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30 Most Anticipated Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2021
The year 2020 was a devastating one for not only the music industry, but the entire world. While we’re very much still in the thick of a pandemic, 2021 brings with it new hope, thanks to a vaccine rollout and a new administration in the White House. The new year also promises a plethora of highly anticipated metal and hard rock albums. The albums expected to be released are a combination of works that would have surfaced in 2020 had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic and LPs that had been planned for this year, regardless. It’s fair to say that albums by Mastodon, Megadeth, Evanescence, Gojira, Ministry, The Pretty Reckless, and others would have all arrived in 2020 had those bands been able to tour in support of their latest efforts. Instead, those bands join such noteworthy artists as...
FKA twigs Unveils New Song “Don’t Judge Me”: Stream
Things are afoot in the FKA twigs camp. In October, the R&B star revealed that her third album had been completed during quarantine. Now, she’s back with a new song called “Don’t Judge Me”. Today’s offering is her first since dropping the masterful album MAGDALENE in 2019. In addition to a stunning performance from FKA twigs, the track features UK rapper Headie One and producer Fred again…, who’s worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Brian Eno. “Don’t Judge Me” appears to be something of a companion release or sequel to “Don’t Judge Me (Interlude)”, an early 2020 collaboration that also featured all three artists. Unlike the intentional vagueness of that song, the themes on this version are a lot more direct. During her verse and the hook, twigs begs her lover to hold her and appreci...
Zayn’s ‘Connexion’ Has Plenty Of Space For His Voice. Thank Zach & Roger
Zayn’s most valuable asset has always been his voice. Throughout his four albums with One Direction, his falsetto memorably crested key moments of some of the band’s biggest singles, and “Zayn high notes” remains a popular YouTube search, yielding multiple videos with millions (and millions) of views. His first solo album, 2016’s Mind of Mine, found him weaponizing that instrument on maximalist, slightly mechanized pop that nevertheless occasionally buried his pipes under layers of production sheen. It’s a trend the singer stepped away from on 2018’s Icarus Falls, though the more intimate sonic moments hid inside a labyrinthine 30-song tracklist that unspooled over a languid 90 minutes. That’s why Nobody Is Listening, Zayn’s third and most accessible album yet, feels like such a gear shift...
Hardcore Band Regional Justice Center Announce New Album, Unleash “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”: Stream
Hardcore quartet Regional Justice Center have announced their sophomore full-length, Crime and Punishment. The band has also shared two fiery songs from the LP, “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”. The album follows a prolific string of 7-inch splits and EPs by Regional Justice Center, who paired their output with an exhaustive touring itinerary prior to the pandemic. In the meantime, the band’s calculated intensity has grown even more ferocious, as heard on new tracks “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”. The songs operate in a duality, the former holding to a classic hardcore template of blasting rhythms and urgent lyricism, and the latter pitched down to a bass-heavy dirge. The distinct writing style of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ian Shelton shows through on both tracks. In a press release, the...
Lil Skies Finds His Truth On Unbothered: ‘I Always Feel The Pressure’
By Candace McDuffie Lil Skies sonically resides in a realm where raw and unfiltered emotion rules. The 22-year-old emcee made noise with his 2018 major-label mixtape, Life of a Dark Rose, which, on the surface, came across as part of the omnipresent emo rap that has permeated the music industry over the past five years. But upon further exploration, it is clear that the rapper born Kimetrius Foose — just like his mellifluous peers Lil Durk, Trippie Redd, and Lil Uzi Vert — is using his catalogue to process seemingly endless amounts of inner turmoil. Songs like “Red Roses” and “Cloudy Skies” balance tender melodicism with cerebral unease; he’s obsessed with experiencing — and always expecting — worst-case scenarios. Whether it’s betrayal or abandonment from fraudulent friends and potential ...
Curious How Normani And Rosalía Ended Up In The ‘WAP’ Video? Thank Patientce Foster
Patientce Foster has made a name for herself by making names for others — and become a star along the way. The North Carolina-born, Delaware-raised publicist began representing Cardi B when she was just 26 and, in a few years under her guidance, the rapper would appear on multiple TV shows, grace the covers of Rolling Stone and New York magazine, and ascend to the top of the Billboard charts with a debut single. A serial entrepreneur who started her first business selling homemade magazines in the sixth grade, Foster’s journey is a clear example that real success takes hard work and dedication. In the premiere episode of “The Method,” a new MTV News documentary series introducing the creative forces behind some of the biggest artists working today, Foster explains that her winning recipe i...
