Thrash Metal
Alekhine’s Gun Premiere New Song “21”: Stream
Brooklyn band Alekhine’s Gun, fronted by Jessica Pimentel, have been working on the follow-up to 2014’s …And Things Will Fall EP. The group is now premiering its new single, “21”, exclusively via Heavy Consequence. The track picks up where the band left off in 2014. Building from an angular riff, the song is blast of blackened death metal, with improved production over past Alekhine’s Gun releases. The six-year hiatus paid dividends for the band, which sounds as strong as ever on “21”. Pimentel, best known for her role as Maria Ruiz during all seven seasons of Orange Is the New Black, offered some conceptual background on the song’s lyrical themes. Like on prior records, Pimentel mines the spiritual and philosophical for her weighty, literary subject matter. She says of the track: “Inspire...
DMC Joins Anthrax, Volbeat, Suicidal Tendencies Members for Run-DMC Quarantine Medley: Watch
Rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels celebrated his legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC with a quarantine performance featuring members of Anthrax, Volbeat, and Suicidal Tendencies. Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante has arranged a number of socially distant performances during the pandemic. For this one, he was joined by his former Anthrax bandmate and current Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano and Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra Diaz, as they back McDaniels on a medley of Run-DMC classics. “I always wanted to do a medley of Run-DMC songs, so back in March I decided to put an arrangement together and asked these amazing people to be a part of it,” explained Benante in the YouTube description. “How can you do a Run-DMC medley without the King of Rock — Darryl McDaniels DMC.” The drummer added, “I have been a...
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Surprises Nurse on Kimmel, Announces S&M2 Box Set
Throughout the pandemic, Jimmy Kimmel has been paying tribute to healthcare workers on his late-night talk show by having celebrities surprise them during their video chat sessions. Last night, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich surprised pediatric nurse Tracey Bednar, and also spilled the beans on a new box set capturing last year’s “S&M2” performances with the San Francisco Symphony. When Kimmel introduced Bednar, who is a pediatric ICU nurse in Long Island, New York, the two initially discussed the effects of COVID-19 on children. Kimmel asked her what she does to relax while working such a stressful job, and Bednar responded, “I actually play golf, I love yoga, and the best thing I do is, on my way home from work, when it’s my own private time, I play my radio really, really loud.” The ...
Dead Cross (Mike Patton, Dave Lombardo) Cover Black Flag’s “Rise Above” in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter: Stream
The hardcore supergroup Dead Cross, featuring living legends Mike Patton on vocals and Dave Lombardo on drums, have covered the Black Flag classic “Rise Above” in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) and Lombardo (Misfits, ex-Slayer) are joined by Dead Cross bandmates Michael Crain (guitar) and Justin Pearson (bass) on the socially distant performance. The song is preceded by an audio recording of a resident’s profanity-laced tirade against the LAPD as he called in to an actual police commission meeting on Zoom. In posting the video on Facebook and YouTube, the band stated that the performance was “created in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and staunchly opposing police brutality and systemic racism.” Dead Cross hit the studio ...
GWAR Drummer Visits Defaced Robert E. Lee Statue, Exclaims “F**k That Guy”: Watch
A petition to replace a statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, with one of late GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus has now racked up more than 30,000 signatures. Today (June 12th), drummer JiZMak Da Gusha paid a visit to the statue of the Confederate general, urging onlookers to add their names to the cause. In a video just posted to GWAR’s YouTube page, JiZMak Da Gusha can be seen approaching the crowd at the now-defaced Robert E. Lee statue, which has been completely tagged with graffiti. He greets them with a resounding “GWAR is here!!” “I’m critiquing the artwork,” continues Da Gusha. “It’s looking pretty great right now.” Someone then comments, “I think you’re the one going on top, aren’t you?”, mistaking Da Gusha for the late Oderus. But Da Gusha doesn’t correct him, answering, “Th...
Power Trip Release Surprise Album Live In Seattle 05.28.2018: Stream
Modern thrash-metal masters Power Trip just dropped a surprise on fans, releasing the full concert album Live In Seattle 05.28.2018. Power Trip have risen up the metal ranks thanks in large part to their dynamic high-energy live shows. The new album captures the band’s May 28th, 2018 gig at Seattle’s Neumos club, where they played during their tour with Sheer Mag, Red Death, and Fury. The 11-song set has been mixed and mastered by the band’s front of house engineer, Zachary Rippy. Among the songs played that evening are fan favorites like “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)”, “Firing Squad”, and “Soul Sacrifice”. The album can be streamed below via Bandcamp, but is also available on most other major streaming services. Fans can also purchase Live In Seattle 05.28.2018 via Amazon or Bandc...
