Heavy Metal
Ghost and Volbeat Bring the Fire in the Home of the Devils: Recap + Photos
You might not expect a rock or metal show to kick off with a saxophone rhythm that slaps, but that was the first sound the fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, heard onstage as Twin Temple began to play on Thursday night (February 10th). Vocalist Alexandra James and her husband, guitarist Zachary James, took to the stage in an opening ritual with swords and all. The singer asked for Satan to burn down sexism, racism and ignorance. If the big man downstairs is wise, he’ll heed her request. Alexandra’s vibe is part Elvira, with the soulful essence of an Amy Winehouse, and a sprinkle of a Lars von Trier film — but she has created an innovative style that is all her own. The height of her beehive hair was impressive, but nothing could outmatch her vocal talent as she belted out...
Destruction Announce 2022 North American Tour
German thrash veterans Destruction have announced a Spring 2022 North American tour with Nervosa, Sunlord, and VX3. The dates will support the release of Destruction’s forthcoming album, Diabolical, arriving April 8th. The outing kicks off April 28th in Brooklyn, New York, and wraps up on May 28th in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Destruction will then appear at Maryland Deathfest the following day (May 29th) in Baltimore. You can buy tickets to the main tour dates via Ticketmaster. Advertisement Related Video “Yes — we are super thrilled: the first tour of the new record, Diabolical, will kick off in North America!” remarked Destruction’s Schmier in a press release. “We could not tour there on the last album because of the pandemic, so we made it a top priority to return as soon as the circ...
Nova Twins Announce New Album Supernova, Unveil Single “K.M.B.”: Stream
Nova Twins, the genre-defying duo out of the UK, have announced their sophomore album, Supernova. In advance of the LP’s June 17th release, the group has unveiled a video for the new single “K.M.B. (Kill My Boyfriend).” Supernova serves as the follow-up to the band’s 2018 debut, Who Are the Girls? Nova Twins have earned critical acclaim since the first album’s release, earning nominations for Best Band in the World and Best Band in the UK at the upcoming NME Awards. Comprised of singer-guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South, Nova Twins offer up a unique sound that combines elements of punk, metal, hip-hop, R&B, and pop. “K.M.B.” showcases the duo’s multi-genre approach, and is accompanied by a dynamic music video. Advertisement Related Video “’K.M.B.’ will stitch-up the hear...
Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival 2022 Lineup: Korn, Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, Evanescence, and More
The lineup for the 2022 Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival has been revealed, with the three-day fest set to take place over the weekend of July 15th in Mansfield, Ohio. Korn, Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, and Evanescence will headline this year’s iteration of Inkcarceration. The fest’s namesake is both a nod to the 30 tattoo shops/artists in attendance and its famous locale: the Ohio State Reformatory — the setting of The Shawshank Redemption. Single-day tickets and three-day passes are now available here. The stacked bill is bolstered by Lamb of God, Code Orange, Black Label Society, Lacuna Coil, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace, Seether, Spiritbox, and more. Advertisement Related Video “We are thrilled to be playing on the historic and hallowed grounds of the Ohio State Reforma...
R.I.P. Jon Zazula, Megaforce Records Founder Who Helped Launch Metallica’s Career Dies at 69
Jon Zazula, the legendary founder of Megaforce Records, has died at age 69. Sadly, his passing comes just one year after the death of his wife, Marsha, who co-founded the iconic metal label with her husband. According to Variety, a rep for Megaforce confirmed that Jon Zazula passed away on Tuesday (February 1st) in Florida, where he was surrounded by his brother, daughters, and granddaughters, as well as a number of friends and associates. Known as “Jonny Z,” Zazula was a major force in the metal world, helping to launch the careers of Metallica, Anthrax, and many other bands. He and Marsha essentially founded Megaforce in order to sign Metallica to their first record deal, releasing the band’s groundbreaking 1983 debut album, Kill ‘Em All. The thrash titans stuck with Megaforce for their ...
Kirk Hammett: Cliff Burton “Freaked Out” When Rush’s Geddy Lee Came to See Metallica Play a Show
Metallica have often cited the music of Rush as an inspiration for epic songs such as “Master of Puppets” and “Orion.” Late Metallica legend Cliff Burton especially idolized the progressive rock band, particularly fellow bassist Geddy Lee. During a recent Q&A session alongside photographer Ross Halfin and Metallica fanclub magazine editor Steffan Chirazi, guitarist Kirk Hammett reflected on the time when Lee came to see Metallica play. “Geddy Lee showed up at one of our shows on the Ride the Lightning tour,” Hammett told the audience at the San Francisco Elk Lodge as part of the Q&A for Metallica’s 40th anniversary celebration last month. “We played Toronto, and all of a sudden we got a message backstage that Geddy Lee was in the audience. And Cliff Burton just freaked out.” Advert...
