Progressive Metal
Spiritbox Surprise Release New Three-Song Collection, Including Video for “Rotoscope”: Stream
Spiritbox have surprise-released a new three-song collection titled Rotoscope, while unveiling the music video for the title track. You can stream all three tracks now. The title cut sees Spiritbox embracing a more industrial metal sound. The pulsing beats and crunchy, syncopated riffs have a danceable quality, with frontwoman Courtney LaPlante going full melodic-pop on the vocals. But the clean singing dissipates on the chorus — a nu-metal explosion that’s wholly unexpected. The Max Moore-directed video showcases the intensity of LaPlante’s performance on the track. The release also includes two additional tracks, “Sew Me Up” and “Hysteria.” The former is a mid-tempo riffer that recalls Diamond Eyes-era Deftones with its balance of pop-like songcraft, melody, and harshness. Advertise...
9-Year-Old Girl Masters Tool’s Complex 15-Minute Song “7empest” on Guitar: Watch
Tool’s complex 15-minute opus “7empest” is a difficult cover for anyone to attempt. Don’t tell that to 9-year-old guitar shredder Maya Neelakantan. In the YouTube clip, Neelakantan puts on a Nandi Bushell-esque display of talent as she expertly darts around the fretboard. Adam Jones wrote some deft guitar parts for the Fear Inoculum track, and it appears he has a worthy understudy in Neelakantan, if ever needed. She even emulates his wah pedal footwork. As she explains in the introduction to the video, Maya was inspired to play her “most favorite song” after receiving a brand new Gibson Les Paul guitar for her ninth birthday last month. Of note, Jones famously plays a Les Paul and even has his own line of signature models with Gibson. Advertisement Related Video “This is my most favorite s...
Jinjer Granted Permission to Leave Ukraine for Tour, Share Video for “Call Me a Symbol”: Stream
Ukrainian metal band Jinjer have been granted permission to leave by the nation’s Ministry of Culture to embark on a tour to help raise funds and awareness for their war-torn country. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Jinjer were forced to drop off their support stint on Slipknot’s US “Knotfest Roadshow” tour. They instead helped raise funds for Ukraine via merch sales to support resistance efforts and refugee relief. The band hopes to continue raising awareness and money while traveling abroad. Per a press release from the group, Jinjer’s upcoming European summer tour and festival appearances are officially confirmed. “We are very honored to announce that together with the help of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, we have successfully been granted permission to travel abroad as amb...
Tool Members Join Brass Against for Performance of “Stinkfist”: Watch
Tool recently wrapped up their European tour, and members of the band celebrated by jamming their classic song “Stinkfist” onstage with support act Brass Against. The performance took place at the outing’s final show on May 24th in Budapest, Hungary. Brass Against are known for their big-band covers of songs by Tool and Rage Against the Machine, among others. In fact, “Stinkfist” was a regular number in their set leading up to the collaborative performance. This time around, Tool’s Adam Jones, Danny Carey, and Justin Chancellor joined them onstage for the high-energy version of the Ænima song. Tool typically play pranks on their opening acts on the final shows of tours, as they recently did with Blonde Redhead, when they sported blonde and red wigs and danced around onstage during the the ...
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Releases Debut Solo EP Portals: Stream
Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has released the Portals EP — his debut solo release. He also unveiled the video for the song “High Plains Drifter.” The instrumental four-song offering marks the first time a core member of Metallica has pursued a solo project while remaining in the band. Hammett recently told Rolling Stone that he was “shocked” he got the band’s blessing to release the EP, alluding to the conflict that partially led to the exit of former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. Hammett even worked with personnel close to the Metallica camp, including Edwin Outwater — the conductor of the S&M2 concerts — and veteran producer Bob Rock. That said, the music on Portals is a far cry from the thrash metal of Hammett’s full-time gig. Advertisement Related Video As we remar...
Kirk Hammett on Discovering Prog Rock and Having the First Metallica Solo Release
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Metallica’s Kirk Hammett gives Kyle Meredith a call to talk about his debut solo EP, Portals, and how it was birthed from his horror movie exhibition and when Metallica did S&M 2. Related Video The guitarist tells us about just discovering prog rock bands like Genesis, Yes, and Jethro Tull, as well as not being much of a fan of The Beatles. He also talks about what it means to have his EP be the first Metallica solo release, and the possibility of eventually playing these songs live. Advertisement Hammett also discusses if he would do a guest-packed solo album in the vein of Tom Morello’s recent releases, future pl...
