Heavy New Music
Zakk Wylde Recreates Black Sabbath’s Debut LP on Upcoming Zakk Sabbath Album Vertigo
Zakk Wylde is taking his love of all things Black Sabbath to the extreme by recreating the iconic metal act’s debut album with his tribute act Zakk Sabbath. The LP, titled Vertigo, is set to arrive September 4th. In anticipation, Zakk Sabbath have shared their version of the song “Black Sabbath”. Named after Black Sabbath’s old record label, Vertigo features the exact tracklist of Sabbath’s 1970 debut, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In addition to Wylde, Zakk Sabbath features bassist Blasko (who plays with Wylde in Ozzy Osbourne’s solo band) and drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age, Danzig). “We recorded a live EP and were wondering what we could do next as a cover band, so the 50th album anniversary came just at the right time”, explained Blasko of Zak...
DevilDriver Unleash New Song “Iona”: Stream
DevilDriver have unleashed a new song, “Iona”, the second single from their upcoming album, Dealing with Demons I. Accompanying the new track is an eerie music video. The groove metal veterans throw down a mosh-worthy track with “Iona”, which frontman Dez Fafara described as “unlike any other DevilDriver song.” While there’s the chugging rhythms and breakdowns typical of the band’s work, the song touts surprising arrangement turnarounds and shifting moods. Fafara also revealed the conceptual background behind “Iona” and its central character, a long deceased ghost that’s obsessed with death. Vicente Cordero’s music video provides a fitting visual complement. “From the frantic verses to the haunting chorus, this song is another move forward to push our sound and the listener’s ears into the...
Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Announces New Album Created with Fans on Twitch
Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park has announced a new solo album, which he crafted on Twitch along with input from his fans. The new LP, called Dropped Frames, Vol. 1, will arrive on July 10th through his own Kenji Kobayashi Productions label. The album owes its creation to Shinoda’s daily Twitch livestreams, in which he made music four days per week. Instead of making an album on his own, Shinoda reached out to fans on his Twitch channel to get their feedback. “Dropped Frames is just as much about the live channel as it is about the ‘album,’” Shinoda said in a statement. “The collection of songs is a highlight reel of the tracks I make on the channel, but a big part of the experience is the stream itself. When I start, I usually have very little idea of where it will go.” He added, “What ...
Evanescence Unveil New Song “The Game Is Over”: Stream
Evanescence, photo by P.R. Brown Evanescence have shared the second single from their upcoming album, The Bitter Truth. The new song, “The Game Is Over”, showcases the band’s heavier side, with chugging guitars and driving drums accompanying Amy Lee’s vocals. “The Game Is Over” follows lead single “Wasted on You”, which arrived in late April. As of now, no release date has been set for The Bitter Truth, which will mark the band’s first album of new material since 2011’s self-titled effort. As for the message of the new tune, Lee stated, “This song is about being sick of the facade. The disguises we wear for others to make them feel comfortable, the inside feelings being so different than what we show on the outside to fit within the boundaries of what’s socially acceptable, or what’s not g...
Refused Share New Song “The Ballad of Buck Ravers” from Cyberpunk 2077 Video Game: Stream
Refused have released a new song, “The Ballad of Buck Ravers”, under their video game guise Samurai. The hardcore punks will appear as the fictional band in the upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077, which is now due out on November 19th. “The Ballad of Buck Ravers” is the third Samurai track we’ve heard following “Chippin’ In” and “Never Fade Away”, both released last year. Fortunately for Refused fans, the band only changed in name for Cyberpunk 2077, which took the idea of The Shape of Punk to Come quite literally, even tabbing Refused to be its in-game band. Musically, this is classic Refused, with frontman Dennis Lyxzén shouting and wailing above aggressively smashed chords: “Lost another day to pointless drudgery / The slow chipping away/ Of my autonomy”. Refused’s vision of 2077 sounds...
Sevendust Return with Cover of Soundgarden’s “The Day I Tried to Live”: Stream
Sevendust are back with a cover of Soundgarden’s “The Day I Tried to Live”, their first new recording since their acclaimed 2018 album, All I See Is War. Singer Lajon Witherspoon pointed to the song’s timeless lyrics as one of the main reasons the band decided to cover the Soundgarden track, which originally appeared on the 1994 album Superunknown. “Soundgarden is such an important band to all of us in Sevendust and this love for them goes all the way back to when we were starting,” said Witherspoon in a press release. “We discussed trying to do one of their songs and our producer Elvis [Baskette] suggested ‘The Day I Tried To Live’.” The frontman continued, “When I first heard it, I thought the lyrics were timeless. The lyrics are about trying to experience new things and c...
