Heavy Metal
Do Five Finger Death Punch Take an Anti-Mask Stance with “Living the Dream” Video?
Five Finger Death Punch have released a music video for the single “Living the Dream” that is rife with political symbolism. One aspect of the video appears to take an anti-mask stance, although there’s some ambiguity in the band’s intentions. In the video, civilians who wear masks are given a button that says “Compliant” emblazoned with a hammer and sickle (a longtime communist symbol). A sinister female leader who gives out the masks doesn’t have to wear one, as her button reads “Exempt”. There are also zombies hoarding toilet paper and Pulp Fiction-like gimps who are walked on a chain by the “Exempt” leader. The American flag is seen in the video with the stars replaced by the hammer and sickle, as well. When a masked ice cream truck worker is spotted with an actual American flag, Mrs. ...
Alice Cooper Enters 2020 Presidential Race with New “Elected” Video: Watch
Every four years since Alice Cooper released the iconic single “Elected” in 1972, the rocker has “satirically” run for president. Just in the nick of time, Cooper has thrown his hat into the 2020 race, releasing an updated video for “Elected” and a ton of “Alice Cooper for President” merch. Running on the “Wild Party” ticket, Cooper’s campaign platform says it all: “I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing.” With his official website adding, “I have absolutely no idea what to do.” The new “Elected” video takes a humorous and lighthearted approach to the campaign process, which is much appreciated considering the real-life campaign has been anything but. Cooper sings the song through a loudspeaker from a podium, and the words remain as relevant as ever. Fans can show their support wi...
Alice in Chains to Release Facelift 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set
Alice in Chains’ seminal debut album, Facelift, is getting the deluxe treatment in celebration of its 30th anniversary. The band has announced a box set that is due to arrive on January 29th. The album actually turned 30 on August 21st. As we detailed in a recent feature, it helped give rise to the ’90s alternative-rock movement. Led by single “Man in the Box”, the 1990 LP’s success paved the way for albums like Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s Ten, which came the following year. The deluxe box set should have Alice in Chains fans salivating, as it’s jam-packed with collectibles. Housed in an acrylic deluxe box with gel transparencies, the set includes a remastered 2-LP vinyl picture-disc edition of the album; a cassette version of the LP; a custom hardcover photo book; a two-sided post...
Korn Announce World of Tanks Blitz In-Game Event, Share Video for “Finally Free”: Watch
Korn will appear in free-to-play online game World of Tanks Blitz for the rollout of the new “Burning Games” mode. The band also shared the music video for “Finally Free”, a song from 2019’s The Nothing, which features tanks and imagery from the game. The five-stage “Convergence” event takes place from October 16th through 24th. All players will be able to complete in-game challenges to uncover pieces of band artwork and special Korn-related items. Korn are no stranger to video-game crossovers. The band played a virtual concert last year within the role-playing games AdventureQuest 3D and AdventureQuest Worlds. Meanwhile, World of Tanks developer Wargaming has teamed with bands such as Iron Maiden, Sabaton, and The Offspring for in-game promotions and augmented-reality events. “Korn is the...
Mysterious Woman from Black Sabbath’s Debut Album Gets Her Own Funko Pop! Figure
Funko’s popular line of collectible Pop! figures has expanded over the years to include a wide array of music, film, and television subjects. Even with the toy company’s vast roster, who would’ve thought that the mysterious woman from the cover of Black Sabbath’s debut album would get her own Funko Pop! figure? That’s the case with a new line of Funko Pop! figures based on classic albums. The first Funko “Pop! Albums” series features figures modeled after three iconic album covers. They include Sabbath’s self-titled debut, The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, and AC/DC’s Back in Black. Upon its release in 1970, Sabbath’s debut album helped usher in what the world knows now as heavy metal. The woman on the ominous cover had remained a mystery until earlier this year, when she was locat...
Testament’s Alex Skolnick Unleashes New Rap Song “Wear a F**king Mask”: Stream
This year’s most unlikely political rap star, Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick, has returned with a second pandemic anthem: “Wear a F**king Mask”. The thrash guitarist surprised everyone last month when he dropped the hilarious “Trump Sucks” rap — a homemade ditty with a clear and direct political message, given the impending November elections. Consider this new track the B-side to “Trump Sucks”. Tragically, the basic safety measure of wearing a face covering during the pandemic has become a divisive political issue, with President Trump remaining defiantly apathetic toward mask regulations despite contracting COVID-19 himself. Well, Skolnick is having none of that. He might not be the most gifted rapper, but that’s part of the satirical humor, as Skolnick himself admits. “My recent home...
