Heavy Music News
Gene Simmons on His New G² Gibson Collection, Restarting KISS’ Final Tour, and More
KISS singer-bassist Gene Simmons is not only a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician, but a merchandizing master. His band set the template for rock branding, and now he’s combining his knowledge of music and merch with a new line of Gibson guitars and basses, dubbed G² (pronounced “G-squared”). The G² collection sees Simmons partnering with Gibson on a new line of right-handed and left-handed guitars and basses, spanning across the company’s owned and operated brands Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer. The partnership will launch with the G² Thunderbird bass, which Simmons debuted during KISS’ massive New Year’s Eve livestream show in Dubai. Also on tap are Flying V basses and guitars, among other instruments. We had the opportunity to speak with Simmons about the collection, the genesis of the...
Tom Morello Considers Ted Nugent a Friend Despite Polar Opposite Political Beliefs
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello opened up about his unlikely friendship with rocker Ted Nugent during a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show. Morello said he still considers Nugent a friend despite their opposing political beliefs. The RATM guitarist’s views are firmly on the left, while the gun-toting Nugent is about as far to the right as can be. Morello called Donald Trump an “orange-faced demagogue.” Meanwhile, the Nuge defended the former president following the Capitol insurrection, instead blaming Antifa and Black Lives Matter for the violent riot. Despite being polar opposites politically, Morello said he instead focused on their similarities as worldclass guitarists and staunch free-speech advocates. “For his 60th birthday, someone reached out to me and said, ...
Metallica Celebrate Master of Puppets Anniversary by Crushing “Battery” on Colbert: Watch
With Wednesday (March 3rd) marking the 35th anniversary of their landmark album Master of Puppets, Metallica returned to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to celebrate the iconic LP. The metal masters performed one of the thrash masterpiece’s standout tracks, “Battery”. Metallica really couldn’t have gone wrong with any song off the 1986 album. As we pointed out in our new retrospective piece on Master of Puppets, the band’s third LP is all killer, no filler from front to back. In fact, it’s arguably the greatest thrash metal album ever made. Positioned next to a graphic of the Master of Puppets album cover, Stephen Colbert introduced the performance by saying, “Their album Master of Puppets was released 35 years ago today, and had such an impact that it was added to the National Recordin...
Wolfgang Van Halen Hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart with Debut Single “Distance”
Wolfgang Van Halen’s debut single “Distance” has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The track was released under Wolfgang’s Mammoth WVH solo moniker as a tribute to his late father Eddie Van Halen, who personally loved the song and had a few No. 1 hits of his own with Van Halen. The single was accompanied by a touching music video featuring home movies of Eddie and Wolfgang. Since its release, the video has over 4 million views on YouTube. “The response to ‘Distance’ has been incredibly overwhelming,” Wolfgang said in a press release. “The immense support from everyone at radio who played the song and all of the fans who called requesting it has been more than I could have imagined. Thank you to everyone who helped me get my first #1 song. I wish Pop was here to ...
Stryper’s Michael Sweet Fears It’s “Just a Matter of Time” Before the Bible Is Canceled
Michael Sweet, frontman of prominent Christian metal band Stryper, believes it’s “just a matter of time” before the Bible is canceled. The singer expressed his sentiments in a tweet on Tuesday (March 2nd), joining a slew of conservative personalities who’ve expressed similar fears about cancel culture in recent months. Sweet tweeted, “We’ve been handing out bibles for almost 40 years. For the first time in my life I’m asking myself this question – I wonder how long it will be before this book is cancelled? I know it may seem like a silly thought but it’s really not. It’s just a matter of time. Frightening!” The beginning of his tweet refers to Stryper’s stage show where they literally hurl Bibles into the audience, much like how other bands would throw guitar picks. As of a 2017 report, mo...
Dave Lombardo Reveals That His Classic Slayer Drum Sets Were Stolen
In a new interview, drummer Dave Lombardo has revealed that all of his classic Slayer drum kits were stolen in various thefts over the years. Lombardo offered up the awful news during a recent appearance on YouTube metal program “Hangin’ and Bangin’”. In addition to having two storage units broken into, a Slayer rehearsal room in Riverside, California, was also pilfered, resulting in the loss of Lombardo’s classic kits from his long stint as a founding member of the legendary thrash band. When asked the standard and typically innocuous question of how many drums he owns, Lombardo took a somber tone, replying, “Unfortunately… I don’t have many. Two storage units, at two different times in periods of my life, were broken into. So, I think, probably five-six drum kits out of the first storage...
