Hard Rock
System of a Down’s John Dolmayan Calls Democrats the “True Bigots” While Wishing Trump a Happy Birthday
Despite being antithetical to the sociopolitical ideals that have long been presented in his band’s music, System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan keeps doubling and tripling down on some far-right viewpoints. Now, he has gone so far as to call Democrats the “true bigots” in his latest Instagram rant. At this point, it may seem like Dolmayan is just trying to get a rise out of the band’s fans, but he has made it clear that he stands on the opposite end of the political spectrum than his bandmates, especially singer Serj Tankian. Already the two have expressed very different views about the ongoing protests, with Dolmayan hailing President Trump as the “greatest friend to minorities” and Tankian calling for the Trump regime to resign. Last week, Dolmayan followed up his initial comments by d...
Rammstein Working on New Songs While in Lockdown
Rammstein would have been in the middle of a European tour right now had it not been for the pandemic, but the industrial metal veterans are not sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Instead, the legendary German band is working on new music. In an interview with Germany’s “Bosshoss” podcast on Rodeo Radio, drummer Christoph Schneider was asked what the band has been up to during the lockdown. Schneider responded, “Last week, we were supposed to play our first 2020 concert and then we said, ‘Let’s meet and think about what we could do this year.’” He continued, “We still have so many ideas lying around, so many unfinished songs. We met and we’re working on new songs. We want to work on songs, but whether it’s going to be a new record, nobody knows.” It took Rammstein roughly 10 year...
Deftones Complete Work on New Album, Eye September Release
Deftones have completed work on their highly anticipated new album. Drummer Abe Cunningham says the LP is currently being mastered, with hopes for a September release. Back in February, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deftones revealed that the album was being produced by Terry Date, who helmed Deftones’ first four LPs, including Around the Fur and White Pony. And in April, Cunningham briefly teased a guitar riff from the new album. While mixing had commenced, singer Chino Moreno said last month that the process was going slowly due to the social distancing between band members and Date. He added that the band had originally planned to release the album this summer, but they would “have to figure out” a new release date. Now, in a new interview with Download TV’s Kylie Olsson, as part...
Rage Against the Machine Re-enter Charts as Protests Rage On
Rage Against the Machine are experiencing a chart surge as protests continue across the United States and throughout the world. Not only is the band’s debut album back on the Billboard 200 chart, all three of their LPs of original material are making a big splash on the Apple Music chart. Amid ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody, the politically charged band’s music is as relevant as ever. As Forbes reports, Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 self-titled debut is back at No. 174 on the Billboard 200 chart. The debut LP features the classic “Killing in the Name”, which was written in the wake of Rodney King’s beating at the hands of the LAPD and the subsequent riots that followed. The song includes the timely lyric, “Some of those that work forces are the sa...
Grey Daze (Chester Bennington Band) Debut New Song “B12” Featuring Korn Guitarists: Stream
Grey Daze, the band in which Chester Bennington was a member before joining Linkin Park, has debuted a video for the new song “B12” featuring Korn guitarists Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Shaffer. The song is the latest single from Grey Daze’s upcoming album, Amends, which arrives on June 26th after being delayed due to the pandemic. Prior to his death in 2017, Bennington had approached his old bandmates about re-recording their old songs. While the singer died before they started the project, Grey Daze soldiered on by incorporating Bennington’s original vocal tracks with newly recorded music The video for “B12” debuted today as part of the virtual Download TV Festival. The clip pays tribute to Bennington, showing footage of his days performing with Grey Daze in the ’90s. ...
Avatar Release Chugging New Song “God of Sick Dreams”: Stream
Swedish metallers Avatar have released a new song, “God of Sick Dreams”, from the band’s upcoming studio album, Hunter Gatherer, out August 7th. “God of Sick Dreams” features heavy, chugging riffs and a catchy, almost punk-inspired chorus. The song is the second track to arrive off Hunter Gatherer. The album’s first single, “Silence in the Age of Apes”, has amassed more than 1 million YouTube views since its release in May. Hunter Gatherer promises to be “an unflinchingly ruthless study of a clueless humankind’s ever-increasing velocity into an uncertain future, furthering the reach of the band’s always expanding dark roots,” according to a statement. “The forthcoming album,” the statement continues, “is the darkest, most sinister version of the band yet, with deep studies of cruelty, tech...
