Hard Rock
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi on “Rock Is Dead” Theory: “I Don’t Think Rock Is Going to Die”
For years, Gene Simmons of KISS has voiced his opinion — on several different occasions — that “rock is dead.” In a feature in Esquire magazine in 2014, the blood-spitting bassist-singer provided such quotes as “Rock is finally dead” and “The death of rock was not a natural death. Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered.” However, fellow rock legend Tony Iommi has a different opinion on the state of rock music. At the beginning of this year, Simmons reiterated his “rock is dead” claim in an interview with Gulf News, and then fully explained his theory in an interview with Heavy Consequence. He told us, among other reasons, “That kid living in his mom’s basement, decided one day that he didn’t want to pay for music. He wanted to download and file share. And that’s what killed the chanc...
X Japan’s Yoshiki Announces Annual $100,000 Mental Health Grant to MusiCares
Yoshiki, the leader of heavy metal legends X Japan, has announced that he will provide an annual $100,000 grant to MusiCares for mental health initiatives. The influential multi-instrumentalist has been one of rock’s most charitably musicians, even earning a Medal of Honor by the Government of Japan earlier this month. According to a press release, the annual grant will “help music creators and industry professionals affected by depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or other mental health concerns,” all issues that Yoshiki has faced within his band and his own life. “If I didn’t have music and my fans’ support, I could have easily been the one to take my own life like the people who were close to me, including my father and my band member,” said Yoshiki. “I’d like to not only contribute ...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Slice Their Way Through ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox continue their “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series with a slice of the ZZ Top hit “Gimme All Your Lovin’”. This time around, the couple is joined by a mysterious second guitarist and two pairs of scissors. In both a musical and visual tribute to ZZ Top, King Crimson founder Fripp and the mystery guitarist are sporting hats and super-long beards in honor of the legendary Texas rock act’s Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. Toyah, meanwhile, looks like a burlesque cross between Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorshands (both played by Johnny Depp), with her eyelashes conjuring up images of Malcolm McDowell’s sociopathic Alex in A Clockwork Orange. Not to mention, she’s wearing a top that more than rivals the see-through number she wore in the couple’s viral performanc...
Song of the Week: BROCKHAMPTON and Danny Brown Call Out the Haters on Return Single “BUZZCUT”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, BROCKHAMPTON make their epic return with the help of Danny Brown. “BUZZCUT” marks the first official release from BROCKHAMPTON, the sprawling 13-member hip-hop group, since 2019. After dropping a series of limited-time songs throughout 2020, the band have now made an official return with the assertive single, along with some help from Danny Brown. The undercurrent of the track is one of frustration, focusing on false dreams, haters and detractors, and dysfunctional family dynamics. Member Kevin Abstract leads the first verse and c...
Wolfgang Van Halen Shares New Songs “Don’t Back Down” and “Think It Over”: Stream
Wolfgang Van Halen has unveiled two more songs from his upcoming debut solo album, released under the moniker Mammoth WVH. The new track showcase different sides of Wolfgang’s music repertoire, with the hard-rocking “Don’t Back Down” and the pop-infused “Think It Over”. The new songs come on the heels of Wolfgang’s massively successful debut single, “Distance”, which he dedicated to his late father, the legendary Eddie Van Halen. The song recently hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, and was followed up by the single “You’re to Blame”. The rousing rocker “Don’t Back Down” is accompanied by a music video that showcases Wolfgang’s musical talents, as he’s seen playing every instrument on the song. As the son of a guitar icon, Wolfgang learned a thing or two from his dad, as he can...
Evanescence Unveil New Album The Bitter Truth: Stream
Evanescence, photo by P.R. Brown Evanescence have released their first album of new material in nearly 10 years. The Bitter Truth arrives after a roll out that saw singer Amy Lee and company unveil numerous singles from the LP over the past year. The first taste of The Bitter Truth came back in April of 2020 with the first single “Wasted on You”. Since then, the band has released additional singles “The Game Is Over”, “Use My Voice”, “Yeah Right”, and “Better Without You”. As far as the long wait between proper studio albums, Lee told Heavy Consequence in a recent interview, “I don’t work well if I go forward with too much of a plan, when it comes to being creative. So, every time we do a project, I just pour my whole self into it and give it everything I have and love it, b...