Petition Launched to Replace Statue of Robert E. Lee with GWAR’s Oderus Urungus in Richmond, Virginia
Amid the protests taking place in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in police custody, some long-standing statues are not fairing very well. Now, a new petition calls for a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, to be replaced with one of late GWAR leader Oderus Urungus. In recent days, statues of Christopher Columbus have been toppled and beheaded in Richmond and Boston, respectively, with protesters citing the explorer’s involvement in the genocide of Native Americans. In England, a statue of known slave-trader Edward Colston was destroyed and thrown into a river, and in Belgium, a statue of King Leopold II was removed because of his oppressive rule over the Congo. As Metal Injection reports, onetime GWAR dancer / backup vocalist Slymenstra Hymen (aka Dan...
Metallica Concert to Kick Off New “OffStage With DWP” Streaming Series
Festival promoter Danny Wimmer Presents has been hit hard this year, forced to cancel the majority of its popular rock festivals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the company is taking its business online, launching a new streaming series that will kick off with a full Metallica concert. Over the past couple of months, Danny Wimmer Presents has canceled the spring U.S. rock fests Welcome to Rockville, Epicenter, and Sonic Temple, as well as the fall fests Louder Than Life, Boubon & Beyond, and Hometown Rising. As of now, the only festival still on DWP’s schedule for 2020 is Aftershock, set for October in Sacramento, California. The new series, dubbed “Offstage with DWP”, combines footage from the promoter’s past festivals, with newly recorded acoustic performances and interviews. Meta...
#MetallicaMondays: Watch Metallica’s Rain-Soaked 2019 Manchester Show
Metallica’s weekly streaming series #MetallicaMondays continues with the band’s full June 2019 concert at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England. The show was played in the pouring rain, as the band and fans braved the weather for 18 songs, including five from “The Black Album” and four from their latest LP, Hardwired … To Self-Destruct. As they did throughout the tour, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo paid tribute to a local act, this time performing a portion of The Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored”. Like all bands, Metallica are currently off the road due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they may start work on a follow-up to Hardwired … To Self-Destruct. During a recent online video chat, drummer Lars Ulrich said that if the concert industry ends up being shut down for six...
International Day of Slayer Celebrated with On-Demand Release of Repentless Killogy Movie
International Day of Slayer is celebrated annually on June 6th, and this year it features the on-demand release of the band’s 2019 movie The Repentless Killogy. This year marks the 18th annual International Day of Slayer. The special day (6/6 — closest date to 666) has seen fans skip work or school to listen to the legendary thrash band’s music all day. And beginning Saturday, fans who didn’t catch The Repentless Killogy in theaters or purchase the Blu-ray can now stream it via video on demand. The VOD stream is available via the band’s website for the appropriate price of $6.66 for 48 hours of access. The Repentless Killogy is essentially two movies in one, combining a narrative story that weaves together the ultra-violent music videos from the band’s Repentless album with a full concert ...
Iron Maiden, KISS, and System of a Down Headline Virtual Download Festival
Iron Maiden and KISS (photos by Kevin RC Wilson) / System of a Down (photo by Raymond Ahner) Iron Maiden, KISS, and System of a Down will headline the virtual Download TV festival, which will stream on YouTube and social media June 12-14th. All three bands were set to headline this year’s Download Festival, a massive annual UK heavy music gathering that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual fest promises footage from prior Download appearances, socially distant performances, interviews, and exclusive content from the bands that were initially slated for this year’s lineup. The weekend schedule will be divided into day and evening programming. The day content “celebrates the spirit of Download Festival” and the evening will feature two to three hours of “tailor-made prog...
Charlie Benante on New Anthrax Album: “The First Thing I Wanna See Come Out Is a Vaccine”
Anthrax have a number of songs written for their next album, but drummer Charlie Benante wants to see a COVID-19 vaccine arrive before the legendary thrash-metal act releases a new LP. During an interview with Lou Brutus for HardDrive Radio, Benante offered an update on the follow-up to 2016’s For All Kings. “There is new music, there actually is,” said the drummer. “There’s about six, seven songs — and it’s really good.” When asked whether fans would get to hear some new music in the near future, Benante responded, “The first thing I wanna see come out is a [COVID-19] vaccine. Then we’re gonna put a record out.” Benante also revealed that Anthrax will not play any shows in 2020, and that their first gig back will be January 11th, 2021, at the rescheduled Knotfest Japan. “Other than that, ...
