Heavy Music News
R.I.P. Steve Grimmett, Grim Reaper Singer Dies at 62
Steve Grimmett, the longtime singer of UK metal band Grim Reaper, has died at the age of 62. The sad news was reported on social media by both his brother and his son, with no cause of death reported as of yet. After the band initially formed in 1979 as part of the new wave of British heavy metal, guitarist Nick Bowcott essentially re-formed Grim Reaper with Grimmett on lead vocals in 1982. The band released three albums: See You in Hell (1983), Fear No Evil (1985), and Rock You to Hell (1987). After their breakup in 1988, they regained notoriety when their videos were featured on Beavis & Butt-Head in the 1990s. Advertisement Related Video Grimmett re-formed the band without Bowcott as Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper in 2006, and they had been active until the present day. During the gro...
Metallica’s James Hetfield Files for Divorce from Wife of 25 Years: Report
Metallica frontman James Hetfield quietly filed for divorce from his wife, Francesca, earlier this year, according to TMZ. The couple has been married for 25 years and share three children together. TMZ cites sources as revealing that Hetfield filed divorce papers in Colorado, but was able to keep it under wraps, as the filing was never publicly reported. James and Francesca married on August 17th, 1997, and the metal icon has often credited his wife with helping him through tough times, including his battles with addiction. Advertisement Related Video Recalling one of his rehab stints in the early 2000s, Hetfield told The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in 2016, “My wife did the right thing, she kicked my ass right out of the house and that scared the shit out of me. She said, ‘Hey, you’re n...
Turnstile Have Parted Ways with Guitarist Brady Ebert
Turnstile revealed on Friday afternoon that guitarist and co-founder Brady Ebert is no longer a member of the group. The announcement was made via the band’s Instagram Story and follows months of speculation after Ebert’s extended absence from their live set. To break the news, the band posted a message that read: “Turnstile and guitarist Brady Ebert are parting ways. We are deeply grateful for our time together. Our love for him continues and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward. Love, Turnstile.” No further details have been provided, but it does give a definitive answer to fans who have noted Ebert’s exclusion on the early summer “Turnstile Love Connection Tour.” A March 2022 taping for Jimmy Kimmel Live! appears to be Ebert’s last public appearance with the band, when they p...
Alice in Chains Announce Dirt 30th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue and Boxset
Alice in Chains’ seminal 1992 album Dirt is receiving a 30th anniversary vinyl reissue and boxset. The announcement comes right after the band launched its tour with Breaking Benjamin and Bush. The trek picks back up tomorrow (August 13th) in Syracuse, New York, and runs through October 8th in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Get tickets via Ticketmaster. Dirt was recently certified five-times platinum by the RIAA and was overdue for a vinyl repress, having been out of print for the past couple years. It’s also the first time the album has been issued on double vinyl for maximum fidelity. Advertisement Related Video Fans have a multitude of options for owning the new edition, which features remastered audio. In addition to the standard black double-vinyl pressing and other retailer-exclusive colo...
Megadeth Unleash Crushing New Song “Soldier On!”: Stream
Megadeth have shared “Soldier On!,” the latest single from their forthcoming album The Sick, The Dying…and the Dead! arriving September 2nd. The new song comes a week before Megadeth’s co-headlining tour with Five Finger Death Punch. The outing kicks off August 19th in Portland, Oregon, and runs through October 15th in Salt Lake City. You can buy tickets via Ticketmaster. “Solider On!” calls back to Countdown to Extinction with its groove metal riffs and prominent vocal melodies. It’s the most compact and accessible single we’ve heard from the new album thus far. And according to Dave Mustaine’s comments in the press release, it might have been inspired by the ousting of former bassist David Ellefson. Advertisement Related Video “Coming to the realization that you need to walk away from a ...
Alice in Chains Kick Off US Tour with First Show in Three Years: Video + Setlist
Alice in Chains launched their summer US tour with co-headliners Breaking Benjamin and special guests Bush on Wednesday night (August 10th) in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. The show marked AIC’s first concert in three years, after last playing in September 2019. The 30-city outing runs through an October 8th show in Mansfield, Massachusetts, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. With their seminal sophomore album, Dirt, turning 30 years old this year, AIC’s 15-song set was heavy on tunes from the 1992 classic. All told, AIC played six songs from Dirt, including “Angry Chair,” “Dam That River,” “Down in a Hole,” “Rooster,” “Them Bones,” and “Would?” Other tunes from the Layne Staley era of the band included set-opener “Again,” “Grind,” “Man in the Box,” and “No Excuses.” Advertisement Rela...
