Heavy Music News
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe and DevilDriver’s Dez Fafara Back New Cryptocurrency Chakra Coin
Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe and DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara have backed a new cryptocurrency called Chakra Coin. While many bands have been dabbling in crypto via NFTs, Blythe and Fafara have gone a step further, investing in a brand-new cryptocurrency. According to a press release, the Chakra Coin was designed to “foster community and invest in charitable causes.” It will be a fully community-owned “deflationary token,” which decreases in its market supply as time goes by and allows for passive income generation. This factor implies that users or the project’s team will participate in activities that reduce the coin’s supply on the blockchain (per Yahoo). Essentially, as the coin is purchased and traded, its value will increase, rendering profits that can put toward char...
Ministry Add 13 More Dates to 2022 US Tour with Melvins and Corrosion of Conformity
Ministry have expanded their spring 2022 US Tour with Melvins and Corrosion of Conformity, adding 13 more dates to the trek. The itinerary was lengthened due to “overwhelming demand” after the tour was postponed from the fall (after a previous postponement in 2020) due to health and safety precautions. Concerts have been added in the following cities: Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; Cincinnati; New Haven, Connecticut; Portland, Maine; Raleigh, North Carolina; Asheville, North Carolina; Nashville; New Orleans; Austin, Texas; Milwaukee; Kansas City, Missouri; and Oklahoma City. The updated tour, now comprised of 35 dates, kicks off with the newly added March 2nd show in Columbus, Ohio, and runs through a previously announced April 18th gig in Seattle. Advertisement Related Video Billed as the “I...
David Ellefson: Megadeth “Kicked” Me to the “Side of the Road”
David Ellefson has continued to open more about his removal from Megadeth. In a new interview with “The Jeremy White Podcast,” the ousted bassist expressed some resent toward the Megadeth camp for the lack of empathy and support they provided in the aftermath of Ellefson’s compromising online sexual encounter. After explaining that he felt it best to address the scandal head-on, Ellefson explained that Megadeth took a different approach, instead issuing a statement that further incited backlash against the bassist. Particularly the statement’s wording: “There are clearly aspects of David’s private life that he has kept to himself.” Advertisement Related Video Ellefson said that the reactionary statement was “based on fear” on the part of Megadeth. “It wasn’t based on reality,” he continued...
Mastodon Apologize for Brent Hinds’ Use of Homophobic Slur, Insist Band Has “No Ill Will Towards Disturbed”
Yesterday, Mastodon singer-guitarist Brent Hinds made headlines when he expressed his disdain for touring with Disturbed on the Mayhem Festival outing in 2008. In the course of insulting his fellow metal band, he used a homophobic slur. Now, singer-drummer Brann Dailor has apologized on behalf of Mastodon for Hinds’ offensive language, while also insisting that his band has “no ill will towards Disturbed.” As we previously reported, HInds was asked on Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta’s podcast if there were any bucket-list bands he’d like to tour with. Instead, he chose to focus on bands with whom he regretted touring. “I did a lot of tours I didn’t want to do, though, like Disturbed and all that Mayhem stupid bullshit,” remarked Hinds, before using the offensive slur: “Gay ass shit.” He con...
Thank Announce Debut Album Thoughtless Cruelty, Share “Good Boy”: Stream
UK noise rock act Thank have announced their debut full-length album, Thoughtless Cruelty. The band also shared the lead single “Good Boy” ahead of the LP’s February 4th release date. Not for the faint of heart, Thank unleash a three-minute torrent of abstract expression. Unhinged dance beats clash with the equally unhinged vocals of Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe, whose delivery bears similarities to Daughters’ Alexis Marshall. The band manages to create an art-rock cacophony that’s as anxious as it is captivating. Perhaps it was Thank’s method of writing — partly forced upon them by the circumstances of the pandemic — that led to the genuinely beguiling sound heard on “Good Boy.” Due to lockdowns, the band members hadn’t practiced before recording the album, building the song arrangeme...
Stabbing Westward Announce First New Album in 20 Years, Share “I Am Nothing”: Stream
Stabbing Westward have announced their first new album in 20 years, Chasing Ghosts, and have shared the lead single, “I Am Nothing.” The veteran industrial rockers’ signature sound remains intact despite the two-decade gap. Picking up where they left off with the 2020 Dead & Gone comeback EP, “I Am Nothing” showcases frontman Christopher Hall’s passionate vocals over a driving beat. Brooding, downbeat subject matter is again the name of the game. Chasing Ghosts, which arrives March 18th, features new songs alongside reworked versions of the tracks on the Dead & Gone EP. That release saw the reunion of founding members Hall and Walter Flakus (keys/programming), with guitarist Carlton Bost and drummer Bobby Amaro rounding out the current lineup. Advertisement Related Video The new re...
