Heavy Metal
Anthrax’s 2021 Record Store Day Release Includes a Functional Custom Mini Turntable
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T18:17:04+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 2:17pm ET Anthrax have teamed up with Record Store Day for a bundle of four 3-inch vinyl singles to go along with a custom miniature turntable. Both will be released as part of the second RSD drop, with the vinyl bundle out July 9th and the turntable arriving July 17th. Drummer Charlie Benante oversaw the creation of the custom turntable, working with popular turntable brand Crosley on the limited run of 1,000 units. Inspired by the 3-inch vinyl releases of Japan, Benante even designed the artwork for the singles, basing the sleeves on his old Japanese KISS and Iron Maiden 7-inch collection. The turntables will be sold separately from the vinyl ...
Former Sabaton and Civil War Guitarist Rikard Sundén Convicted of Child Molestation and Possessing Child Pornography
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T21:43:40+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 5:43pm ET In very disturbing news, former Sabaton and Civil War guitarist Rikard Sundén has been convicted of child molestation and possession of child pornography. The metal musician was found guilty in a Swedish court, and has been sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay a fine roughly equivalent to $6,200. MetalSucks obtained court documents detailing the case, painting a troubling account of the events that led to the conviction. Sundén, who apparently recently changed his name to Johan Andersson, was accused of molesting his daughter’s 8-year-old friend during an overnight stay. Additionally, authorities seized two computers a...
Ozzy Osbourne and William Shatner Are Being Inducted into the WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame
Ozzy Osbourne, photo by David Brendan Hall / William Shatner’s The Blues album artwork While one is nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” and the other is known as “Captain Kirk”, it still would’ve been hard to predict that metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and veteran actor William Shatner would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. But that’s exactly the case, as the two will be feted in a ceremony set to air tonight (April 6th) on Peacock and the WWE Network. Both Osbourne and Shatner have made numerous WWE appearances over the years, becoming the latest celebrities to enter the wrestling institution’s Hall of Fame. Though Osbourne’s induction went unannounced, he appears on the official T-shirt for the 2020-2021 ceremony. Furthermore, as reported by Wrestling Observer, he appeared during ...
Faith No More, Beastie Boys, Mastodon, Cypress Hill, 311, Sepultura Members Cover Public Enemy: Watch
The Kings of Quarantine collective have returned with another socially distanced cover song, this time taking on Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero” to benefit Roadie Relief. The star-studded crew is spearheaded by Slaves on Dope’s Jason Rockman and Kevin Jardine, along with Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher. For each performance, the trio are joined by an all-star team of music luminaries, and they recruited some big-time names for the Public Enemy cover. Along for the ride are Billy Gould and Mike Bordin (both of Faith No More), Mix Master Mike (Beastie Boys), SA (311), MC Serch (3rd Bass), Derrick Green (Sepultura), Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), Toby Morse (H2O) and a special cameo from pop-artist Ron English of Popaganda fame. With vocal stylings from veteran hip-hop artists like MC Serch...
Red Fang Announce New Album Arrows, Share Video for Title Track: Stream
Portland heavy rockers Red Fang have announced their fifth studio album, Arrows, arriving June 2nd. The band has also shared a comedic music video for the title track. The highly anticipated album comes after a five-year gap following 2016’s Only Ghosts. Thankfully, it appears the wait was worth it. The groovy “Arrows” is a ripper, retaining the signature Red Fang sound: undeniable heaviness that’s not quite stoner metal and not full-on sludge, either. And there’s enough underlying melody to attract fans of non-metal music. “Wow! We are so excited to finally release this record to the world!” vocalist/bassist Aaron Beam exclaimed in a press release. “We finished the album way back in December 2019 and then… something happened that is not worth discussing.” He added that making the record “...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Celebrate Easter Sunday with Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are celebrating Easter Sunday in a devilish way. For their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance, they take on the Iron Maiden classic “The Number of the Beast”. Leave it to the quirky married couple to pay homage to the devil on the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The pair are once again joined by a mysterious guitarist, as they were last week with their performance of ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’”. Looking like a naughty Easter Bunny, Toyah holds three carrots in her hand as she sings the metal opus. At one point she impressively holds a note for 10 seconds, giving Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson a run for his money. “The Number of the Beast” is the title track to Maiden’s third album, and their first with Dickinson. It’s consi...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Spotlights His Ducks in Short Film An Easter Story: Watch
Tool and Puscifer frontman Maynard James Keenan has shared a touching short film, An Easter Story, which tells the story of the ducks he raises in Arizona’s Verde Valley. Keenan shot and narrated the film, which is scored by Nagual del Judith’s mix of Puscifer’s “A Humbling River”. The story focuses on one duck in particular, Larry, who Keenan raised from a duckling. When Larry goes missing, Keenan is sent on a search that would lead him to unexpected philosophical revelations regarding the season of spring, Easter egg hunts, and the meaning of renewal. When Keenan finds Larry, she is sitting on one of her eggs, protecting it. It’s a heartfelt, sincere personal account from the usually veiled and elusive Tool/Puscifer singer. The story of Larry leads him to reflect on the Easter egg h...