John 5 Honors Eddie Van Halen with Unearthed “You Really Got Me” Cover Featuring Corey Taylor and Michael Anthony: Watch
Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 has paid tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen by unveiling a concert clip featuring himself, Slipknot singer Corey Taylor, and longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony performing The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”. The song was famously covered by Van Halen on their debut album. The video dates back to John 5’s Los Angeles show at The Whiskey A Go Go in 2019, when Taylor and Anthony joined the guitarist for the classic cover. As John 5 explained in an Instagram post, The Whiskey was an oft-played venue for Eddie Van Halen in Los Angeles. Along with the clip, John 5 wrote the following: “It’s difficult to put into words the impact that Eddie Van Halen had on my life. There’s no one that influenced me more than Eddie, he was an inventor an amazing songwriter and the ...
Ozzy Osbourne’s Farewell Tour Rebooked for 2022
Ozzy Osbourne is determined to complete his “No More Tours 2” farewell trek, despite experiencing a number of roadblocks along the way. In fact, his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, says that they’ve already rescheduled his itinerary for 2022. The metal legend set out on his farewell tour in 2018, completing a couple of legs before a series of health issues brought the outing to an abrupt stop. First, he dealt with a nasty staph infection in his hand in fall 2018. Then in early 2019, he came down with pneumonia and experienced a serious fall while recovering at home. That fall dislodged metal rods that were placed in Ozzy’s body after a 2003 ATV accident, and forced him to postpone all of his 2019 dates. With the tour rescheduled for 2020, Ozzy announced at the beginning of this year tha...
Mastodon, Baroness, and Kvelertak Members Cover Ozzy Osbourne’s “Over the Mountain”: Watch
Two Minutes to Late Night’s “Bedroom Covers” series has become one of the few simple pleasures heavy metal fans have been able to enjoy during the pandemic. The YouTube channel gathers various metal musicians for socially distant performances, and we’ve seen a consistent stream of entertaining cover renditions over the past several months. The latest video sees Mastodon drummer-singer Brann Dailor on lead vocals — along with Darkest Hour guitarist Mike Schleibaum, Kvelertak bassist Marvin Nygaard, Baroness drummer Sebastian Thomson, and Two Minutes to Late Night host Gwarsenio Hall — taking on the Ozzy Osbourne classic “Over the Mountain”. The song was the lead track from Ozzy’s sophomore album, Diary of a Madman, the last studio recording to feature late guitar legend Randy Rhoa...
Pallbearer’s Joseph Rowland Talks Forgotten Days and the Importance of Releasing Music During the Pandemic
Pallbearer are a true heavy metal success story. Arising from the humble Arkansas metal scene, the band sharpened its craft in the underground and forged its own artistic path, rising up the food chain to become one of the most respected American doom bands. This would eventually lead Pallbearer to heavyweight label Nuclear Blast, who signed the group last year. Symbolically, it signaled that Pallbearer had officially arrived, and that the years of work had paid off. Like the great doom bands of yore — Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Cathedral — Pallbearer infuse their doom with a palpable emotional weight that verges on spiritual. Good riffs are only part of the equation. It’s the human energy and expression that drives the band’s music and spine-chilling live performances. That energy hit...
Tobias Forge: New Ghost Album Coming “This Winter”
Ghost will release their new album this winter, according to frontman Tobias Forge. The singer previously said he wanted to wait until after the U.S. presidential election before releasing the follow-up to 2018’s Prequelle. Forge told Swedish publication VK that Ghost will release the new album “this winter,” with the band’s touring plans pushed to fall 2021. The release plans fall in line with statements that Forge made last year, when he predicted an early 2021 release for the group’s fifth LP. If you wanted Forge’s take on the pandemic — and how it fits into his lyrics — the enigmatic singer said there won’t be any “doomsday” or “quarantine-confirming” records from Ghost anytime soon. However, he might reluctantly consider playing reduced capacity shows in smaller venues if the pandemic...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Had COVID-19 and Still Has Lung Damage Months Later
Tool singer Maynard James Keenan has revealed that he contracted COVID-19 back in February. Moreover, he is still feeling the effects months later, as he deals with lung damage and coughing fits. While speaking to the Arizona Republic about his band Puscifer’s upcoming album, Existential Reckoning, Keenan was asked about Tool having to shut down their tour plans due to the pandemic. He responded, “I was still recovering from having gotten COVID at the end of February. I’m still dealing with the residual effects. But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn’t pretty. So I definitely had to deal with that.” When the interviewer expressed surprise at the singer’s revelation, Keenan explained, “I kind of didn’t want to run around screaming it. But it’s real. And there’s after-effects. I had to ...