Lzzy Hale and Members of Code Orange and Baroness Cover Pantera’s “Mouth for War”: Watch
Two Minutes to Late Night‘s “Bedroom Covers” quarantine series rolls on, and the latest socially distanced collab is an all-star rendition of the Pantera classic “Mouth for War”. Among the participants is Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale, Baroness guitarist Gina Gleason, and Code Orange guitarist/vocalist Reba Meyers. Rounding out the lineup is Year of the Knife’s Madi Watkins, drummer Ben Koller of Mutoid Man, along with “Two Minutes” host Gwarsenio Hall (aka Jordan Olds). Needless to say, it’s a star-studded ensemble, and they rip through the opening track from Pantera’s 1992 thrash masterpiece, Vulgar Display of Power. “Mouth for War” is one of Pantera’s most extreme songs both vocally and guitar-wise. The collection of talented musicians do Philip Anselmo and Dimebag Darrell justice in ...
Over 100 Italian Music Acts Staged a “Silent” Strike in Place of a Livestream Concert
Lacuna Coil and more than 100 other Italian music acts staged a “silent” non-performance strike during a planned livestream concert event on Saturday, February 27th, much to the surprise of viewers who tuned in to see the show. After video showed Lacuna Coil getting ready for the “show,” the band took the stage in white jumpsuits. Instead of launching into their powerful brand of heavy metal, they stood quietly. In an initial statement, Lacuna Coil explained, “You were expecting to see a live show while we just stood in silence. It’s not a bad joke. This is the situation of live clubs in Italy. Places where we got to meet many of you. It is with this bitter taste in our mouths that we’re asking for your support. For them a live show with no music is not a live show. A silent live club is n...
Alice Cooper on Marilyn Manson Abuse Allegations: “I Never Noticed That Streak in Him”
Alice Cooper has commented on the recent abuse allegations levied against Marilyn Manson by several women. The O.G. shock rocker is not ready to throw the book at Manson just yet, saying, “I never noticed that streak in him.” While promoting his just-released new album, Detroit Stories, Cooper was asked about his thoughts on the recent Manson developments in a video interview with NME. “It’s funny about Marilyn in that I know Marilyn — when we toured together, we got along very well,” replied Cooper. “I never noticed that streak in him, if it’s there. I always believe in the word — still allegations are still allegations.” Cooper then brought up his good friend Johnny Depp, whom he plays with in the supergroup Hollywood Vampires. The actor has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife,...
Robert Fripp, Toyah, and a Real-Live Snake Take on Foo Fighters’ “Everlong”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are joined by a member of the animal kingdom in their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance video. The married couple tackle Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” as Toyah handles as real-live slithering snake. Fripp, the founding guitarist for prog pioneers King Crimson, and Toyah, a new wave singer with a series of UK hits in the ’80s, have taken on the role of rock’s most entertaining couple during the lockdown. Their “Sunday Lunch” series sees the pair offering quirky takes on rock classics. Their new performance features Fripp playing the unmistakable guitar riff from Foo Fighters’ “Everlong”, with Toyah singing the song with a good-sized snake slithering in her hands. At the very end, as if on cue, the snake turns around and makes face-to-face contact with Toyah. D...
Rammstein Recorded a New Album They “Hadn’t Planned On” During Lockdown
Rammstein did indeed record a new album during lockdown, affirms keyboardist Christian “Flake” Lorenz in a new interview. The confirmation comes after the German industrial metal band had shared images from the studio last year. Originally, Rammstein had intended to spend much of 2020 on the road, including their first-ever full-scale stadium tour of North America. Due to the pandemic, touring was put on hold, and the band found itself with a lot of time on its hands. Instead of sitting around waiting for concerts to resume, Rammstein hit the studio and recorded a very quick (especially by their standards) follow-up to their 2019 untitled album. “The fact that we couldn’t perform live increased our creativity,” Flake told the German website Motor Music. “We had more time to think of new th...
Tomahawk (Mike Patton) Unleash New Song “Dog Eat Dog” with Brutal Music Video: Stream
The Mike Patton-fronted alternative metal act Tomahawk has unveiled the second single from its upcoming album Tonic Immobility, due out March 26th. The new song, titled “Dog Eat Dog”, comes with a brutal music video. The track is another crisp slice of heavy melodies, following the sound outlined on the previous single “Business Casual”. The inexhaustible Patton is never one to skimp on his vocal performances, and he delivers another strong outing on “Dog Eat Dog”. Lyrically, the new song offers a humorously pro-canine stance, with Patton stating, “Dogs patiently wait, obediently, for humans to snuff each other out…so they can take over the world. Dogs rule!!!!” The accompanying video, directed by Eric Livingston, takes a more serious look at the inherent competition in our society — ...
