Heavy Music News
Skillet Frontman Calls Rage Against the Machine “Government Rock,” Insists He’s the “Revolutionary”
Skillet frontman and Christian rocker John Cooper blasted Rage Against the Machine while defending his own anti-vax stance in a new interview. You might remember Cooper’s delusional comments from earlier this year following Cardi B’s controversial Grammy performance. At the time, Cooper compared the Grammy Awards to Hitler and condemned Cardi B for the sexual nature of her stage show. Cooper then tried to backtrack on his remarks. Now the Skillet singer has taken a pot shot at Rage Against the Machine, an outspokenly progressive and left-leaning act. In an interview with Apologia Radio, a church-run program, Cooper elaborated on his thesis that vaccines are a tool of government control “more about tyranny than they are actually keeping people safe.” Advertisement Related Video “What’s real...
Tom Morello Releases New Album, Including “I Have Seen the Way” Featuring Metallica and Rush Members: Stream
Tom Morello has released his second guest-heavy solo album of 2021, The Atlas Underground Flood. The LP is the sister piece to The Atlas Underground Fire, which the Rage Against the Machine guitarist dropped back in October. Morello again tapped a host of famous musical colleagues to contribute, including Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Rush’s Alex Lifeson, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Nathaniel Rateliff, Ben Harper, and more. Hammett and Lifeson join Morello on the track “I Have Seen the Way,” which also features electronic artist Dr. Fresch. For the guitar fans, the piece is a feast of shredding and vibrant soloing backed by propulsive electro beats. Advertisement Related Video Hammett provides the wah-heavy solos he’s made his trademark in Metallica, while Lifeson provides a more classic-r...
Cult of Luna Detail New Album, Unveil Lead Single “Cold Burn”: Stream
Cult of Luna have detailed their new album, The Long Road North, arriving February 11th via Metal Blade. The Swedish band also shared the video for the lead single “Cold Burn.” The new album follows Cult of Luna’s 2021 EP The Raging River, which continued the band’s prolific streak of post-metal offerings. “Cold Burn” sees the band unleashing more torrential atmospheric sludge — tones dense and immersive enough to keep us warm for the winter months to come. “It’s a big and cinematic sounding album,” said Cult of Luna singer-guitarist Johannes Persson in the press announcement. “I think one of the reasons why we have been able to be so productive the last couple of years is that we have been consistently writing from the heart. We have let our instincts guide us, and I think it’s getting cl...
Volbeat’s Michael Poulsen on Servant of the Mind, Tour with Ghost, and Metallica’s Black Album
Danish rockers Volbeat are back with their eighth studio album, Servant of the Mind, just released via Republic Records. Musically, the album hearkens back to the band’s earlier, heavier days, with relentless riffing and punching rhythms, while also representing how far they’ve come as a group. “You can definitely hear a band that sounds very young, but at the same time, a band that has a lot of experience with the style we started so many years ago,” frontman Michael Poulsen tells Heavy Consequence. In addition to releasing the new album, Volbeat are prepping for a highly anticipated co-headlining US arena tour with Swedish metal masters Ghost. The outing kicks off January 25th in Reno, Nevada, and runs through a March 3rd show in Anaheim, California. Tickets are available now via Ticketm...
In Photos: Reunited Lunachicks Play Triumphant New York City Show with Toilet Boys
Thanksgiving Day weekend in New York City means the joyful return of Santa Claus to officially kick off the holiday season. However, this year Santa may have been upstaged — at least for those who prefer to be on the naughty list. Lunachicks, NYC’s loudest native daughters triumphantly returned after a 17-year hiatus, to the delight of a pair of jam-packed crowds during a two-night stand at Webster Hall. Originally planned for April 2020, things got in the way of that. As Lunachicks’ guitarist Gina Volpe joked, “Leave it to us to plan a reunion right before a pandemic.” Rescheduled due to COVID, the band thanked the sold-out crowd for being patient — and their patience paid off. The NYC shows marked the band’s first headlining gigs since 2004, and followed a pair of performances at the Pun...
Heavy Culture: Alien Weaponry on Māori Ideology, New Album Tangaroa, and Touring with Gojira
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music, as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their craft. The latest installment of this column features Lewis and Henry de Jong of Alien Weaponry. New Zealand metal act Alien Weaponry have recently released their latest album, Tangaroa, and they also wrapped up a tour supporting supporting Gojira and Knocked Loose. The band’s music is written and sung in both Māori and English, with themes that center around the ideologies and history of the culture. Heavy Consequence caught up with brothers Lewis de Jong (vocals, guitar) and Henry de Jong (drums) while they were on the road with Gojira. They spoke about tour...