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Indulges Classical and Prog Tendencies on His Excellent Debut Solo EP Portals: Review
For a band with a such a storied career as Metallica, it is rather surprising that the longtime active members haven’t ventured off into various solo projects. That said, if we were to have wagered which member was most likely to go it alone, our best bet would’ve been Kirk Hammett. For years we’ve been hearing about the guitarist stockpiling hundreds, if not thousands of riffs on his phone. Considering Metallica’s deliberate workflow, only so many of these riffs and melodies, if any, will actually make it onto one of their records. Kirk needed an outlet, and he found it with his debut solo EP, Portals. No, this isn’t Kirk’s foray into becoming a singer-songwriter. Rather, the four-song release is entirely instrumental and contains minimal traces of heavy metal. Hammett said he took a “Aud...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Pranks Drummer Danny Carey with Dildo Mid-Show: Watch
Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan played an epic prank on drummer Danny Carey mid-show, replacing one of his drum mallets with a dildo. Keenan is known to get into some shenanigans when Carey takes the spotlight for his drum solo, like playing Jenga next to the drum kit earlier on the tour. The singer’s latest stunt involved a large dildo. Tool shared the video, which was filmed at one of their recent concerts. Keenan covertly army crawls under the curtain behind Carey, who’s shredding away at his kit during the solo. When he reaches down for his gong mallet, he instead grabs the phallus, and hits the gong with the sex toy instead. Advertisement Related Video Maynard is of course giddy with satisfaction, having pulled off the prank. The clip ends with him maniacally waving the dildo at th...
Meshuggah Unveil New Song “Light the Shortening Fuse”: Stream
Meshuggah have unleashed “Light the Shortening Fuse,” the second single from their upcoming album Immutable (out April 1st). Following the powerful lead single “The Abysmal Eye,” Meshuggah deliver another crushing piece of progressive metal mastery. The compact and syncopated riffs of “Light the Shortening Fuse” have a heavier emphasis on groove, making the song a bit more accessible. But the Swedish band sacrifices none of its trademark brutality or songwriting complexities in the process. Thankfully we won’t have to wait much longer to hear the rest of Immutable, which drops in less than a month. The LP was recorded at Sweetspot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden, and mixed by Rickard Bengtsson and Staffan Karlsson. Vlado Meller (Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down) handled the mast...
Tool Set Retail Release for Ultra Deluxe Fear Inoculum Vinyl (At Much Lower Price Than Signed Version)
Tool raised some eyebrows when they recently began selling limited autographed copies of a new “Ultra Deluxe” vinyl edition of their 2019 album Fear Inoculum at their concerts for $810 ($750 plus service fees and taxes). Now, the band has set a retail price for the unsigned set at the much lower cost of $169.98, with a release date of April 8th. Several days ago, a Reddit thread went viral when someone posted a photo of the deluxe 5-LP collection at a Tool merch booth with the sticker price of $810. Even considering the base price of $750, the newly announced unsigned retail version arrives at a cost that’s $580 lower. That comes out to be around $145 for each band member’s autograph. For diehard Tool fans, perhaps that’s a reasonable price to pay to get all four signatures on the same ite...
Ukrainian Metal Band Jinjer Condemn Putin’s Decision to Start a War
Jinjer, a Ukrainian metal band which has achieved international success, have condemned Vladimir Putin’s decision to have Russian troops invade their “sovereign and independent” country. Coming off the release of their fourth album, Wallflowers, in August of last year, Jinjer are set to open the first leg of Slipknot’s “Knotfest Roadshow” US tour starting next month, as well as headline a number of off-dates from the outing (tickets here). While it is uncertain how the current unrest in the Ukraine will affect their tour plans, the band is focused on the bigger picture right now. In a new Facebook post, Jinjer reported that they are currently safe while also imploring for the war to come to a swift end. Their message reads as follows: “Dear all, as we write this text, for the moment, each ...
Coheed and Cambria Announce Summer 2022 North American Tour, Unveil “The Liars Club” Single: Stream
Coheed and Cambria have announced a Summer 2022 North American headlining tour, with support from Dance Gavin Dance and Mothica. The band has also unleashed “The Liars Club” as the latest single from their forthcoming album, Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind, out May 27th. The new tour announcement comes in the midst of Coheed and Cambria’s previously announced winter “Great Destroyer Tour,” which continues tonight (February 22nd) in Oklahoma City. The newly unveiled summer outing, which will see Coheed playing large-scale amphitheaters and arenas, has been dubbed “A Window of a Waking Mind Tour.” That one kicks off July 12th in Miami, Florida, and runs through an August 17th show in Troutdale, Oregon. Tickets for the winter trek are currently on sale via Ticketmaster, while the summer...
