Heavy Music News
Lemmy’s Ashes Were Placed in Bullets and Given to His Closest Friends
The late Lemmy Kilmister was indeed the coolest man on Earth, even in death. Per the legendary Motörhead frontman’s request, his ashes were placed in bullets and delivered to his closest friends and associates. Now, that’s metal — literally! The revelation comes courtesy of Riki Rachtman, the onetime host of the MTV show Headbangers Ball. On Monday (March 22nd), Rachtman shared a photo of a bullet with “LEMMY” engraved on it, writing, “Before his death #Lemmy asked for his ashes to be put in some bullets & handed out to his closest friends. Today, I received a bullet & was literally brought to tears. Thank you, @myMotorhead.” Rachtman’s post follows one on Instagram from last year by former professional tennis player Pat Cash that is now getting attention. Cash shared a pic of anot...
Paul Stanley on Soul Station, His Favorite Singers, and Whether KISS Will Complete Their Farewell Tour
For several years, KISS singer-guitarist Paul Stanley has been moonlighting as the frontman for Soul Station — a musical collective that focuses on covers of vintage soul and R&B classics of the ‘60s and ‘70s (as well as some originals that sound as if they were cut from the same musical cloth). But it was not until this month that the band finally issued their debut album, Now and Then. And it turns out the wait was certainly worth it — Stanley’s voice is in fine form throughout, especially on covers of the Five Stairsteps’ “O-O-H Child” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together”, among others. The singer, who forgoes rhythm guitar when fronting Soul Station, spoke with Consequence of Sound shortly before the arrival of Now and Then, which you can pick up here. Not only did he discuss Soul ...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Deal Out Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades”: Watch
It’s your lucky day, as Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox deal out the Motörhead classic “Ace of Spades” for their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance. The married couple once again deliver a frisky take on a legendary rock tune, with Toyah making a deck of cards rain as she sings and dances in a French maid’s outfit — all as a high-powered fan blows her hair back. King Crimson founder Fripp, meanwhile, remains steady as ever, as he delivers the iconic “Ace of Spades” riff. Fripp rose up the ranks of the UK music scene around the same time as late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Fripp formed King Crimson in 1968, while Lemmy played in the band The Rockin’ Vickers in the mid to late 60s before becoming a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and eventually joining Hawkwind in 1971. Meanwhil...
Greta Van Fleet Share New Song “Broken Bells”: Stream
Greta Van Fleet are prepping for the release of their highly anticipated sophomore album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate, out April 16th. Now the band has shared the anthemic new single, “Broken Bells”. A coming-of-age song of sorts, the track again sees Greta Van Fleet expanding their sonic palette beyond the restrictive classic-rock pastiche of their debut record. The prog-like Rush influences and subtle folk flourishes add new colors to the band’s sound. For the third consecutive single, Greta Van Fleet push the song past the five-minute mark as they stretch their musical ideas. “Broken Bells is what the fetter of society does to impact a pure and innocent soul,” bassist Sam Kiszka said in a press release. “Our intention is to remove the obligation of generational synthetic expectations; b...
Ministry Announce Fall 2021 US Tour with Helmet and Front Line Assembly
With the hope that touring will resume in earnest by the fall, Ministry have announced new dates for their “Industrial Strength Tour”, which will feature support from Helmet and Front Line Assembly. The twice-delayed outing commemorates the 30th anniversary of Ministry’s 1989 album, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste. The month-long trek kicks off October 3rd in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The route veers east before looping back across the South and West Coast, hitting most major U.S. markets. The tour was originally set to launch in July 2020, with Front Line Assembly and KMFDM supporting. It was then moved to spring 2021 due to the pandemic. Now. with Helmet in place of KMFDM, the band is banking on finally embarking on the outing in the fall. KMFDM had to drop from the bill due to the ...
Skillet Frontman John Cooper Attempts to Clarify Comments About Cardi B, The Grammys, and Hitler
Skillet frontman John Cooper has attempted to clarify his recent remarks comparing Cardi B’s “WAP” performance at the 2021 Grammys to speeches by Adolf Hitler. Cooper said his initial comments were “misrepresented” during a follow-up episode of his “Cooper Talk” video podcast, denying he compared Cardi B or the Grammys to any dictators. The Christian rock singer and self-described conservative sparked controversy when he tried to explain that a positive reception of Cardi B’s sexually charged Grammy performance with Megan Thee Stallion was an example of the “woke” public mistaking evil for good. He then used Hitler’s propaganda speeches as a historical example, saying that “every dictator in history says that what they were doing was good,” and that people are “forced to applaud” the “sexu...
Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer Ordered Jailed Without Bond Until His Trial for Storming the Capitol Begins
Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer will remain jailed until his trial begins for his role in storming the U.S. Capitol building. A federal judge ruled that the metal musician must be held behind bars without bond during a bail hearing on Friday (March 19th). According to Indiana TV station WUSA-9, Schaffer appeared for the Washington, D.C. hearing via a video link. The veteran rocker was one of the many people arrested for the riot that broke out on January 6th. He faces six charges, including engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building. He allegedly used bear spray on Capitol police during the insurrection. The guitarist’s attorney read a statement on his behalf, saying that Schaffer admits he “used bad judgement” and wishes he had a “do-over.” The lawyer also argued that...
Serj Tankian on His New Elasticity EP: “I Definitely Thought These Songs Would Have Worked Out for System”
Serj Tankian has just released his new solo EP, Elasticity. The title is inspired, in part, by System of a Down’s landmark 2001 album,Toxicity, and the singer has made no secret about the songs being originally intended for his acclaimed metal band. The collection features five new songs, including the recent singles “Elasticity” and “Electric Yerevan”. One listen to the EP, and it’s not difficult to see how these tracks would have fit nicely into the System of a Down canon. Tankian approached System with these songs a few years back, and as he explained to Heavy Consequence, the band members even worked on a few of them. However, ultimately creative differences led to any recording plans coming to a standstill. We asked Tankian what he felt more: regret about not recording the songs with ...
R.I.P. Corey Steger, Founding Underoath Guitarist Dies in Car Accident
Guitarist Corey Steger, one of the original members of Florida metalcore act Underoath, has died in a car accident. The tragic news was reported by Dallas Taylor, another founding member of band. Steger joined singer Taylor, guitarist Luke Morton, bassist Rey Anasco, and drummer Aaron Gillespie in Underoath’s original lineup in 1998, remaining with the band through 2001. He appeared on their first two albums, 1999’s Act of Depression and 2000’s Cries of the Past. Taylor, who parted ways with Underoath in 2003, shared the devastating news of Steger’s death on Instagram, writing the following: “I don’t know how to type this. I’m without words. Yesterday 3/17/2021 at around 6:00 p.m. Corey Steger one of the original founding members of Underoath was rear ended in a car wreck, and went home to...
Serj Tankian Releases New Solo EP Elasticity: Stream
Serj Tankian has unveiled his new solo EP, Elasticity, featuring five new songs he had originally hoped to record with his multiplatinum band System of a Down. The EP Is available to stream in its entirety below. “When I conceived possibly doing another record with the guys from System of a Down a few years back, I started working on a set of songs that I arranged in rock format for that purpose,” Tankian explained in a press release. “As we weren’t able to see eye to eye on the vision going forward with an SOAD album, I decided to release these songs under my moniker.” It’s easy to see how these songs would have fit within the System of a Down mold, as they have a quirky metal vibe reminiscent of the band’s acclaimed musical output. The track “Your Mom” is especially in the System vein, a...
Alice Cooper: David Bowie Saw My Stage Show and Said This Is What He “Should Be Doing”
Legendary rockers Alice Cooper and David Bowie each broke new ground as theatrical stage performers. While the two pioneers of glam rock were contemporaries, Cooper says it was his stage show that influenced Bowie. In a new feature for Metal Hammer, Cooper answered a number of fan questions. One reader named Debbie asked, “Did you ever cross paths with your theatrical comrade, David Bowie?” “David used to come to the show when he was a mime artist, he was Davy Jones back then,” responded Cooper. “I remember at one of our ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’ shows, he brought his band the Spiders From Mars and he was saying, ‘This is what we should be doing.’ But he never did it the way we did it.” He added, “When we started doing theatrics and still had hit records, that opened up a huge door for Bow...
Puscifer to Perform Money Shot in Its Entirety for Upcoming Livestream Concert
Puscifer have announced their second livestream event, dubbed “Billy D and the Hall of Feathered Serpents Featuring Money Shot by Puscifer”. The virtual concert goes live on April 17th at 5 p.m. ET and will be available for on-demand viewing. As the name implies, Puscifer will be performing 2015’s Money Shot in its entirety, reviving the Lucha Libre wrestling themed performances of that album cycle. And like the band’s previous cinematic livestream, the upcoming show promises eye-popping costumes and set pieces, with Puscifer performing at the historic Mayan Theater in Los Angeles. “In this prequel to his alleged abduction during Existential Reckoning, we find Billy D trudging through what has been referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of the Southwest,” singer Maynard James Keenan explained...
