Thrash Metal
Trivium Honor Riley Gale with Cover of Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax” During Livestream: Watch
Power Trip’s Riley Gale, photo by Jon Hadusek / Trivium’s Matt Heafy, via Roadrunner Records Trivium paid their respects to late Power Trip singer Riley Gale, covering the latter’s “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” on a livestream over the weekend. Trivium played the cover on their “Deepest Cuts” livestream in honor of Gale, who tragically died last week at 34 from unspecified causes. Of all of Power Trip’s riff-laden thrash metal songs, “Executioner’s Tax” is arguably their signature anthem due to Gale’s chorus refrain — “Swing of the axe!” — which instantly went down in heavy metal lore when it was released on 2017’s Nightmare Logic. “Talking about love and talking about good times, we had the pleasure of touring with Power Trip on one of our greatest UK/European to...
New Set of Collectible Metallica Statues on the Way
Metallica’s steady journey to immortalization will continue with a set of statues honoring the metal legends. High-end collectible maker KnuckleBonz has announced a new series of Metallica figurines slated for release in early 2021. KnuckleBonz has been a go-to company for creating life-like mini statues of notable rock and metal acts, having released a set of Pantera figures last year. Other previous artists represented as part of KnuckleBonz’s “Rock Iconz” series include Marilyn Manson, Lemmy Kilmister, AC/DC’s Angus Young, and more. The Metallica figures are modeled after the band’s latest look, beginning with their 2016 album Hardwired … To Self-Destruct and including their massively successful “WorldWired Tour” in support of the LP. Frontman James Hetfield is depicted singing into a m...
New Venomous Snake Species Named After Metallica’s James Hetfield
James Hetfield (photo by Amy Price), Atheris hetfieldi snake (via Dr. Luis Ceríaco) Pretty soon, Metallica are going to need to open their own aquarium to house all the species named after them. A newly discovered venomous snake species has been named after frontman James Hetfield just months after a mysterious deep-sea creature was named after the band. The snake, a species of bush viper, has been dubbed Atheris hetfieldi. It was discovered at Bioko Island in the Gulf of Guinea by a team of Portuguese and American scientists, led by metalhead Luis Ceríaco. According to the official finding, “The newly described species presents a series of morphological characters that clearly differentiate it from all of its congeners.” We’re not really sure what that means, but we’re guessing the snake...
Metallica’s S&M2 Cleans Up Nicely for Home Release: Review + Stream
The Lowdown: Last September, Metallica reunited with the San Francisco Symphony for the two performances that would become S&M2 — the sequel to their illustrious symphonic metal collaboration from 20 years earlier. To commemorate the event, the band teamed with Trafalgar Releasing to screen the concert film in movie theaters across the world. The S&M2 shows took place on September 6th and 8th, and the film premiered on October 9th. In film production timelines, that’s an impossibly small window for post-production on a concert film and album. Nevertheless, the theatrical film was a box office success, though a trained eye and ear could tell that it might have been rushed to release. The initial edit of director Wayne Isham’s footage, though clean, had an unfinished quality to it. I...
Slayer’s Kerry King Is Working on a New Project: “I’ve Got More Than Two Records’ Worth of Music”
The legendary Slayer bid their farewell at the end of last year, but that doesn’t mean the individual members are done making music. Guitarist Kerry King has revealed that he has two albums’ worth of material for a new project. Slayer played their final show ever on November 30th after an extensive farewell tour, and the members have been relatively quiet since parting ways. However, in a new interview with Dean Guitars, with whom he has signed on as a signature artist, King revealed that he has been quite productive during the pandemic. “I’ve been very, very lucky with riffs in 2020,” said Kerry in a video interview posted on Dean Guitars’ YouTube channel. “Maybe because I can’t go anywhere, I don’t know, but riffs have certainly not been a problem.” He continued, “Looking forward into th...
R.I.P. Riley Gale, Power Trip Frontman Dead at 34
Riley Gale, frontman of the acclaimed Texas thrash metal band Power Trip, has tragically died at the age of 34. A statement from Power Trip on Tuesday evening (August 25th) confirmed his passing. The circumstances behind his death were not immediately made available, but it was revealed that he died on Monday night (August 24th). Power Trip’s most recent full-length, Nightmare Logic, ranked among our favorite albums of 2017, and also made our list of the Top 25 Metal Albums of the 2010s. As of March, the band was back in the studio working on new record. In June, they released a surprise live album. The band issued the following statement via Twitter: “Dear Power Trip fans worldwide. It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed...