Tetrarch Unleash Heavy New Song “Negative Noise” Ahead of Upcoming Album Unstable: Stream
Rising nu-metal revivalists Tetrarch will unveil their new album, Unstable, on April 30th. Ahead of its release, the Atlanta outfit has unleashed the heavy new single “Negative Noise”. The new track has been preceded by the singles “I’m Not Right” and “You Never Listen”, which have each garnered more than 1 million views on YouTube. While those songs gave off vibes similar to Korn and Linkin Park, “Negative Noise” is a much heavier affair, calling to mind the more extreme end of the nu-metal spectrum — with a definite nod to Slipknot. “‘Negative Noise’ is one of the heaviest songs on the new record,” stated frontman Josh Fore. “It mixes big riffs with thick bass, extreme drums and some of the most intense screams I’ve ever done. One of the highlights of the song is Diamond [Rowe]’s guitar ...
Corey Taylor, Lzzy Hale, Scott Ian, and Dave Lombardo Team Up for Title Song to New Movie Thunder Force: Stream
Corey Taylor, photo by Antonio Marino Jr. / Lzzy Hale, photo by Amy Harris / Scott Ian, photo by Heather Kaplan / Dave Lombardo, via Twitter The title song for the upcoming Melissa McCarthy superhero comedy Thunder Force is a star-studded heavy metal collaboration. The track “Thunder Force” features vocals from Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, with musical backing from Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, as well as cellist Tina Guo. We previously reported on Ian and Lombardo recording music for the upcoming film, which launches April 9th on Netflix. The thrash legends posted on Instagram from the recording studio with the film’s composer, Fil Eisler. It turns out Eisler tapped an equally notable duo to handle the singing on the title track. Ta...
Rob Zombie, Korn, Staind, and More Announced for July 2021 US Rock Festivals
Organizers of two major US rock festivals are counting on a relative return to normal this summer, officially announcing the lineups for Wisconsin’s Rock Fest and Michigan’s Upheaval Festival today (March 31st). Rob Zombie, Korn, Staind, and Chevelle are among the bands set to play both fests, while the bigger Rock Fest will also feature Limp Bizkit, Snoop Dogg, Danzig, and more — provided that the events are able to go off as scheduled. Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin is a long-running annual event, while Upheaval in Grand Rapids, Michigan was supposed to stage its inaugural festival last year. Both were called off in 2020 due to the pandemic, so the 2021 lineups are fairly similar to the ones that were set for last year. The big difference is that Disturbed has dropped off both events and...
Power Trip Members and Obituary Honor Riley Gale with “Executioner’s Tax” Performance: Watch
Obituary have paid tribute to late Power Trip singer Riley Gale, who tragically passed away last summer. The death metal pioneers invited members of Power Trip onto a recent livestream for a cover of the latter’s staple song, “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)”. Power Trip guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart made a surprise guest appearance for the cover, which was dedicated to Gale. It’s likely the first public performance by members of Power Trip since Gale’s death. Obituary did the rollicking track justice, and the unmistakeable riffage of Ibanez and Stewart sounded nothing short of triumphant given all that’s happened. We previously reported on the first interview with the members of Power Trip since their August 25th statement confirming the death of their singer. While speaki...
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi on “Rock Is Dead” Theory: “I Don’t Think Rock Is Going to Die”
For years, Gene Simmons of KISS has voiced his opinion — on several different occasions — that “rock is dead.” In a feature in Esquire magazine in 2014, the blood-spitting bassist-singer provided such quotes as “Rock is finally dead” and “The death of rock was not a natural death. Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered.” However, fellow rock legend Tony Iommi has a different opinion on the state of rock music. At the beginning of this year, Simmons reiterated his “rock is dead” claim in an interview with Gulf News, and then fully explained his theory in an interview with Heavy Consequence. He told us, among other reasons, “That kid living in his mom’s basement, decided one day that he didn’t want to pay for music. He wanted to download and file share. And that’s what killed the chanc...