Boris Announce New Album NO, Share Blistering “Loveless”: Stream
Last year, Japanese experimental metal band Boris released a double album called LφVE & EVφL. Now, they’re prepping a follow-up project pointedly dubbed NO. The 11-song full-length is due out next month and is being teased with lead single “Loveless”. In a strongly-worded manifesto of sorts, Boris explained that NO is an amalgam of all of their influences and connections as DIY heavy musicians. It was a record that was informed by the current “closing” of international borders, and the pain, anguish, and anxiety we’re all feeling during this chaotic moment in world history. An excerpt from that statement reads, “We hope this latest album can be a mirror that gathers and reflects people’s negative energy at a different angle, one that is positive. That is the power and potenti...
Full of Hell Unleash New Song “Language of Molten Cherubs” via Adult Swim Singles: Stream
A little over a year since releasing their Weeping Choir album, Full of Hell have unleashed a brand-new song. The band has unveiled the single “Language of Molten Cherubs” as the latest entry in the Adult Swim Singles program. As Full of Hell continue to push their music to uncompromising extremes, “Language of Molten Cherubs” is another burst of avant noise, free jazz rhythms, and harsh metal that defies convenient genre labeling. The band’s sonic concoction brims with ideas and layered overdubs, with frontman Dylan Walker’s voice cutting through the chaos. “‘Language of Molten Cherubs’ is the final death gasp of a broken human being at the end of their rope, on the border between worlds,” reads a press release for the song. It’s unknown if the track is a holdover from the Weeping Ch...
Myrkur and Anna von Hausswolff Cover Björk’s “All Is Full of Love”: Stream
Dark folk singers Myrkur and Anna von Hausswolff have joined forces for a cover of Björk’s 1997 song “All Is Full of Love”. The majestic closing track of Björk’s art pop masterpiece, Homogenic, “All Is Full of Love” is ripe material for a treatment from Myrkur and Von Hausswolff, whose voices intermingle on the minimalistic rendition. Only a spare, distant piano accompanies their melodies. “From our homes in Denmark and Sweden we decided to record a simple, fragile and raw version of Björk’s ‘All Is Full of Love’,” Myrkur (aka Amalie Bruun) said in a press release. “A song we consider to be one of the most beautiful and encouraging songs, that is a reminder to stay open to receive love even in times like these.” The track makes for a proper addendum to Myrkur’s 2020 album, Folkesange. Stee...
Filter Return With “Thoughts and Prayers”, First New Song in Four Years: Stream
Filter are back with a new single, “Thoughts and Prayers”, their first song in four years. The track will appear on the band’s upcoming album, Murica, tentatively due before the end of the year. Frontman Richard Patrick, the lone constant member of the veteran industrial rock act, reunited with original Filter guitarist Brian Liesegang to pen the new song. The pairing has given the track a throwback industrial feel, reminiscent of some of the band’s ’90s output. Lyrically, the song is politically charged, with Patrick condemning empty gestures in the wake of events like school shootings. As he sings in the chorus, “Thoughts and prayers/ Post and shares/ I’m bleeding out of open wounds/ Another day that no one cares.” Back in 2018, it was announced that Patrick and Liesegang had reunited, a...
Hum Surprise Release New Album Inlet, First LP in 22 Years: Stream
Alternative rock band Hum have returned with the surprise release of their fifth studio album, Inlet — their first new music in 22 years. The long-awaited follow-up to 1998’s Downward Is Heavenward comes as a delight to fans who’ve been wondering whether Hum would ever release new material following their ’90s heyday. The band rose to prominence with its 1995 major label debut, You’d Prefer an Astronaut, and the iconic space-faring single “Stars”. The track garnered considerable MTV and FM airplay, to the point where Hum are sometimes erroneously labeled a “one hit wonder.” Downward Is Heavenward would be equally beloved by fans, despite falling short of Astronaut‘s commercial success. Hum would go on hiatus in 2001, infrequently reuniting for shows and small tours, sparking rumors of...
Lamb of God Unveil Self-Titled New Album: Stream
Lamb of God are back with their first new studio album in five years, a self-titled effort filled with poignant tracks that focus on a number of sociopolitical issues. The veteran Virginia metallers’ new effort was lauded as the band’s “strongest album to date” in our review of the LP. Frontman Randy Blythe tackles topics such as mass shootings (“Reality Bath”), immigration (“New Colossal Hate”), the Standing Rock pipeline protest (“Routes”), the Trump administration (“Checkmate”), and more throughout the album. As Blythe told us in a video interview earlier this year, “The best punk rock and hardcore and metal … has always come out of tumultuous times. Right now seems to be an extremely tumultuous time … and it’s not just Trump, it’s not just America — [world leaders in] many different co...