In Photos: Testament, Exodus and Death Angel Play Only “Bay Strikes Back” Show of 2021
Although the official “Bay Strikes Back Tour” has been postponed until 2022, Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel brought the joint bill to the Fox Theater in Oakland on Saturday (November 27th) for a sold-out one-night gig this past weekend — giving their hometown fans a chance to celebrate the legacy of not only the music, but also the rich history of all three bands. Together, the three legendary acts combined to write yet another chapter in the ongoing story of Bay Area thrash metal. Hitting the stage with the intro to “The Ultra-Violence,” Death Angel were in top form from the word “go,” and kicked off the evening with a blistering eight song set, wasting no time pumping up the already voracious crowd. Vocalist Mark Osegueda had every person in the already packed venue in the palm of hi...
Mötley Crüe Sell Entire Recording Catalog to BMG for a Reported $150 Million
This must feel good for Mötley Crüe: The band has sold its entire recording catalog to BMG for a reported $150 million. The deal includes all their studio albums from their 1981 debut, Too Fast for Love, through their most recent LP, 2008’s Saints of Los Angeles, plus their live releases and compilations. While Variety cites sources as valuing the deal at roughly $150 million, the publication also notes that other sources report that the dollar amount is “significantly lower.” Either way, it’s quite a windfall for the hard-rock veterans, who were able to secure the rights to their catalog from Elektra Records in the ’90s with help from manager Allen Kovac. Advertisement Overall, Mötley Crüe have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, with seven of their LPs going platinum or multipla...
Judas Priest Unveil Rescheduled 2022 North American Tour Dates
Judas Priest have rescheduled their 2022 “50 Heavy Metal Years” North American tour. Queensrÿche have replaced Sabaton as the support act for the new dates. Judas Priest were forced to postpone the remainder of their fall tour when guitarist Richie Faulkner nearly died after suffering a major heart emergency during the band’s set at the Louder Than Life fest in September. Faulkner’s aorta ruptured onstage during the band’s last song, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent a 10-hour life-saving surgery. Faulkner is now headed toward recovery and Judas Priest appear ready to return to the road in 2022. The updated itinerary kicks off March 4th in Peoria, Illinois, and concludes on April 13th in Laval, Quebec, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. Advertisement Related V...
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi Returns with New Song “Scent of Dark”: Stream
Toni Iommi has returned with a new signature cologne and song, “Scent of Dark”, his first new rock-oriented music in more than eight years. Iommi teamed with Italian perfumier Xerjoff for the boutique cologne, an unexpected branding endeavor for the legendary Black Sabbath guitarist. Iommi is well aware of what fans might think about his new endorsement. “They’ll think I’ve gone mad,” he told Rolling Stone with a laugh. “It’s something I would’ve never thought of involving myself in. But it’s been nice to be involved in it.” Advertisement Related Video Anything that means new music from Iommi is cool by us. He previously contributed a classical piece for the Birmingham Cathedral in 2017, but otherwise, “Scent of Dark” is Iommi’s first traditionally heavy rock song since Black Sabbath’s 201...
Brian May Slams Elimination of Gendered Awards, Wonders If Queen Would Be Forced to Have Transgender Member
Queen guitarist Brian May slammed the BRIT Awards for their removal of gender-specific award categories. He also wondered whether Queen would be have been “forced” to have transgender and multi-racial band members if they existed in present day. In an interview with The Mirror, May compared the BRIT Awards’ shift away from male and female-specific categories to an infringement on personal freedom. He then used the topic to pontificate on a what he calls an “atmosphere of fear” that is plaguing society. “…because people are afraid to say how they really think,” May said with a fearful tone himself, then warning that “there will be some kind of explosion.” Advertisement Related Video Even less tactfully, May went on to say that Queen “would be forced to have people of different colors and di...
Master of Flushes: Toilet in the Likeness of Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Is Creepy as Hell
We shit you not — someone made a toilet bowl in the likeness of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, and it’s freaking us out. The man behind the creepy creation is none other than the same dude who may or may not have made a guitar out of his dead uncle’s bones. Prince Midnight, as he is known, made headlines at the beginning of this year when he seemingly created a guitar out of his dead uncle’s skeleton. He had claimed that the skeleton had been donated to a local college in Greece, where it was used for educational purposes, but was no longer needed by the institution. When a proper burial would have incurred some major expenses, he decided to turn the bones into a functional guitar. However, later reports suggested the whole thing may have been an elaborate hoax. This time there’s no denyin...
