Heavy Music News
Original Coal Chamber Bassist Rayna Foss Was Reported Missing Four Months Ago
Rayna Foss, the original bassist of the nu metal band Coal Chamber, was reported missing in September, with her whereabouts currently unknown. The 51-year-old musician was living in a group home in New Orleans at the time she disappeared. Foss was a member of Coal Chamber from 1994 through their initial breakup in 2003. She appeared on the band’s first three albums — 1997’s Coal Chamber, 1999’s Chamber Music, and 2002’s Dark Days. She did not join the band when they reunited from 2011 through 2016. Coal Chamber’s lead singer, Dez Fafara, currently fronts the metal band DevilDriver. At the time Foss went missing, local Fox TV station WVUE issued the following notice via its official Facebook page (as seen below): “MISSING: Rayna Foss, 51, was last seen by a group home manager on Sept. 7, ac...
Jeopardy Contestant Confuses Nickelback with Arcade Fire
At least she got the Canadian part right! Jeopardy contestant Kate Woomer-Deters was quick to pose the question “Who is Arcade Fire?” when given a clue that required the response “Who is Nickelback?” — thus confusing one of the 21st century’s most critically acclaimed bands with one of its most critically maligned acts. The musical faux pas happened within the “Billboard Top 200 Albums in 2021” category on Monday night’s episode of the popular quiz show. Reigning champion Amy Schneider had gotten the first four items correct in the category before the contestants were posed the $1,000 clue, “‘The Best Of’ this Canadian band, ‘Volume 1’ included ‘Rockstar,’ ‘How You Remind Me’ & 17 other songs.” After Woomer-Dieters gave her “Who is Arcade Fire?” response, contestant Harsh Daga rang in ...
Exodus’ Gary Holt Thinks “Shitty Metallica” Mention in New Cobra Kai Season Is “Rad”
Exodus got a big mention in the new season of Netflix’s popular series Cobra Kai, although it had one character referring to the veteran thrash band as “shitty Metallica.” Nonetheless, guitarist Gary Holt is celebrating the “massive Exodus reference.” In the scene (a minor spoiler), the character of Raymond (also known as “Stingray”) — played by Paul Walter Hauser — is confronted by a neighbor, who tells him, “Some freeloader was blaring shitty Metallica all night!” To which Stingray responds, “Yeah, that was actually Exodus’ Bonded by Blood, but it’s not your fault, you don’t know the genre.” Holt, a longtime member of Exodus who also played guitar in Slayer’s final lineup, posted the clip on his Instagram account, writing, “RAD!! One of my favorite shows just threw a massive Exodus refer...
Tom Morello Admits He Doesn’t Know How to Use His Home Studio
Like many artists during the pandemic, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello was forced to work remotely and record music from home during lockdowns. The only problem: He doesn’t know how to use his home studio. In a recent interview with Guitar World, Morello said, “For the first four months or so [of the pandemic] I was absolutely adrift. You know, I have a nice studio in my house, but I don’t know how to work it. Like, I don’t know how to move any of the buttons around. So I was like, ‘I’m not going to be able to play shows. I’m not going to be able to record music.’” The lack of expertise with his gear didn’t stopped Morello from being extremely productive during the pandemic. In the past few months, he released two guest-heavy solo albums, The Altas Underground Fire and ...
Dirty Honey Cover Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” on a Frozen Lake for NHL Winter Classic: Watch
Dirty Honey covered Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” on a frozen lake as part of the festivities for the NHL Winter Classic hockey game, hosted on New Year’s Day in Minneapolis. The Los Angeles-based band surely aren’t used to sub-freezing temperatures, but they turned in a lively and inspired version of the Purple Rain opener — a cover worthy of the hometown hero Prince himself. Lest we not forget, the Purple One performed his iconic Super Bowl XLI halftime show in inclement conditions back in 2007. The NHL Winter Classic takes place annually on New Year’s Day and pits two of the league’s teams against one another in an outdoor venue. In fact, it was former NHL player Tyler Lassiter that put Dirty Honey on TNT’s radar for the Winter Classic performance. Advertisement “I found out about Dirt...
Music Store Customer Anonymously Gifts Pantera-Loving Kid a Dimebag Darrell Guitar
Fallon, a youth impacted by Williams Syndrome, dreamed of owning a Dean Dimebag Darrell ML guitar — the late Pantera guitarist’s signature model. Thanks to one gracious anonymous music store customer, that dream came true. Music store J.B. Hart Music Co., Inc. in Grand Junction, Colorado, shared the touching story on Facebook, offering backstory about Fallon and the guitar, which became inseparable over the past couple years. Fallon would often come into the shop and specifically request to play the “Pantera” guitar, meaning the Dean Dimebag Darrell ML guitar, and proceed to lay down his favorite Pantera riffs. Advertisement Related Video “We were shocked he knew some Dimebag riffs,” the store wrote in its Facebook post. “Fallon is impacted by Williams Syndrome and has an excellent knowled...