Corey Taylor to Machine Gun Kelly: Don’t “Talk Shit” About “Bands That Have Been Doing This for 20 F**king Years”
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has shared a further explanation about his beef with Machine Gun Kelly, telling a crowd on the recent ShipRocked cruise that the rapper turned pop-punk singer doesn’t get to “f**king run [his] mouth about bands that have been doing this for 20 f**king years.” As we previously detailed in a comprehensive timeline of the feud between Taylor and Machine Gun Kelly, the bad blood seemed to start when Taylor apparently referenced MGK during an early 2021 interview, saying, “I [hate] the artists who failed in one genre and decided to go rock — and I think he knows who he is.” Machine Gun Kelly then called out Taylor and Slipknot when both acts were playing Chicago’s Riot Fest at the same time on different stages. “You all want to know what I’m happy that I’m not doi...
Meshuggah Unleash “The Abysmal Eye” as First Single from New Album Immutable: Stream
Meshuggah have offered up “The Abysmal Eye,” the lead single from their forthcoming album Immutable. “The Abysmal Eye” is a robust crusher and one of the strongest metal songs we’ve heard in 2022 thus far. Indulging the Swedish band’s extreme prog tendencies, the track melds dynamic grooves and technical riffs into a hypnotizing haze of sinister dissonance. Consider us thoroughly satiated. Meshuggah teased us with a snippet of audio when they initially announced the April 1st release date for Immutable, leaving fans clamoring for new music. Their first new song in nearly six years, “The Abysmal Eye” was clearly worth the wait — the fruits of an album cycle that almost didn’t happen. Advertisement Related Video “For us, it wasn’t all that clear that we were making a new album,” said gu...
Mining Metal: The Best Underground Albums We Missed in 2021
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. Inevitably, we come across albums that we’d like to cover but don’t. More than eight good underground metal albums come out during most months, even when the scope of “underground” is narrowed to labels without dedicated distribution. But not every month. January is typically a fallow season for metal records, as people recuperate from the holiday season and begin planning their upcoming year. Because we dedicated December to our annual best-of list, we decided to spend this column covering a few bits and bobs we mis...
Disturbed’s David Draiman Applauds Spotify for “Making the Right Call” in Neil Young vs. Joe Rogan Decision
After receiving an ultimatum from rock legend Neil Young to choose between his music and Joe Rogan’s podcast, Spotify decided to keep streaming The Joe Rogan Experience and remove the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s music. Now, Disturbed singer David Draiman has weighed in on the decision, applauding Spotify for “making the right call.” As previously reported, Young issued an open letter deriding Rogan for spreading false COVID information, asking Spotify to remove his music because he didn’t want to be associated with the same streaming service that profits from Rogan’s podcast. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” wrote Young. “Please act on this immedi...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Lena Scissorhands of Infected Rain
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself and will release a new single, “Scars,” on February 4th with Upon Wings. This month’s piece features an interview with Lena Scissorhands of Infected Rain. Moldovan metal band Infected Rain released their fifth studio album, Ecdysis, on January 7th. Created during lockdown, the new record covers the gamut of themes, from the strength and power of the female experience (“Fighter”) to tumultuous world events that took place during pandemic (“The Realm of Chaos”). Infected Rain also just announced that they’re returning to North A...
35 Most Anticipated Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2022
The pop culture forecast for 2022 is looking mighty fine, and we’re previewing everything we’re excited about this year with a series of lists. Just so you have it all in one place, we’ve also published our Most Anticipated (Non-Heavy) Albums, Most Anticipated Films, Most Anticipated TV Shows and Rising Artists to Watch roundups. Every corner of the music industry has been affected by the pandemic, and the realms of heavy metal and hard rock were put in a precarious limbo following the lockdowns of 2020. For visceral genres so reliant on the energy of live performance, the lack of shows cast a malaise over the scene, resulting in an album drought. For many acts, it simply didn’t make sense to release an album they couldn’t support with a tour. Many, like Avenged Sevenfo...
