Heavy Metal
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine and Gibson Announce Partnership, New Line of Guitars
Megadeth legend Dave Mustaine is Gibson’s latest brand ambassador. The two announced the mutual partnership today along with a new line of Mustaine signature model electric and acoustic guitars across Gibson’s three brands: Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer. It’s a major announcement for Mustaine and his fans, who’ve probably grown accustomed to seeing the iconic metal frontman shredding on a Dean guitar, his previous brand partner. Gibson’s new Dave Mustaine Collection will see the launch of signature model guitars at various price points, depending on the brand — much like KISS founder Gene Simmons’ recently unveiled line of Gibson brand basses and guitars. In fact, Mustaine vividly recalls a childhood memory of seeing Simmons and KISS wield Gibson guitars on the sleeve of their legendary Ali...
Dee Snider: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Committee Is Made Up of “Arrogant Elitist Assholes”
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has slammed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee as “arrogant elitist assholes,” citing a lack of respect for hard rock and heavy metal acts. Snider went on a rant against the Rock Hall during a Q&A session with fans on Twitter over the weekend. The subject popped up when a fan asked about Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson’s declaration in 2018 that he would refuse induction if the legendary metal act was ever voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It just so happens that Iron Maiden are among the acts recently nominated for the 2021 class. Faced with the question, “Why would [Dickinson} or anyone for that matter refuse [induction]?”, Snider responded, “The RnR Hall committee members are arrogant elitist assholes who look down on metal &a...
Metallica’s BlizzCon Performance Audio Replaced With Goofy Instrumental Music on Twitch: Watch
Metallica headlined video-game maker Blizzard Entertainment’s virtual BlizzCon 2021 event on Friday (February 19th), but those watching on Twitch were treated to an evening of … elevator music. Due to copyright concerns, Twitch replaced Metallica’s thunderous brand of heavy metal with a generic instrumental that made the legendary band’s performance look downright silly. Things started out okay, with frontman James Hetfield introducing the performance by recalling how Metallica headlined the typically in-person Blizzcon event back in 2014, adding, “We would love to be there this year, but obviously can’t be … so here we are, and this is for you.” Beaming in from their Bay Area band headquarters, Metallica launched into their classic song “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, and everything soun...
Rare Footage of Deftones Performing on Public-Access TV in 1992 Surfaces Online: Watch
Rare footage of Deftones performing the song “Answers” on TV in 1992 has surfaced on YouTube via a fan channel dedicated to live clips of the band. Sourced from a professionally filmed broadcast on the Sacto Active Rock community-access TV show, the clip captures Deftones during their formative years. The band even had a different lineup, with drummer John Taylor behind the drum kit in place of Abe Cunningham, who left the group in 1990 prior to rejoining in 1993. For Deftones fans, it’s an invaluable glimpse into the pre-Adrenaline era. Chino Moreno had yet to grow his goatee; the late Chi Cheng didn’t have his signature dreadlocks; and guitarist Stephen Carpenter went wild on the soloing — not a style he’s known for. The song performed on the broadcast, “Answers”, has a more dub/reggae s...
Serj Tankian on His Film Truth to Power, the Chaos Around Toxicity, and the Time He Feared for His Life
Serj Tankian’s life as an activist and musician is captured in the new documentary, Truth to Power. The just-released film offers a fascinating look at the singer’s journey inside and outside of his multiplatinum rock band System of a Down. Following Tankian’s path from his childhood to to his pre-SOAD band Forever Young to the present day, Truth to Power features testimonials by Serj and his bandmates, along with such associates as producer Rick Rubin and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. The film also uses archival video to tell Tankian’s story of activism, while also touching on the origins and highlights of System of a Down’s career. Interspersed are newly shot scenes that include the singer visiting his old high school in Hollywood and voyaging to Armenia during a revolutio...
Gojira Announce New Album Fortitude, Unleash “Born for One Thing”: Stream
Gojira have announced their highly anticipated new album, Fortitude, which arrives on April 30th via Roadrunner Records. The acclaimed French metal band has also unveiled the single “Born for One Thing” along with an accompanying music video. The song follows the melodic groove of Gojira’s 2020 surprise track “Another World” (which turned out to be the first taste of Fortitude, as it’s included on the tracklist). The band’s metallic precision is guided by passionate vocals that find the sweet spot between harsh and melodic. The sense that the musical cohesion could implode at any point creates a rising tension, driving home the philosophical lyrical content. “We have to practice detaching ourselves from everything, beginning with actual things,” frontman Joe Duplantier said of the song’s “...
