Heavy Metal
R.I.P. Frankie Banali, Quiet Riot Drummer Dies at 68
Frankie Banali, longtime drummer for Quiet Riot, has died following a long battle with stage four pancreatic cancer. He was 68 years old. The news was confirmed by Banali’s wife, Regina, who wrote, “He put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could.” Her statement continued, “Standard chemotherapy stopped working and a series of strokes made the continuation on a clinical trial impossible He ultimately lost the fight at 7:18PM on August 20th in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and daughter.” Born and raised in New York City, Banali was the last remaining member of Quiet Riot’s classic ’80s lineup, having joined the band when they re-formed in 1982. Banali appeared on a total of 12 Quiet Riot albums, including 1983’s Me...
30 Years Ago, Alice in Chains and Jane’s Addiction Gave Rise to ’90s Alternative Rock
Alice in Chains’ Facelift, via Columbia / Jane’s Addiction’s Ritual de lo habitual, via Warner Bros. The rise of ’90s grunge and alternative rock can be traced back to a handful of significant moments, but one date in particular stands out: August 21st, 1990. On that same day, Alice in Chains and Jane’s Addiction released Facelift and Ritual de lo habitual, respectively, signaling a new shift toward textural, artful, heavy music. The albums parallel one another in myriad ways — from sonic congruencies to shared influences — a point best illustrated by mutual producer Dave Jerden, who worked on both LPs successively. The addictive ethereal vocals of Perry Farrell and the group’s eclectic blend of metal, post-punk, and funk had already caused a turning point in pop music wh...
Deftones Unveil Title Track from New Album Ohms: Stream
After weeks of speculation and social media teases, Deftones have unveiled the title track from their upcoming album, Ohms. The single is the band’s first new song in four years, following up the 2016 album Gore. The track “Ohms” comes on the heels of the new album’s artwork, tracklist, and September 25th release date being confirmed hours earlier. The Ohms LP will contain 10 songs, with the title track closing out the album. The forthcoming album was produced by Terry Date, who helmed Deftones’ first four LPs. It was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, and Trainwreck Studios in Woodinville, Washington. The song is undoubtedly Deftones, driven by a heavy guitar riff by Stephen Carpenter, as singer Chino Moreno delivers his signature soaring vocals. An accompanying video, directed by...
Kid Musicians Turn System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” into a Christian Metal Song: Watch
A group of kid musicians have turned the iconic System of a Down hit “Chop Suey” into a Christian metal song, and … it’s a little weird, to say the least. The video was funded by the O’Keefe Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has done an incredible job of producing high-quality performances featuring aspiring young musicians. We’ve previously reported on impressive covers of Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy”, Pantera’s “Walk”, and more songs on the foundation’s YouTube channel. Taylor Jade Campbell, an 8-year-old singer who last year rocked Slipknot’s “The Devil and I”, returns to lead a band of teenagers on “Chop Suey”. However, this time the lyrics have been changed, courtesy of Diane O’Keefe (a member of the O’Keefe Music Foundation team), turning the song into an ode to Chr...
Metallica Open Up About James Hetfield’s Rehab Stint: It Was “Deeply Unsettling”
The members of Metallica have opened up about frontman James Hetfield’s rehab stint in a new interview. The band has also revealed their performance of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” from their upcoming multi-format S&M2 audio/video release, out August 28th. In a conversation with Metal Hammer, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo spoke candidly about their bandmate Hetfield and his decision to enter rehab last fall to deal with addiction issues. It came as a surprise to both the band and fans, as concert dates and festival appearances were moved to accommodate Hetfield’s schedule and give him the proper space for recovery. “We really didn’t see it coming,” Trujillo said. “James seemed like he was fine, but then you look back and you try to analyze the situation over time and see ...
Six Feet Under Announce New Album Nightmares of the Decomposed, Share Video Teaser: Watch
Florida death metal band Six Feet Under are returning with a new studio album, Nightmares of the Decomposed, on October 2nd. The album’s lead single is due out September 1st. In the meantime, Six Feet Under have revealed the gruesome album art and offered a peek into the recording process with a new video teaser from the studio. “Working again after 25 years writing an album with my old bandmate from Cannibal Corpse, Jack Owen, was like coming home… to a room full of dead bodies,” vocalist Chris Barnes said in a press release. “Jack’s writing and riff work on this album gave me the fuel to write some disturbing lyrics and really set my creative mind on fire.” Owen joined Six Feet Under in 2017, making Nightmares of the Decomposed his first full album with the band. Owen and Barnes previous...
