Heavy Metal
R.I.P. Jeff LaBar, Guitarist of Cinderella Dead at 58
Jeff LaBar, longtime guitarist of the glam metal band Cinderella, has died at age of 58. LaBar’s son, Sebastian, shared the news of his father’s passing in a social media post on Wednesday (via Blabbermouth). “So i just got the call… Jeff LaBar, my father, my hero, my idol, passed away today,” Sebastian wrote, “I’m currently at a loss for words. I love you pop.” A cause of death was not disclosed. LaBar joined Cinderella in 1985 right as the band hit the studio to record their debut album, Night Songs. Thanks to its breakout single, “Nobody’s Fool,” as well as a slot opening on tour for Bon Jovi, Night Songs became one of 1986’s biggest albums, achieving triple platinum status and peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Cinderella’s follow-up, 1988’s Long Cold Winter, was equally massive. W...
King Woman Share New Song “Boghz” Ahead of Upcoming Album: Stream
King Woman have shared “Boghz,” the final single from their upcoming third album, Celestial Blues, out July 30th. The mysterious track touts soft-loud buildups that create an unsettling vibe. Whispering wind and muted guitar notes give way to crushing chords in the chorus, as singer Kris Esfandiari belts out in terror. King Woman take the classic Sabbathian doom template and sharpen it to an edge. “It’s a tragic story about one ancient soul split in two separate bodies,” Esfandiari explained via a press release. “Only knowing a sick and twisted version of love, one half nearly destroys the other. It’s about being at the mercy of a sadistic person who you have an undeniable psychic bond with.” Advertisement Related Video Such darkly cerebral themes can also be found in previous singles “Mor...
Ed Sheeran Mulls Recording a Death Metal Album, Loves Slipknot and Cradle of Filth
Pop star Ed Sheeran going metal sounds like a late-night comedy skit — in fact that was an actual sketch a few years back on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. But this time, the British pop star isn’t playing around, as he now reports that he “would not be opposed to creating” a death metal album. That’s right, Sheeran, whose chart-topping hits like “The Shape of You” and “Perfect” are anything but metal, is a big fan of crushing riffs and guttural growls. The singer-songwriter was quoted in The Sun over the weekend as saying, “I was really into death metal as a kid. I listened to Cradle of Filth and Slipknot and all that stuff.” Advertisement Related Video In fact, Sheeran is considering dipping his toes in some extreme music. “I’m not saying I could ever step into that world,” he a...
Killswitch Engage to Perform Two Full Albums for August Livestream Concert
Killswitch Engage have announced a livestream event set for August 6th. The band will perform 2019’s Atonement and 2000’s self-titled debut album in their entirety. The stream goes live at 7 p.m. ET and will be available on-demand for 48 hours. Billed with the slogan “Vaccinated + Intoxicated,” the performance takes place at the The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. The venue has been a frequent stop for Killswitch Engage when touring their home state. MyGoodEye’s David Brodsky and Allison Woest will direct the footage. “I am pleased we were able to finally pull this together,” stated singer Jesse Leach. “I hope everyone who watches enjoys this as much as we did making it. Aside from the music, the laughter and funny moments were an equal part of the experience. The whole package real...
Sonic Frequencies from “The Black Album” Make Metallica’s Latest Blackened Whiskey the Perfect Sipper: Review
Metallica have unveiled The Black Album Whiskey Pack, the latest release in their Blackened American Whiskey line. The 12 songs from the classic 1991 album were used for the “Black Noise” sonic-enhancement process, literally pummeling the casks with sonic frequencies to extract flavors from the wood. The new pack includes a bottle of Batch 114 Blackened whiskey — finished to the low hertz frequencies of “The Black Album” — a collectible coin, and a Snakebite cocktail booklet. It’s a dream gift for Metallica fans and at a very modest SRP of $49.99, considering this is high-grade craft whiskey. I was fortunate enough to have been gifted a pack for this article. Knowing that I certainly couldn’t polish off the whole bottle alone — or shouldn’t, at least — I decided to bust out ...
Korn Tap Suicidal Tendencies Bassist Ra Diaz to Fill in for Fieldy on 2021 US Summer Tour
Three weeks ago, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu announced he was taking a hiatus from Korn to deal with “personal issues.” Today (July 12th), Korn revealed that Suicidal Tendencies‘ Ra Diaz will step in for Fieldy on their upcoming summer U.S. tour. “We appreciate your kind words of support in response to the recent tour update about Fieldy,” wrote Korn on Facebook. “While our brother takes some time to heal, we wanted to let you know that we are bringing our friend Ra Diaz from Suicidal Tendencies out with us this summer to fill in on Korn bass duties. We’ve all been rehearsing to get ready to bring the heat, and we can’t wait to see you next month.” Korn are scheduled to kick off a tour with Staind on August 5th in West Palm Beach, Florida. The trek runs through a September 21st show i...
