Heavy Music News
Metallica File Insurance Suit Against Lloyd’s of London for Losses Suffered from Pandemic-Postponed Shows
Metallica have sued insurance marketplace Lloyd’s of London in an effort to be compensated for losses the band suffered as a result of postponing its South American tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit was filed on Monday (June 7th) in Los Angeles Superior Court. The legendary heavy metal band had planned to embark on a six-date tour of South America with support from Greta Van Fleet in April 2020, but the pandemic shut down the concert industry a month prior. Metallica rescheduled the shows for December 2020, but with the pandemic still going strong, those dates were also postponed. At the time, the band said it hoped to reschedule the shows for late 2021, but no new dates have been announced yet. According to CBS Los Angeles and City News Service, Metallica’s lawsuit alleges br...
GWAR Announce Lust in Space and Bloody Pit of Horror Vinyl Reissues
GWAR have announced vinyl reissues of their 2009 album Lust in Space and its follow-up, 2010’s Bloody Pit of Horror. Each will be available in two color variants on July 16th. The albums were previously only issued on CD and limited-edition picture disc vinyl. The latter quickly went out of print and now go for steep prices on the secondhand market. Although collectible, picture discs aren’t known for their fidelity — the manufacturing process inherently detracts from the sound quality — so these two albums are essentially receiving their first proper vinyl pressing. Lust in Space is available in a silver variant and a clear magenta-and-purple splatter edition, while Bloody Pit of Horror comes in a black-inside-red version and an orange-red-melt edition (as seen in the image abov...
First Women-Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp to Feature Melissa Etheridge, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, and More
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp has announced its first-ever Women Only Rock Camp, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles over the weekend of the Grammy Awards, January 27th through 30th, 2022. Headlining mentors set for the camp include Melissa Etheridge, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s, and virtuoso guitarist Orianthi. Other mentors include Rhonda Smith (Prince, Jeff Beck), Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson), Eva Gardner (Pink, Cher), Ginger Pooley (Smashing Pumpkins, Gwen Stefani) and Jennie Vee (Eagles of Death Metal), with more to be announced. On top of the musicians, the crew and staff of the camp will be composed entirely of women, and multidisciplinary guest speakers will appear from different facets of the music industry. Britt Lightning of Vixen will serve as ...
Black Label Society Announce 2021 US Tour with Obituary and Prong
Black Label Society will be back on the road this fall on a U.S. tour with support from Obituary and Prong. The two-month itinerary kicks off in early October and runs through the end of November. As the pandemic hit in March 2020, Black Label Society were in the midst of a North American tour. The metal veterans were forced to postpone the last 12 shows of the outing, and originally rescheduled the gigs for August of last year. Those dates were eventually nixed, as well, but frontman Zakk Wylde and company have now mapped out an extensive trek that more than makes up for those missed dates. The 43-date tour will launch with an October 1st show in Sacramento, California, and run through a November 28th gig in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Related Video BLS have been working on a proper follow-u...
Kid Rock Uses Homophobic Slur to Address Video of Him Using Homophobic Slur
Kid Rock has released a statement addressing the recent video of him using a homophobic slur at a Tennessee bar. And this time he has blatantly spelled out the very same offensive term, in case there was any mistaking that it was part of his vocabulary. The singer was caught on camera this past Saturday at the FishLipz Bar & Grill in Smithville, Tennessee, ranting about people filming him with their smartphones, at one point screaming, “You f**king f**gots with your phones out.” Posting on the official Kid Rock Twitter account under his real name, Bob Ritchie, and referring to “Kid Rock” in the third person, the musician addressed the controversy on Wednesday evening (June 9th): “If Kid Rock using the word f**got offends you, good chance you are one. Either way, I know he has a lot of ...
The Pretty Reckless Join Forces with Soundgarden Members in “Only Love Can Save Me Now” Video: Watch
The Pretty Reckless have unveiled a video for “Only Love Can Save Me Now” featuring Soundgarden members Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron. The song appears on TPR’s new album, Death by Rock and Roll, which arrived earlier this year. Thayil and Cameron guest on the studio version of the track, and reprise their roles in the music video. The clip shows Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen rising out of the ocean in a soaking wet white dress as she sings the hard-rocking tune. The Soundgarden members certainly put their stamp on the track, with Cameron (also a member of Pearl Jam) pounding away at his drum kit while providing backing vocals. Thayil, meanwhile, delivers a blistering 45-second guitar solo at the three-minute mark. The Pretty Reckless opened for Soundgarden in Detroit on the same nigh...