Dave Grohl Surprises Superfan on Instagram Live, Jams Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing”: Watch
Philadelphia musician Pat Finnerty is a big Dave Grohl fan. You could even say he’s obsessed. Finnerty hosted the nine-hour “Grohl-A-Thon” on Instagram Live with the express intent of reaching Grohl himself. The goal was to get the Foo Fighters frontman to sing on Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” — a punchline to a long-running joke for Finnerty, who’s hosted socially distant rooftop concerts during the pandemic, all featuring a cardboard cutout of Grohl. “Everywhere I went, Grohl came with me,” Finnerty told Rolling Stone. His commitment paid off. As the “Grohl-A-Thon” rolled along, featuring guest appearances by the likes of Jon Wurster and director Ben Berman, it gained some viral traction and eventually Finnerty received a video request from actor Andrew Sikking, who was attending a d...
#MetallicaMondays: Watch Metallica Rock Yankee Stadium at Historic “Big 4” Concert
Metallica have been streaming full concerts from their archives every Monday since the pandemic began, and the latest one is a “big” treat. The metal giants are sharing the set from their historic “Big 4” show at Yankee Stadium in 2011. In 2010 and 2011, Metallica played a series of “Big 4” concerts with fellow members of the big four of thrash: Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The Yankee Stadium gig on September 14th, 2011, marked the last of those shows, and was attended by roughly 42,000 fans. The 18-song setlist featured classics from throughout the band’s career, including “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Master of Puppets”, and “Enter Sandman”. Among the highlights was a cover of Motörhead’s “Overkill”, during which Metallica were joined onstage by members of the other Big 4 bands. As with ...
Seether Premiere Powerful Video for Heavy New Song “Beg”: Watch
Seether are getting set to release their new album, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum, and the band has teamed up with Heavy Consequence to premiere the video for the crushing new song “Beg”. The track is one of the heaviest songs Seether have ever released, with frontman Shaun Morgan delivering a thunderous scream of “Beg motherf**ker” in the chorus. It’s an intense track that’s made even more powerful by its compelling music video. The animated clip portrays a young girl who grows up to exact revenge on her childhood abuser. It was directed by Turkish video-maker Mertcan Mertbilek. “This is our second collaboration with Mertcan, and I wanted to get his interpretation of the lyrics,” Morgan tells us. “I sketched a rough idea and he ran with it to create a video that I think is powerful and provoc...
Spirit Adrift Announce New Album Enlightened in Eternity, Share “Harmony of the Spheres”: Stream
Spirit Adrift have announced the upcoming release of their fourth full-length album, Enlightened in Eternity, due October 16th. The band has also shared the lead single, “Harmony of the Spheres”. Picking up where they left off with 2019’s Divided by Darkness, Spirit Adrift deliver another riff-filled heavy metal ripper with “Harmony of the Spheres”. Evoking vintage Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest, singer-guitarist Nathan Garrett continues to get stronger with each release — his vocals more confident and his guitar playing as piercing and tight as ever. The band’s ability to fuse melody with elements of speed metal and doom makes their songs particularly memorable, and the new single is no exception. “I wrote the songs on Enlightened in Eternity before my life fell apart, and from the beginn...
North Kingsley (System of a Down’s Shavo Odadjian) Unveil Vol. 1 EP: Stream
Last week, System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian’s new band North Kingsley unleashed their debut single, “Like That?”. Now, they’ve released the full three-song collection Vol. 1, along with a video for the track “Die for the Pic”. The trio is rounded out by vocalist Ray Hawthorne and producer Saro Paparian, with Hawthorne delivering biting commentary on social media trends in the song “Die for the Pic”. “Die for the Pic is a statement on modern hypocrisy,” explained Hawthorne. “The masses are tending to follow popular trends without taking the time to analyze what’s actually going on. People often agree with whatever they are told the correct way to think is, and then post about it online, in an effort to be perceived well by their peers. In my experience, most of these people don’t eve...
R.I.P. Pete Way, Founding UFO Bassist Dies at 69
Pete Way, who founded the pioneering UK hard-rock band UFO, has passed away at the age of 69. The legendary musician suffered major injuries in an unspecified accident a couple of months ago, and died Friday (August 14th). The news of Pete Way’s death was posted via a press release on his official Facebook page: “Iconic bass player Pete Way founder of UFO, Waysted and, latterly, The Pete Way Band has died. He sustained life threatening injuries in an accident two months ago but fought hard until finally succumbing to those injuries at 11.35am BST today. His wife, Jenny, was at his side.” Formed in 1968, UFO helped bridge the gap between hard rock and heavy metal, influencing acts like Iron Maiden, Metallica, and countless others. Way played on all of the band’s albums — from their 1970 deb...