25 Essential 2021 Hard Rock & Metal Tours to Catch This Summer and Fall
Early on in the pandemic, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor predicted that there would be an “explosion of live entertainment” once the concert industry opened up again. And, boy, was he right! The summer and fall 2021 concert season is jam-packed, with countless hard rock and metal tours taking place from July through December. Not only are Slipknot set to embark on their “Knotfest Roadshow” this fall, other major acts like Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth, KISS, Judas Priest, Korn, and more will all be on the road. Punk and hardcore will also be well represented, with tour packages including Dropkick Murphys and Rancid, Rise Against and Descendents, Bad Religion and Alkaline Trio, and more. Advertisement And if you’re looking for a gory good time, there’s always the intergalactic barbarians of GWAR....
Dave Mustaine Reveals That David Ellefson’s Bass Parts Have Been Replaced on Upcoming Megadeth Album
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has confirmed that ousted member David Ellefson’s bass parts have been re-recorded for the legendary thrash band’s upcoming album. Somewhat ironically, Mustaine revealed the news to a fan via the celebrity video messaging app Cameo, after recently joining the platform. Mustaine had previously stated that Ellefson’s parts would be replaced after the bassist was fired from the band following the leak of private online sexual encounters. Addressing a fan named Tina, Mustaine said [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]: “I hear you’re a big pretty fan of [the Megadeth song] ‘Fatal Illusion’ right now. That’s cool. Actually, we’ve got one song on the new album — it’s called ‘The Dogs of Chernobyl’ — which is very similar to ‘Fatal Illusion’ in aggression. So I hope you...
Spirit Adrift Announce New EP, Unleash New Song “Forge Your Future”: Stream
Spirit Adrift have shared the new song “Forge Your Future” from an upcoming three-song EP of the same name, due out August 27th. A powerful mid-tempo cut, “Forge the Future” touts satisfying doom riffs, poignant lyrics, and soaring clean vocals. It’s one of the strongest traditional heavy metal singles of 2021 so far and further proof that Spirit Adrift are modern masters of the style. Chief songwriter and frontman Nate Garrett culled the 20-minute EP from numerous demos recorded during the pandemic. To hear Garrett discuss the songs, one gathers that Forge Your Future was a highly personal project for the musicians involved. Related Video “On March 1, 2020, I relocated to the woods outside of Austin, Texas,” Garrett explained in a press release. “Two weeks later, everything was locked dow...
Deftones Postpone North American Tour with Gojira Until Spring 2022
One of 2021’s most highly anticipated tours will have to wait until 2022. Deftones have just announced that they’re postponing their summer North American outing with Gojira until next spring. The news comes roughly one month before the tour was supposed to kick off. As it was, the tour had already been postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic. Despite the fact that many bands will start touring again this summer and fall, Deftones felt that “uncertainty still remains in different markets throughout the country,” and decided that it would be best to wait until next year. The rescheduled trek will now take place in the spring, kicking off April 14th in Portland, Oregon, and running through May 28th in Minneapolis. The new itinerary includes three added dates in Las Vegas, Cincinnati, and Nas...
Tremonti Announces New Album Marching in Time
Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti has announced the fifth album from his eponymous solo band, Tremonti. The set, titled Marching in Time, will feature 12 original songs and arrive September 24th via Napalm Records. Marching in Time, according to a press release, explores Tremonti’s love for heavy music with themes “drawing from current events from the last year to form the basis of each song.” The result is a record packed with “12 individual journeys” for each track. The album’s title track, “Marching in Time,” sees Tremonti telling the story of a father welcoming a child during a global pandemic, which is something the musician experienced last year. Meanwhile, first single “If Not for You” will be released shortly. Related Video Longtime collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskett...
New Zealand Mom Has Reportedly Named Her Three Children Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera
Talk about a headbanging entrance into this world: A New Zealand mom has reportedly named her three children Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera. The extraordinary tidbit was shared via a newsletter article from New Zealand documentary filmmaker and actor David Farrier (Netflix’s Dark Tourist), who also summarized the story on his Twitter account (as first reported widely by Metal Hammer). He divulged that a woman, whom he doesn’t identify in his article, has indeed named her kids after three of heavy metal’s biggest bands. “Proud to report that a New Zealand mother has named her children Metallica, Pantera and Slayer,” wrote Farrier. “She told me, ‘It’s not easy raising three of the heaviest bands.’” Related Video The filmmaker, who claims to have seen the birth certificates, admitted he...
