Hard Rock
Vicky Cornell: All Unreleased Soundgarden Music Will “See the Light of Day”
Vicky Cornell has stated that all of her late husband Chris Cornell’s unreleased music — including the Soundgarden songs he was working on before his death — will “see the light of day.” She made the confident declaration even though the rights to the unreleased Soundgarden tracks have been the subject of a legal dispute between Vicky and the surviving members of the band. While speaking about the surprise new Chris Cornell covers album, No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vicky was asked by USA Today if more of Chris’ music would be released posthumously. “Yes. All of Chris’ music, including Soundgarden, will see the light of day because there’s nothing in the world that lifts me most than sharing Chris’ gifts, having people speak his name, and having his music out there,” she responded. “He’s...
Late Deftones Bassist Chi Cheng’s Spoken Word Album to Arrive in January
A limited-edition album featuring a 2001 spoken word performance by late Deftones bassist Chi Cheng will arrive in late January. The release, dubbed The Head Up Project, contains 24 tracks, all captured during the musician’s set at the Cafe Paris in the band’s hometown of Sacramento, California. Cheng sadly died in 2013 at the age of 42 after a 2008 car crash left him in a years-long coma. The spoken word album is being released via Qumran Records and Buckle Up For Chi, a nonprofit founded in the bassist’s honor that encourages seatbelt use. The Head Up Project is subtitled A Night of Poetry, Belly Dancing, Music, Insults, Alcohol and Other Forms of Flattery. Only 200 copies of the album were made available for pre-order on CD, and according to the purchase link, it’s already out of stock ...
Eddie Van Halen Cause of Death Revealed; Ashes Given to Son Wolfgang
More than two months after the tragic passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, his official cause of death has been revealed. While his widely reported battle with cancer was an underlying cause, the immediate cause of death was a stroke. According to his death certificate, as obtained by TMZ, there were a number ailments that led to the Van Halen guitarist’s passing. The immediate cause is listed as cerebrovascular accident, which is the medical term for a stroke. Among the underlying causes were pneumonia, which he had for one month; myelodysplastic syndrome (a bone marrow disorder), which he was afflicted with for five months; and lung cancer, which he battled for three years. Additionally, in a section titled “Other Significant Conditions”, it was also revealed that Eddie had squamous...
Concert Review: Primus Pull Out Deep Cuts for Livestream Show
Setting the Stage: Ever since their inception, Primus have always been a “live band.” Sure, there’s no denying that such studio offerings as Frizzle Fry, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, and Pork Soda are ‘90s quirk-rock classics … but long-time fans can verify that the trio – singer/bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander – are best experienced in concert, as they most certainly take their songs to the next level onstage. So, with a proposed 2020 tour (that was to see the trio pay tribute to Rush’s 1977 prog classic A Farewell to Kings), scrapped due to COVID shutting down tours, it was announced that Primus’ lone show of the year – titled “Alive From Pachyderm Station” – would be streamed on December 11th, filmed at Claypool’s winery, Claypool Cellars, in Seba...
Alice Cooper Shares New Song “Our Love Will Change the World”: Stream
Alice Cooper has shared the new song “Our Love Will Change the World”, the second single from his upcoming album, Detroit Stories. Cooper called the track one of the “oddest songs” of his career for its juxtaposition of “happy” major chords and otherwise cynical lyrics. The shock rock legend explains that the song was written by a fellow Detroiter, thus fitting the Motor City theme of the new album. “I think ‘Our Love Will Change The World’ is one of the oddest songs I’ve ever done and it was one that came to us by somebody else, another Detroit writer,” Cooper explained in the press release. “And it was so strange, because it was happy and what it was saying was anything but happy — it was simply a great juxtaposition. And I got it immediately and said, ‘OK, this is going to be great.’ Th...
Greta Van Fleet Share New Video for “Age of Machine”: Watch
Greta Van Fleet have shared a video for their latest single, “Age of Machine”. The storyline of the seven-minute visual accompaniment is difficult to follow, but its press release insinuates that the narrative murkiness is intentional. Throughout the video, the classic rock nostalgists are seen admiring an ancient statue in the middle of an empty warehouse, cruising through a tunnel on motorcycles, and wandering around the desert in street clothes. Those seemingly unrelated shots of the band are interspersed with panoramas of oil fields, esoteric home videos with a ’70s-esque film quality, and vaguely Kubrick-like scenes of frontman Josh Kiszka receiving eye-drops in a medical facility. At one point, they take turns drilling and chipping away at the Greco-Roman statue they were admiri...
