Heavy Metal
John 5 Honors Eddie Van Halen with Unearthed “You Really Got Me” Cover Featuring Corey Taylor and Michael Anthony: Watch
Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 has paid tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen by unveiling a concert clip featuring himself, Slipknot singer Corey Taylor, and longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony performing The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”. The song was famously covered by Van Halen on their debut album. The video dates back to John 5’s Los Angeles show at The Whiskey A Go Go in 2019, when Taylor and Anthony joined the guitarist for the classic cover. As John 5 explained in an Instagram post, The Whiskey was an oft-played venue for Eddie Van Halen in Los Angeles. Along with the clip, John 5 wrote the following: “It’s difficult to put into words the impact that Eddie Van Halen had on my life. There’s no one that influenced me more than Eddie, he was an inventor an amazing songwriter and the ...
Ozzy Osbourne’s Farewell Tour Rebooked for 2022
Ozzy Osbourne is determined to complete his “No More Tours 2” farewell trek, despite experiencing a number of roadblocks along the way. In fact, his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, says that they’ve already rescheduled his itinerary for 2022. The metal legend set out on his farewell tour in 2018, completing a couple of legs before a series of health issues brought the outing to an abrupt stop. First, he dealt with a nasty staph infection in his hand in fall 2018. Then in early 2019, he came down with pneumonia and experienced a serious fall while recovering at home. That fall dislodged metal rods that were placed in Ozzy’s body after a 2003 ATV accident, and forced him to postpone all of his 2019 dates. With the tour rescheduled for 2020, Ozzy announced at the beginning of this year tha...
Mastodon, Baroness, and Kvelertak Members Cover Ozzy Osbourne’s “Over the Mountain”: Watch
Two Minutes to Late Night’s “Bedroom Covers” series has become one of the few simple pleasures heavy metal fans have been able to enjoy during the pandemic. The YouTube channel gathers various metal musicians for socially distant performances, and we’ve seen a consistent stream of entertaining cover renditions over the past several months. The latest video sees Mastodon drummer-singer Brann Dailor on lead vocals — along with Darkest Hour guitarist Mike Schleibaum, Kvelertak bassist Marvin Nygaard, Baroness drummer Sebastian Thomson, and Two Minutes to Late Night host Gwarsenio Hall — taking on the Ozzy Osbourne classic “Over the Mountain”. The song was the lead track from Ozzy’s sophomore album, Diary of a Madman, the last studio recording to feature late guitar legend Randy Rhoa...
Pallbearer’s Joseph Rowland Talks Forgotten Days and the Importance of Releasing Music During the Pandemic
Pallbearer are a true heavy metal success story. Arising from the humble Arkansas metal scene, the band sharpened its craft in the underground and forged its own artistic path, rising up the food chain to become one of the most respected American doom bands. This would eventually lead Pallbearer to heavyweight label Nuclear Blast, who signed the group last year. Symbolically, it signaled that Pallbearer had officially arrived, and that the years of work had paid off. Like the great doom bands of yore — Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Cathedral — Pallbearer infuse their doom with a palpable emotional weight that verges on spiritual. Good riffs are only part of the equation. It’s the human energy and expression that drives the band’s music and spine-chilling live performances. That energy hit...
Tobias Forge: New Ghost Album Coming “This Winter”
Ghost will release their new album this winter, according to frontman Tobias Forge. The singer previously said he wanted to wait until after the U.S. presidential election before releasing the follow-up to 2018’s Prequelle. Forge told Swedish publication VK that Ghost will release the new album “this winter,” with the band’s touring plans pushed to fall 2021. The release plans fall in line with statements that Forge made last year, when he predicted an early 2021 release for the group’s fifth LP. If you wanted Forge’s take on the pandemic — and how it fits into his lyrics — the enigmatic singer said there won’t be any “doomsday” or “quarantine-confirming” records from Ghost anytime soon. However, he might reluctantly consider playing reduced capacity shows in smaller venues if the pandemic...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Had COVID-19 and Still Has Lung Damage Months Later
Tool singer Maynard James Keenan has revealed that he contracted COVID-19 back in February. Moreover, he is still feeling the effects months later, as he deals with lung damage and coughing fits. While speaking to the Arizona Republic about his band Puscifer’s upcoming album, Existential Reckoning, Keenan was asked about Tool having to shut down their tour plans due to the pandemic. He responded, “I was still recovering from having gotten COVID at the end of February. I’m still dealing with the residual effects. But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn’t pretty. So I definitely had to deal with that.” When the interviewer expressed surprise at the singer’s revelation, Keenan explained, “I kind of didn’t want to run around screaming it. But it’s real. And there’s after-effects. I had to ...