The Offspring’s “Let the Bad Times Roll” Video Features Laser Cats, Singing Toilet Paper, and More: Watch
The Offspring have unveiled a timely music video to accompany their recent single “Let the Bad Times Roll”. The song appears on the veteran punk-rock act’s upcoming album of the same name, due out April 16th. The video shows an exaggerated view of quarantine life, with the subjects experiencing bizarre and frightening situations while stuck at home. One young woman sees her smartphone turn into a scorpion-like creature as it crawls on her face, while another woman is confronted by singing toilet paper and a giant mask-wearing cockroach. Meanwhile, a young man is playing a video game when a cat appears on screen and starts shooting laser beams out of its eyes. Another dude is attacked at home by a bizarre mob, somewhat mimicking the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. As a press rele...
The Bronx Announce New Album Bronx VI, Share “White Shadow”: Stream
L.A. punk rockers The Bronx have announced their first new album in four years, Bronx VI, arriving August 27th. They’ve also shared the first single and opening track “White Shadow”. The Bronx can always be counted on for tight, joyous rock ‘n’ roll that toes the line between hard rock and hardcore punk. On the surging “White Shadow”, they bring the big chords, anthemic vocals, and high entertainment value. Or in the the words of vocalist Matt Caughthran: “CLASSIC F–KING BRONX.” For the new album, The Bronx expanded the songwriting duties to include the full band, making Bronx VI somewhat special in the group’s sequential discography. “From day one we really decided that we wanted to make a record that went in different directions and places,” guitarist Joby Ford said in a press release. “...
Stone Temple Pilots’ Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop Remains a Prized Relic of the Grunge Era
In the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, titular protagonist and lay philosopher Wayne Campbell tells his best friend and hockey partner, Garth Algar, “Led Zeppelin didn’t write tunes that everyone liked. They left that to the Bee Gees.” Apply that sage wisdom to the hard rock landscape of the mid-1990s, and you can make a convincing case for Stone Temple Pilots being their generation’s Led Zeppelin while the Bee Gees in this case were, well, any of the myriad contemporary grunge titans that critics accused STP of mimicking. Just as critics learned to worship Jimmy Page’s monolithic riffing and Robert Plant’s banshee wail, they slowly came around to Stone Temple Pilots’ effortless pop savvy and staggering musicality on their third album, Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, which turns 2...
Evanescence’s Amy Lee on The Bitter Truth, Billie Eilish, and More
Evanescence’s Amy Lee. photo by Nick Fancher Amy Lee is one of the most influential women in rock music, having broken down barriers at the start of the 21st century. As the lead vocalist and chief songwriter for hard rockers Evanescence, Lee emerged at a time when women were scarcely heard on mainstream rock radio. Now, Evanescence are back with The Bitter Truth, the band’s first album of brand-new music in 10 years. Following their orchestral Synthesis release and world tour with a full orchestra, The Bitter Truth finds Evanescence getting back to their hard rock roots with blistering guitars and pounding rhythms. With The Bitter Truth set for release this Friday (March 26th), Evanescence have already released a string of singles from the effort, including the empowering song “Use ...
Dave Grohl: I Never Got Into the Misfits Until My Daughter “Made Me Love” Them
Misfits’ Glenn Danzig (photo by Heather Kaplan), Dave Grohl (photo by Amy Harris) Dave Grohl is discovering new and old music via his teenage daughter Violet. In fact, the 14-year-old aspiring singer turned her dad on to the Misfits, a band he never previously embraced despite his love of old-school punk and hardcore. The Foo Fighters frontman was recently interviewed by YouTube’s Tiny TV channel, and the topic turned to punk rock. Grohl remarked, “You have to be a certain type of person to fall in love with and connect to punk rock music. I think it has more to do with your heart and your head than it does your ear in a way. So my daughter was born with that same heart and that same head as I was.” He continued, “When she was young, and she had great taste in music, she would listen...
Lemmy’s Ashes Were Placed in Bullets and Given to His Closest Friends
The late Lemmy Kilmister was indeed the coolest man on Earth, even in death. Per the legendary Motörhead frontman’s request, his ashes were placed in bullets and delivered to his closest friends and associates. Now, that’s metal — literally! The revelation comes courtesy of Riki Rachtman, the onetime host of the MTV show Headbangers Ball. On Monday (March 22nd), Rachtman shared a photo of a bullet with “LEMMY” engraved on it, writing, “Before his death #Lemmy asked for his ashes to be put in some bullets & handed out to his closest friends. Today, I received a bullet & was literally brought to tears. Thank you, @myMotorhead.” Rachtman’s post follows one on Instagram from last year by former professional tennis player Pat Cash that is now getting attention. Cash shared a pic of anot...