Flying V Guitar Documentary Features Members of Metallica, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Slayer, and More
The Flying V guitar is one of the most iconic instruments in heavy metal history. It’s silhouette alone is enough to warm the blood of headbangers. The guitar will be the subject of a new documentary, Flying V, out on DVD on September 11th. The 67-minute film was directed by Peter Hansen and features interviews with most of the major metal acts that popularized the Flying V over the years, including members of Metallica, Judas Priest, Slayer, Megadeth, and many more. As the cast of the documentary indicates, the guitar, introduced by Gibson in 1958, became a staple of ’80s thrash metal. Slayer’s Kerry King was never without one; it remains the choice axe of Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine; and Metallica’s James Hetfield is appropriately front-and-center on the movie poster, having wielded th...
#MetallicaMondays Concert Series Ends with Metallica’s 2017 Mexico City Show: Watch
It’s been quite a treat for Metallica fans, but all good things must come to an end. The metal legends are ending their #MetallicaMondays streaming concert series with a Mexico City show from 2017. Metallica launched the free weekly series at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to provide “live” entertainment to their fans as the concert industry shut down. After five months of digging into the archives for full concerts ranging from 1983 through 2019, the Mexico City show will close out the series. The band announced the news on Monday morning (August 24th) via Twitter, stating, “#MetallicaMondays reaches the end of the line. Tune in tonight for Live in Mexico City, the 23rd & final installment of the series, shot in front of a fired-up crowd in 2017. Tune in at 5 PM PDT o...
Anthrax’s Scott Ian: I’m Probably “Not Going Back to Work” Until 2022
Anthrax’s Scott Ian, photo by Antonio Marino Jr. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is as workmanlike as they come. He’s been touring relentlessly with Anthrax for 30-plus years, always has multiple projects going, and has generally been one of heavy metal’s great ambassadors. Now, in the midst of a pandemic, the metal legend feels he truly won’t be “back to work” until 2022. Ian compared his current situation to when he was 17 and figuring out if he can make a full-time career out of playing metal. An Anthrax album was originally planned for release in late 2020, but it’s been pushed back as the band continues to work on new material in a socially distant manner. Drummer Charlie Benante previously stated that there’s “about six, seven songs — and it’s really good,” but that “the first thin...
Metallica Open Up About James Hetfield’s Rehab Stint: It Was “Deeply Unsettling”
The members of Metallica have opened up about frontman James Hetfield’s rehab stint in a new interview. The band has also revealed their performance of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” from their upcoming multi-format S&M2 audio/video release, out August 28th. In a conversation with Metal Hammer, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo spoke candidly about their bandmate Hetfield and his decision to enter rehab last fall to deal with addiction issues. It came as a surprise to both the band and fans, as concert dates and festival appearances were moved to accommodate Hetfield’s schedule and give him the proper space for recovery. “We really didn’t see it coming,” Trujillo said. “James seemed like he was fine, but then you look back and you try to analyze the situation over time and see ...
#MetallicaMondays: Watch Metallica Rock Yankee Stadium at Historic “Big 4” Concert
Metallica have been streaming full concerts from their archives every Monday since the pandemic began, and the latest one is a “big” treat. The metal giants are sharing the set from their historic “Big 4” show at Yankee Stadium in 2011. In 2010 and 2011, Metallica played a series of “Big 4” concerts with fellow members of the big four of thrash: Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The Yankee Stadium gig on September 14th, 2011, marked the last of those shows, and was attended by roughly 42,000 fans. The 18-song setlist featured classics from throughout the band’s career, including “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Master of Puppets”, and “Enter Sandman”. Among the highlights was a cover of Motörhead’s “Overkill”, during which Metallica were joined onstage by members of the other Big 4 bands. As with ...
Metallica Talk Hair Metal, Lulu, and More on Howard Stern, Perform Three Songs
Metallica checked in from their Bay Area headquarters to chat with Howard Stern on his SiriusXM show Wednesday morning (August 12th). They also performed a few songs, including “Wherever I May Roam”, ‘The Unforgiven”, and “All Within My Hands”. The metal band’s lengthy appearance started with Stern asking if they… Please click the link below to read the full article. Metallica Talk Hair Metal, Lulu, and More on Howard Stern, Perform Three Songs Spencer Kaufman You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users...
