Heavy Metal
Ghost’s Tobias Forge Covers Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” with the Hellacopters on Swedish TV: Watch
Ghost frontman Tobias Forge joined The Hellacopters for a cover of The Rolling Stones classic “Sympathy for the Devil” Friday evening (January 22nd) on Swedish television. The performance aired as a segment on the På Spåret quiz show on Sweden’s national TV network SVT. Forge, who has taken on a handful of identities as Ghost’s frontman over the years, retired his Cardinal Copia persona during the band’s only show of 2020, a March 3rd gig in Mexico City. That concert ended the tour cycle for their most recent album, Prequelle, and introduced Forge’s new guise, Papa Emeritus IV. Performing as Papa Emeritus IV, Forge was backed by fellow Swedes The Hellacopters for the televised rendition of “Sympathy for the Devil”, a song with a title that fittingly sums up a central theme of Ghost’s ...
Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer Faces Six Charges After Being Arrested for Role in US Capitol Riot
Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer was arrested on Sunday (January 17th) after turning himself into authorities for his role in January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol building. According to the FBI, the veteran metal musician faces six charges. The FBI confirmed to local Indianapolis CW-affiliated television station WISH-TV that Schaffer turned himself in at roughly 3 p.m. on Sunday. The arrest came 11 days after the veteran metal musician was photographed at the head of a mob that entered the Capitol. The picture of him screaming and pointing while wearing an Oath Keepers hat ended up as the lead image on a number of major news articles. Schaffer was sought by both the Washington, D.C., police and the FBI for unlawful entry. A statement released by the FBI’s Indianapolis field office re...
Baby Dancing to Tool’s “Invincible” Will Lift Your Spirits During These Dark Times: Watch
Dancing Tool Baby (via YouTube), Tool’s Maynard James Keenan (photo by Kevin RC Wilson) With a pandemic still plaguing the world and insurrectionists storming the U.S. Capitol, we need a bit of levity in these dark times. That’s where a new video of a baby dancing to Tool’s “Invincible” comes in, brightening our spirits with every one of his little stomps. We stumbled on this video in its infancy, and we’re not just talking about the baby’s age. Criminally, it only had 20 views since being uploaded just before Christmas by YouTube user Mom of Five. With the Fear Inoculum track “Invincible” playing on the family’s television, complete with a graphic of the album cover, the little Batman-pajama-wearing toddler seems to be drawn to the music. As he makes his way to the TV with his sippy...
Eyehategod Unleash New Song “Fake What’s Yours” Ahead of Upcoming Album: Stream
Sludge metal vets Eyehategod have offered up “Fake What’s Yours”, the second single from the band’s forthcoming album, A History of Nomadic Behavior (out March 12th). The song proceeds lead single “High Risk Trigger”, following a similar thread of swinging doom riffs and the inimitable snarls of vocalist Mike IX Williams. Frankly, Williams described it best in his own words: “It’s a pure uncut chunk of anti-authoritarian preach-speak set to a condescending guitar riff that could only be born from the dirty streets of New Orleans,” Williams remarked in a press release. “We can’t wait for everyone to hear the full record, but for now, put on your gas masks, lock your doors, stay home and LISTEN!” As the singer revealed when the album was announced, given the current state of affairs, there’s...
Serj Tankian on System of a Down: “As Long As We’re on the Same Page, We Can Continue Doing Stuff”
System of a Down surprised fans in November when they released their first new songs in 15 years. The band had been stagnated by creative differences, but singer Serj Tankian offers hope that more new music could be on the way, as long as the members are “on the same page.” For a while it appeared that System of a Down’s recording days may have been over. While the band continued to tour occasionally, the members just couldn’t see eye to eye when it came to creating a follow-up to their last album, 2005’s Hypnotize. Tankian and guitarist-singer Daron Malakian made headlines in 2018 when they publicly aired their grievances about their creative differences, with Tankian accepting responsibility for spearheading a band hiatus that lasted from 2006 to 2011. A further divide seemed to happen t...
Black Sabbath Dio-Era Albums Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules Getting Deluxe Reissues
The first two Ronnie James Dio-fronted Black Sabbath albums, 1980’s Heaven and Hell and 1981’s Mob Rules, are receiving deluxe reissues via Rhino Records. The expanded editions arrive March 5th, and to tide us over, live cuts of each title track are now available to stream. Both albums will be available on CD and vinyl, featuring a 2021 remaster of the original LPs, along with B-sides, alternate versions, and rare live recordings. Do to space constraints, the vinyl versions will feature a selection of the bonus tracks available on the CDs. 1980’s Heaven and Hell marked Dio’s debut with Black Sabbath. It proved to be one of the heavy metal’s greatest comeback albums following the ousting of original singer Ozzy Osbourne. The expanded edition includes live versions of “Children of the Sea” a...
Jeopardy! Celebrated Rob Zombie’s Birthday with a Clue About the Rocker-Director: Watch
Rob Zombie turned 56 years old on Tuesday (January 12th), and he received the ultimate television honor — a mention on Jeopardy! The rocker-director was the correct response to a clue about his movie House of 1000 Corpses. With previous champion Ken Jennings guest hosting in the wake of the legendary Alex Trebek’s tragic passing in November, last night’s new airing of Jeopardy! featured a category titled “Insane Clown Posse”. No, the category wasn’t about the face-painted rap duo or their Juggalo fans. Instead, it focused on famous clowns from horror movies and TV. The clue was, “Hooray for Captain Spaulding, the murderous clown in House of 1000 Corpses, directed by this White Zombie frontman.” The correct $1,200 question, of course, was, “Who is Rob Zombie?”, as answered by contestant Dus...
ERRA Announce New Self-Titled Album, Share Music Video for “Divisionary”: Stream
Metalcore act ERRA have announced their self-titled fifth studio album, which arrives March 19th. The band has also shared the music video for the lead single, “Divisionary”. ERRA’s dynamic take on progressive metal shines through on the new song. Complex riffs mingle with upfront melodies to create an immersive soundscape. It’s a fitting single for the new album, which aims for an atmospheric, escapist listening experience, even if the songs like “Divisionary” are rooted in a very real dystopian fear. “It’s a song about our relationship to technology,” vocalist/guitarist Jesse Cash said in a press announcement. “The song is pretty on the nose and intentionally a bit tongue-in-cheek. It creates a sort of campy parallel between our phones and religion. In the song, technology is God and we ...
Corey Taylor Recruits Reality Star, Movie Actors, and Steel Panther for “Samantha’s Gone” Video: Watch
Corey Taylor’s new music video for his solo single “Samantha’s Gone” is a star-studded affair. The Slipknot frontman recruited the likes of Vanderpump Rules reality star Tom Sandoval, actor Dean Cameron (Summer School, Straight Outta Compton), and hair-metal parody band Steel Panther for the humorous clip. The backdrop is the set of the video shoot for the song, a track on Taylor’s recent debut solo album, CMFT. Sandoval appears as a mulleted frontman of an overzealous indie-rock band that also features Greg Grunberg (Star Wars movies), Latin musician Travis Miguel, guitarist Ace Von Johnson (Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns), and musician Jonah Nimroy. As they deliver a ridiculous performance of “Samantha’s Gone”, the director (played by Cameron) screams in disgust. When he begs them to stop, T...
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 ...
