Heavy Metal
Bassist Marko Hietala Quits Nightwish, Condemns Music Industry on the Way Out
Former Nightwish bassist Marko Hietala, second from right, courtesy of Nuclear Blast Longtime Nightwish bassist Marko Hietala has quit the symphonic metal band after joining the Finnish group in 2001. Hietala issued a highly personal statement regarding his departure, condemning the music industry in the process. Among his grievances, Hietala cited “streaming company big guns demanding 9-to-5 work from artists of inspiration while unfairly sharing the profits.” Nightwish have long been a leading artist in the world of symphonic metal, and their 2004 opus, Once, remains one of Nuclear Blast Records’ most successful releases after topping the charts in multiple countries. The bassist didn’t expressly call out his record label, specific promoters, or any of his bandmates, but said that a pers...
King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Gift Us with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” on an Exercise Bike: Watch
King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah owned the pandemic in 2020 with a “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series featuring a number of memorable performances. Thankfully, for those of us still wanting eccentric covers of our favorite rock songs, the couple have continued the series into 2021. Their latest effort is a rendition of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” featuring Toyah riding an exercise bike. As Fripp plays the iconic “Enter Sandman” riff on guitar, Toyah rides the bike, writhing around as she sings and acts out the song’s lyrics. This time around, it’s not so much the performance as it is Toyah’s revealing choice of apparel that has garnered the most comments on YouTube. In just one day, the clip has more than a half million views. “Enter Sandman” isn’t Robert and Toyah...
R.I.P. Marsha Zazula, Megaforce Records Co-Founder Who Helped Launch Metallica’s Career Dies at 68
Marsha Zazula, who co-founded Megaforce Records with her husband Jon Zazula (aka Jonny Z), has sadly passed away at the age of 68. The couple were instrumental in launching the careers of Metallica, Anthrax, and other metal bands. Marsha’s passing was confirmed by her daughter Rikki Zazula, who wrote, “RIP Mom April 21, 1952 – January 10, 2021. Your love, Your strength, Your memory and Your music has changed lives and will continue to FOREVER.” Along with Jonny, Marsha helped open the door for thrash metal on the East Coast. Jonny quit a Wall Street job and the pair began selling records at a flea market under the name Rock N’ Roll Heaven. Eventually, they established a New Jersey store that became an influential metal destination. Upon hearing Metallica’s No Life ‘Til Leather demo, Jonny ...
Iced Earth Bandmates Address Jon Schaffer Storming the Capitol: We Do Not Support Riots or Acts of Violence
Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer was among the hundreds of people who stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, and is currently being sought by the FBI and Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police. On Saturday (January 9th), his bandmates addressed the situation, stating, “We absolutely do not condone nor do we support riots or acts of violence.” Schaffer was photographed at the head of a mob that broke into the Capitol building in an effort to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States. The riot occurred shortly after Donald Trump held a rally nearby and urged his supporters to march to the Capitol, at one point saying, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” The guitarist’s face was plastered all over m...
Comedian Brian Posehn Trashes Just About Every Pop Act in “New Music Sucks” Video: Watch
Comedian and metalhead Brian Posehn takes aim at a who’s who of pop music acts in his just-released video for “New Music Sucks”. Musically, he gets help from from Patrick Stump and Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy, whom he also humorously trashes in the song. The clip also features cameos from Weird Al Yankovic and Patton Oswalt. The track appears on Posehn’s 2020 album, Grandpa Metal, with Stump singing the hook and Trohman playing guitar. In the song, Posehn names a whole bunch of music stars, with lyrics like, “Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Drake and even Macklemore/ Alan Thicke’s kid, One Direction, Mumford and the Shitty Sons/ Kesha, Biebs, Lorde, Miley, Even Bruno Mars/ I’m sure he’s super talented, but try telling that to my ears.” He gets more vicious with Imagine Dragons, singing, “Imagine Dr...
Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer Sought by Police for Storming the U.S. Capitol
Earlier today photos emerged of Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer storming the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday. Now, the veteran metal musician is among the persons of interest sought for “unrest-related offenses” by the Metropolitan Police in Washington, D.C. The Metropolitan Police unveiled a Powerpoint presentation of dozens of people who are wanted for unlawful entry of the U.S. Capitol Grounds. A photo of Schaffer, which has already run on several major news outlets, was among the pictures included. Schaffer can be seen at the front of a mob, with an Oath Keepers hat and his finger pointed while yelling at someone out of the frame. The guitarist, who formed Iced Earth in 1984, has been outspoken about his political beliefs in the past. In the past, he questioned whether H...
