Heavy Music News
Suspect208 (Sons of Weiland, Slash, Trujillo) Unveil Video for Second Single “All Black”: Watch
Suspect208, the new band featuring the sons of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, and late Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, have just unveiled their second single. The track, “All Black”, is accompanied by a music video that offers the first look at the young musicians performing onstage. The band — consisting of 20-year-old singer Noah Weiland, 16-year-old bassist Tye Trujillo, 18-year-old drummer London Hudson (Slash’s son), and 18-year-old guitarist Niko Tsangaris — went viral with their debut single, “Long Awaited”, which arrived last month. That track is already approaching a million hits on YouTube. While “Long Awaited” drew comparisons to Velvet Revolver, a band that featured both Slash and Scott Weiland, “All Black” has more of a rock-pop vib...
Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020
Our Annual Report looks back upon the strange year that was 2020 and the music, film, and television that came with it. Here, we present our Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020. In a year we’d mostly like to forget, the world of heavy music brought us many memorable releases. While we wait for concerts to return, we have a treasure trove of new metal and hard rock albums that amplify the anticipation of seeing our favorite bands return to stages. 2020 has been dominated by a worldwide pandemic, and if anything can provide us with a daily distraction from the suffering and uncertainty, it’s good music. Thankfully, dozens of bands decided to release new albums this year, despite not being able to tour in support of their latest studio efforts. As a reminder that life is filled with comeb...
North Kingsley (Shavo Odadjian) Unleash “False Idols” Featuring Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA: Stream
North Kingsley, the side-project of System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, have released a new three-song EP, Vol. 2, their second of 2020. The group has also shared a music video for politically charged lead single “False Idols”, which features RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. The track epitomizes North Kingsley’s groove-laden take on alternative hip-hop and the strong political views that seem to accompany Odadjian’s projects. North Kingsley vocalist/lyricist Ray Hawthorne takes centerstage on the song, with the video featuring the band’s members wearing masks of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton. “We, as individuals, empower and idolize people who care for their own interests above ours,” vocalist/lyricist Hawthorne said in the press release. “We need to recognize that. We need to ...
Eyehategod Detail New Album A History of Nomadic Behavior, Share “High Risk Trigger”: Stream
New Orleans sludge metal vets Eyehategod have detailed their previously announced new album, A History of Nomadic Behavior. The 12-song effort arrives March 12th and marks the band’s first new LP in seven years. Eyehategod have also shared the album’s lead single, the politically charged “High Risk Trigger”. While singer Mike IX Williams says the band rarely touches on politics, the song tackles the subject of police brutality. The rest of the album also has overtones of the socio-political disruption prevalent in modern America. “We’re not a political band, but it was hard not to be affected by the news from the past year,” Williams said in a press release. “During this recording, I thought a lot about how stupid humanity has become and how America is now completely divided with these peo...
The HU Unleash Mongolian Cover of Metallica’s “Sad But True”: Stream
Mongolian act The HU have covered the Metallica classic “Sad But True” in their native tongue, employing both traditional Mongolian instruments and throat singing. It’s a passionately detailed twist on the catchy metal song, transforming the song’s hook and bouncy riff into something new altogether. It manages to sound like The HU’s other traditional Mongolian folk rock without losing the song’s inherent Metallica-ness. Don’t worry, you can still effectively headbang to it. “Like millions of people around the world, Metallica has been a huge influence and inspiration for us as music fans and musicians,” The HU’s Galbadrakh “Gala” Tsendbaatar said in a press release. “We admire their 40 years of relentless touring and the timeless, unique music they have created. It is a great honor to show...
Greta Van Fleet Announce New Album The Battle at Garden’s Gate, Unveil “Age of Machine”: Stream
Greta Van Fleet have announced a new album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate. In advance of its April 16th release, the young rockers have unleashed the LP’s latest single, “Age of Machine”. The Battle at Garden’s Gate marks Greta Van Fleet’s sophomore album, following their 2018 debut, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, and a whirlwind of success since exploding onto the scene with the single “Highway Tune” in 2017. The Michigan band’s experiences over the past three years have helped inform the new album, with bassist Sam Kiszka stating, “I suppose that everything has changed except what got us here in the first place. Everything — our perception of the world, perception of life itself, what it means to be an artist, what it means to be part of a beautiful, gorgeous society. We’ve gained a larger u...
