Hard Rock
Motörhead’s Lemmy and Judas Priest’s Rob Halford Turned Into Retro Action Figures
Two legends of heavy music have been immortalized with new retro-looking action figures. Late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister and Judas Priest singer Rob Halford are now available as 3.75-inch “ReAction” collectibles from the toy company Super7. Super7 specializes in creating new action figures in the popular style of the ’70s and early ’80s, or as the company puts it, “creating figures we wished we’d had when we were growing up.” The Lemmy figure depicts the rock & roll icon with a removable bass in hand, complete with muttonchops and a Motörhead T-shirt. The Halford figure portrays the Judas Priest vocalist in a studded-leather outfit with whip and microphone accessories. Equally cool as the figures is the packaging in which they come. The artwork features throwback illustrations ...
Steve Perry: Eddie Van Halen Approached Me After David Lee Roth Left Van Halen
Steve Perry (via Columbia Records), Eddie Van Halen (via Warner Bros. Records) Imagine the groundbreaking guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen paired with the golden voice of Steve Perry? Well, it could’ve been. According to the former Journey singer, Eddie Van Halen suggested that he and Perry jam following David Lee Roth’s departure from Van Halen in 1985. In paying tribute to the late guitarist in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Perry strongly hinted that he could have been in line for the coveted Van Halen singing gig if he had followed up on Eddie’s invitation. However, there was one big thing holding him back. “I don’t think anyone knows this, but when David Lee Roth left Van Halen [in 1985] I was living in the Bay Area and not sure what I was or wasn’t going to do anymore,” recalle...
Tommy Lee Fires Back at Ted Nugent: “Is That Guy Even Still Alive … I Thought He Shot Himself”
Forget Trump vs. Biden — the nastiest right wing vs. left wing feud is brewing between veteran rockers Ted Nugent and Tommy Lee. Following some disparaging remarks by Nugent about the Mötley Crüe drummer, Lee has fired back at the guitarist with a vengeance. As we reported Wednesday, Nugent seemingly went out of his way to call Lee “a convicted felon, domestic violence heroin addict” during a recent appearance on the political podcast Blunt Force Truth. It was just a matter of time before Lee retaliated, and he did just that on Wednesday night. The drummer tweeted, “Ted Nugent? ….Is that guy even still alive? ….. I thought he shot himself like 20 yrs ago.” A little harsh, indeed, but Lee is playing off the fact that Nugent has long been a proud gun-toting member of the NRA. When the M...
Do Five Finger Death Punch Take an Anti-Mask Stance with “Living the Dream” Video?
Five Finger Death Punch have released a music video for the single “Living the Dream” that is rife with political symbolism. One aspect of the video appears to take an anti-mask stance, although there’s some ambiguity in the band’s intentions. In the video, civilians who wear masks are given a button that says “Compliant” emblazoned with a hammer and sickle (a longtime communist symbol). A sinister female leader who gives out the masks doesn’t have to wear one, as her button reads “Exempt”. There are also zombies hoarding toilet paper and Pulp Fiction-like gimps who are walked on a chain by the “Exempt” leader. The American flag is seen in the video with the stars replaced by the hammer and sickle, as well. When a masked ice cream truck worker is spotted with an actual American flag, Mrs. ...
Alice Cooper Enters 2020 Presidential Race with New “Elected” Video: Watch
Every four years since Alice Cooper released the iconic single “Elected” in 1972, the rocker has “satirically” run for president. Just in the nick of time, Cooper has thrown his hat into the 2020 race, releasing an updated video for “Elected” and a ton of “Alice Cooper for President” merch. Running on the “Wild Party” ticket, Cooper’s campaign platform says it all: “I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing.” With his official website adding, “I have absolutely no idea what to do.” The new “Elected” video takes a humorous and lighthearted approach to the campaign process, which is much appreciated considering the real-life campaign has been anything but. Cooper sings the song through a loudspeaker from a podium, and the words remain as relevant as ever. Fans can show their support wi...
Alice in Chains to Release Facelift 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set
Alice in Chains’ seminal debut album, Facelift, is getting the deluxe treatment in celebration of its 30th anniversary. The band has announced a box set that is due to arrive on January 29th. The album actually turned 30 on August 21st. As we detailed in a recent feature, it helped give rise to the ’90s alternative-rock movement. Led by single “Man in the Box”, the 1990 LP’s success paved the way for albums like Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s Ten, which came the following year. The deluxe box set should have Alice in Chains fans salivating, as it’s jam-packed with collectibles. Housed in an acrylic deluxe box with gel transparencies, the set includes a remastered 2-LP vinyl picture-disc edition of the album; a cassette version of the LP; a custom hardcover photo book; a two-sided post...