Metallica’s Music Provides Soundtrack to Student Protests in Istanbul: Watch
Metallica’s James Hetfield (photo by Amy Price), Istanbul Protest (via Twitter: Ahval) University students in Istanbul blasted the Metallica classics “Master of Puppets” and “Sad But True” to protest the appointment of a new rector with ties to Turkey’s conservative ruling party. Interestingly, the new rector himself has claimed to be a Metallica fan. According to The Guardian, Melih Bulu was appointed rector of Boğaziçi University by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 1st. The decision outraged students and professors, who argue that the decision was an affront to their academic freedoms. Bulu was the first official to be appointed outside the university community since a 1980 military coup. Bulu is a self-described fan of heavy metal, exclaiming, “I am a rector who l...
Miley Cyrus’ Metallica Tribute Album Features Elton John, Chad Smith, and Yo-Yo Ma
Miley Cyrus, Elton John (photo by Lior Phillips), Chad Smith (photo via Wikipedia), and Yo-Yo Ma (photo via Wikipedia) Miley Cyrus isn’t slouching on the Metallica tribute album that she first announced back in October. In a new interview, the Plastic Hearts artist confirmed that the project is well underway and that it will feature an eclectic range of collaborators, from Elton John and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith to famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The 28-year-old first revealed her affinity for the metal titans when she busted out a roaring cover of “Nothing Else Matters” at Glastonbury 2019. Last year, she doubled-down on her admiration by saying that Plastic Hearts was heavily inspired by the thrashers. However, much like Cyrus’ latest full-length was a modern pop take on ’80s rock ...
Melvins Unveil New Song “Caddy Daddy’: Stream
The Melvins have shared the riff-filled “Caddy Daddy” from their upcoming album Working with God, out February 26th. The album sees the re-formation of the band’s 1983 lineup featuring Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover, and original drummer Mike Dillard. Given the young ages of the band members when they formed the Melvins, some teenage sense of humor in the new track is inevitable. These aren’t archival recordings, but new music from the 1983 lineup, in the vein of their previous full-length album, 2013’s Tres Cabrones. Like lead single “I F**k Around”, which crudely debauches The Beach Boys’ “I Get Around”, the new single, “Caddy Daddy”, boasts a similar irreverence both lyrically and musically. If it’s any indication of what to expect from the rest of Working with God, fans can look forward to ...
Metallica Tally More Than 1 Billion Spotify Streams in 2020
As they enter their 40th year of existence, Metallica remain a metal powerhouse: the band tallied more than 1 billion streams on Spotify in 2020 alone. Metallica shared a graphic on their Instagram feed, which lists their 2020 Spotify statistics as 1.1 billion streams, 99.3 million hours, 53.3 million unique listeners, and 92 different countries. ‘We thought last year’s numbers were insane,” wrote the band. “You guys have outdone yourselves! 99.3M hours?! That’s like if someone started listening on October 27, 9318 B.C. and never stopped. Can anyone guess what this year’s most-played song was, clocking in at 128.6M streams?? You remain the most dedicated fans in the world – thank you for spending so much of your year with us!” The two most-played songs were likely “Nothing Else Matter...
R.I.P. Alexi Laiho, Longtime Children of Bodom Frontman Dead at 41
Founding Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho has tragically died at the age of 41. The musician, considered one of metal’s best contemporary guitarists, passed away at his home in Helsinki, Finland, after suffering from “long-term health issues,” according to his label, Napalm Records. Laiho originally formed Children of Bodom as Inearth back in 1993 as a young teenager. He remained with the acclaimed Finnish melodic death metal act until the band decided to split up after playing a final show in December 2019. Laiho formed a new group, Bodom After Midnight, last year after giving up the rights to the Children of Bodom name to three of the band’s other longtime members. “We are crushed by the sudden passing of our dear friend and band member. Words cannot describe this shock and the pro...
Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, KISS, Judas Priest, and More Star in Rock Camp, The Movie: Watch Trailer
A new documentary feature film titled Rock Camp, The Movie features such music icons as Alice Cooper, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, KISS, Judas Priest, and more. The movie chronicles the journey of four everyday people as they attend Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp has been going on for 25 years, where aspiring musicians get to hang out and jam with legendary musicians. The movie takes viewers on a backstage pass of the camp, offering an inside look at what goes on during a typical experience. Among the rockers featured in the movie are Daltrey (who was a big part of getting Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp off the ground), Cooper, KISS’ Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and Richie Faulkner, Sammy Hagar, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, ...
