Heavy Metal
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 ...
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...
Anthrax Announce “Stop Spreading the Disease” Hand Sanitizer
Anthrax’s 1985 sophomore album, Spreading the Disease, turns 35 on October 30th, but the band is celebrating the anniversary by encouraging the opposite: The thrash legends have announced their own “Stop Spreading the Disease” hand sanitizer. Yes, as revealed by drummer Charlie Benante in an Instagram post (below), Anthrax now have their own line of hand sanitizer. Without the revenue from touring — guitarist Scott Ian thinks he’ll be out of a job as a touring musican until 2022 — metal bands have improvised new ways to shift merch and stay connected with fans. What’s more practical during a pandemic than branded hand sanitizer? Anthrax are here to make the otherwise mundane act of squirting your hands with ethyl alcohol a lot cooler. Besides, the band recently released its own bourbon whi...
Baroness Announce Stunning Picture-Disc Vinyl Editions of Red, Blue, and Yellow & Green
Baroness are releasing picture-disc vinyl editions of their first three full-length LPs, Red Album, Blue Record, and the double album Yellow & Green. They’re currently available for pre-order direct from the band for $29.99 each and arrive October 24th. It marks the first time the albums have seen a picture-disc pressing, having been released on a variety of color variants over the years. Each LP brings frontman John Dyer Baizley’s glorious cover art to wax — the first side of each emblazoned with the album artwork and the reverse side adorned with alternative patterns from the original sleeve designs. Each picture-disc edition is housed in a gatefold sleeve and limited to 4,500 copies. Baroness fans can attest to the collectivity of the band’s many vinyl color variants, so these might...
Prog-Metal Band The Ocean Have Fossil Named After Them, Unveil New Music: Stream
German progressive metal band The Ocean now have a fossil named after them. “Ophiacantha oceani” is a new brittle star fossil discovered by paleontologists at the Natural History Museum of Luxembourg. The nomenclature is especially fitting given the The Ocean’s own use of paleontological themes, like their new concept album, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, arriving this Friday (September 25th). The fossil was discovered by Dr. Lea Numberger and Dr. Ben Thuy, who are either metalheads or simply appreciated The Ocean’s obsession with paleontology. Declared Dr. Thuy: “Musicians who so skillfully combine arts and science, composing albums like Precambrian (with songs named after the periods of the Precambrian), Pelagial (with songs named after the bathymetric subdivisions of the water col...
The Sword Guitarist Says Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Had the Best Weed Ever
The Sword’s Kyle Shutt (photo by Jack Thompson) / Metallica’s Kirk Hammett (photo by Raymond Ahner) Back in 2008, Metallica and The Sword teamed up for the “World Magnetic Tour”. Somewhere along the way, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett offered The Sword’s Kyle Shutt some weed, and according to the guitarist, it’s the best he’s ever had. With Shutt playing guitar in one of the most renowned stoner metal bands, Metal Injection put the question to Shutt: Of the artists who’ve smoked him up, who had the best weed? Shutt answered immediately: “Kirk Hammett. He had this shit called ‘Romulan’ one time, which was, probably, the best weed I ever smoked.” A Leafly search of the Romulan strain, named after the wise and mysterious Star Trek race, reveals that its a “powerful indica revered for it...
Lars Ulrich Helps Settle Best All-Time Drummer Debate on Howard Stern Show
Neil Peart (via YouTube), Lars Ulrich (via Howard Stern), John Bonham (publicity) Howard Stern stirred up a debate on his SiriusXM show this week when he sought to determine the greatest drummer of all time. To settle the argument, he and his co-hosts called upon Metallica stickman Lars Ulrich to cast the deciding vote. Prior to Ulrich’s involvement, the Howard Stern Show personalities seemed to narrow it down to Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and Rush’s Neil Peart. Stern himself appeared to settle on Bonham, but the most qualified person on the staff, Richard Christy, made a strong case for Peart. In addition to being a longtime writer and personality on The Howard Stern Show, Christy is a gifted drummer himself, having played in the bands Death, Iced Earth, and his current supergroup Charred...
Win Ozzy Osbourne’s Massive See You on the Other Side Limited-Edition Box Set
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Ozzy Osbourne’s landmark debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, we’re giving away Ozzy’s See You on the Other Side box set, autographed by the Prince of Darkness himself. The incredible collection packs 16 of Ozzy’s studio albums, EPs, and live releases across 24 pieces of color-splattered vinyl. Along with all of his studio LPs from 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz through 2010’s Scream, the set touts the EPs Mr. Crowley and Just Say Ozzy, plus concert albums Live & Loud and Live at Budokan. In addition, a collection of rarities, Flippin’ The B Side, is included, along with a “See You On the Other Side (Demo)” 7-inch flexi-disc. If that’s not enough, you also get 10 full-sized 24″x36″ posters. The Blizzard of Ozz album, which was released on September 20th, ...
50 Years Ago, Black Sabbath Deliver the Magnificent Paranoid
The “sophomore slump” has spelt the beginning of the end for quite a few rock acts over the years. But looking back, one of the cases in which the exact opposite occurred was when Black Sabbath delivered one of the greatest metal albums of all time, Paranoid. The Birmingham, UK-based band – singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward – had already caught the attention of rock fans with their detuned and doomy self-titled debut (released in February 1970 in the UK, and June in the United States). And they wasted no time capitalizing on the buzz – issuing Paranoid in the UK on September of that year. (It would arrive in the States in January 1971.) While Sabbath amazingly knocked out the recording of their debut album in a single day, they would t...
