Heavy Music News
Guns N’ Roses Sue Online Gun Store Named “Texas Guns and Roses”
Guns N’ Roses have filed a lawsuit against an online gun store named “Texas Guns and Roses,” according to NBC News Los Angeles. Attorneys representing the band filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court, alleging that the store — operated by Jersey Village Florist — sells firearms, ammunition, scopes, and body armor via mail “without GNR’s approval, license or consent.” The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order prohibiting the use of the website name. Furthermore, the band alleges that Jersey Village Florist “selected and adopted defendant’s marks for the purpose of confusing consumers into believing that it was connected or associated with, or licensed by, GNR.” The lawsuit states that the online store purports to sell roses and other flora to justify “whole appropriatio...
Pantera Play First Concert in 21 Years: Video and Setlist
Pantera — at the least the new incarnation of the legendary band — played their first show in 21 years on Friday night (December 2nd). The long-dormant act performed a 15-song set at the Hell & Heaven festival outside Mexico City. Classic members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) are joined by guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) and drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax) in the band’s revamped lineup. The latter two have the daunting task of filling in for late brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, respectively. Pantera kicked off the set with “A New Level” and then launched into “Mouth for War,” both from 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power. After that, it was four straight songs from 1994’s Far Beyond Driven (“Strength Beyond Strength,” “Becoming,” “I’m Bro...
Judas Priest Celebrate 50 Million Album Sales Worldwide
For more than 50 years, Judas Priest have helped carry the torch for heavy metal music. Now, the band is celebrating not only a half century in music but also 50 million album sales worldwide. Frontman Rob Halford and company were recently presented with a special plaque commemorating 50 years in music and more than 50 million albums sold. The band was given the honor the evening before its induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles last month. In the photo above, Priest — Halford, bassist Ian Hill, drummer Scott Travis, and guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner — are shown receiving the plaque from Jo Kalli of Sony Music UK, Scott Carter of Sony Music US, manager Jayne Andrews, and Michael Closter and Scott Rubin of Reach Music Publishing. Advertisement Rel...
Video Shows Pantera Soundcheck Ahead of First Concert in 20-Plus Years: Watch
Pantera are set to play their first show in more than 20 years on Friday (December 2nd) at the Hell & Heaven festival outside Mexico City. New video has emerged of the band’s soundcheck, likely filmed last night ahead of the festival’s start. As previously reported, classic members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown will be joined by guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante for a new run of shows. The latter two are filling the mighty shoes of late brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, respectively. The crudely filmed video posted to Instagram (watch below) captures the soundcheck from a long distance, but it’s clearly Pantera, with their name on the backdrop. As soon as Wylde’s guitar kicks in, the person filming and whoever’s with him scream in excitement. Then Anselmo’s famili...
9-Year-Old Girl Plays 15-Song Tool Medley on Guitar Gifted to Her by Adam Jones: Watch
Nine-year-old music protege Maya Neelakantan was gifted a signature Gibson Les Paul by Adam Jones and promptly put it to use, recording a 15-song Tool medley. Not unlike Nandi Bushell, Neelakantan has become a YouTube phenom thanks to her gifted guitar skills. You may remember her 15-minute playthrough of Tool’s “7empest” earlier this year — a feat so impressive, it apparently caught the attention of Adam Jones himself. A couple months ago, the Tool guitarist bequeathed one of his prized signature model Gibson Les Paul guitars to Neelakantan, who shared the surprise moment in a heartwarming unboxing video. The gift must have inspired the young virtuoso to learn even more Tool songs. Advertisement Earlier this week, Neelakantan uploaded the aforementioned 15-song Tool medley played with the...
Vinnie Paul’s Estate Insists “There Can Never Be a Pantera Reunion” but Supports Upcoming Tour
The estate of the late Vinnie Paul has issued a statement in support of Pantera’s upcoming shows. However, the statement refrained from calling the band’s reformation a “reunion.” This past summer, news broke that the surviving classic members of Pantera — singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown — were joining forces with guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante to play select dates and festivals as Pantera. At the time, Billboard reported that the estates of Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell had given it the go-ahead. On Wednesday (November 30th), Vinnie’s estate posted the following message on Facebook, clarifying its stance on the matter with a pointed first sentence, but an overall positive attitude toward the upcoming shows: “There can never be a Pantera reunion with...
Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez of ††† (Crosses) Open Up on Split with Chuck Doom: “He Just Really Wasn’t Present”
Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez of ††† (Crosses) have opened up about the difficult decision to continue the project without onetime member Chuck Doom. The trio formed Crosses in 2011 and released three EPs and a 2014 self-titled album. Then the group ostensibly went on hiatus until reemerging in 2020, sans Chuck Doom. As Moreno and Lopez explained in a new interview with Kerrang!, the hiatus was partially due to a crumbling professional relationship between the duo and Doom. “[Chuck] was going this way, I was going that way, and Chino was caught in the middle,” Lopez revealed. “I think Chuck wanted to do his solo thing and involve Chino, which kind of meant he wanted to do Crosses without me. … It was a bummer because the whole reason this stopped for that many years is because of one person...
Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard Announce 2023 Atlantic City Shows
Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard will warm up for their 2023 world tour with a pair of February gigs in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The concerts will take place at the 7,000-capacity Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena, a relatively intimate venue compared to the massive outdoor stadiums the two veteran rock acts played this past summer. The shows are booked for February 10th and 11th, one week before the two bands kick off the previously announced international run of their co-headlining tour. Tickets for the Atlantic City concerts go on sale to the general public this Friday (December 2nd) at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster, with a Citi pre-sales having already begun and a Live Nation pre-sale beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. ET using the code HEADLINE. The international tour will kick off with a Latin Ame...
Original Misfits Cancel Las Vegas New Year’s Eve Show Due to “Personal Matter”
The Original Misfits have canceled their December 31st show at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas due to a “personal matter.” Circle Jerks and Tiger Army were set to open the high-profile gig, which would have been a perfect way to ring in the New Year for punk fans. Unfortunately, ticketholders will instead have to seek a refund (available from the point of purchase). The Misfits broke the news on Twitter: “It is with regret, that due to an unexpected personal matter, the Misfits are unable to perform our show in Las Vegas on Dec 31st. We look forward to hopefully seeing you at a show in 2023.” Advertisement Related Video Thankfully the band appear to be planning future dates for next year. Given the sporadic nature of the Original Misfits shows since classic members Glenn Danzig and Jerry...
Mötley Crüe Announce “Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989” Vinyl Box Set
Mötley Crüe have announced the Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989 box set, which collects their first five albums on vinyl and CD. Both formats are set to arrive on February 17th. The LP box set will contain colored-vinyl variants of the following albums: Too Fast for Love (white/black splatter); Shout at the Devil (yellow/black splatter); Theater of Pain (hot pink magenta/black splatter); Girls, Girls, Girls (cyan blue/black splatter); and Dr. Feelgood (coke bottle green/oxblood splatter). The vinyl and CD sets are each limited to 10,000 copies worldwide. It’s the first time the Crüe’s iconic ’80s output has been housed in one package on vinyl and CD. Previously, the band offered up those five albums as part of a limited 40th anniversary cassette box set for Record Store Day in 202...
Failure Announce “We Are Hallucinations” Streaming Concert Film
Failure have announced a streaming concert film, dubbed “We Are Hallucinations,” premiering December 15th. It marks the veteran alt-rockers first foray into streaming and captures performances from the band’s summer 2022 tour in support of their 2021 album Wild Type Droid. The 18 songs selected for the film span all six of Failure’s studio albums, including choice cuts such as “Stuck on You” — as seen in the trailer below. “It’s crazy that we have never made a concert film before,” remarked guitarist Greg Edwards in a press release, “but I think this will really stand as a definitive document of the dynamic between the three of us on stage and the connection we have with our fans.” Advertisement Related Video Failure are treating fans just in time for the holiday. In addition to the c...
Metallica’s Helping Hands Benefit Concert To Stream on Paramount+ and YouTube
Metallica have announced that their Helping Hands benefit concert on December 16th will stream via Paramount+, Pluto TV, and YouTube. The show will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and also features a charity auction. Along with the streaming announcement, the band also revealed that Greta Van Fleet will play an opening set and Jimmy Kimmel will host the evening’s festivities. Metallica shared the following in a statement: “We’re looking forward to celebrating the achievements of All Within My Hands in our final show of the year, the Helping Hands Concert & Auction at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Friday, December 16. This will be the third time we hit the stage to benefit the Foundation, but the very first time that it will be streamed live with a full audi...