Ronnie James Dio Virtual Birthday Fundraiser to Feature Members of Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Anthrax, and More
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-09T14:50:55+00:00“>June 9, 2021 | 10:50am ET The birthday of late metal legend Ronnie James Dio will be celebrated with a virtual fundraiser event at 2 p.m. PT on July 10th. Proceeds will support the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. Metal luminaries and former band members will drop in on the virtual celebration to perform, share birthday messages, and reminisce on the life of Dio, who shared both a passion for heavy metal and charity work. Among the star-studded list of guests are Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, former Dio/Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice, Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna, current Guns N’ Roses drummer Frank Ferrer, former GN’R guitarist Gilby Clar...
Serj Tankian Unveils Cinematic “How Many Times?” Video Directed by Roger Kupelian (Lord of the Rings): Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-08T20:42:17+00:00“>June 8, 2021 | 4:42pm ET Serj Tankian has released a music video for “How Many TImes?” as the last in a series of visual accompaniments tied to his recently released Elasticity EP. The clip for “How Many Times?” was directed by Roger Kupelian, who is known for his visual effects work on The Lord of the Rings and X-Men. Kupelianalso previously worked with Tankian on the clips for “Honking Antelope” and “Reconstructive Demonstrations”. “It’s amazing to be working with my good friend Roger Kupelian again whose images of the two kings (The Argonath) in The Lord of the Rings are stamps in New Zealand,” Tankian said in a statement. “He also directed ‘Honking Antelope...
Ohio Venue Where Dimebag Darrell Was Murdered to Be Demolished for Affordable Housing Development
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-08T21:58:33+00:00“>June 8, 2021 | 5:58pm ET An affordable housing development is planned for the current site of Alrosa Villa, the Columbus, Ohio, venue where legendary Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed while he played onstage with his band Damageplan in December 2004. Four other people were also killed that night. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the plot was put on the market in 2019 for $1.295 million, including the 10,000-square-foot music venue, two lots totaling 7.2 acres, a liquor license, and various equipment. The venue hosted major hard rock and metal shows for 45 years, and in its heyday, booked such acts as Pantera on the Cowboys from Hell tour,...
Amigo the Devil Announces 2021 US Tour
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-08T16:31:02+00:00“>June 8, 2021 | 12:31pm ET Amigo the Devil has announced an extensive 2021 US tour kicking off in August. The entire trek will be supported by Tejon Street Corner Thieves, while IV and the Strange Band (led by Hank Williams III’s son Coleman) and Stephanie Lambring will also appear at select dates. The lengthy 50-plus show itinerary begins on August 18th at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and runs all the way through November 18th, when it wraps up in Dallas. It’s the second major headlining tour for Amigo, aka Danny Kiranos, who will bring his macabre brand of Americana storytelling to each gig. In addition to the headlining shows, Amigo will make festival a...
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe and a Ton of Other Acts Turn Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” into a Hardcore Song: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-07T18:07:06+00:00“>June 7, 2021 | 2:07pm ET Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe and a host of other heavy music artists have turned Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” into a hardcore song. It’s the latest edition of Two Minutes to Late Night’s “Bedroom Covers” quarantine series. In addition to Blythe, some other big names appearing on the cover include Walter Schreifels of Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand, The Armed’s Urian V. Hackney, and current and former members of Harm’s Way, the Dillinger Escape Plan, War on Women, and many more. The massive crew help with the New York Hardcore-style gang vocals that make this Prince cover truly one of a kind. Who knew the classic ’80s love song c...
Kid Rock Screams Homophobic Slur During Performance at Tennessee Bar
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-07T21:00:31+00:00“>June 7, 2021 | 5:00pm ET Kid Rock was filmed blatantly hurling a homophobic slur during a seemingly impromptu performance at a bar in Tennessee on Saturday night (June 5th), apparently not learning much from the recent scandal engulfing his friend Morgan Wallen. TMZ has posted video of Kid Rock going on a tirade about fans filming him with smartphones, at one point yelling, “F**k your iPhone,” and then pointing to his crotch and singing, “You can post this, you can post this, you can post this dick right now.” He then screams, “You f**king f**gots with your phones out,” before the video gets cut off. The clip was captured while Kid Rock was onstage at Fish...