25-Foot Inflatable Ozzy Osbourne Embarks on US Tour
A 25-foot inflatable Ozzy Osbourne that appeared at San Diego’s Comic Con is heading on a cross-country tour. The promotional campaign comes in support of Ozzy’s forthcoming album Patient Number 9, which drops on September 9th. Fans can get a chance to see the massive inflatable Ozzy — designed by renowned artist Todd McFarlane — in select cities leading up to the release date. Comic Con attendees were the first to glimpse inflatable Ozzy, who has since appeared on the Venice Boardwalk in Los Angeles, atop the East Hollywood complex Gold Diggers, and along the Las Vegas strip. His next destination is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota this weekend. Advertisement Related Video According to a press release, the month-long tour will close out in New York City the week of the al...
Surprise! Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi Perform “Paranoid” at Commonwealth Games: Watch
Wow! Black Sabbath legends Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi surprised fans at the Commonwealth Games in their hometown of Birmingham, England, with a performance of “Paranoid” at the closing ceremony for the athletic competition on Monday night (August 8th). The performance was momentous for a multitude of reasons, including it being the first time the metal icons played together onstage since Black Sabbath played their final show ever in February 2017. Not to mention, it marked Ozzy’s first live performance in nearly three years, and first since undergoing a major neck operation earlier this summer. After the intro to “Iron Man” was teased with Ozzy exclaiming “I am Iron Man” from backstage, the Prince of Darkness made his way to the stage, where he was joined by Iommi and two musicians who p...
Dethklok Perform for First Time in Three Years at Adult Swim Festival: Watch
Cartoon metal band Dethklok returned to the live stage for the first time in three years last night (August 7th) at the Adult Swim Festival Block Party in Philadelphia. Dethklok, whose real-life incarnation is fronted by guitarist/vocalist Brendon Small, played a career-spanning 18-song set, traversing the full discography of the Metalocalypse stars. Their previous physical appearance came at the 2019 iteration of the Adult Swim Fest. Unfortunately the reunion set didn’t tease anything new from the upcoming Metalocalypse feature film, but Small recently said that it is in production and that a release date is yet to be determined by Adult Swim. Advertisement Related Video “I can tell you… what has already been released, which is that we are making a feature Metalocalypse movie, and that’s ...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Jump Aboard Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox pay tribute to the Prince of Darkness in their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance. The King Crimson guitarist and his singer wife perform Ozzy Osbourne’s signature solo hit “Crazy Train” with their usual frisky flair. In yet another revealing ensemble (see-through top and black pasties), Toyah pays homage to Ozzy by adding a cross necklace and fringe evening gloves, mimicking the fringe sleeves that Ozzy has sported on several onstage outfits. Fripp, meanwhile, does his best to play the late Randy Rhoads’ iconic guitar riff. The hilarity ensues when Toyah rubs the fringe all over Robert’s face as he’s trying to focus on his guitar-playing, with the prog-rock legend unsuccessfully attempting to blow the material away from his noggin. At the end of the performan...
3-Year-Old Nigerian Drummer Is Ridiculously Talented: Watch
We’ve seen some great kid drummers over the years, including the über-talented Nandi Bushell, who was Consequence‘s Rookie of the Year in 2021. But rarely do we see someone as young as 3-year-old Motiriolaoluwa Emmanuel, a little boy from Nigeria who has some impressive skills behind the kit. Motiriolaoluwa (whose nickname appears to be Morolar) recently launched a TikTok account (@morolar26) and a YouTube channel, each with just a handful of videos thus far. One, in particular, shows the toddler displaying technique well beyond his years as he accompanies a children’s chorus. While his TikTok and YouTube videos have minimal views thus far, Motiriolaoluwa was recently profiled by Allnews Nigeria TV’s Budding Stars program, on which his parents discussed his passion for drums. Advertisement...
Drowning Pool Announce New Album, Honor Pantera’s Dimebag and Vinnie Paul with Single “Mind Right” Stream
Drowning Pool are returning with the new album, Strike a Nerve, on September 30th. The band has also paid tribute to the late Pantera members Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul with the lead single “Mind Right.” Honoring their fellow Texans, the Dallas-based Drowning Pool wrote the song shortly after Vinnie Paul died in 2018. The tight groove-thrash riffing certainly has a Pantera lean, and the vocals of Jasen Moreno shift between harsh and melodic a la Phil Anselmo. “‘Mind Right’ started with the core Drowning Pool sound, then really dug into our southern metal roots,” remarked guitarist CJ Pierce. “This song was written not long after Vinnie Paul died, as a tribute of sorts to him and Dime and a way for us to to honor the impact Pantera had on our local Dallas scene.” Advertisement Related ...
