Progressive Metal
Steven Wilson Transforms into Brad Pitt, David Bowie, Donald Trump, and More in “Self” Video: Watch
Prog rocker Steven Wilson has unveiled a disturbing deepfake music video for his latest single, “Self”. The track appears on Wilson’s new album, The Future Bites, which was released last week. Following the post-modern dystopia theme of the album, Wilson used deepfake facial mapping technology for the video, transforming himself into a motley crew of notable celebrities, politicians, and musicians. If you’ve ever wanted to see Donald Trump go prog, now’s your chance. The likes of Joe Biden, David Bowie, Hillary Clinton, Brad Pitt, Mark Zuckerberg, Robert Downey Jr., and more appear in Wilson’s influencer choir. The deepfake imaging falls somewhere between convincing and downright terrifying — maybe more toward the latter, since Wilson’s face changes but his hair stays the same, resulting i...
Tool and Nirvana Songs Performed with a Chinese Hammered Dulcimer Are Mesmerizing: Watch
A musician named Anthony “Bones” Reid has been covering songs by Tool, Nirvana, and other acts using a Chinese hammered dulcimer, and the performances are absolutely mesmerizing. On top of his skillful instrument playing, Reid is also a talented singer. Reid, who performs under the moniker Horns of Pan, has posted a number of videos on YouTube and Facebook over the past couple years. Surprisingly, his YouTube channel has a relatively low number of views considering his impressive musical gifts. The musician has mastered the Chinese hammered dulcimer known as the yangqin, an elaborate percussion-stringed instrument with an ethereal sound. Among his standout performances are covers of Tool’s “Lateralus” and “Descending”, along with Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” and The Cure’s “Close to Me”. E...
Baby Dancing to Tool’s “Invincible” Will Lift Your Spirits During These Dark Times: Watch
Dancing Tool Baby (via YouTube), Tool’s Maynard James Keenan (photo by Kevin RC Wilson) With a pandemic still plaguing the world and insurrectionists storming the U.S. Capitol, we need a bit of levity in these dark times. That’s where a new video of a baby dancing to Tool’s “Invincible” comes in, brightening our spirits with every one of his little stomps. We stumbled on this video in its infancy, and we’re not just talking about the baby’s age. Criminally, it only had 20 views since being uploaded just before Christmas by YouTube user Mom of Five. With the Fear Inoculum track “Invincible” playing on the family’s television, complete with a graphic of the album cover, the little Batman-pajama-wearing toddler seems to be drawn to the music. As he makes his way to the TV with his sippy...
Chevelle Announce New Album NIRATIAS, Unveil First Single “Self destructor”: Stream
Chevelle have announced their ninth album, NIRATIAS, set for release on March 5th. In advance of its release, the hard-rock act has unveiled the first single, “Self destructor.” NIRATIAS marks the band’s first LP as a duo, featuring frontman Pete Loeffler and drummer Sam Loeffler, following the departure of bassist Dean Bernardini in 2019. The progressive and heavy “Self destructor” finds Pete singing in a high register, with a strong sense of urgency in his voice. The new album will mark Chevelle’s first LP in nearly five years, having released their last effort, The North Corridor, in July 2016. Check out Chevelle’s “Self destructor” below, followed by the eye-catching NIRATIAS cover artwork. Vinyl pre-orders for the LP are available here, while the album can be pre-saved on digital stre...
Mastodon Tap Tool Producer David Bottrill for New Album
Mastodon are working with Tool producer David Bottrill on their upcoming eighth studio album. The band confirmed Bottrill’s involvement with a not-so-subtle Instagram post from the West End Sound studio in Atlanta. Fans were quick to point out Bottrill commanding the mixing board in the picture, with guitarist Bill Kelliher in the foreground. Bottrill since confirmed that he’s producing the record. The producer shared the original image on his official Instagram, with the caption, “@mastodonrocks. We have been keeping this one quiet for a while. But David has been having a fantastic time in Atlanta. :)” Bottrill is an alt-metal stalwart, producing such masterpieces as Tool’s 1996 opus Ænima, in addition to the live album Salival and 2001’s Lateralus. His other credits include work wi...
An Entire Pallet of Tool Guitarist Adam Jones’ New Custom Les Pauls Was Stolen
Just last week, Tool guitarist Adam Jones unveiled his first-ever signature guitar, a beautiful limited-edition 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst. Now, Gibson and gear retailer Sweetwater Music report that an entire pallet containing 13 of the prized guitars has been stolen. The guitar comes in two editions: a super-limited aged and signed version that retails for $9,999 and is limited to a run of 79, and a VOS (Vintage Original Spec) version that retails for $5,999 and is limited to 179 guitars. Thirteen of those guitars (including four of the more expensive edition) are now missing after an entire pallet was stolen out of a Sweetwater Music truck at the Flying J Travel Center in Whiteland, Indiana, on October 30th. The signature Les Pauls were on their way to be dispensed to custom...