Slipknot Unleash New Song “The Chapeltown Rag”: Stream
Slipknot have offered up a brand-new single ahead of their upcoming album. The new song is titled “The Chapeltown Rag” and can be streamed below. While five years went by between the band’s previous two albums, 2014’s .5: The Gray Chapter and 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind, time off the road due to the pandemic allowed Slipknot to quickly hit the studio after the release of the latter. Last album cycle, Slipknot first released the one-off single “All Out Life,” which ultimately was not included on the tracklist to We Are Not Your Kind, so there’s no guarantee that “The Chapeltown Rag” will appear on the forthcoming album. Advertisement In an interview with Knotfest.com, singer Corey Taylor describes the new song as a “punisher.” It was inspired by the real-life story of the UK town Chapeltown...
Brent Hinds Wishes Mastodon Never Toured with Disturbed: It Was “Stupid Bullshit”
Mastodon’s Brent Hinds didn’t pull any punches when bringing up a few past tours he “didn’t want to do.” The singer-guitarist particularly didn’t enjoy playing before Disturbed on the inaugural Mayhem Festival tour in 2008. During an appearance on Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta’s podcast, Hinds was asked if there were any bucket-list bands he’d like to tour with. Instead, he started naming bands with whom he regretted sharing a bill. “I did a lot of tours I didn’t want to do, though, like Disturbed and all that Mayhem stupid bullshit,” remarked Hinds, before using what could be deemed an offensive slur to describe the experience: “Gay ass shit.” He continued, “You gotta f**kin’ open up for Disturbed. You gotta play to people that like Disturbed.” Advertisement Asked about playing in front ...
Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen Announce Better Days EP, Share Title Track: Stream
Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden and veteran singer-guitarist Richie Kotzen have announced the Better Days EP as part of their ongoing Smith-Kotzen collaborative project. The duo shared the title track from the four-song release ahead of its release date on November 26th. Straying from Smith’s metal roots in Iron Maiden, the song again sees the accomplished guitarists embracing their love of groove-based blues rock. From the sound of it, the collaboration has come naturally for Smith and Kotzen, whose overlap in musical taste made it a seamless and productive partnership. Better Days will mark their second release of 2021, following March’s self-titled debut. Advertisement Related Video “When Adrian came over to Los Angeles earlier this year, we got together and started throwing ideas around an...
Sunn O))) Announce Live Album Recorded at BBC, Share “Troubled Air”: Stream
Sunn O))) have announced Metta, Benevolence, a live album recorded in 2019 at the BBC Maida Vale studios while the band was on tour in the UK. The imitable drone-metal ensemble was invited on the behest BBC6 host Mary Anne Hobbs. The sessions saw Sunn performing two tracks from the cerebral Pyroclasts album and “Troubled Air” off Life Metal, the latter of which is now available to stream. Darkwave artist Anna von Hausswolff, who was supporting the band’s UK tour leg, sat in on the Pyroclasts pieces, adding soundscapes on a Nord C2D synthesizer as well as vocal accompaniment. Advertisement Related Video The session was tracked in Studio 4 at BBC Maida Vale and broadcast on Samhain — the Gaelic religious festival and celebration beginning the evening of October 31st through November 1st...
Halestorm Announce “Happy Hale-i-Days” Concert Stream, Score Chart-Topping Hit with New Single
Halestorm have announced a special one-night-only streaming concert on December 23rd. The show, billed the “Happy Hale-i-Days” concert, was filmed in September at the Brown County Music Center in Nashville, Indiana. Tickets to the streaming show will go on sale to the general public this Friday (November 5th) via Mandolin.com, Halestorm have only released one song this year, “Back from the Dead,” in advance of a new album coming in 2022. The single just rocketed to the top spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, marking the band’s sixth No. 1 hit. Frontwoman Lzzy Hale and company have also just unveiled an acoustic, re-imagined version of the song, which can be heard below. Advertisement Related Video “‘Back from the Dead’ is about survival, not in a physical sense, even though I know w...
Maynard James Keenan Offers “A Curmudgeon’s Guide” as Part of New Puscifer TV Experience
Maynard James Keenan is offering up “A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Divine Collisions and Pythagorean Oenology” as part of the new Puscifer TV experience, launching November 12th via Vimeo. “A Curmudgeon’s Guide” features a one-on-one conversation with Keenan moderated by veteran radio figure Roxy Myzal. The conversation was filmed during MJK’s A Perfect Union of Contrary Things book tour in 2016 and includes a previously unreleased video for the track “Galileo” (from Puscifer‘s 2015 album Money Shot). A short teaser trailer can be seen now, featuring some of the video artwork and voiceover. For fans looking to crack into the psyche of the enigmatic Tool and Puscifer singer, look no further than this transparent chat with the man himself. Advertisement Related Video The convo is among the initial...