Tommy Lee Guests on New Post Malone Song Called “Tommy Lee”
Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee has revealed that he’s playing drums on a new Post Malone track, and that the song itself is called “Tommy Lee”. In an interview with SiriusXM, Lee spilled the beans on the track, saying, “I’m playing drums on this Post Malone song that’s coming up – and if you can believe it, the song is called ‘Tommy Lee’.” He went on to say, “It’s killer. It’s basically about living that rock star life that people in hip-hop always seem to talk about.” As for his contribution, Lee explained, “The track is recorded and has some demo drums on it, but I’m going to smash over those.” Lee is promoting his upcoming solo album, ANDRO, having just released two singles off the LP last week. Heavy Consequence recently caught up with the drummer for a Zoom video chat, as well, and he spoke ...
2021 Rock am Ring and Rock im Park Festivals: System of a Down, Green Day, and Volbeat to Headline
The massive twin festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park in Germany were among the major events canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, organizers have announced the initial details of the 2021 fests, with planned 2020 headliners System of a Down, Green Day, and Volbeat all agreeing to sign on for next year’s events. Rock am Ring and Rock im Park were set to celebrate their 35th and 25th anniversaries, respectively, this year. In addition to System of a Down, Green Day, and Volbeat, the 2020 lineups would have also featured Deftones, Korn, Disturbed, Weezer, The Offspring, and many more acts. As of now, only the three headliners are confirmed, with the rest of the 2021 artists yet to be announced. Rock am Ring and Rock im Park will take place concurrently on the weekend of June 11th-13...
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...
R.I.P. Rupert Hine, Producer for Rush, The Fixx, and More, Dies at 72
Rupert Hine, who produced two RUSH albums, as well as releases from The Fixx, Howard Jones, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, and more, has died at the age of 72. No cause of death has been revealed. The veteran UK producer’s passing was reported by the Ivors Academy, a songwriting association of which Hine was a board director. “His passion, wisdom, inspiration and his immense kindness will be hugely missed,” stated the organization. Hine produced RUSH’s gold-certified 1989 album Presto, which included the chart-topper “Show Don’t Tell”, and platinum-certified 1991 LP Roll the Bones, featuring the hit “Ghost of a Chance”. It was in the ’80s new wave scene that Hine really made his mark, producing multiple albums by The Fixx, including the platinum-certified Reach the Beach (highlighted by the si...
All Them Witches Announce New Album, Premiere New Song “Saturnine & Iron Jaw”: Stream
All Them Witches are offering up a nice respite from all the chaos going on in the world. The Nashville rockers have announced the forthcoming release of a new album, Nothing as the Ideal. Moreover, the band is teaming up with Heavy Consequence to share a taste of what’s to come with opening track “Saturnine & Iron Jaw”. Nothing as the Ideal will arrive on September 4th via via New West Records. The album was recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles famously laid down most of their iconic catalog. Regarding the song “Saturnine & Iron Jaw”, guitarist and songwriter Ben McLeod tells us, “We very specifically wanted to lead with this track. I think it’s the most well-rounded track on the record; it’s constantly changing, it has a lot of different vibes to it.” He giv...
System of a Down’s John Dolmayan Blasts “Defund the Police” Movement as “Stupidest Thing I’ve Heard”
System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan has been very open about his political beliefs in the midst of protests across the country. Now, he’s blasting the “Defund the Police” movement as “probably the stupidest thing [he’s] heard.” Last week, Dolmayan made headlines when he called President Trump the “greatest friend to minorities” around the same time his bandmate Serj Tankian called for the protesters to “force the [Trump] regime to resign.” In a 13-minute Instagram video posted over the weekend, Dolmayan addressed the backlash he has received since that post, while also outlining his positions on a variety of socio-political issues. As far as the differences between him and his bandmates, particularly Tankian, Dolmayan said, “We have differing opinions in System of a Down. That shouldn’t...