Bring Me the Horizon Announce New EP Featuring BABYMETAL, Amy Lee, and More
Babymetal (photo by Kevin RC Wilson), Bring Me the Horizon Horizon (photo by Raymond Ahner), Amy Lee (photo by Joe Russo) Bring Me the Horizon have announced a new EP, Post Human: Survival Horror, that features some prominent guest spots. The nine-song effort, due October 30th, boasts appearances by BABYMETAL, Evanescence vocalist Amy Lee, UK singer YUNGBLUD, and British rock duo Nova Twins. The UK band has already unveiled three songs from the EP over the past year. The track “Ludens” came out in November 2019 as part of the soundtrack to the video game Death Stranding, while “Parasite Eve” and “Obey” (featuring YUNGBLUD) arrived over the past few months. Japanese pop-metal act BABYMETAL appear on the song “Kingslayer”, while Amy Lee provides guest vocals on the poetically titled “One Day...
Mysterious Woman from Black Sabbath’s Debut Album Gets Her Own Funko Pop! Figure
Funko’s popular line of collectible Pop! figures has expanded over the years to include a wide array of music, film, and television subjects. Even with the toy company’s vast roster, who would’ve thought that the mysterious woman from the cover of Black Sabbath’s debut album would get her own Funko Pop! figure? That’s the case with a new line of Funko Pop! figures based on classic albums. The first Funko “Pop! Albums” series features figures modeled after three iconic album covers. They include Sabbath’s self-titled debut, The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, and AC/DC’s Back in Black. Upon its release in 1970, Sabbath’s debut album helped usher in what the world knows now as heavy metal. The woman on the ominous cover had remained a mystery until earlier this year, when she was locat...
Tommy Lee Swears He’ll Leave US If Trump Wins: “I’ll Go Back to My Motherland”
Tommy Lee has had enough of Donald Trump, so much so that he insists he’ll leave the United States if the incumbent wins the upcoming presidential election. As to where he’d move, the Mötley Crüe drummer has his eyes on his “motherland”, otherwise known as Greece. In an interview with the British newspaper The Big Issue, the veteran rocker was asked how he’d deal with four more years of Trump. “Dude, I swear to God if that happens then I’m coming over to visit the UK — I’m out of here,” Lee responded. “I’ll go back to my motherland, go back to Greece and get a house on one of the islands.” Lee was actually born in Greece to his father, U.S. Army Sergeant David Lee Thomas Bass, and mother, Vassiliki “Voula” Papadimitriou, a pageant contestant who represented Greece in the 1960 Miss World co...
John 5 Honors Eddie Van Halen with Unearthed “You Really Got Me” Cover Featuring Corey Taylor and Michael Anthony: Watch
Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 has paid tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen by unveiling a concert clip featuring himself, Slipknot singer Corey Taylor, and longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony performing The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”. The song was famously covered by Van Halen on their debut album. The video dates back to John 5’s Los Angeles show at The Whiskey A Go Go in 2019, when Taylor and Anthony joined the guitarist for the classic cover. As John 5 explained in an Instagram post, The Whiskey was an oft-played venue for Eddie Van Halen in Los Angeles. Along with the clip, John 5 wrote the following: “It’s difficult to put into words the impact that Eddie Van Halen had on my life. There’s no one that influenced me more than Eddie, he was an inventor an amazing songwriter and the ...
Puscifer to Stream Concert Event from Arizona Desert
Puscifer will celebrate the release of their upcoming album, Existential Reckoning, with a truly unique streaming concert event. The show will feature singer Maynard James Keenan and company performing in the middle of the Arizona desert. The concert, dubbed “Existential Reckoning: Live at Arcosanti”, streams on October 30th, the same day that the album arrives. The show will see the band performing the new LP in its entirety. As Keenan explained in a press release, the location makes for an unpredictable experience. “If you’re not familiar with Arcosanti, I highly recommend that you look it up,” said Keenan. “It’s one of a long list of examples of architects, artists, actors, musicians, writers, and poets. People who are not necessarily from Arizona but came here and found that creative t...
David Crosby Gets Backlash Over Dismissive Eddie Van Halen Tweet
Eddie Van Halen (photo by Philip Cosores), David Crosby (photo by Monica McGivern) Following the death of Eddie Van Halen on Tuesday (October 6th), the Van Halen guitarist received near universal acclaim in tributes from his musical peers. However, one fellow music icon didn’t see fit to sing the rock legend’s praises. David Crosby dismissed Van Halen with a “meh,” and it has fans and musicians fuming. Like Eddie Van Halen, Crosby is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, thanks to his work in The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He was asked Saturday (October 11th) by a fan on Twitter about his opinion on the late guitarist, which he answered with a blunt “Meh.” When another fan responded, “Wow, that was rude, unkind, and totally lacking empathy,” Crosby continued to dig himself into m...