Maynard James Keenan on “Arrogant” Pandemic Behavior: “There’s Logic Attached to Just Looking Out for Each Other”
Maynard James Keenan recently revealed that he battled COVID-19 earlier this year and is still feeling the residual effects months later. Unfortunately, the singer of Tool, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle fears any serious warning that he or others give about coronavirus is “just going to fall on deaf ears.” In interviews with Arizona Republic and The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Keenan disclosed that he contracted COVID when Tool were on tour in Australia and New Zealand in late February. Eight months later, he still has lung damage, leading to daily coughing fits. Tragically, the United States is currently experiencing its worst single-day infection numbers yet, with roughly 100,000 people testing positive for COVID-19 every 24 hours. To this day, there’s a large contingent of the popula...
Adam Jones Unveils Signature Les Paul Guitar and New Music Featuring Tool Bandmates: Stream
Tool’s Adam Jones has been one of rock’s most innovative guitarists for the past 30 years. Now, he finally has his own signature guitar, a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom. Moreover, he’s celebrating the instrument with brand new music, a score to a short film he created called The Witness. The track is essentially a Tool instrumental, as he’s joined by the band’s rhythm section of drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor. Gibson’s Custom Shop Murphy Lab recreated “Adam’s #1 Guitar”: a Silverburst 1979 Gibson Les Paul. The guitar has become a mainstay in Jones’ arsenal and was prominent on the band’s tour in support of Fear Inoculum last year. From looks down to electronics, it’s a spot-on clone of Jones’ go-to axe. The replica touts a hand-wound Seymour Duncan Distortion bridge pickup...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan to COVID-19 Deniers: “Eat a Dick”
Maynard James Keenan recently revealed that he contracted COVID-19 in February, and that he still has lingering effects months later. Apparently, there are some who’ve questioned the Tool singer’s story, leading him to deliver a blunt message to his doubters. After disclosing his coronavirus battle to the Arizona Republic earlier this month, Keenan offered a more detailed account during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast this week. The singer confirmed that he contracted COVID-19 while on tour of Australia and New Zealand in late February. “I’m in Australia, we went out to dinner… and immediately food didn’t taste right, but this is now, this is all hindsight, right — I didn’t know at the time,” explained Keenan. “We didn’t know that these are the things you’re looking...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Had COVID-19 and Still Has Lung Damage Months Later
Tool singer Maynard James Keenan has revealed that he contracted COVID-19 back in February. Moreover, he is still feeling the effects months later, as he deals with lung damage and coughing fits. While speaking to the Arizona Republic about his band Puscifer’s upcoming album, Existential Reckoning, Keenan was asked about Tool having to shut down their tour plans due to the pandemic. He responded, “I was still recovering from having gotten COVID at the end of February. I’m still dealing with the residual effects. But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn’t pretty. So I definitely had to deal with that.” When the interviewer expressed surprise at the singer’s revelation, Keenan explained, “I kind of didn’t want to run around screaming it. But it’s real. And there’s after-effects. I had to ...
Dream Theater Announce Live Release Distant Memories, Share “Pale Blue Dot”: Stream
Dream Theater have announced Distant Memories, a new live album and concert film recorded in London back in February 2020. It’s due for release on November 27th, and the progressive-metal legends have shared a clip of “Pale Blue Dot” from the video. The album captures the band on tour in support of 2019’s Distance Over Time and the 20th anniversary of Metropolis Part 2 – Scenes From a Memory. The title Distant Memories can refer both to the album’s content and the fact that it seems so very long ago, despite the performances at the Apollo in London taking place right before the pandemic hit. “Whether you had a chance to see this tour in person and want to relive what was hopefully an awesome concert experience or enjoying the performance on video for the first time, Distant Memories –...
Baroness Announce Stunning Picture-Disc Vinyl Editions of Red, Blue, and Yellow & Green
Baroness are releasing picture-disc vinyl editions of their first three full-length LPs, Red Album, Blue Record, and the double album Yellow & Green. They’re currently available for pre-order direct from the band for $29.99 each and arrive October 24th. It marks the first time the albums have seen a picture-disc pressing, having been released on a variety of color variants over the years. Each LP brings frontman John Dyer Baizley’s glorious cover art to wax — the first side of each emblazoned with the album artwork and the reverse side adorned with alternative patterns from the original sleeve designs. Each picture-disc edition is housed in a gatefold sleeve and limited to 4,500 copies. Baroness fans can attest to the collectivity of the band’s many vinyl color variants, so these might...
