Hard Rock
10 Bands You Probably Discovered by Playing Guitar Hero
Crate Digging is a recurring feature in which we take a deep dive into a genre and turn up several albums or bands that all music fans should know about. As classic gaming series Guitar Hero turns 15 this week, we look at 10 bands a generation of fans likely learned about through gaming rather than crate digging. In the mid-to-late 2000s, the Guitar Hero series was the party game to own. Initially a partnership between publisher/hardware manufacturer RedOctane and developer Harmonix, the brand built upon the latter’s prior music-based projects — such as Frequency, Karaoke Revolution, and Amplitude — and other genre titans like Dance Dance Revolution, GuitarFreaks, Gitaroo Man, and PaRappa the Rapper. Essentially, players had to match button combinations and rhythmic cues to the arrangement...
The Pretty Reckless Cover Soundgarden’s “Loud Love”: Stream
The Pretty Reckless and singer Taylor Momsen have never shied away from expressing their love for the music of Soundgarden. Now, the hard rockers have paid tribute to the grunge pioneers with a cover of “Loud Love”. Momsen is no stranger to Soundgarden covers, having performed a quarantine version of “Halfway There” with Soundgarden / Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron earlier this year. Her vocal ability is well-suited for tackling the impressive vocal range of late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, and she turns in another strong effort on this emotionally charged, faithful rendition of “Loud Love”. It was recently recorded for a virtual festival on SiriusXM’s Octane channel. The two bands’ stories are forever linked after The Pretty Reckless opened for Soundgarden in Detroit on the night ...
Dave Grohl and 10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Plan to Write a Song Together
After providing the music world with some of the most uplifting headlines of the year, Dave Grohl and 10-year-old Nandi Bushell have made plans to record a song together. What’s more, the Foo Fighters frontman has invited the music prodigy to jam with the band once they are able to tour in her home country of England. As we’ve chronicled over the past few months, YouTube sensation Nandi challenged Grohl to a drum battle by playing the Foo Fighters classic “Everlong”. The rock icon accepted her challenge by performing “Dead End Friends” from his supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, and Nandi responded within a week with a beat-for-beat version of the same song. From there, the friendly competition went to a new level, with Grohl writing and performing an original theme song about Nandi, and th...
Dave Grohl: Foo Fighters Can “Turn Into a Death Metal Band”
Over the weekend, Foo Fighters announced their new album, Medicine at Midnight, which will arrive in February. According to Dave Grohl, the LP will showcase a fresh sound for the band, but the frontman still thinks the Foos have yet to tap into the full spectrum of their musical capabilities. In fact, he says the band’s sound has the potential to range from death metal to The Carpenters. Months prior to announcing Medicine at Midnight, Grohl compared the new album to David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, which featured more groove and dance elements than the late rock legend’s previous albums. In a new interview with SiriusXM, Grohl explained, “All of us grew up loving rock ‘n’ roll records you could bounce around to, like The Cars, or David Bowie’s Let’s Dance or The Power Station or The Stones...
Queens of the Stone Age to Mark Bataclan Attack Anniversary with Concert Livestream and Fundraiser
This Friday, November 13th, will mark five years since the tragic Bataclan terrorist attack in Paris. A total of 89 people were killed during the concert headlined by Eagles of Death Metal. In remembrance of that fateful evening, Queens of the Stone Age will livestream previously unseen concert footage, and all proceeds will benefit those impacted by the attack. Frontman Josh Homme made the announcement on Twitter on Monday. Homme is a member of Eagles of Death Metal, but didn’t perform at the 2015 Bataclan concert. Even so, he clearly hasn’t forgotten the gravity of what transpired that night. QOTSA have chosen to livestream an acoustic gig that took place at Tasmania’s MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) in September 2018. The 11-song setlist included “Go with the Flow”, “I Never Came”, and...
Myles Kennedy Talks New Alter Bridge EP, Solo Music, Slash, and the Pandemic’s Effect on the Music Industry
Myles Kennedy, photo by Antonio Marino Jr. Alter Bridge were into the touring cycle for their 2019 album, Walk the Sky, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down their plans for 2020. With no concerts on the horizon, band members Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall decided to release a live EP from their most recent tour stops, as well as record a new studio track, “Last Rites”. The band’s Walk the Sky 2.0 EP has just arrived, and the collection features six live performance along with “Last Rites”. The studio track was conceived during the Walk the Sky sessions, but was was completed and recorded during the pandemic. Kennedy sat down with Heavy Consequence to talk about the new EP, as well as the status of his upcoming sophomore solo album, the effect of the pandemi...