R.I.P. Jason Slater, Original Third Eye Blind Bassist and Queensrÿche Producer Dies at 49
Jason Slater, who was the original bassist in the band Third Eye Blind and a longtime producer for Queensrÿche, has died at the age of 49. His daughter Alyssa reported that Slater died from liver failure at a hospital in Maui, according to TMZ. While Slater was Third Eye Blind’s original bassist and backup vocalist, he did not appear on any of the pop-rock act’s albums. He was a member from 1993 to 1994, recording their first demo. He left the group before they scored huge success with their six-times platinum 1997 self-titled debut, which yielded the hits “Semi-Charmed Life”, “Jumper”, and “How’s It Gonna Be”. A rep for Third Eye Blind revealed to TMZ that the band hadn’t spoken with Slater since 1996, but added, “When a spirited member of the music scene is taken too soon, it is always a...
Slash: New Guns N’ Roses Pinball Machines Are “Way Beyond My Expectations”
A couple of months ago, Guns N’ Roses announced a series of “Not in This Lifetime” pinball machines, modeled after the band’s mega-successful reunion tour of the same name. The arcade games were co-designed by Slash, who caught up with us to discuss all things pinball and his involvement in the creation of the machines. The “Not in This Lifetime” machines are manufactured by Jersey Jack Pinball, and are available in three editions — Standard, Limited, and Collectors — each with a different design on its body. The machines feature a 21-song soundtrack that closely mirrors the setlists that Guns N’ Roses played on their “Not in This Lifetime” tour, which saw the return of classic members Slash and Duff McKagan. As we learned from Slash while speaking with him about the machines, his love of ...
Suspect208 (Sons of Weiland, Slash, Trujillo) Unveil Video for Second Single “All Black”: Watch
Suspect208, the new band featuring the sons of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, and late Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, have just unveiled their second single. The track, “All Black”, is accompanied by a music video that offers the first look at the young musicians performing onstage. The band — consisting of 20-year-old singer Noah Weiland, 16-year-old bassist Tye Trujillo, 18-year-old drummer London Hudson (Slash’s son), and 18-year-old guitarist Niko Tsangaris — went viral with their debut single, “Long Awaited”, which arrived last month. That track is already approaching a million hits on YouTube. While “Long Awaited” drew comparisons to Velvet Revolver, a band that featured both Slash and Scott Weiland, “All Black” has more of a rock-pop vib...
Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020
Our Annual Report looks back upon the strange year that was 2020 and the music, film, and television that came with it. Here, we present our Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020. In a year we’d mostly like to forget, the world of heavy music brought us many memorable releases. While we wait for concerts to return, we have a treasure trove of new metal and hard rock albums that amplify the anticipation of seeing our favorite bands return to stages. 2020 has been dominated by a worldwide pandemic, and if anything can provide us with a daily distraction from the suffering and uncertainty, it’s good music. Thankfully, dozens of bands decided to release new albums this year, despite not being able to tour in support of their latest studio efforts. As a reminder that life is filled with comeb...
Greta Van Fleet Announce New Album The Battle at Garden’s Gate, Unveil “Age of Machine”: Stream
Greta Van Fleet have announced a new album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate. In advance of its April 16th release, the young rockers have unleashed the LP’s latest single, “Age of Machine”. The Battle at Garden’s Gate marks Greta Van Fleet’s sophomore album, following their 2018 debut, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, and a whirlwind of success since exploding onto the scene with the single “Highway Tune” in 2017. The Michigan band’s experiences over the past three years have helped inform the new album, with bassist Sam Kiszka stating, “I suppose that everything has changed except what got us here in the first place. Everything — our perception of the world, perception of life itself, what it means to be an artist, what it means to be part of a beautiful, gorgeous society. We’ve gained a larger u...
Slash Unveils Gibson “Victoria” Les Paul Standard Goldtop Electric Guitar
Gibson and Slash have announced the “Victoria” Les Paul Standard Goldtop electric guitar, the latest instrument in the company’s expansive Slash Collection of signature models. The “Victoria” Les Paul Standard features a maple top, a solid mahogany body, a dark back finish and personal touches from Slash, including a C-shaped neck profile, uncovered Gibson Custom BurstBucker Alnico 2 pickups, color coordinated hardware appointments, hand-wired electronics with Orange Drop capacitors, and a vintage style brown hardshell case. Exclusive to the collection is Slash’s “Skully” drawing on the back of the headstock and the guitarist’s signature on the truss rod cover. Developed in tandem with Slash himself, if you want to play and sound like the guitar legend, look no further than this new Les Pa...
