In our Track by Track feature, artists guide listeners through each song on their latest album. Here, Uniform let us in on the inner musings of Shame. New York City trio Uniform have just released their new album, Shame, a brutal work of heavy music that’s as crushing as it is personal. What’s more, to coincide with today’s release, the band has unveiled a music video for the latest single, “Life in Remission”. It’s a telling track, following a string of lyrically intense songs such as “Delco” that combine singer Michael Berdan’s passionate, cathartic vocal delivery with a musical blend that veers from dark metal to industrial to harsh noise. Uniform defy any easy pegging, but their focus is honed. Live instrumentation, effects, and synths are woven into cohesive blasts of carefully chosen...
GWAR have announced a drive-in show on October 10th at the Diamond Drive-In in Richmond, Virginia. The live concert will precede the upcoming 30th anniversary reissue of the band’s debut album, Scumdogs of the Universe. The band beamed in this transmission from their Antarctic compound, announcing the one-off performance: “There are exactly ZERO cases of COVID-19 in the freezing cold arctic tundra of Antarctica. This is great news as your Lords and Masters GWAR have been cleared for travel. Unfortunately, during this time of quarantine, GWAR have also found themselves running precariously low on magic talent-dust (drugs), toilet paper, and money. But don’t worry your hideous little heads, as your Scumdog overlords have a plan to replenish their stash and entertain the faithful legions of B...
Flea (photo by Philip Cosores) / Ex-Cannibal Corpse singer Chris Barnes (publicity) Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea found himself on a death metal kick this week, seeking out recommendations on Cannibal Corpse. Randomly, the veteran funk-rock musician asked his Twitter followers on Monday (September 7th), “What’s the best Cannibal Corpse album?” Roughly 20 minutes later, after perusing the responses, he declared, “OK, I’m going with Tomb of the Mutilated.” Then, after giving the 1992 metal classic a spin, Flea exclaimed, “THIS SHIT IS F**KING INSANE!!!!!!! WHOOOOO!!!!! WHAAAAAAAA!” Tomb of the Mutilated featured original Cannibal Corpse singer Chris Barnes, who would later be replaced by George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. The LP, which includes iconic tracks like “Hammer Smashed Face” and “...
A new movie titled Sound of Metal is set to hit select theaters and Amazon Prime Video in the coming months. The fictional film stars Riz Ahmed as a punk-metal drummer who fears the end of his career. Ahmed, the Emmy-winning star of the acclaimed HBO series The Night Of, plays drummer Ruben, a recovering heroin addict who is losing his hearing. His girlfriend Lou (played by Olivia Cooke), who is also his bandmate, checks him into a sober living house for the deaf. From there, the drummer has to decide whether to adapt to his new situation or pursue his beloved music career. Sound of Metal was directed by Darius Marder, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Abraham Marder. Darius previously co-wrote the 2012 movie The Place Behind the Pines, starring Ryan Gosling. A press release off...
Marilyn Manson is set to unveil his 11th studio album, WE ARE CHAOS, this Friday (September 11th). In advance of its release, the rocker checked in with Heavy Consequence to discuss the new LP, and more. Following up his critically acclaimed 2017 album, Heaven Upside Down, Manson recruited Shooter Jennings to produce WE ARE CHAOS. While the recently released title track is an infectious mid-tempo, glam-rock number, the rest of the album explores the heavy and melodic extremes of Manson’s canon. Manson was set to support Ozzy Osbourne on tour this year, but those dates were canceled in order for the latter to seek medical treatments for various health issues. As it turned out, the tour would have been nixed anyway due to the pandemic. During our conversation with the Manson, he spoke of his...
Judas Priest are commemorating their 50th anniversary in style with a 648-page coffee table photo book. Titled Judas Priest – 50 Heavy Metal Years, the title is available in four editions and available for pre-order starting September 11th. The book is a true testament to Judas Priests’ half-century run as one of the most influential and visually captivating metal bands of all-time. The photography was curated by David Silver, Ross Halfin, and Jayne Andrews and features “unseen, unpublished photographs” by Ross Halfin, Neil Zlozower, Mark Weiss, Fin Costello, Oliver Halfin, and more. The photographs will be linked by an accompanying history of the band written by Mark Blake, allowing the book to work as a photo documentary of sorts. “I’ve photographed Judas Priest from 1978 until now and o...
Metallica have added another milestone to their storied history. The metal titans just became the first act to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock airplay chart in four different decades, topping the latest tally with their performance of “All Within My Hands” from their recent S&M2 release. Justifiably, it should be five decades of topping the chart, but the band never had a No. 1 rock hit in the ’80s, despite a legendary output of albums in that era. In fact, Metallica didn’t even have a song crack the Top 40 of the Mainstream Rock chart during that decade. Not even 1991’s “Black Album” produced a chart-topper, even though it’s the biggest selling album of the SoundScan era. Instead, Metallica scored their first No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart in 1996 with “Until It Sleeps”...
Code Orange are releasing their recent stripped-down livestream, Under the Skin, on DVD and digitally as a live album. The digital release arrives this Friday (September 4th), while the DVD is available for pre-order. The recent performance saw the hardcore band stripping its songs down to an acoustic format. The concept and set design for Under the Skin are an obvious ode to MTV Unplugged, and Code Orange took the homage a step further with a daring cover of Alice in Chains’ “Down in a Hole”, which the latter played on their own Unplugged nearly 25 years earlier. The final release of Under the Skin touts remastered audio and high-res video, giving the performance a final sheen that was missing from the live broadcast. The footage was shot and edited by Sunny Singh of hate5six. Live concer...
Zakk Sabbath, led by guitar virtuoso Zakk Wylde, are set to unleash Vertigo, a faithful recreation of Black Sabbath’s iconic 1970 self-titled debut album. In advance of the LP’s release on Friday (September 4th), Zakk Sabbath have teamed up with Heavy Consequence to premiere their rendition of “The Wizard”. Wylde formed the cover band Zakk Sabbath in 2014 as a way to honor his beloved Black Sabbath, playing shows over the past several years. The trio is rounded out by bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson (a member of Ozzy Osbourne’s touring band alongside Wylde), and drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age, Danzig). With the album Black Sabbath celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Zakk Sabbath hit the studio to record a track-for-track recreation of the groundbreaking LP. “We recor...
Founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is returning with a new album of cover songs, Origins Vol. 2, on September 18th. First we heard his take on Deep Purple’s heavy “Space Truckin’”, and now Frehley is sharing a cover of The Beatles’ 1965 B-side nugget “I’m Down” featuring Rob Zombie guitarist John 5. The track selection shows Frehley’s appreciation for the Fab Four. The guitarist dug out a deep cut from The Beatles’ power-pop heyday of ’65, giving the song a hard-rock update for his Origins version. When it comes to reinterpreting the songs of others, Frehley is master of sorts, turning the Russ Ballard-penned “New York Groove” into a hit for KISS back in 1978. Like the initial Origins project in 2016, the tracklist for the new album depicts an autobiographical backstory of his influ...
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 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 ...