Thrash Metal
Lzzy Hale and Members of Code Orange and Baroness Cover Pantera’s “Mouth for War”: Watch
Two Minutes to Late Night‘s “Bedroom Covers” quarantine series rolls on, and the latest socially distanced collab is an all-star rendition of the Pantera classic “Mouth for War”. Among the participants is Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale, Baroness guitarist Gina Gleason, and Code Orange guitarist/vocalist Reba Meyers. Rounding out the lineup is Year of the Knife’s Madi Watkins, drummer Ben Koller of Mutoid Man, along with “Two Minutes” host Gwarsenio Hall (aka Jordan Olds). Needless to say, it’s a star-studded ensemble, and they rip through the opening track from Pantera’s 1992 thrash masterpiece, Vulgar Display of Power. “Mouth for War” is one of Pantera’s most extreme songs both vocally and guitar-wise. The collection of talented musicians do Philip Anselmo and Dimebag Darrell justice in ...
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine and Gibson Announce Partnership, New Line of Guitars
Megadeth legend Dave Mustaine is Gibson’s latest brand ambassador. The two announced the mutual partnership today along with a new line of Mustaine signature model electric and acoustic guitars across Gibson’s three brands: Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer. It’s a major announcement for Mustaine and his fans, who’ve probably grown accustomed to seeing the iconic metal frontman shredding on a Dean guitar, his previous brand partner. Gibson’s new Dave Mustaine Collection will see the launch of signature model guitars at various price points, depending on the brand — much like KISS founder Gene Simmons’ recently unveiled line of Gibson brand basses and guitars. In fact, Mustaine vividly recalls a childhood memory of seeing Simmons and KISS wield Gibson guitars on the sleeve of their legendary Ali...
Metallica’s BlizzCon Performance Audio Replaced With Goofy Instrumental Music on Twitch: Watch
Metallica headlined video-game maker Blizzard Entertainment’s virtual BlizzCon 2021 event on Friday (February 19th), but those watching on Twitch were treated to an evening of … elevator music. Due to copyright concerns, Twitch replaced Metallica’s thunderous brand of heavy metal with a generic instrumental that made the legendary band’s performance look downright silly. Things started out okay, with frontman James Hetfield introducing the performance by recalling how Metallica headlined the typically in-person Blizzcon event back in 2014, adding, “We would love to be there this year, but obviously can’t be … so here we are, and this is for you.” Beaming in from their Bay Area band headquarters, Metallica launched into their classic song “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, and everything soun...
Lars Ulrich’s Father Has Released a New Album at Age 92
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich’s father, Torben Ulrich, has released a new album at age 92. The spoken-word collaboration with cellist Lori Goldston is titled Oakland moments: cello, voice, reuniting (rejoicing) and arrived on Bandcamp and limited cassette tape on February 5th. The album features Torben reciting text and poetry over Goldston’s cello. If that triggers a Lulu flashback, don’t worry: Goldston’s playing quite pleasant, and Torben’s narration has a relaxing ASMR vibe to it. Lars took to Instagram to congratulate his father: “92 years old and just getting started…Today, as one does at his age, he’s putting out another record… This one being a collaboration with his dear friend @legoldston.” The fact that Torben is releasing new music at age 92 shouldn’t be too surprising. He’s ma...
Metallica Perform “Enter Sandman” on Super Bowl Edition of Colbert: Watch
Metallica rocked a special Super Bowl edition of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Sunday night. The metal masters offered up a rousing rendition of “Enter Sandman”, set against a special backdrop that paid homage to the band’s recent concert history. Entering their 40th year as a band, Metallica sounded as strong as ever on the late-night performance, with frontman James Hetfield delivering a powerful vocal. The metal icons played in front of a stack of speaker cabinets from various tours and special concerts of the past 20 years, including shows at Yankee Stadium (“Mariano Rivera Day”), Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants “Metallica Night”), and the band’s own 2013 Orion Music + More Festival in Detroit, among others. The pandemic forced Metallica off the road in 2020, but the metal le...
First Look: Preview the Rob Zombie-Helmed Chapter of Anthrax’s Among the Living Graphic Novel
In November, Anthrax announced the impending release of their own graphic novel, Among the Living, featuring a bevy of famous guest contributors. One of the chapters is being written by Rob Zombie, and we’re teaming up with Z2 Comics for an exclusive first look at five pages of artwork. The graphic novel chapters are inspired by the songs on Anthrax’s iconic 1987 album, Among the Living, with Zombie being joined by such guest writers as Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, My Chemical Romance’s Gerard and Mikey Way, Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman, comedian Brian Posehn, and more. Along with the sneak peek at the Zombie chapter comes news that all four current classic members of Anthrax — Scott Ian, Joey Belladonna, Frank Bello, and Charlie Benante — will be contributing to the graphic novel. Ian is pennin...
