artists. A wide range of acts have signed the petition so far, including Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, Deafheaven, Julia Holter, Charly Bliss, and Jeff Rosenstock. The newly formed Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) penned the letter as a way to ask their government representatives — especially Speaker Pelosi, Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and leaders of the Congressional Arts Caucus — to consider more helpful COVID-19 relief measures for artists. To make contacting representatives easier, the union has created a special phone number to connect callers to the aforementioned offices, the prompts of which ar...
Rock and Metal Album Covers Get Reimagined With Simpsons Characters
The Bart Simpson parody poster of Nirvana’s Nevermind has adorned its fair share of desktop wallpapers, but Instagram account “Springfield Albums” has taken the concept even further. Artists Edgar Portelo and Lila Rouge “Simpsonize” rock and metal album covers, inserting characters from the long-running animated show The Simpsons into classic sleeves by Metallica, Alice in Chains, and many more. No band or character is off limits, with Portelo and Rouge parodying everything from Exodus’ thrash masterpiece Bonded by Blood — with Bart taking the place of original’s siamese demon — to Korn’s Follow the Leader, which sees Homer about to hopscotch off the cliff. Another thrash parody, Slayer’s 1983 debut, Show No Mercy, is adorned with “Evil Homer” from the season four episode “Whacking Da...
Anthrax Members Offer Virtual Classroom Clinics
With the concert industry expected to be shut down for months to come, artists are getting innovative in ways to connect with fans and earn a living at the same time. With that in mind, four members of thrash-metal legends Anthrax are offering virtual classroom clinics. Drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, and guitarists Scott Ian and Jon Donais are each serving up different experiences. Ian is offering a “Guitar Session,” a “Songwriting Session,” and a “20 Questions Session”; Bello is hosting a “Bass Clinic,” a “Songwriting Session,” and a “20 Questions Session”; Benante is holding a “Drum Session” and a “Songwriting Clinic”; and Donais is conducting a “Guitar Clinic.” Prices range from $300 for a “Drum Session” with Benante to $75 for a “Guitar Clinic” with Dona...
Avatar Announce New Album Hunter Gatherer, Unveil Single “Silence in the Age of Apes”: Stream
After teasing new music on the way, Swedish metallers Avatar have announced details of their upcoming album, Hunter Gatherer. In addition, they’ve unveiled a music video for the first single, “Silence in the Age of Apes.” The LP, which marks Avatar’s eighth full-length, hits stores on August 7th. It comes after an extensive touring cycle in support of the band’s 2018 album, Avatar Country. For Hunter Gatherer, Avatar worked with producer Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour) at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles. Each song on the album was recorded with the band members performing together at the same time, which is the way Avatar recorded their 2014 record, Hail the Apocalypse. The dark and aggressive “Silence in the Age of Apes” is streaming now via a music video showing off the group’s new wardro...
Fever 333 Team Up with Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels on New Remix of “Animal”: Stream
Fever 333 have joined forces with legendary Run-DMC rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels on a new version of their song “Animal”. The track was remixed by producers J Randy and Nellz. The original version of “Animal” appears on Fever 333’s 2019 debut album Strength in Numb333rs. For the remix, singer Jason Aalon Butler trades verses with DMC in what is a dream come true for the Fever 333 frontman. Butler discussed his reverence for Run-DMC and McDaniels in the following statement: “I learned most of what I know and utilize in my life musically, socially, and intellectually via hip hop music. I was obsessed with the idea of taking the adversity of the culture experienced and turning it into a song that moved to the beat of the human pulse while telling a story in a way that only adversity influenc...
Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson Clarifies Health Status: “My Days as a Singer Are Numbered, Rather Than Days to Live”
After revealing that he was “suffering from an incurable lung disease” and that his “days are numbered,” Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson has issued a statement to clarify his comments. The legendary rocker assures fans that he’s still reasonably in good health and that he meant his “days as a singer are numbered.” The initial news of Anderson’s health came out of a preview clip for his appearance on Dan Rather’s AXS TV show The Big Interview, which aired on Wednesday night. In the video, Anderson told Rather, “I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anybody in public before — I am suffering from an incurable lung disease which I was diagnosed with a couple of years back.” He went on to say specifically that he suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While the c...
