Heavy Metal
Sonic Frequencies from “The Black Album” Make Metallica’s Latest Blackened Whiskey the Perfect Sipper: Review
Metallica have unveiled The Black Album Whiskey Pack, the latest release in their Blackened American Whiskey line. The 12 songs from the classic 1991 album were used for the “Black Noise” sonic-enhancement process, literally pummeling the casks with sonic frequencies to extract flavors from the wood. The new pack includes a bottle of Batch 114 Blackened whiskey — finished to the low hertz frequencies of “The Black Album” — a collectible coin, and a Snakebite cocktail booklet. It’s a dream gift for Metallica fans and at a very modest SRP of $49.99, considering this is high-grade craft whiskey. I was fortunate enough to have been gifted a pack for this article. Knowing that I certainly couldn’t polish off the whole bottle alone — or shouldn’t, at least — I decided to bust out ...
Korn Tap Suicidal Tendencies Bassist Ra Diaz to Fill in for Fieldy on 2021 US Summer Tour
Three weeks ago, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu announced he was taking a hiatus from Korn to deal with “personal issues.” Today (July 12th), Korn revealed that Suicidal Tendencies‘ Ra Diaz will step in for Fieldy on their upcoming summer U.S. tour. “We appreciate your kind words of support in response to the recent tour update about Fieldy,” wrote Korn on Facebook. “While our brother takes some time to heal, we wanted to let you know that we are bringing our friend Ra Diaz from Suicidal Tendencies out with us this summer to fill in on Korn bass duties. We’ve all been rehearsing to get ready to bring the heat, and we can’t wait to see you next month.” Korn are scheduled to kick off a tour with Staind on August 5th in West Palm Beach, Florida. The trek runs through a September 21st show i...
25 Essential 2021 Hard Rock & Metal Tours to Catch This Summer and Fall
Early on in the pandemic, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor predicted that there would be an “explosion of live entertainment” once the concert industry opened up again. And, boy, was he right! The summer and fall 2021 concert season is jam-packed, with countless hard rock and metal tours taking place from July through December. Not only are Slipknot set to embark on their “Knotfest Roadshow” this fall, other major acts like Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth, KISS, Judas Priest, Korn, and more will all be on the road. Punk and hardcore will also be well represented, with tour packages including Dropkick Murphys and Rancid, Rise Against and Descendents, Bad Religion and Alkaline Trio, and more. Advertisement And if you’re looking for a gory good time, there’s always the intergalactic barbarians of GWAR....
Dave Mustaine Reveals That David Ellefson’s Bass Parts Have Been Replaced on Upcoming Megadeth Album
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has confirmed that ousted member David Ellefson’s bass parts have been re-recorded for the legendary thrash band’s upcoming album. Somewhat ironically, Mustaine revealed the news to a fan via the celebrity video messaging app Cameo, after recently joining the platform. Mustaine had previously stated that Ellefson’s parts would be replaced after the bassist was fired from the band following the leak of private online sexual encounters. Addressing a fan named Tina, Mustaine said [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]: “I hear you’re a big pretty fan of [the Megadeth song] ‘Fatal Illusion’ right now. That’s cool. Actually, we’ve got one song on the new album — it’s called ‘The Dogs of Chernobyl’ — which is very similar to ‘Fatal Illusion’ in aggression. So I hope you...
Spirit Adrift Announce New EP, Unleash New Song “Forge Your Future”: Stream
Spirit Adrift have shared the new song “Forge Your Future” from an upcoming three-song EP of the same name, due out August 27th. A powerful mid-tempo cut, “Forge the Future” touts satisfying doom riffs, poignant lyrics, and soaring clean vocals. It’s one of the strongest traditional heavy metal singles of 2021 so far and further proof that Spirit Adrift are modern masters of the style. Chief songwriter and frontman Nate Garrett culled the 20-minute EP from numerous demos recorded during the pandemic. To hear Garrett discuss the songs, one gathers that Forge Your Future was a highly personal project for the musicians involved. Related Video “On March 1, 2020, I relocated to the woods outside of Austin, Texas,” Garrett explained in a press release. “Two weeks later, everything was locked dow...
Deftones Postpone North American Tour with Gojira Until Spring 2022
One of 2021’s most highly anticipated tours will have to wait until 2022. Deftones have just announced that they’re postponing their summer North American outing with Gojira until next spring. The news comes roughly one month before the tour was supposed to kick off. As it was, the tour had already been postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic. Despite the fact that many bands will start touring again this summer and fall, Deftones felt that “uncertainty still remains in different markets throughout the country,” and decided that it would be best to wait until next year. The rescheduled trek will now take place in the spring, kicking off April 14th in Portland, Oregon, and running through May 28th in Minneapolis. The new itinerary includes three added dates in Las Vegas, Cincinnati, and Nas...