Killer Be Killed Unveil New Song “Dream Gone Bad”: Stream
Supergroup Killer Be Killed are readying the release of their new album, Reluctant Hero, due out on November 20th. The band has now shared the music video for the latest single, “Dream Gone Bad”. Killer Be Killed touts one of the strongest lineups of any heavy metal supergroup in recent memory: vocalist Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan; Soulfly and ex-Sepultura leader Max Cavalera; Mastodon singer-bassist Troy Sanders; and Converge drummer Ben Koller. Not surprisingly, its makes for a crushing collaboration on “Dream Gone Bad” as propulsive guitars give way to epic vocals. Sanders handles most of the singing on this track. Mastodon fans take note. “Dissecting the idea of uncertainty and how you pull from that to find your way,” Sanders said in a press release. “‘Dream Gone Bad’ wa...
BABYMETAL Announce Mysterious 10th Anniversary Best-Of Collection, Unveil “BxMxC” Video: Watch
BABYMETAL have been around for 10 years, and they’re celebrating with a mysterious new best-of collection. In addition, the Japanese pop-metal sensations just unveiled a music video for their song “BxMxC”. As young as founding members Su-metal and Moametal still are, it’s hard to fathom that BABYMETAL are celebrating their 10-year anniversary. At the time of their formation in 2010, the two singer-dancers were roughly aged 12 and 11. Now, to mark a decade of BABYMETAL, the band has announced a greatest-hits collection dubbed 10 BABYMETAL Years. The compilation is due December 23rd, and will be available in 10 different editions. Where it gets interesting is that the tracklist for at least one edition will be determined by fan vote, thanks to a bracket-style tournament. There will also be a...
Duff McKagan and Jerry Cantrell Pay Tribute to Jimmy Carter with Acoustic Performance: Watch
Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Alice in Chains guitarist-singer Jerry Cantrell have teamed up for an acoustic performance in tribute to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who turned 96 on October 1st. The two rock legends played a cover of “A Satisfied Mind”, penned by Joe “Red” Hayes and Jack Rhodes, while sitting on the couch. It’s a peaceful and serene rendition of the song, and a worthy cover choice for the longest-living president. “We want to say happy birthday to Jimmy Carter,” McKagan said in the video’s introduction, going on to address Carter directly. “We’re here for a couple reasons … how strongly you fought for arts in school. We were exactly the right age.” “Beneficiaries for sure,” Cantrell added. “Almost half my classes were arts. When I graduated, they kind o...
Rammstein Confirm They Are in the Studio Working on New Music
Rammstein are currently working on new music for their next album. The band shared a pic from the studio on Instagram, confirming a previous report from a fan site. The members of Rammstein appear to be social distancing in the spacious recording room, which is ostensibly at La Fabrique in the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence of France, per the prior report. The band and crew were spotted in the area prior to the sessions, leading to rumors that they’d assembled to work on new music. Rammstein were previously in the studio to record their untitled 2019 album. The German industrial-metal act captioned the photo: “Sadly no tour this year — but it’s great to be back in the studio!” Rammstein were supposed to embark on a massive stadium tour this year, dates that were rescheduled to 2021 due to the...
Scott Ian: Anthrax Won’t “Put a Record Out Until We Can Play Shows” Again
Anthrax have made it plain and simple: There will be no new album until after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many bands have released new albums throughout the pandemic, but the thrash legends believe it’s better to wait it out. Unfortunately, the spread of the virus hasn’t abated, growing worse in many parts of the United States. Drummer Charlie Benante previously said that there would be no new Anthrax album until a vaccine arrives. Guitarist Scott Ian seemed to confirm that stance in a new interview, but said the band is still working on new material. “We started writing new Anthrax last year — obviously, without a crystal ball knowing what was going to happen in the world, but with the intent of having a record out this year,” Ian siad in an interview with Knotfest.com’s “Mosh Talks With Beez”...
Guns N’ Roses Unveil “Not in This Lifetime” Pinball Machines
The post-pandemic arcade might not be the same crowded sweatbox we remember, but there will soon be at least one bright new toy for the ardent pinball fanatic. Make space in your rec room, ’cause Guns N’ Roses have announced “Not in This Lifetime” Pinball, a collaboration with Jersey Jack Pinball. The machine, available in three editions, is named after the band’s long-running reunion tour, and it’s a sight to behold. Guns N’ Roses’ iconography makes for excellent pinball graphics, with skeleton versions of the band adorning the colorful machine. GN’R guitarist Slash is an avid pinball collector and longtime player, so the collaboration with Jersey Jack, a leader in U.S. pinball manufacturing, makes sense. In fact, it’s a wonder it took so long, with other notable heavy bands like Metallic...