R.I.P. Ken Hensley, Original Uriah Heep Keyboardist and Songwriter Dies at 75
Ken Hensley, an original member of Uriah Heep, has passed away at the age of 75 following a short illness. The veteran musician played keyboards, rhythm guitar and sang in the legendary UK rock band during their ’70s heyday, and was their chief songwriter during that time. The news of Hensley’s death was reported by his brother Trevor, who wrote on Facebook, “I am writing this with a heavy heart to let you know that my brother Ken Hensley passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening. His beautiful wife Monica was at his side and comforted Ken in his last few minutes with us. He added, “We are all devastated by this tragic and incredibly unexpected loss and ask that you please give us some space and time to come to terms with it. Ken will be cremated in a private ceremony in Spain so please ...
Drummer Scott Phillips: Creed Reunion Is a “Possibility”
It’s been roughly eight years since Creed played their final show after reuniting for a new album and tour. Now, drummer Scott Phillips reveals that the band members have been talking, and that another reunion is a “possibility down the road.” Creed originally broke up in 2004 after a wildly successful ride in which they sold millions upon millions of albums, and scored such No. 1 rock hits as “Higher”, “With Arms Wide Open”, and “My Sacrifice.” The post-grunge outfit built up a massive following, which also led to backlash from critics and rock fans who perhaps didn’t appreciate the band’s righteous music or felt that singer Scott Stapp sounded a little too similar to Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. Upon their breakup, three-quarters of the band joined forces with singer Myles Kennedy to form A...
An Entire Pallet of Tool Guitarist Adam Jones’ New Custom Les Pauls Was Stolen
Just last week, Tool guitarist Adam Jones unveiled his first-ever signature guitar, a beautiful limited-edition 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst. Now, Gibson and gear retailer Sweetwater Music report that an entire pallet containing 13 of the prized guitars has been stolen. The guitar comes in two editions: a super-limited aged and signed version that retails for $9,999 and is limited to a run of 79, and a VOS (Vintage Original Spec) version that retails for $5,999 and is limited to 179 guitars. Thirteen of those guitars (including four of the more expensive edition) are now missing after an entire pallet was stolen out of a Sweetwater Music truck at the Flying J Travel Center in Whiteland, Indiana, on October 30th. The signature Les Pauls were on their way to be dispensed to custom...
Heavy Culture: Living Colour on Their Upbringings, Pandemic Life, and Getting Out the Vote
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features an interview with the Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun, guitarist Vernon Reid and bassist Doug Wimbish. Since 1985, Living Colour have blended rock, metal, and blues to form a sound all their own, inspiring many artists along the way. This year, the rock pioneers are celebrating 30 years of their sophomore album, Time’s Up, which yielded such hits as “Type”, “Love Rears Its Ugly Head”, and “Elvis Is Dead”. This edition of “Heavy Culture” spans several months, as we first caught up with the members of Livin...
Axl Rose Poetically Urges Americans to Vote for a “Better World” in the “Face of Fear and Intimidation”
With Election Day upon us, Axl Rose is urging his fellow Americans to vote. The Guns N’ Roses singer posted a series of poetic tweets, listing the reasons why it’s so important to cast a ballot in the presidential election this year. While Rose doesn’t mention Donald Trump or Joe Biden by name, his social media posts over the past four years have been decidedly anti-Trump. In fact, the rock legend has repeatedly ripped apart Trump and his administration throughout the president’s entire term in the White House. Among his many takedowns of Trump, the GN’R frontman once called the president a “repulsive excuse for a person with a sick agenda.” The singer also lambasted members of Trump’s administration for seemingly discouraging social distancing during the pandemic. In a three-part twe...
AC/DC Team Up with DC Shoes for New Footwear and Apparel Line
AC/DC have teamed up with DC Shoes for a new line of footwear and apparel. The merch launches this Saturday (November 7th), just in time for the legendary band’s upcoming album, Power Up, which arrives on November 13th. DC Shoes is known for its skate footwear, so it’s not surprising that the shoes are the highlight of the AC/DC collaboration. A handful of classic DC styles and silhouettes have been adorned with the band’s iconography. One style features the cover of Highway to Hell printed on the canvas area, while others boldly display the band’s logo. The shoes will retail for a suggested price of $55 to $75. In addition to the footwear, the AC/DC x DC Shoes partnership also features beanies, longsleeves, and more as part of the line, ranging from $25 to $75. As AC/DC were a staple musi...