R.I.P. Marsha Zazula, Megaforce Records Co-Founder Who Helped Launch Metallica’s Career Dies at 68
Marsha Zazula, who co-founded Megaforce Records with her husband Jon Zazula (aka Jonny Z), has sadly passed away at the age of 68. The couple were instrumental in launching the careers of Metallica, Anthrax, and other metal bands. Marsha’s passing was confirmed by her daughter Rikki Zazula, who wrote, “RIP Mom April 21, 1952 – January 10, 2021. Your love, Your strength, Your memory and Your music has changed lives and will continue to FOREVER.” Along with Jonny, Marsha helped open the door for thrash metal on the East Coast. Jonny quit a Wall Street job and the pair began selling records at a flea market under the name Rock N’ Roll Heaven. Eventually, they established a New Jersey store that became an influential metal destination. Upon hearing Metallica’s No Life ‘Til Leather demo, Jonny ...
Metallica’s Music Provides Soundtrack to Student Protests in Istanbul: Watch
Metallica’s James Hetfield (photo by Amy Price), Istanbul Protest (via Twitter: Ahval) University students in Istanbul blasted the Metallica classics “Master of Puppets” and “Sad But True” to protest the appointment of a new rector with ties to Turkey’s conservative ruling party. Interestingly, the new rector himself has claimed to be a Metallica fan. According to The Guardian, Melih Bulu was appointed rector of Boğaziçi University by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 1st. The decision outraged students and professors, who argue that the decision was an affront to their academic freedoms. Bulu was the first official to be appointed outside the university community since a 1980 military coup. Bulu is a self-described fan of heavy metal, exclaiming, “I am a rector who l...
Metallica Tally More Than 1 Billion Spotify Streams in 2020
As they enter their 40th year of existence, Metallica remain a metal powerhouse: the band tallied more than 1 billion streams on Spotify in 2020 alone. Metallica shared a graphic on their Instagram feed, which lists their 2020 Spotify statistics as 1.1 billion streams, 99.3 million hours, 53.3 million unique listeners, and 92 different countries. ‘We thought last year’s numbers were insane,” wrote the band. “You guys have outdone yourselves! 99.3M hours?! That’s like if someone started listening on October 27, 9318 B.C. and never stopped. Can anyone guess what this year’s most-played song was, clocking in at 128.6M streams?? You remain the most dedicated fans in the world – thank you for spending so much of your year with us!” The two most-played songs were likely “Nothing Else Matter...
TikTok Star Shreds Metallica Songs on Guitar After She’s Called Out for Wearing Band’s T-Shirt: Watch
A TikTok star set out to seek and destroy after commenters called her out for wearing a Metallica shirt in her videos. Not only did aspiring R&B/hip-hop vocalist and dancer Zaria prove she was a fan of the iconic metal band, she proceeded to shred some of their classic songs on guitar. Celebrities and social media personalities wearing heavy metal T-shirts as a fashion statement is nothing new. We’ve often wondered, “Do the Kardashians really listen to Metallica and Slayer?” So, it’s not surprising that Zaria got some pushback in her comments section, with at least one person challenging her to “name three Metallica songs.” Well, Zaria took her response one step further. In a clap-back video, she exclaims, “My response to you guys is like, ‘Really, only three songs? How ’bout I play th...
Kirk Hammett Reflects on Entire Metallica Career: James and Lars “Don’t Even Remember” First Meeting Me
Kirk Hammett has certainly had a memorable 37-year career in Metallica, with the band still going strong. However, his first meeting with longtime bandmates James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich apparently wasn’t memorable for them. The guitarist reflected on his entire Metallica run in a new 80-minute interview for Gibson Guitars’ “Icons” series. One of the stories he told was the time he first met Hetfield and Ulrich. At the time, Hammett was a member of the band Exodus while Metallica were getting buzz as a rising thrash band in the Bay Area. “I remember we were just sitting around one day, and the singer of Exodus, a guy named Paul Baloff, who was an absolute maniac, he walked into the rehearsal and said, ‘Metallica. So heavy. They’re so heavy.’ And I was, like, ‘Metallica.’ And I thought, ‘W...
Mr. Bungle’s Dave Lombardo on the Pandemic: “I Had Been on the Go for Many Years and Life Just Stopped”
Mr. Bungle, photo by Eric Larsen As our Annual Report continues, we’ll be taking several looks at how live music changed in a year where most of the world was in lockdown. Today, we share our conversation with legendary metal drummer Dave Lombardo about his incredible year playing with a reunited Mr. Bungle, his life during the pandemic, and the future of concerts. In a year in which the touring industry came to a standstill, a reunited Mr. Bungle were able to make their mark on the concert stage, both in person and online. The band played their first shows in 20 years just before the pandemic began, completing a brief jaunt of a handful of cities in February. And on Halloween, they treated fans to one of the more memorable livestream concerts of the year. Not only did the reunion mar...