New Motörhead Live Album and Concert Film Documents 2012 Show in Berlin
Motörhead, photo by Thaib A. Wahab A new Motörhead archival live album and concert film is on the way. Titled Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin, the release documents the band’s 2012 performance at the Berlin Velodrom. The set arrives April 23rd on CD/DVD, vinyl, and digital formats. The 15-song set rips through the signature moments of Motörhead large song catalog, highlighted by hits like “Ace of Spades”, “Overkill”, and “The Chase Is Better Than the Catch”. To tide us over, a clip of “Over the Top” was released to coincide with the album’s announcement. On December 5th, 2012, Motörhead were in the midst of the “Kings of the Road” tour. At this point, the trio of late frontman Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Phil Campbell, and drummer Mikkey Dee had been playing together live since 1995. You ...
Ronnie James Dio’s Autobiography to Be Posthumously Released in July
Ronnie James Dio had been working on his autobiography, Rainbow in the Dark, prior to his passing in 2010. Now, the book has been completed by music writer Mick Wall and is set for release on July 27th. Dio and Wall, a longtime friend, had been working on the autobiography before the iconic metal singer passed from stomach cancer on May 16th, 2010. According to a press release from publisher Permuted Press, the book is a frank and humorous telling of Dio’s legendary career and life as a rock singer. Readers can expect “coming-of-age tales, glorious stories of excess, and candid recollections of what really happened backstage, at the hotel, in the studio, and back home behind closed doors far away from the road.” His fallout with Deep Purple/Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the drugs th...
Ozzy Osbourne Gets COVID Vaccine After Asserting That Contracting the Virus Would Likely Kill Him
Ozzy Osbourne has received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The legendary metal singer got the shot this week after previously stating that if he didn’t, contracting the virus would likely kill him. The Black Sabbath frontman revealed the good news during an appearance on UK talk show Loose Women. Taking a page out of the John Lennon and Yoko Ono handbook, Ozzy laid in bed next to his wife, Sharon, and the family dogs. When asked if he’d received the vaccine, Ozzy replied in the affirmative: “Of course!” Sharon chimed in, “He says, ‘Of course’ — he only had it yesterday.” “It felt like I was being stabbed,” Ozzy said of the shot. “My arm was hurting yesterday, but I’m glad I got it, you know?” Ozzy said he feels “relieved” after getting the first dose, and for good reason. At 72 yea...
Primus’ Les Claypool Shares Western Short Film Featuring Metallica’s Robert Trujilio: Watch
Primus mastermind Les Claypool has shared a western short film that he stars in alongside Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. Entitled Precious Metals, it was directed by Claypool’s son, Cage Claypool, and is essentially an avant-garde ad for Claypool’s EMG pickups. The five-and-a-half-minute video begins with shots of the 57-year-old funk metal icon rooting around in the desert with a metal detector while dressed as a cowboy. After digging up some old bullet shells, he gleefully finds what he’s looking for: his shiny, Pachyderm Gold EMG bass pickups. However, like all old-school Westerns, an outlaw always shows up at an inconvenient time. Just as Claypool finds his treasure, Trujilio appears behind him, decked out in quintessential bad-guy gear and with a gun in hand. S...
This Guy Turned His Dead Uncle’s Skeleton Into a Fully Functional Guitar: Watch
An inventive gentleman has paid the ultimate tribute to his deceased uncle, turning the late metalhead’s skeletal remains into a fully functional guitar. It may seem morbid, but there’s actually a really endearing story behind the “Skelecaster”. As MetalSucks reports, a man who goes by the moniker Prince Midnight (already we’re off to a cool start) has just finished constructing a guitar out of his uncle Filip’s bones. Definitely a bit freaky, but it has been quite some time since Filip passed. Tragically, he died more than 20 years ago as the result of a car accident. Filip’s skeleton had been donated to a local college in Greece, where it was used for educational purposes for two decades. When the school no longer needed the skeleton, it was returned to his family. With Orthodox Greeks f...
New Movie Long Live Rock Features Members of Metallica, RATM, Slipknot, GN’R, and More: Watch Trailer
Long Live Rock … Celebrate the Chaos A new movie documenting the culture of hard rock music, titled Long Live Rock … Celebrate the Chaos, is set to premiere on March 11th. Among the many artists appearing in the film are members of Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, and Guns N’ Roses. The documentary was filmed at various U.S. rock festivals, and boasts interviews with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, RATM’s Tom Morello, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, Rob Zombie, Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Body Count’s Ice-T, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, and more. The movie is directed by film/TV producer and music supervisor Jonathan McHugh (Saw franchise), and produced by Gary Spivak (Danny Wimmer Presents) and Jonathan Platt (Saw franchise music pr...