Deafheaven Release New Studio-Recorded Live Album 10 Years Gone: Stream
Deafheaven have released their new studio-recorded live album 10 Years Gone, commemorating the illustrious first decade of their career. Initially, Deafheaven were to go on a world tour called “10 Years Gone”, but the pandemic shut that down. Making the most of the situation, the band decided to properly record its planned setlist live in the studio, offering a vivid document of what fans would have witnessed had the tour happened. The only thing missing is the crowd noise as Deafheaven deconstruct arguably the strongest set of songs in their catalog. “Daedalus” and “Glint” were released as singles, teasing the immensity of this psuedo-live document. Tackling each song full bore, it’s Deafheaven at their most intense and direct. “Revisiting the songs in this studio sessions format with Jac...
COVID-Exorcising Televangelist Goes Heavy Metal in Viral Video: Watch
“Judgement on COVID-19 goes HEAVY METAL [Kenneth Copeland Remix] [I Demand]”, via YouTube Fire-and-brimstone televangelist Kenneth Copeland is unlikely to enter the dark embrace of heavy metal anytime soon, but one YouTube guitarist has made a valid argument for the Texas pastor’s prospects as a metal frontman. Andres Antunes took Copeland’s recent COVID-19 “exorcism” and laid down some riffs under it, creating one of the most chilling and absurd mashups since Metal Trump. Titled “Judgement on COVID-19 goes HEAVY METAL [Kenneth Copeland Remix] [I Demand]”, Antunes’ video is going viral, having already approached 500,000 views. Copeland’s commanding sermons are terrifying in their own right — especially the COVID one — making Antunes’ decision to combine them with metal riffs all the ...
Chris Cornell’s Daughter Lily Cornell Silver Covers Alice in Chains for First Public Performance: Watch
Lily Cornell Silver, the eldest daughter of late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, made her first public performance during the MoPOP Founders Award ceremony on Tuesday night. She covered Alice in Chains’ “Black Gives Way to Blue” in tribute to the evening’s honorees. The livestream event saw numerous grunge and alt-rock luminaries covering the songs of Alice in Chains. Members of Soundgarden participated in the festivities, and one of the evening’s major highlights came when Lily — whose mom is Alice in Chains’ longtime manager Susan Silver — played a touching piano version of “Black Gives Way to Blue” with musical accompaniment by Queensrÿche’s Chris DeGarmo. Like her father, Lily has a strong singing voice, elevating the emotional content of an already heart-wrenching song. We can onl...
Slash Unveils Gibson “Victoria” Les Paul Standard Goldtop Electric Guitar
Gibson and Slash have announced the “Victoria” Les Paul Standard Goldtop electric guitar, the latest instrument in the company’s expansive Slash Collection of signature models. The “Victoria” Les Paul Standard features a maple top, a solid mahogany body, a dark back finish and personal touches from Slash, including a C-shaped neck profile, uncovered Gibson Custom BurstBucker Alnico 2 pickups, color coordinated hardware appointments, hand-wired electronics with Orange Drop capacitors, and a vintage style brown hardshell case. Exclusive to the collection is Slash’s “Skully” drawing on the back of the headstock and the guitarist’s signature on the truss rod cover. Developed in tandem with Slash himself, if you want to play and sound like the guitar legend, look no further than this new Les Pa...
Bad Religion Announce Four-Part “Decades” Streaming Performance Series
Bad Religion were hoping to tour in celebration of their 40th anniversary this year. Instead, the punk-rock veterans will mark the milestone with a four-part streaming performance series dubbed “Decades”. “Decades” will be divided into four episodes, one for each decade of the band’s existence: “The ’80s”, “The ’90s, “The ’00s”, “The ’10s”. Each episode will feature footage from a new set filmed at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. In addition to the new performances of songs from each era, the episodes will include exclusive interviews, archival footage from each decade, and more. The band will also participate in a live chat as each episode premieres. “I can speak for the whole band when I say that we were so disappointed to not be able to tour this year,” said singer Greg Graffin in a pr...
David Lee Roth Creates Morbid Artwork Referencing Sammy Hagar
The rivalry between erstwhile Van Halen singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar has taken on a new art form … and a morbid one, at that. Diamond Dave has created a new piece of artwork that makes several references to the Red Rocker’s future passing and afterlife. Roth’s art piece comes just a few days after Hagar said he would have loved to take part in an all-inclusive Van Halen farewell tour featuring all three of the band’s singers (including Gary Cherone), despite a “not user friendly” DLR. The “kitchen-sink” tour, as Wolfgang Van Halen referred to it, was being planned by Eddie Van Halen before his passing in October. While the timing of Roth’s artwork seems to be in direct response to Hagar’s harsh words, the subject matter apparently references quotes that Hagar made back in June. A...