New Band Mrs. Piss (Chelsea Wolfe and Jess Gowrie) Announce Debut Album, Share Two New Songs: Stream
Mrs. Piss, courtesy of Grandstand Media Singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe and multi-instrumentalist Jess Gowrie have formed a new band, the sardonically dubbed Mrs. Piss. The duo’s debut album, Self-Surgery, is out May 29th, and they’ve shared two new songs, “Downer Surrounded by Uppers” and “Knelt”. Mrs. Piss reconciles a long musical relationship between Wolfe and Gowrie, who once played together in a band called Red Host in the early 2000s. The idea to form a new band came when the two were touring together for Wolfe’s 2017 album, Hiss Spun. The two singles showcase the duo’s sonic diversity and are more urgent and abrasive than Wolfe’s folk-tinged output. “Downer Surrounded by Uppers” is a ripping post-punk track while “Knelt” is a droning wall of sludge, slower but no less heavy. For Wo...
Members of Anthrax and Suicidal Tendencies Rock Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” While Social Distancing: Watch
Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante has kept sharp during the coronavirus pandemic by playing covers with fellow metal musicians while social distancing. He’s posted the performances on his YouTube channel, and for his latest video, he’s once again teamed with Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra Diaz to play through Billie Eilish‘s pop hit “bad guy”. Benante (drums and guitar) and Diaz (bass) play along to Eilish’s vocals, and as expected, rock out a bit with the arrangement. For Eilish fans, it hints at what her music would sound like with more of hard rock vibe. As it is, Eilish has already shown her appreciation for heavy metal acts like Type O Negative and Rob Zombie with her onstage attire. The fandom goes both ways, with the longtime metal musicians Benante and Diaz both sharing their admirat...
Slipknot, Coheed and Cambria, and KISS Cruises Rescheduled for 2021
Slipknot (photo by Raymond Ahner); Coheed and Cambria (photo by Thaib A. Wahab); KISS (photo by Kevin RC Wilson Planned 2020 rock cruises led by Slipknot, Coheed and Cambria, and KISS have all been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as announced Thursday by the events’ producer Sixthman. A number of the production company’s other cruises and vacation festivals have also been moved to next year. Slipknot had already announced that their Knotfest at Sea cruise would be postponed, but now some specific details have been revealed. Instead of setting sail from Barcelona, Spain, as it was scheduled to do this August, Knotfest at Sea will now depart from Athens, Greece in August 2021. Exact dates will be announced shortly. In addition to Slipknot, the 2020 lineup was to feature Be...
Paradise Lost’s Obsidian Finds the Goth Metal Pioneers as Sharp as Ever: Review
The Lowdown: Paradise Lost innovated goth metal in the late ’80s, and while that style remains has remained popular through the years (see: Type O Negative, Lacuna Coil, more), the pioneering UK act still flies under the mainstream radar in the United States. Part of that has to do with the fact that Paradise Lost has scarcely toured the States for most of their career, although two years ago they embarked on a 30th anniversary headlining tour of North America. The next step on Paradise Lost’s journey is Obsidian, their 16th studio album. While it might not be musically groundbreaking for the veteran metallers, the LP showcases their various strengths in a nearly flawless run of songs just as sharp and polished as the igneous stone for which it’s named. The Good: Obsidian caps off a partic...
Behemoth Add Brutality to The Cure’s “A Forest” on Newly Announced EP: Stream
Behemoth have unveiled a cover of The Cure classic “A Forest” that will appear on an upcoming EP of the same name. The extreme metal band’s crushing take on the gothic track features guest vocals by Shining’s Niklas Kvarforth. The EP, A Forest, arrives on May 29th and features the studio cover of the Cure song, as well as a live version recorded during a December 2018 show in Behemoth’s home country of Poland. In addition, the EP contains two new original Behemoth songs — “Shadows ov Ea Cast Upon Golgotha” and “Evoerecording” — that are described by frontman Nergal as a continuation of the band’s 2018 album I Loved You at Your Darkest. The rendition of “A Forest” features Kvarforth delivering the verses while Nergal chimes in with guttural screams, adding brutality to what is one of ...
Jethro Tull Frontman Ian Anderson “Suffering from an Incurable Lung Disease”
Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson has revealed that he is “suffering from an incurable lung disease”. The rock legend added that his “days are numbered” in a conversation with Dan Rather for the veteran newsman’s show The Big Interview, airing Wednesday night (May 13th) on AXS TV. In a preview clip, Rather asked Anderson about the rigors of singing and playing flute onstage, to which Anderson responded, “I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anybody in public before — I am suffering from an incurable lung disease which I was diagnosed with a couple of years back.” He continued, “I do struggle. I have what are called exacerbations — periods when I get an infection that turns into severe bronchitis and I have maybe two or three weeks when it’s really a tough job to go out there on ...