Tremonti Announces New Album Marching in Time
Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti has announced the fifth album from his eponymous solo band, Tremonti. The set, titled Marching in Time, will feature 12 original songs and arrive September 24th via Napalm Records. Marching in Time, according to a press release, explores Tremonti’s love for heavy music with themes “drawing from current events from the last year to form the basis of each song.” The result is a record packed with “12 individual journeys” for each track. The album’s title track, “Marching in Time,” sees Tremonti telling the story of a father welcoming a child during a global pandemic, which is something the musician experienced last year. Meanwhile, first single “If Not for You” will be released shortly. Related Video Longtime collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskett...
New Zealand Mom Has Reportedly Named Her Three Children Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera
Talk about a headbanging entrance into this world: A New Zealand mom has reportedly named her three children Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera. The extraordinary tidbit was shared via a newsletter article from New Zealand documentary filmmaker and actor David Farrier (Netflix’s Dark Tourist), who also summarized the story on his Twitter account (as first reported widely by Metal Hammer). He divulged that a woman, whom he doesn’t identify in his article, has indeed named her kids after three of heavy metal’s biggest bands. “Proud to report that a New Zealand mother has named her children Metallica, Pantera and Slayer,” wrote Farrier. “She told me, ‘It’s not easy raising three of the heaviest bands.’” Related Video The filmmaker, who claims to have seen the birth certificates, admitted he...
Exodus Drummer Tom Hunting to Undergo Total Gastrectomy in Cancer Battle
Exodus drummer Tom Hunting will undergo a total gastrectomy amid his battle with stomach cancer. The band has launched an auction to help raise funds for his medical bills. Hunting began treatment for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach less than five months ago. A total gastrectomy — the full removal of the stomach — is typically done if the cancer has spread widely in the stomach or toward the esophagus, according to Cancer.org. Hunting offered a touching update on his condition — stating his treatments are working — and the upcoming procedure in a post via bandmate Gary Holt’s Instagram page: “Hey Y’all, I wanted to check in and thank everyone SOOOOOO much for the love and support! I see all the awesome events and things people are putting together out there to help me in this ...
Corey Taylor Details His Contribution to Anthrax’s Among the Living Graphic Novel: Video Interview + First Look
Corey Taylor is one of several high-profile contributors to the new Anthrax graphic novel Among the Living from Z2 Comics. The Slipknot frontman penned the chapter “A Skeleton in the Closet,” joining an all-star roster of writers that includes Rob Zombie, Brian Posehn, My Chemical Romance’s Gerard and Mikey Way, and members of Anthrax themselves. As Taylor tells Heavy Consequence in the video interview above, he has been a longtime fan of comic books. He particularly pointed out out Garth Ennis’ Preacher series as one of this favorites, among others. The singer also has a strong connection to Anthrax, both as a musical influence and on a personal level. It’s no secret that at one point Taylor almost joined the legendary thrash veterans as their lead singer. When the band was in betwee...
Toyah and Robert Fripp Cover System of a Down’s “Chop Suey”: Watch
Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp take on one of the great 21st century metal tunes in their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance. The married couple, along with the mysterious Sidney Jake, rock the System of a Down classic “Chop Suey” from their kitchen. Looking like characters in a Mad Max movie, Toyah and Robert go full throttle in covering “Chop Suey,” the lead single from System of a Down’s Toxicity (which celebrates its 20th anniversary in September). King Crimson founder Fripp has completed a full transformation from the conservative suit vest and tie he would wear at the beginning of the “Sunday Lunch” series, now donning a mohawk and theatrical eye makeup, as well as body art similar to what SOAD guitarist Daron Malakian sported in the official “Chop Suey” music video. Related Video Toy...
Obscura Unleash New Song “Solaris” Ahead of Upcoming Album A Valediction: Stream
Obscura have shared the music video for “Solaris,” the lead single from the band’s upcoming album, A Valediction, out November 19th. The song is the first new music from Obscura since undergoing a major lineup change in April 2020 that saw three members exit the group. Two of the “new” members — bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling and lead guitarist Christian Münznerare — are familiar faces, as they have returned to Obscura after previous stints in the band. Safe to say, the personnel swap hasn’t encumbered the technical death metal band’s virtuosic assault. “Solaris” is a maximal crusher that begs for repeated listens in order to decipher its many twists and turns. Related Video “‘Solaris’ turned out to become one of the band’s shortest and utmost direct compositions featuring all trademarks, ...