Motörhead Crew Get Tattoos Using Ink Blended with Lemmy’s Ashes
Members of Motörhead’s road crew paid the ultimate tribute to the late Lemmy Kilmister by getting tattoos with ink blended from his ashes. The band’s longtime tour manager Eddie Rocha and production assistant Emma Cederblad recently got inked up with a portrait of Lemmy and the iconic “Ace of Spades” image, respectively. A short video documenting the process was posted on Motörhead’s official YouTube channel on Tuesday (December 28th) — six years since the day Lemmy passed away at age 70. Advertisement Related Video Tattoo artist Stina Nyman of Eye Scream Tattoo handled the blending and artistry. Clearly gifted with the tattoo needle, Nyman rendered a striking portrait of Lemmy on Rocha’s calf. As previously reported, Lemmy’s ashes were encased inside bullets and sent to his closest friend...
Rush Are Getting Their Own Pinball Machine
Rush are the latest legendary rock band to get their own pinball machine. Stern Pinball announced that their first machine of 2022 will be themed around the iconic prog act, sharing a short teaser video featuring a list of featured songs. Although a mockup design for the machine and play field have yet to be revealed, the teaser does depict an impressive CGI rendering of the Fly By Night owl — the kind of graphics one would expect to see on a modern pinball machine as you’re racking up points. Most importantly, the video reveals at least 17 songs that will be featured in the new game — a large playlist compared to other band-themed pinball machines. Fans and players will hear classic tracks such as “Tom Sawyer,” “Spirit of the Radio,” and “Limelight” alongside deeper cuts like “Subdiv...
Ozzy Osbourne Announces CryptoBatz NFT Collection
Ozzy Osbourne has delved into the world of crypto, announcing the new CryptoBatz NFT collection. The Prince of Darkness is the latest rocker to dabble in the NFT game, and he’s doing it in style. The CryptoBatz collection features 9,666 totally unique and surefire-collectible NFT bats commemorating the time Ozzy infamously bit the head off one of the winged nocturnal creatures during a concert. But these aren’t your ordinary, static NFTs. Advertised as a “world-first feature,” the CryptoBatz have the unique ability to “bite” another NFT from the collection, rendering “MutantBatz” that combine attributes from each NFT. Each bats’ traits have been creatively directed by Ozzy. Related Video “I’ve been trying to get in on the NFT action for a while so when I asked Sharon for a Bored Ape for Ch...
Alice Cooper Set Money Aside for His Crew When Pandemic Started
Live music was one of the industries hit hardest when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Shock rock icon Alice Cooper saw the writing on the wall and put money aside for his road crew as lockdowns hit last year. In a new interview with Forbes, Cooper revealed that he supported his crew during the tough time before the widespread return of concerts. He only hopes other major acts did the same. “When we saw this coming, we put money aside for our crew,” Cooper said. “We could see that it was… something. So we put money aside as a backup for them. Because we knew that their unemployment would run out, you know? And then they’d have something to go to. I think all responsible bands did that. Hopefully.” Advertisement Related Video Cooper is known for his elaborate stage show and theatrical set piece...
KISS’ Paul Stanley and His Entire Family Infected with Omicron Variant of COVID-19
KISS singer-guitarist Paul Stanley is dealing with his second bout of COVID-19 in the past six months, and this time he’s been infected with the Omicron variant. In fact, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s entire family has tested positive for the new strain. The rock veteran first contracted COVID-19 in August, just a few shows after KISS had resumed their postponed farewell tour. Although Stanley has been a staunch advocate for mask-wearing and vaccines, he faced criticism when he was seen outside a hotel without a mask just days after revealing that he tested positive. On Sunday evening (December 26th), Stanley announced that he had once again contracted COVID-19, writing alongside a selfie on Instagram, “My Omicron face! Yup. My entire family has it. I’m tired and have sniffles. Most ...
Dave Mustaine Teases New Megadeth Song “Life in Hell” from Upcoming Album: Listen
Dave Mustaine has offered up a holiday treat in the form of a snippet of the new song “Life in Hell” from Megadeth’s upcoming album. The frontman shared the brief audio clip in a Cameo video for a fan named Gabe. While Megadeth’s new album still doesn’t have a release date, Mustaine has mentioned that the LP is slated to be titled The Sick, The Dying and The Dead. While Mustaine tells Gabe he’s the first person in the “outside world” to hear music from the new album, the metal legend did share a snippet of the title track in a previous Cameo video for a fan named Joe back in July. In the new Cameo clip, Mustaine wishes Gabe a Merry Christmas before telling him, “I will play you something that’s been recorded already and is special. How would you like to hear a little bit of the new album? ...