’68 Announce New Album, Share “The Knife, The Knife, The Knife”: Stream
Former Norma Jean and The Chariot singer Josh Scogin has announced a new album from his current project ’68. It’s called Give One Take One and due out on March 26th via Cooking Vinyl. He’s has also shared the music video for the lead single, “The Knife, The Knife, The Knife”. Scogin himself created the video for the heavy single, which leans more toward garage rock as opposed to the metalcore and hardcore punk of his previous bands. Hints of blues fuse with a noisy post-hardcore edge, resulting in a massive wall of sound — impressive considering ’68 are only two individuals: Scogin and drummer Nikko Yamada. “Of all the music I’ve created over the years, this album holds some of my very favorite moments, lyrically, musically, and even mentally; I travel down several roads that are...
Dave East Unveils New Song “Mercedes Talk”: Stream
Dave East has elevated hustle to a religion. Since 2010 he’s dropped something like 16 mixtapes and albums, most recently 2020’s Karma 3. The veteran MC shows no signs of slowing down, opening 2021 with the new song “Mercedes Talk”. The track was produced by AraabMuzik. His beat eschews internal movement, building tension out of the contrast between a high chime and rumbling bass. East works over the top with a laid back flow, mixing the personal (“I still don’t feel like I’m famous/ Had to move up out the projects just to feel like I made it,”) with punchlines (“Headshot turn your thoughts into liquor.”) “Mercedes Talk” comes with a music video directed by WillC. It shows East on the street with his bros, outside a corner store, and behind the counter of a fast food joint. Oh, and th...
HDBeenDope Drops New Song “21 Bags”: Stream
HDBeenDope is building on the buzz from his 2020 album BrokeN Dreams with an arresting music video for his new song “21 Bags”. “21 Bags” quietly dropped on December 31st, at a time when the world was preoccupied with burning 2020 in effigy. The odd timing disguised a banging self-produced beat, over which HD unleashed half-a-dozen head-spinning flows. One of the things that makes him such an interesting MC is ability to switch between humility and braggadocio, hard truths and going hard. “21 Bags” is here to slap you upside the eardrums. He spits, “Parlayed all the hard days/ To the soirée with a ‘Yonce/ I need all lays for the bolognese/I got octane and they all blaze.” The new video was directed by Erikson Corneil. It shows HDBeenDope in what appears to be an enormous dance studio, ...
Deftones Announce Ohms Pale Ale Craft Beer
Chino Moreno of Deftones (photo by Debi Del Grande), Ohms Pale Ale (courtesy of Belching Beaver) Deftones and California brewery Belching Beaver have announced their latest craft beer collaboration, Ohms Pale Ale. The new beer continues the five-year partnership between the band and the Oceanside brewery. Deriving its name from Deftones’ excellent 2020 album, the dry-hopped ale comes in at a solid 5.5% ABV. “The first thing you’ll notice is the bright, citrusy aromas,” Belching Beaver states in a social media announcement. “There’s plenty of lemon peel, grapefruit, and pineapple aromas with a blend of some light pine to give a more nuanced and complex tableau that isn’t found in a lot of pale ales. The finish is nice, light, and very refreshing. Hands down, one of the best thirst-quenching...
Foo Fighters to Launch Own SiriusXM Radio Station
In anticipation of new album Medicine at Midnight, Foo Fighters will be taking over the satellite radio airwaves. On February 3rd, the veteran rockers are partnering up with SiriusXM to launch Foo Fighters Radio, a limited-engagement channel chock-full of Foos-focused programming. One of the channel’s main events is the broadcast of an exclusive live performance from the band. Foo Fighters LIVE from the SiriusXM Garage is scheduled to air on February 5th at 5 p.m. ET, and is likely to include singles from their upcoming 10th studio record. The gig will be attended by a virtual audience (sign up details here) and hosted by SiriusXM’s own Kat Corbett. Additionally, the entire group — that’s Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, and Rami Jaffee — will stream...
Bartees Strange Makes TV Debut Performing “Boomer” on Seth Meyers: Watch
In 2020 Bartees Strange caught lightning in a bottle, going from little name recognition to rising star on the strength of one of the best albums of the year, Live Forever. Now he’s made his national TV debut, performing his tour-de-force track “Boomer” on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Catch the replay below. “Boomer” isn’t just one of the strongest cuts on a killer album, it’s also a chance for the multi-talented Strange to dig deep into his bag of tricks. Rhythmically and lyrically, the verses are influenced by hip-hop, while the pre-chorus and hook showcase his scorching vocals and elevate “Boomer” into a soaring rock and roll anthem. Earlier this week, Strange shared a rocking cover of Judee Sill’s “The Pearl” which will appear on an upcoming tribute album from producer Lorenzo Wol...
